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Goliath (Gargoyles)
Encyclopedia
Goliath is a fictional character
, and lead protagonist
, in the animated television series Gargoyles
, voiced by Keith David
.
The primary protagonist
and central character of the whole series, Goliath is the leader of the Gargoyle clan, a strong, intelligent character, with a firm sense of morality coupled with a short temper. Goliath had been named after the Biblical giant Goliath by his human protectors some time before the beginning of the series, making him the only gargoyle character to have a name before their 1000-year-long stone sleep (since Gargoyles themselves as a race never saw the point of having names). His relationship with other members of his clan, other Gargoyles such as his former life partner Demona
and his evil clone Thailog as well as humans such as his current love, Elisa Maza
and enemy, David Xanatos
drove many stories in the series.
Goliath appeared in more episodes of the series than any other character (except for the episodes The Silver Falcon, Kingdom and Pendragon), and according to Greg Weisman
was the "prism through which the universe was recreated". This is clearest during the first season, in which several episodes revolved only around Goliath and one other member of the clan (Thrill of the Hunt featured Goliath with Lexington, Temptation featured him with Brooklyn, Deadly Force with Broadway, and Long Way To Morning with Hudson).
In this time, he had mated with a female gargoyle that he called his "angel of the night" (later to be named Demona
). During the Viking attack he was led away from the castle with his mentor (later called Hudson), on bad information by Demona and the Castle Captain of the Guard. This information was part of a greater plot conceived by Demona and the Captain of the Guard to evict the humans and leave the castle to him and the Gargoyles. When he returned, he believed that his love had been killed with the rest of his clan, and desired vengeance. He led the five surviving clan members in a raid on the Vikings, and personally chased the Viking leader Hakon when he fled with Princess Katharine as hostage. He rescued Katharine, but Hakon himself was tackled by Wyvern's Captain of the Guard and they fell to their deaths (though they were later encountered as ghosts).
Things were only compounded when he returned to the main group of Wyvern's refugees to discover that the five remaining members of his clan had already been turned to stone by a grief stricken Magus, who believed that Princess Katharine had been killed and that it was their fault. Upon realizing his mistake, he followed through with Goliath's request that he join them in stone sleep, and, along with Princess Katherine, vowed to protect the rookery eggs. The Magus could not reverse the spell himself, and it would only break if "the castle [rose] above the clouds."
In 1994, billionaire David Xanatos
purchased the ruins of Castle Wyvern, moved the structure to Manhattan, and had it rebuilt on the roof of his skyscraper. With the castle now "above the clouds," the spell broke and the surviving gargoyles were reawakened. Initially distrustful of Xanatos's intentions, after an attack on the castle by enemies of Xanatos, Goliath agreed to work for him for a time. It was through the intervention of an NYPD detective, Elisa Maza
, that he came to see Xanatos as a ruthless schemer who had manipulated him, and finally agreed to lead the clan away from their ancestral home.
He also encountered his former love, his "angel of the night." Now called Demona
, she had also survived through to modern times, and had been partially responsible for the Viking attack that had wiped out the clan. She was cruel and twisted, and spiteful of humans, but Goliath nevertheless held out hope for a long while that she could be redeemed. Eventually, he came to realize that this could not happen and turned his affections toward Elisa, though for longer still neither of them would acknowledge the fact.
Partway through the second season, Goliath discovered that the rookery eggs from Castle Wyvern had been moved to the mythical island of Avalon, and were cared for by Princess Katherine and the Magus who had vowed to protect the eggs as atonement for freezing the clan in stone. On Avalon they formed a new clan, and among them was his own daughter, Angela. He was reluctant to accept parenting responsibilities, partly because of the Gargoyle tradition that the entire clan acts as a parent rather than one particular Gargoyle acting as a parent to his/her biological offspring and partly because he knew that Angela's mother was Demona
, but was eventually convinced to treat her as a daughter. She became a part of the Manhattan Clan when they finally returned from Avalon. He also has an evil clone, Thailog, whom he has grudgingly accepted as a "son" (since Thailog was created from Goliath's DNA).
The romantic aspect of their relationship is completely ignored by the two until Demona, Goliath's ex-mate, attempts to kill them for not helping her to annihilate humanity. After that, however, the two refused to acknowledge their feelings until Elisa was turned into a gargoyle by Puck's spell. Though Goliath and Elisa do have a series of moments sprinkled through out the series, it isn't until 'Hunters Moon Part 3' that either one speaks of their feelings for one another.
Toy line of Gargoyles characters have been released. The character of Goliath is the one with the most variation.
The user played as Goliath in the 1995 Sega Genesis video game Gargoyles
based on the series.
and was part of a poster campaign urging youngsters to read. The "Gargoyles" poster had Goliath, educated leader of the clan, perched on a building ledge clutching a volume of Shakespeare. The poster displayed a single-word message: "Read".
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...
, and lead protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, in the animated television series Gargoyles
Gargoyles (TV series)
Gargoyles is an American animated series created by Greg Weisman. It was produced by Greg Weisman and Frank Paur and aired from October 24, 1994 to February 15, 1997. Gargoyles is known for its dark tone, complex story arcs and melodrama...
, voiced by Keith David
Keith David
Keith David Williams , better known as Keith David, is an American film, television, voice actor, and singer. He is perhaps most known for his live-action roles in such films as Crash, There's Something About Mary, Barbershop and Men at Work...
.
Overview
The Gargoyles concept began as a comedy series in the style of The Gummi Bears, although set in the modern day. When this proposal was rejected, a Disney producer named Tad Stones suggested that the series be altered to include a tragic lead gargoyle, and the concept became an action-oriented series. This lead character developed into Goliath, and the rest of the series was reworked around this character.The primary protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
and central character of the whole series, Goliath is the leader of the Gargoyle clan, a strong, intelligent character, with a firm sense of morality coupled with a short temper. Goliath had been named after the Biblical giant Goliath by his human protectors some time before the beginning of the series, making him the only gargoyle character to have a name before their 1000-year-long stone sleep (since Gargoyles themselves as a race never saw the point of having names). His relationship with other members of his clan, other Gargoyles such as his former life partner Demona
Demona
Demona is a fictional character in the animated television series Gargoyles, voiced by Marina Sirtis. One of the primary antagonists in the series, Demona was once Goliath's lover and part of their castle's Wyvern Clan of gargoyles...
and his evil clone Thailog as well as humans such as his current love, Elisa Maza
Elisa Maza
Elisa Maza is a fictional character from the Disney animated television series Gargoyles, voiced by Salli Richardson. She is the main human character of the series, the steadfast ally of the Manhattan Clan of gargoyles...
and enemy, David Xanatos
David Xanatos
David Xanatos is one of the primary characters of the animated series Gargoyles. In the series, he is the founder, owner and CEO of Xanatos Enterprises and a member of the Illuminati...
drove many stories in the series.
Goliath appeared in more episodes of the series than any other character (except for the episodes The Silver Falcon, Kingdom and Pendragon), and according to Greg Weisman
Greg Weisman
Greg Weisman is an American comic book and animation writer and producer, best known as the creator of Gargoyles and as the Supervising Producer of The Spectacular Spider-Man. Weisman is currently a producer on the Young Justice animated series...
was the "prism through which the universe was recreated". This is clearest during the first season, in which several episodes revolved only around Goliath and one other member of the clan (Thrill of the Hunt featured Goliath with Lexington, Temptation featured him with Brooklyn, Deadly Force with Broadway, and Long Way To Morning with Hudson).
Biography
Goliath hatched in 938. In 994, Goliath was the head of his clan at Castle Wyvern. Like the rest of the clan he faced prejudice from the human residents of the castle, and members of Wyvern's court often compared him to his biblical namesake Goliath; the Captain of the Guard regards Goliath as a mighty warrior, but Princess Katharine reminds him that the original Goliath was a "bully and a savage", even though the gargoyle was neither. Her father, Prince Malcolm had named him years before.In this time, he had mated with a female gargoyle that he called his "angel of the night" (later to be named Demona
Demona
Demona is a fictional character in the animated television series Gargoyles, voiced by Marina Sirtis. One of the primary antagonists in the series, Demona was once Goliath's lover and part of their castle's Wyvern Clan of gargoyles...
). During the Viking attack he was led away from the castle with his mentor (later called Hudson), on bad information by Demona and the Castle Captain of the Guard. This information was part of a greater plot conceived by Demona and the Captain of the Guard to evict the humans and leave the castle to him and the Gargoyles. When he returned, he believed that his love had been killed with the rest of his clan, and desired vengeance. He led the five surviving clan members in a raid on the Vikings, and personally chased the Viking leader Hakon when he fled with Princess Katharine as hostage. He rescued Katharine, but Hakon himself was tackled by Wyvern's Captain of the Guard and they fell to their deaths (though they were later encountered as ghosts).
Things were only compounded when he returned to the main group of Wyvern's refugees to discover that the five remaining members of his clan had already been turned to stone by a grief stricken Magus, who believed that Princess Katharine had been killed and that it was their fault. Upon realizing his mistake, he followed through with Goliath's request that he join them in stone sleep, and, along with Princess Katherine, vowed to protect the rookery eggs. The Magus could not reverse the spell himself, and it would only break if "the castle [rose] above the clouds."
In 1994, billionaire David Xanatos
David Xanatos
David Xanatos is one of the primary characters of the animated series Gargoyles. In the series, he is the founder, owner and CEO of Xanatos Enterprises and a member of the Illuminati...
purchased the ruins of Castle Wyvern, moved the structure to Manhattan, and had it rebuilt on the roof of his skyscraper. With the castle now "above the clouds," the spell broke and the surviving gargoyles were reawakened. Initially distrustful of Xanatos's intentions, after an attack on the castle by enemies of Xanatos, Goliath agreed to work for him for a time. It was through the intervention of an NYPD detective, Elisa Maza
Elisa Maza
Elisa Maza is a fictional character from the Disney animated television series Gargoyles, voiced by Salli Richardson. She is the main human character of the series, the steadfast ally of the Manhattan Clan of gargoyles...
, that he came to see Xanatos as a ruthless schemer who had manipulated him, and finally agreed to lead the clan away from their ancestral home.
He also encountered his former love, his "angel of the night." Now called Demona
Demona
Demona is a fictional character in the animated television series Gargoyles, voiced by Marina Sirtis. One of the primary antagonists in the series, Demona was once Goliath's lover and part of their castle's Wyvern Clan of gargoyles...
, she had also survived through to modern times, and had been partially responsible for the Viking attack that had wiped out the clan. She was cruel and twisted, and spiteful of humans, but Goliath nevertheless held out hope for a long while that she could be redeemed. Eventually, he came to realize that this could not happen and turned his affections toward Elisa, though for longer still neither of them would acknowledge the fact.
Partway through the second season, Goliath discovered that the rookery eggs from Castle Wyvern had been moved to the mythical island of Avalon, and were cared for by Princess Katherine and the Magus who had vowed to protect the eggs as atonement for freezing the clan in stone. On Avalon they formed a new clan, and among them was his own daughter, Angela. He was reluctant to accept parenting responsibilities, partly because of the Gargoyle tradition that the entire clan acts as a parent rather than one particular Gargoyle acting as a parent to his/her biological offspring and partly because he knew that Angela's mother was Demona
Demona
Demona is a fictional character in the animated television series Gargoyles, voiced by Marina Sirtis. One of the primary antagonists in the series, Demona was once Goliath's lover and part of their castle's Wyvern Clan of gargoyles...
, but was eventually convinced to treat her as a daughter. She became a part of the Manhattan Clan when they finally returned from Avalon. He also has an evil clone, Thailog, whom he has grudgingly accepted as a "son" (since Thailog was created from Goliath's DNA).
Elisa Maza
Elisa and Goliath's relationship did not start on the best terms. Elisa was unsure of whether or not to trust a mythological creature, and Goliath was still feeling betrayed by humanity. The first person who seems to notice the growing relationship between the two is Hudson after he chooses his name in 'Awakening Part 3', though the two do not begin to openly trust each other until Elisa protects Goliath from being captured while he sleeps in 'Awakening Part 4.'The romantic aspect of their relationship is completely ignored by the two until Demona, Goliath's ex-mate, attempts to kill them for not helping her to annihilate humanity. After that, however, the two refused to acknowledge their feelings until Elisa was turned into a gargoyle by Puck's spell. Though Goliath and Elisa do have a series of moments sprinkled through out the series, it isn't until 'Hunters Moon Part 3' that either one speaks of their feelings for one another.
Hudson
As his mentor, Hudson probably knows more about Goliath than any other character. The two are constantly leaning on each other emotionally. While Hudson has some issues with admitting that he is growing old, he always finds comfort in his old pupil. The episode in which the two look into their relationship is "Long way to Morning", in which they both reminisce on the mission that led to Goliath taking over Hudson's command.Brooklyn
Goliath, after being attacked in 'Upgrade', placed Brooklyn as his second in command, creating a relationship between the two much like the one between Goliath and Hudson. Brooklyn, as the most temperamental of the younger trio, found it hardest to forgive humanity, an issue regarded in 'Temptation' where he and Goliath address the issue.Broadway
As with the others in the trio, Broadway trusts Goliath completely. He and the others treats Goliath as either a Rookery Brother/Keeper. Broadway, however, seems sometimes to have a deeper relationship with Elisa than with Goliath after 'Deadly Force' in which he accidentily shoots her.Lexington
Lexington, as the most intelligent or the trio, has the same relationship as the others. While he believes he can usually take care of himself and can make proper decisions, he is proven wrong in 'The Thrill of the Hunt' where Goliath explains to him that, though they do need to be careful with who they trust, they cannot hide from the world.Xanatos
Although he is the first human Goliath meets after awakening, the two quickly find themselves at odds with each other, Goliath furious at Xanatos's manipulation of him and the clan, and Xanatos at Goliath's refusal to help him. After Goliath and the rest of the clan help protect his son, Alexander, from his mother-in-law, Titania, in 'The Gathering Part 2', they come to a slight understanding.Demona
The relationship between Demona and Goliath, though kind in the beginning, quickly soured after Demona declared that she could not forgive humanity's transgression against their kind, though it is shown that, in truth, many of the pains she has suffered from others was due to her own cruelty and/or ignorance. She constantly finds herself jealous of his and Elisa's relationship, even going so far as to try to wish her out of existence in 'The Mirror', though it backfires when, instead of killing her, Puck changes her into a gargoyle.Merchandise
The user played as Goliath in the 1995 Sega Genesis video game Gargoyles
Gargoyles (video game)
Gargoyles is a platform game released for the Sega Genesis, based on the cartoon of the same name, developed and published by Buena Vista Interactive...
based on the series.
In other media
The show worked with the American Library AssociationAmerican Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
and was part of a poster campaign urging youngsters to read. The "Gargoyles" poster had Goliath, educated leader of the clan, perched on a building ledge clutching a volume of Shakespeare. The poster displayed a single-word message: "Read".
External links
- Goliath at gargoyles.wikia.com
- Goliath (Gargoyles) at internationalhero.co.uk