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Hope (Xena)
Encyclopedia
Hope is a fictional character
in the television series Xena: Warrior Princess
. She is the daughter of Dahak
, born of Gabrielle
. Hope is a recurring villain
ess in the third season, portrayed by Amy Morrison
and Renée O'Connor
.
While helping to defend Britannia
against Caesar
, Gabrielle
comes into contact with an evil cult
that tricks her into killing one of its priest
esses, Meridian. Using her, the dark god Dahak
impregnates Gabrielle just as Xena
rescues her. Over the next two weeks, the child grows inside Gabrielle, and eventually she gives birth to a girl. Even though she is the seed of evil, Gabrielle tells Xena that she is also a part of her and that there must be some good in her as well; naming her Hope. Fearing that the child will become a danger to the world and be used as a pawn for her evil father, Xena wants to kill her, but unbeknownst to Xena, Gabrielle saves her daughter by putting her in a basket and sending her downriver. This precipitates a major rift between Xena and Gabrielle, a story arc
that spans several episodes and includes Gabrielle betraying Xena by foiling her attempt to assassinate the tyrant Ming T'ien. Gabrielle alerts Ming T'ien to the plan and unintentionally causes Xena to be imprisoned and tortured.
A few months later, Gabrielle finds Hope again, now looking like a 9 year old and already in the process of helping her father by implementing his plan to take over the world. Hope allies herself with Callisto
, and in revenge for Xena's attempt to kill her as a baby, she murders Xena's son, Solan. This forces Gabrielle to accept that Hope is indeed dangerous. She kills her daughter by giving her poison, an act that continues to haunt Gabrielle throughout the series. Gabrielle holds herself responsible for Solan's death, as well as for betraying Xena a second time, even after reconciliation with Xena is achieved through the musical journey in the Land of Illusia.
After the death of Solan, Hope rises from her ashes and frees Callisto from the cave in which Xena trapped her. Hope then asks for Callisto's help in preventing the birth of the world's greatest hero, Hercules. With Hope's help, Callisto and Ares traps Hercules between two parallel worlds along with his evil counterpart, the Sovereign. Eventually, Hercules escapes and throws Callisto into the same place trapped with the Sovereign.
Therefore, when she once again encounters Hope, who was saved from the funeral pyre by Dahak, Gabrielle sacrifices herself to save Xena by jumping into a lava pit and taking Hope down with her. At the time, Hope was pregnant with Ares
' child, the first Destroyer. It is later revealed that Ares teleported to an inner ledge inside the lava pit and saved Hope and Gabrielle, hoping to use the latter as a bargaining chip against Xena.
Hope ultimately gives birth to the Destroyer. Impersonating Gabrielle, she returns to Gabrielle's hometown Potidaea
. Xena later returns to Potidaea and is reunited with "Gabrielle". With news of a wild beast brutally murdering animals at night, Xena finds the Destroyer and barely escapes with her life. Discovering that she is dealing with Dahak's grandson, Xena deduces that "Gabrielle" is really Hope. After finding the real Gabrielle, they devise a plan to kill Hope and the Destroyer.
Gabrielle finds the Destroyer, who, thinking she is its mother, hugs her. Xena uses this moment to stab it in the back with her sword, fatally wounding it. When Hope runs out to help her child, the Destroyer thinks she has betrayed it and stabs her before realizing how it has been tricked by Xena and Gabrielle. Crying, it hugs its mother as the two die in each other's arms.
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...
in the television series Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....
. She is the daughter of Dahak
Dahak
Dahak is a fictional character in the fictional universe of Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. He is the main antagonist of Xenas third season and the fifth season of Hercules....
, born of Gabrielle
Gabrielle (Xena)
Gabrielle is a fictional character played by Renée O'Connor in Xena: Warrior Princess. She is referred to by fans as the Battling Bard of Potidaea. Her trademark weapons are the Amazon fighting staff and later, the sais...
. Hope is a recurring villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
ess in the third season, portrayed by Amy Morrison
Amy Morrison
Amy Morrison is a New Zealand-born film and television actress best known for her role as Zandra in Cloud 9's The Tribe. She also had a brief but memorable role the historical fantasy series Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys as the younger version of Hope, the daughter of...
and Renée O'Connor
Reneé O'Connor
Renée O'Connor is an American actress, producer and director best known for playing the role of Gabrielle on the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess from 1995 to 2001.-Early career:...
.
Character history
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
against Caesar
Caesar (Xena)
Caesar is a fictional character from the television series Xena: Warrior Princess loosely based on Julius Caesar. He is portrayed by New Zealand actor Karl Urban. Caesar is a recurring antagonist in seasons two and three, with a guest appearance in season six as well as being the main antagonist of...
, Gabrielle
Gabrielle (Xena)
Gabrielle is a fictional character played by Renée O'Connor in Xena: Warrior Princess. She is referred to by fans as the Battling Bard of Potidaea. Her trademark weapons are the Amazon fighting staff and later, the sais...
comes into contact with an evil cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
that tricks her into killing one of its priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
esses, Meridian. Using her, the dark god Dahak
Dahak
Dahak is a fictional character in the fictional universe of Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. He is the main antagonist of Xenas third season and the fifth season of Hercules....
impregnates Gabrielle just as Xena
Xena
Xena is a fictional character from Robert Tapert's Xena: Warrior Princess franchise. She first appeared in the 1995–1999 television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, before going on to appear in Xena: Warrior Princess TV show and subsequent comic book of the same name...
rescues her. Over the next two weeks, the child grows inside Gabrielle, and eventually she gives birth to a girl. Even though she is the seed of evil, Gabrielle tells Xena that she is also a part of her and that there must be some good in her as well; naming her Hope. Fearing that the child will become a danger to the world and be used as a pawn for her evil father, Xena wants to kill her, but unbeknownst to Xena, Gabrielle saves her daughter by putting her in a basket and sending her downriver. This precipitates a major rift between Xena and Gabrielle, a story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
that spans several episodes and includes Gabrielle betraying Xena by foiling her attempt to assassinate the tyrant Ming T'ien. Gabrielle alerts Ming T'ien to the plan and unintentionally causes Xena to be imprisoned and tortured.
A few months later, Gabrielle finds Hope again, now looking like a 9 year old and already in the process of helping her father by implementing his plan to take over the world. Hope allies herself with Callisto
Callisto (Xena)
Callisto is a fictional character in the fantasy TV series Xena: Warrior Princess. She features as the most frequently recurring villainess on that show. She also makes appearances on three episodes of the parent show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
, and in revenge for Xena's attempt to kill her as a baby, she murders Xena's son, Solan. This forces Gabrielle to accept that Hope is indeed dangerous. She kills her daughter by giving her poison, an act that continues to haunt Gabrielle throughout the series. Gabrielle holds herself responsible for Solan's death, as well as for betraying Xena a second time, even after reconciliation with Xena is achieved through the musical journey in the Land of Illusia.
Therefore, when she once again encounters Hope, who was saved from the funeral pyre by Dahak, Gabrielle sacrifices herself to save Xena by jumping into a lava pit and taking Hope down with her. At the time, Hope was pregnant with Ares
Ares (Hercules and Xena)
Ares is a character on the television shows Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Young Hercules. He was portrayed by New Zealand actor Kevin Tod Smith...
' child, the first Destroyer. It is later revealed that Ares teleported to an inner ledge inside the lava pit and saved Hope and Gabrielle, hoping to use the latter as a bargaining chip against Xena.
Hope ultimately gives birth to the Destroyer. Impersonating Gabrielle, she returns to Gabrielle's hometown Potidaea
Potidaea
Potidaea was a colony founded by the Corinthians around 600 BC in the narrowest point of the peninsula of Pallene, the westernmost of three peninsulas at the southern end of Chalcidice in northern Greece....
. Xena later returns to Potidaea and is reunited with "Gabrielle". With news of a wild beast brutally murdering animals at night, Xena finds the Destroyer and barely escapes with her life. Discovering that she is dealing with Dahak's grandson, Xena deduces that "Gabrielle" is really Hope. After finding the real Gabrielle, they devise a plan to kill Hope and the Destroyer.
Gabrielle finds the Destroyer, who, thinking she is its mother, hugs her. Xena uses this moment to stab it in the back with her sword, fatally wounding it. When Hope runs out to help her child, the Destroyer thinks she has betrayed it and stabs her before realizing how it has been tricked by Xena and Gabrielle. Crying, it hugs its mother as the two die in each other's arms.
Appearances
- Gabrielle's Hope
- Maternal Instincts
- Armageddon now, part 1 (Hercules)
- Armageddon now, part 2 (Hercules)
- Sacrifice, part 1
- Sacrifice, part 2
- A Family Affair
- Motherhood