Shax (Charmed)
Encyclopedia
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
. He appears as an evil personification of the air, supernaturally appearing and disappearing in sudden gusts of wind, and killing his targets with large blasts of wind energy summoned in his hands.
and Piper Halliwell
whilst Phoebe was searching for the vanquish spell. He beat them, but didn't manage to kill either of them due to Phoebes' timely appearance with the spell, chanting it herself. Sadly, the spell required the Power of Three and only injured Shax. Prue and Piper follow him outside and get attacked again, but Piper blows him up. They are not sure if he is vanquished however. Unfortunately, for the Charmed Ones, the vanquishing was filmed by a local news reporter who streamed the footage live onto television screens across San Francisco. The world turns their attention to the Witches who have to deal with that and Shax, who returns to attack yet again. Fortunately this time both Prue and Piper chant the spell, and this has enough power to vanquish the demon.
As a result of exposing the existence of the supernatural, the Source (using the upper-level demon Tempus
) was forced to rewind time to before Shax was vanquished. Unaware of the change in timeline, Shax returned and successfully carried out his hit when he murdered Prue after blasting her through a wall in her family home. He became the only demon to ever permanently kill a Charmed One, thus temporarily rendering The Power of Three powerless. In revenge, the remaining three Charmed Ones, Prudence's three younger sisters, vanquished Shax for a second and final time; marking the very first vanquish of youngest Charmed One, Paige Matthews
.
Shax also appears in the Charmed novel, Charmed Again by Elizabeth Lenhard, which retells the events of Prue's murder, her subsequent burial and Shax's final vanquish by the three youngest Charmed Ones.
(who also played the roles of the Source, Belthazor and one of the Grimlocks) in the third season finale, "All Hell Breaks Loose", and the fourth season premiere, "Charmed Again (Part I)". He also made an appearance during a flashback in the sixth season
episode "Chris-Crossed".
Furthermore, Shax came fourth in a poll of the "Top 10 Villains" in Charmed, conducted by Charmed Magazine and Living (the UK broadcaster of the series). Drawing on his high ranking in demonic hierarchy, his ability to kill one of the Charmed Ones, and his frightening appearance, the poll concluded "he is one very dangerous demon". Although he seldom spoke, his "memorable quote" was of his only line on the show, "the end", uttered after killing Prue.
" (a magical tome detailing the many magical beings present in the show's fictional universe
). The page, however, is only ever revealed on-screen (despite being referenced to on the show) in a special features documentary on the eighth season's DVD Region 1 easter egg, and in one issue of the official Charmed Magazine. The page reads as follows:
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
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...
drama 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...
as the demonic, personal assassin of 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...
. He appears as an evil personification of the air, supernaturally appearing and disappearing in sudden gusts of wind, and killing his targets with large blasts of wind energy summoned in his hands.
Character history
In the series, Shax was assigned to kill a doctor who was destined to do great good and was under the Charmed Ones protection. He first attacked the Charmed Ones, PruePrue 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...
and Piper Halliwell
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...
whilst Phoebe was searching for the vanquish spell. He beat them, but didn't manage to kill either of them due to Phoebes' timely appearance with the spell, chanting it herself. Sadly, the spell required the Power of Three and only injured Shax. Prue and Piper follow him outside and get attacked again, but Piper blows him up. They are not sure if he is vanquished however. Unfortunately, for the Charmed Ones, the vanquishing was filmed by a local news reporter who streamed the footage live onto television screens across San Francisco. The world turns their attention to the Witches who have to deal with that and Shax, who returns to attack yet again. Fortunately this time both Prue and Piper chant the spell, and this has enough power to vanquish the demon.
As a result of exposing the existence of the supernatural, the Source (using the upper-level demon Tempus
Tempus
Tempus is a Latin word meaning time and a Finnish, Swedish and German word meaning grammatical tense. It may also refer to:*Tempus Publishing, a UK publishing company*Tempus Sport, a British motorsport team...
) was forced to rewind time to before Shax was vanquished. Unaware of the change in timeline, Shax returned and successfully carried out his hit when he murdered Prue after blasting her through a wall in her family home. He became the only demon to ever permanently kill a Charmed One, thus temporarily rendering The Power of Three powerless. In revenge, the remaining three Charmed Ones, Prudence's three younger sisters, vanquished Shax for a second and final time; marking the very first vanquish of youngest Charmed One, Paige Matthews
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...
.
Shax also appears in the Charmed novel, Charmed Again by Elizabeth Lenhard, which retells the events of Prue's murder, her subsequent burial and Shax's final vanquish by the three youngest Charmed Ones.
Characterization
Shax was portrayed by Michael Bailey SmithMichael 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:...
(who also played the roles of the Source, Belthazor and one of the Grimlocks) in the third season finale, "All Hell Breaks Loose", and the fourth season premiere, "Charmed Again (Part I)". He also made an appearance during a flashback in the sixth season
Charmed (season 6)
The sixth season of Charmed, an American supernatural drama television series, began airing on September 28, 2003 on The WB. Airing on Sundays at 8 P.M., the season consisted of 23 episodes and concluded its airing on May 16, 2004....
episode "Chris-Crossed".
Furthermore, Shax came fourth in a poll of the "Top 10 Villains" in Charmed, conducted by Charmed Magazine and Living (the UK broadcaster of the series). Drawing on his high ranking in demonic hierarchy, his ability to kill one of the Charmed Ones, and his frightening appearance, the poll concluded "he is one very dangerous demon". Although he seldom spoke, his "memorable quote" was of his only line on the show, "the end", uttered after killing Prue.
Powers and abilities
- Aerokinesis
- Energy blasts
- TeleportationTeleportationTeleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
(via gusts of wind)
Description in the Book of Shadows
Shax is one of many demons and warlocks who has a page dedicated to him in the Charmed One's "Book of ShadowsBook of Shadows (Charmed)
The Book of Shadows, or simply "the Book", is a fictional book of witchcraft from the TV series Charmed. In the beginning, the book was created by Melinda Warren and was passed down the family to the Charmed Ones. This book contains spells, incantations, potions and information of the evil beings...
" (a magical tome detailing the many magical beings present in the show's fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
). The page, however, is only ever revealed on-screen (despite being referenced to on the show) in a special features documentary on the eighth season's DVD Region 1 easter egg, and in one issue of the official Charmed Magazine. The page reads as follows: