Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez
Encyclopedia
Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez is a character from the fictional universe of Highlander
movies, portrayed by actor Sean Connery
. He is an Immortal
.
Ramírez appeared in Highlander
, Highlander II: The Quickening
, and was mentioned in Highlander: The Series
.
in 896 BC, and became Immortal
after being run down by an out-of-control cart in the streets of his city. The fearful populace, upon learning of this, banished him, and he began to wander the world, encountering many other Immortals, good and evil alike. Among the most powerful of all the Immortals on Earth was The Kurgan
, whom Tak Ne battled a number of times throughout early history, including encounters in Babylonia
, Greece
, and ancient China
, including the Battle of Plataea
, where he fought under the Sparta
ns, and managed to shatter the Kurgan's blade.
Ramírez married three different times, until he finally decided having loved ones was no longer worth the resulting emotional pain of their inevitable deaths. Among his wives was Shakiko, a Japanese
princess, whose father, the great swordsmith Masamune
, gave Ramírez a "dragon head" katana
in 593 BC, a sword originally intended for Masamune's adopted, pre-Immortal son, Ren. The resulting grudge would be carried by Ren against Ramírez for the next 2,500 years. During this time, he also trained with the ancient Immortal Nakano, from whom he learned the arts of metallurgy
.
By 1541, he was living in Spain
, working as the Chief Metallurgist to King Charles V
under the name Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez. He sought out the Highlander, Connor MacLeod
, and took him under his wing, teaching him the rules of the Immortals. Most importantly, he warned him of The Kurgan, who gave him his first death. In 1542, while Connor was away hunting, the Kurgan returned. Though Ramírez had not been his intended victim, the Kurgan was not fussy, and a battle ensued, and while Ramírez nearly managed to decapitate his foe, he ultimately lost both the fight and his head. Connor buried Ramírez next to his home in Glencoe
and, after Heather died, he started using his mentor's katana, placing his own claymore
as Heather's grave marker.
that ensued. Also, during the Quickenings, Connor summoned Ramírez, who was resurrected, now fully aware of his and all of the Immortals' origins. He tracked MacLeod down to New York
, and helped him and Louise Marcus in their fight against Katana and the corrupt Shield Corporation. Ramírez eventually gave his life again to allow Connor and Louise to escape a deadly trap.
, in that two individuals encountered by Duncan MacLeod
had also previously known Ramírez. The first was Graham Ashe, an Immortal who had been Ramírez's mentor. The second was Otavio Consone, an Immortal who was one of Ramírez's other students.
, Highlander II: The Quickening
Highlander (film)
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. The film depicts the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and...
movies, portrayed by actor Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
. He is an Immortal
Immortal (Highlander)
Immortals are a group of fictional characters seen in the movies and series of the Highlander franchise. Since they are immune to disease and stop aging after becoming Immortal, they can live forever and they only die when they are beheaded....
.
Ramírez appeared in Highlander
Highlander (film)
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. The film depicts the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and...
, Highlander II: The Quickening
Highlander II: The Quickening
Highlander II: The Quickening is the second installment to the Highlander film series, released on January 31, 1991.-Plot:In August 1994, news broadcasts announce that the ozone layer is fading, and will be completely gone in a matter of months. In Africa, millions have perished from the effects of...
, and was mentioned in Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...
.
History
Ramírez was born in SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 896 BC, and became Immortal
Immortal (Highlander)
Immortals are a group of fictional characters seen in the movies and series of the Highlander franchise. Since they are immune to disease and stop aging after becoming Immortal, they can live forever and they only die when they are beheaded....
after being run down by an out-of-control cart in the streets of his city. The fearful populace, upon learning of this, banished him, and he began to wander the world, encountering many other Immortals, good and evil alike. Among the most powerful of all the Immortals on Earth was The Kurgan
The Kurgan
The Kurgan is a fictional character from the first Highlander film, portrayed by actor Clancy Brown. He is an Immortal and the main antagonist to the character Connor MacLeod in Highlander, and the latter's ultimate opponent in the Gathering....
, whom Tak Ne battled a number of times throughout early history, including encounters in Babylonia
Babylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and ancient China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, including the Battle of Plataea
Battle of Plataea
The Battle of Plataea was the final land battle during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place in 479 BC near the city of Plataea in Boeotia, and was fought between an alliance of the Greek city-states, including Sparta, Athens, Corinth and Megara, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes...
, where he fought under the Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
ns, and managed to shatter the Kurgan's blade.
Ramírez married three different times, until he finally decided having loved ones was no longer worth the resulting emotional pain of their inevitable deaths. Among his wives was Shakiko, a Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
princess, whose father, the great swordsmith Masamune
Masamune
, also known as , is widely recognized as Japan's greatest swordsmith. As no exact dates are known for Masamune's life, he has reached an almost legendary status. It is generally agreed that he made most of his swords in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, 1288–1328. He created swords, known as...
, gave Ramírez a "dragon head" katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
in 593 BC, a sword originally intended for Masamune's adopted, pre-Immortal son, Ren. The resulting grudge would be carried by Ren against Ramírez for the next 2,500 years. During this time, he also trained with the ancient Immortal Nakano, from whom he learned the arts of metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
.
By 1541, he was living in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, working as the Chief Metallurgist to King Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
under the name Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez. He sought out the Highlander, Connor MacLeod
Connor MacLeod
Connor MacLeod, also known as The Highlander, is a fictional character in the Highlander film series, as well as the television programs Highlander: The Series, and Highlander: The Animated Series...
, and took him under his wing, teaching him the rules of the Immortals. Most importantly, he warned him of The Kurgan, who gave him his first death. In 1542, while Connor was away hunting, the Kurgan returned. Though Ramírez had not been his intended victim, the Kurgan was not fussy, and a battle ensued, and while Ramírez nearly managed to decapitate his foe, he ultimately lost both the fight and his head. Connor buried Ramírez next to his home in Glencoe
Glencoe, Scotland
Glencoe Village is the main settlement in Glen Coe, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It lies at the north-west end of the glen, on the southern bank of the River Coe where it enters Loch Leven a salt-water loch off Loch Linnhe)....
and, after Heather died, he started using his mentor's katana, placing his own claymore
Claymore
The term claymore refers to the Scottish variant of the late medieval longsword, two-handed swords with a cross hilt, of which the guards were in use during the 15th and 16th centuries.-Terminology:...
as Heather's grave marker.
Resurrection
In 2024 AD, Connor MacLeod was an aging old man who had won The Prize, killing the Kurgan along the way. He had also learned the origin of the Immortals. They had been exiled from their society (Zeist) in the distant past, and had reborn as Immortals. The one that had exiled both Ramírez and Connor was the tyrannical ruler of their society, General Katana. Katana, to avoid the risk of MacLeod returning to his world (as was his right for winning The Game), sent two henchmen, Reno and Corda, to kill MacLeod. They failed, which resulted in Connor's rejuvenation through the QuickeningsQuickening (Highlander)
The Quickening is a phenomenon in the Highlander films and television series. When an Immortal is beheaded, there is a powerful energy release from their body which is called a Quickening. Lead Highlander: The Series actor Adrian Paul explains, "The Quickening is the receiving of all the power and...
that ensued. Also, during the Quickenings, Connor summoned Ramírez, who was resurrected, now fully aware of his and all of the Immortals' origins. He tracked MacLeod down to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and helped him and Louise Marcus in their fight against Katana and the corrupt Shield Corporation. Ramírez eventually gave his life again to allow Connor and Louise to escape a deadly trap.
TV Series continuity
Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez was referenced in Highlander: The SeriesHighlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...
, in that two individuals encountered by Duncan MacLeod
Duncan MacLeod
Duncan MacLeod is a fictional character from the Highlander multiverse. Duncan MacLeod serves as the protagonist for the TV continuation of the Highlander franchise, which comprises Highlander: The Series and its spin-off movies, Highlander: Endgame and Highlander: The Source...
had also previously known Ramírez. The first was Graham Ashe, an Immortal who had been Ramírez's mentor. The second was Otavio Consone, an Immortal who was one of Ramírez's other students.
In other media
- Robot ChickenRobot ChickenRobot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
features a parody of Highlander, which is also mentioned at the beginning of the skitFourth wallThe fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
with Ramirez saying, "As you may have noticed, this is a Highlander parody." In place of Conner, he is training Lindsay LohanLindsay LohanLindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
and in place of The Kurgan is Hilary DuffHilary DuffHilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
. He is voiced by Fred TatascioreFred TatascioreFrederick "Fred" Tatasciore is an American voice actor who portrays secondary characters as well as monstrous-looking types...
.
- The Marvelous Misadventures of FlapjackThe Marvelous Misadventures of FlapjackThe Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack is an American animated television series produced for Cartoon Network that premiered on June 5, 2008 and ended on August 31, 2010...
episode, The Highlandlubber, features a parody of Ramirez partially based on Ponce De LeonPonce de León-People:* Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish explorer of the Americas and first Governor of Puerto Rico* Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the son of Juan Ponce de León II, and early settler of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
who is an escaped insane asylum inmate who thinks Captain K'nuckles is a fellow immortal and has him join his mad adventures, the episode concluding with him jumping into a volcano.
Appearances
Movies - HighlanderHighlander (film)
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. The film depicts the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and...
, Highlander II: The Quickening
Highlander II: The Quickening
Highlander II: The Quickening is the second installment to the Highlander film series, released on January 31, 1991.-Plot:In August 1994, news broadcasts announce that the ozone layer is fading, and will be completely gone in a matter of months. In Africa, millions have perished from the effects of...