Emperor Belos: Owl House’s Manipulative Magical Ruler

Disney Television Animation studio in Glendale, California is a wonderland of creation. It has produced the most iconic Disney animated shows, television movies, and direct-to-video films. In 2020, The Owl House arrived and captured the hearts of cartoon lovers everywhere. The program became critically acclaimed due to its story, humor, acting, LGBTQ+ representation, and characters. One character who made the biggest impact was the primary antagonist, Emperor Belos.

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Looking Back at The Owl House

Created by Dana Terrace, The Owl House focused on the magical adventures of Luz Noceda. The creative 14-year-old finds herself on the Boiling Isles, a land of magic and monsters. She becomes the apprentice of a powerful rogue witch named Eda the Owl Lady. Luz has a menagerie of magical companions along with Eda. This roster includes demons King and Hooty and fellow apprentice witches Willow, Gus, and Amity. And they all hang out at the show's namesake, the Owl House.

Throughout The Owl House, Luz discovers that the Isles' society revolves around joining covens. There are nine major groups centered around a specific type of magic. For example, one coven only makes potions, and another specializes in casting illusions. The only downside is once someone joins a coven, they cannot use any other magic. However, a powerful tenth coven called The Emperor's Coven breaks this restriction. Each member can use all magic types and is the military of the Isle's ruler.

The Emperor of the Boiling Isles

Emperor Belos governs the entirety of the Boiling Isles in The Owl House. His people perceive Belos as a just and charming ruler who adores and safeguards them. He consistently warns everyone about the dangers of wild magic and those who practice it. To ensure everyone's safety, Belos implemented the covens to enable the safe use of magic. He also carries an air of mystery because he always wears a mask. Nevertheless, everyone loves and worships him and dreams of serving him and the covens.

Despite his public image, Emperor Belos was a manipulative and insidious individual behind closed doors. He often made false promises to his followers and viewed his most faithful as tools. Belos also felt great disgust towards the witches of the Boiling Isles. He desired to destroy them, luring them in with the promise of eternal paradise. His plans would have succeeded if not for the meddling of Luz and her companions.

The Dark Backstory of Belos

[caption id="attachment_73969" align="alignnone" width="800"]Image courtesy of Disney[/caption]

Emperor Belos' motivation for wanting to destroy his witch citizens was never fully stated. Luckily, episodes in Seasons Two and Three of The Owl House vaguely reveal the story. Two brothers become witch hunters during the colonial age, but things suddenly take a turn. The older brother, Caleb, falls in love with a witch from the Boiling Isles. Philip, the young brother, becomes enraged by this supposed betrayal and murders Caleb. Afterward, Philip vows to destroy all witches for what they did to his sibling.

Philip begins carrying out a plan to fulfill his self-imposed goal. Seeing himself as a hero for humanity, he gathers components for a devastating spell. It would allow him to drain witches of their magic and life force. When implementing his plan, Philip adopts a new identity: Belos. His latest persona allowed him to infiltrate witch society and refine his spell. It wasn't long until he became emperor and manipulated witches to construct their demise.

Final Thoughts

Emperor Belos of The Owl House is a vile, murderous, psychopathic sociopath. And these qualities make him a worthy addition to Disney's roster of villains. He is the living embodiment of a hero complex taken to extreme levels. Even though The Owl House concluded in 2023, people can still revisit it on Disney+. Veterans fans can rewatch Belos's cruelty while new ones can experience it firsthand. They can watch the downfall of a man who became the truest of monsters.

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Originally written by Ashton Wilson.