Cole Turner
Encyclopedia
Cole Turner is a fictional character
on the WB
television series
Charmed
, portrayed by series regular Julian McMahon
between seasons three and five. McMahon returned for a guest appearance in the show's seventh season, for its 150th episode. Charmed is a series which focuses on three good witches, the prophesied "Charmed Ones", sisters who battle the forces of evil. Cole is an adversary-turned-ally of the sisters introduced in the third series and a love interest of main character Phoebe Halliwell
, portrayed by Alyssa Milano
. Like the show's main characters, Cole also possessed a number of magical abilities; his most commonly used were the power to teleport and the power to throw projective energy balls which could stun or kill.
Within the series' narrative, Cole is half-human and half-demon by blood, and better known to the demonic world for over a hundred years as the legendary demonic assassin Belthazor. Cole is dispatched by the Source of all Evil
himself to kill the Charmed Ones only to fall in love with then-youngest sister Phoebe, renounce evil and become a close ally of the Charmed Ones. Though Cole eventually completely rids himself of his demonic nature, and marries Phoebe in the fourth season, he never gains the trust of new youngest sister Paige
(Rose McGowan
). As part of his storyline, the character later returns to evil after unwillingly becoming the new Source. As the Source, Cole is eventually vanquished by the Charmed Ones, only to come back from death itself in his attempts to win Phoebe back. Driven insane, Cole is killed once again by the sisters in the fifth season. When the character returns for a guest appearance in the seventh season, it is unclear what kind of being he is, but he states that he is caught somewhere between life and death, atoning for his sins.
(2000-1) première episode, "The Honeymoon's Over". Charmed Ones Phoebe (Milano) and Prue
(Shannen Doherty
) run into Assistant District Attorney
Cole Turner at the site where they killed a demon, and cover their tracks. Over the course of the episode, it becomes apparent to the audience that Cole is himself a very powerful demon, pursuing Phoebe romantically and deceiving the sisters as to his true nature in order to finally kill them. In "Power Outage", Cole's superiors, the demonic Triad
, learn that he may have developed genuine romantic feelings for Phoebe; Cole responds by killing them, forcing him into hiding. Meanwhile, the sisters acquire a target in the red-and-black-skinned demon Belthazor (Michael Bailey Smith
); in "Sleuthing with the Enemy", the Charmed Ones discovers Cole and Belthazor are one and the same, but when Cole convinces Phoebe that he, being half human, truly loves her, she fakes his death so that her sisters Piper
(Holly Marie Combs
) and Prue will not hunt for him. When Cole re-emerges, causing a rift between Phoebe and her sisters, he attempts to re-ingratiate himself his demonic peers, the Brotherhood of the Thorn as part the sisters' double agent
. When Prue and Piper are both killed following a successful mission by the Source's assassin Shax
(Michael Bailey Smith) in the season finale "All Hell Breaks Loose", Cole's ingratiation with allows him to beg the Source (again, Michael Bailey Smith) to turn back time and prevent the exposure of magic; the Source agrees on the condition that Phoebe remain in the underworld under his command, though he secretly orders her to be killed. Phoebe is able to escape, however, due to the presence of Leo Wyatt
(Brian Krause
), her "whitelighter
" (a witch's guardian angel).
) in "Charmed and Dangerous", the Source's essence fills the space left by Cole's vanquished demon half, making Cole the new Source; as the Source, he is guided by the Seer
(Debbi Morgan
), a manipulative demoness who has served multiple Sources. Paige continually suspects him of being evil. In "The Fifth Halliwheel", the Seer begins her plot to have Cole impregnate Phoebe, and in "Bite Me", Phoebe learns she is pregnant. On discovering that Cole is the Source, a pregnant Phoebe stands by his side to become the Queen of the Underworld, though she returns her sisters to help vanquish Cole in "Long Live the Queen". In "Womb Raider", the Seer uses a spell to take Cole's child from Phoebe, becoming the Source herself, but becomes overwhelmed by is powers and dies. Phoebe hears Cole's voice call to her on the wind, and in the season finale, "Witch Way Now?", she discovers Cole is able to linger in the Demonic Wasteland, where vanquished demons go, because of his human soul. Phoebe visits him there, insisting to him that he move on to his afterlife. After she leaves, he accidentally discovers he can acquire the powers of other demons vanquished there. He becomes powerful enough to kill the beast that consumes the essence of those vanquished there and, finally, to escape. Once back in the world, he saves the sisters' lives from a witch hunter.
(Billy Drago
) who convinces Cole to use a power-stripping potion and acquires Cole's powers, becoming corporeal. To stop the threat of Barbas or anyone else possessing Cole's powers, Paige strips Barbas of his powers and Cole takes them back; the sisters, however, fear that his powers will make him evil again. In "Sam, I Am", Cole misuses his abilities and incinerates two robbers; he is visited by two mysterious beings for the first time, the Avatars
. Neither good or evil, the Avatars offer Cole the opportunity to join their ranks and enjoy their powers; he refuses. Instead, Cole tries to provoke the sisters to kill him by sending an assassin after them, knowing that they will be able to recover thanks to their recent contact with Paige's father, whitelighter Sam Wilder (Scott Jaeck
). He is distraught to learn he cannot be killed, this discovery pushing him over the edge as he reverts to more malevolent means of winning Phoebe back, such as attempting to corrupt the power of the manor. In Charmed' s 100th episode, "Centennial Charmed", Cole accepts the Avatars' offer and uses their power to change history so that Piper and Phoebe never met Paige. In the new reality, Cole is Belthazor again; he owns Halliwell Manor with Phoebe, but they are unhappy together. Paige, accidentally brought along to this world, is able to meet her sisters and restore their full abilities. The sisters finally kill Cole using the original potion to kill Belthazor.
; Piper's disembodied spirit receives advice from Cole, who claims to be in limbo atoning for his sins. However, it is later revealed that Cole, watching over the sisters, orchestrated Piper's illness and sent Phoebe's short-lived boyfriend Drake (Billy Zane
) to her, all so that Phoebe could learn to believe in love again. Cole returns in Charmed season nine comic to once again help Piper after she is sent in to the cosmic void by Neena. Cole also helps Patty look for her daughter so he can find redemption.
firm in the television series Angel
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Charmed
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
, portrayed by series regular Julian McMahon
Julian McMahon
Julian Dana William McMahon is an Australian actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayals of Cole Turner in The WB hit series Charmed, womanizing plastic surgeon Christian Troy on the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning TV show Nip/Tuck, and Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four and...
between seasons three and five. McMahon returned for a guest appearance in the show's seventh season, for its 150th episode. Charmed is a series which focuses on three good witches, the prophesied "Charmed Ones", sisters who battle the forces of evil. Cole is an adversary-turned-ally of the sisters introduced in the third series and a love interest of main character Phoebe Halliwell
Phoebe Halliwell
Phoebe Halliwell is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Phoebe is introduced in the series as a witch and, more specifically, a Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Lori Rom in the unaired pilot,...
, portrayed by Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and former singer, known for her childhood role as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss? and an eight-year stint as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed. She was also a series regular on the original Melrose Place portraying the role of...
. Like the show's main characters, Cole also possessed a number of magical abilities; his most commonly used were the power to teleport and the power to throw projective energy balls which could stun or kill.
Within the series' narrative, Cole is half-human and half-demon by blood, and better known to the demonic world for over a hundred years as the legendary demonic assassin Belthazor. Cole is dispatched by the Source of all Evil
The Source (Charmed)
The Source of All Evil is a fictional character on the WB television series Charmed, a demon who is the ruler of the underworld for the show's first 4 seasons...
himself to kill the Charmed Ones only to fall in love with then-youngest sister Phoebe, renounce evil and become a close ally of the Charmed Ones. Though Cole eventually completely rids himself of his demonic nature, and marries Phoebe in the fourth season, he never gains the trust of new youngest sister Paige
Paige Matthews
Paige Matthews is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Paige is introduced at the start of season four as the fourth Halliwell sister and youngest Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Rose McGowan...
(Rose McGowan
Rose McGowan
Rose Arianna McGowan is an actress and singer. She is known for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB Television Network supernatural drama series Charmed. She played Ann-Margret alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Elvis Presley in the CBS mini-series Elvis...
). As part of his storyline, the character later returns to evil after unwillingly becoming the new Source. As the Source, Cole is eventually vanquished by the Charmed Ones, only to come back from death itself in his attempts to win Phoebe back. Driven insane, Cole is killed once again by the sisters in the fifth season. When the character returns for a guest appearance in the seventh season, it is unclear what kind of being he is, but he states that he is caught somewhere between life and death, atoning for his sins.
Character arc
Cole Turner makes his first appearance in the third seasonCharmed (season 3)
The third season of Charmed, an American supernatural drama television series, began airing on September 5, 2000 on The WB. Airing on Thursdays at 9 P.M., the season consisted of 22 episodes and concluded its airing on May 17, 2001....
(2000-1) première episode, "The Honeymoon's Over". Charmed Ones Phoebe (Milano) and Prue
Prue Halliwell
Prudence "Prue" Halliwell is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. Prue is depicted as one of the featured leads as she fulfills her role as a witch and, more specifically, a Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time...
(Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
) run into Assistant District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Cole Turner at the site where they killed a demon, and cover their tracks. Over the course of the episode, it becomes apparent to the audience that Cole is himself a very powerful demon, pursuing Phoebe romantically and deceiving the sisters as to his true nature in order to finally kill them. In "Power Outage", Cole's superiors, the demonic Triad
Triad (Charmed)
The Triad is a fictional group of powerful demons on the television series Charmed. They ranked very high in the hierarchy of evil during the series...
, learn that he may have developed genuine romantic feelings for Phoebe; Cole responds by killing them, forcing him into hiding. Meanwhile, the sisters acquire a target in the red-and-black-skinned demon Belthazor (Michael Bailey Smith
Michael Bailey Smith
Michael Bailey Smith is an American movie and television actor. He is best known for his appearances on the hit television series Charmed, where he played Belthazor, The Source of All Evil, a Grimlock leader and Shax.-Early life:...
); in "Sleuthing with the Enemy", the Charmed Ones discovers Cole and Belthazor are one and the same, but when Cole convinces Phoebe that he, being half human, truly loves her, she fakes his death so that her sisters Piper
Piper Halliwell
Piper Halliwell is a fictional character from the television series Charmed. One of the featured leads, Piper is introduced in the series as a witch and, more specifically, a Charmed One one of the most powerful witches of all time. The character was portrayed by Holly Marie Combs throughout the...
(Holly Marie Combs
Holly Marie Combs
Holly Marie Combs is an American film and television actress and producer whose roles have included a portrayal in Charmed as Piper Halliwell and another in Picket Fences, where she received a Young Artist Award for her role, as Kimberly Brock...
) and Prue will not hunt for him. When Cole re-emerges, causing a rift between Phoebe and her sisters, he attempts to re-ingratiate himself his demonic peers, the Brotherhood of the Thorn as part the sisters' double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
. When Prue and Piper are both killed following a successful mission by the Source's assassin Shax
Shax (Charmed)
The demon Shax appeared twice in the long running fantasy WB drama series Charmed as the demonic, personal assassin of the Source of All Evil...
(Michael Bailey Smith) in the season finale "All Hell Breaks Loose", Cole's ingratiation with allows him to beg the Source (again, Michael Bailey Smith) to turn back time and prevent the exposure of magic; the Source agrees on the condition that Phoebe remain in the underworld under his command, though he secretly orders her to be killed. Phoebe is able to escape, however, due to the presence of Leo Wyatt
Leo Wyatt
Leonardo "Leo" Wyatt is a fictional character from The WB television series Charmed, portrayed by Brian Krause. A possible breakout character included in the writing initially as a love interest beginning in the seventh episode of the first season that initially set Phoebe and Piper quarreling and...
(Brian Krause
Brian Krause
Brian Jeffrey Krause is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Leo Wyatt on the WB Network TV series Charmed from 1998 to 2006.-Background:...
), her "whitelighter
Whitelighter
A Whitelighter is a fictional character featured on the WB television series Charmed. These beings are former human mortals who are given a second chance at life in order to serve under an angelic group known as The Elders as guardian angels for good witches and other future...
" (a witch's guardian angel).
Season 4
Cole does what he can to assist Phoebe and Piper from Shax's attack after Prue died from Shax's attack in the previous episode. Piper and Phoebe regain their full abilities, becoming Charmed Ones once again when they discover their younger half-sister, Paige (McGowan), with whom they destroy Shax. In "Black as Cole", a power-stripping one causes Cole to lose both his Belthazor form and demonic abilities, becoming wholly human. After the Charmed Ones successfully kill the Source (Peter WoodwardPeter Woodward
Peter Woodward is an English actor, stuntman and screenwriter. He is probably best known for his role as Galen in the Babylon 5 spin-offs Babylon 5: A Call to Arms, Crusade and Babylon 5: The Lost Tales....
) in "Charmed and Dangerous", the Source's essence fills the space left by Cole's vanquished demon half, making Cole the new Source; as the Source, he is guided by the Seer
The Seer (Charmed)
The Seers are two fictional characters on the WB television series Charmed. Each Seer is a powerful upper-level demoness capable of seeing the future.- The Seer :...
(Debbi Morgan
Debbi Morgan
Deborah "Debbi" Morgan is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Angie Hubbard on the ABC soap opera All My Children, and for her role as The Seer in the fourth and fifth seasons of Charmed.Morgan joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as...
), a manipulative demoness who has served multiple Sources. Paige continually suspects him of being evil. In "The Fifth Halliwheel", the Seer begins her plot to have Cole impregnate Phoebe, and in "Bite Me", Phoebe learns she is pregnant. On discovering that Cole is the Source, a pregnant Phoebe stands by his side to become the Queen of the Underworld, though she returns her sisters to help vanquish Cole in "Long Live the Queen". In "Womb Raider", the Seer uses a spell to take Cole's child from Phoebe, becoming the Source herself, but becomes overwhelmed by is powers and dies. Phoebe hears Cole's voice call to her on the wind, and in the season finale, "Witch Way Now?", she discovers Cole is able to linger in the Demonic Wasteland, where vanquished demons go, because of his human soul. Phoebe visits him there, insisting to him that he move on to his afterlife. After she leaves, he accidentally discovers he can acquire the powers of other demons vanquished there. He becomes powerful enough to kill the beast that consumes the essence of those vanquished there and, finally, to escape. Once back in the world, he saves the sisters' lives from a witch hunter.
Season 5
In the season premiere, "A Witch's Tail", Cole returns more powerful than ever, and though he still loves Phoebe, she wants to move on from him and is frustrated by his attempts to win her back. In "Sympathy for the Demon", Cole is taunted by the spirit of the demon BarbasBarbas (Charmed)
Barbas, the Demon of Fear, is a fictional character cast as a major foe from the WB Television Network television series, Charmed...
(Billy Drago
Billy Drago
Billy Drago is an American actor known for his roles as villains in television and motion pictures.-Personal life:Drago was born William Eugene Burrows in Hugoton, Kansas to William and Gladys Burrows. He took his grandmother's maiden name as his stage name to keep from being confused with another...
) who convinces Cole to use a power-stripping potion and acquires Cole's powers, becoming corporeal. To stop the threat of Barbas or anyone else possessing Cole's powers, Paige strips Barbas of his powers and Cole takes them back; the sisters, however, fear that his powers will make him evil again. In "Sam, I Am", Cole misuses his abilities and incinerates two robbers; he is visited by two mysterious beings for the first time, the Avatars
Avatars (Charmed)
The Avatars are fictional characters in the WB television series Charmed.- Description :Avatars are an ancient group of magical beings who can bend the very fabric of time, space and reality. Their power is often described as the ability to manipulate time and space, through which they can reverse...
. Neither good or evil, the Avatars offer Cole the opportunity to join their ranks and enjoy their powers; he refuses. Instead, Cole tries to provoke the sisters to kill him by sending an assassin after them, knowing that they will be able to recover thanks to their recent contact with Paige's father, whitelighter Sam Wilder (Scott Jaeck
Scott Jaeck
Scott Jaeck is an American actor who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 29, 1954. He attended New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, graduating in 1973. He attended the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. He is married to actress Mariann Mayberry, a member of the Steppenwolf...
). He is distraught to learn he cannot be killed, this discovery pushing him over the edge as he reverts to more malevolent means of winning Phoebe back, such as attempting to corrupt the power of the manor. In Charmed
Last Appearance
Cole makes his final appearance in the 150th episode "The Seven Year Witch", in season sevenCharmed (season 7)
The seventh season of Charmed, an American supernatural drama television series, began airing on September 12, 2004 on The WB. Airing on Sundays at 8 P.M., the season consisted of 22 episodes and concluded its airing on May 22, 2005....
; Piper's disembodied spirit receives advice from Cole, who claims to be in limbo atoning for his sins. However, it is later revealed that Cole, watching over the sisters, orchestrated Piper's illness and sent Phoebe's short-lived boyfriend Drake (Billy Zane
Billy Zane
William George "Billy" Zane, Jr. is an American actor, producer and director. He is probably best known for his roles as Caledon Hockley in Titanic, The Phantom from The Phantom, John Wheeler in Twin Peaks and Mr...
) to her, all so that Phoebe could learn to believe in love again. Cole returns in Charmed season nine comic to once again help Piper after she is sent in to the cosmic void by Neena. Cole also helps Patty look for her daughter so he can find redemption.
Analysis
As a lawyer and a demon, one writer notes that Cole is part of the same "corporate" metaphor as the Wolfram & HartWolfram & Hart
Wolfram & Hart − Attorneys at Law is a fictional international, and interdimensional law firm featured in the television series Angel, as well as other extended materials in Joss Whedon's Buffyverse.-Fictional history:...
firm in the television series Angel
Angel (TV series)
Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
.