Disney's near-century-long monopoly on animation has left them a centerpiece of pop culture. And that was before they obtained access to Marvel and Star Wars' decades-long catalogs of characters. However, a delicious villain hides in a cracked mirror for every Luke Skywalker or Tony Stark.
Icons like Scar, Ursula, Loki, Thanos, Darth Vader, and Darth Maul have made their mark in history. Amongst this extensive library, though, I would like to turn the page on one particular antagonist that's always caught my eye. An uncontested manipulator who's outplayed man and monster alike. The charismatic CEO: David Xanatos from Gargoyles. Buckle up, gentlemen and nonbinary, because today, I wish to pay tribute to Disney's underrated trickster.
Note
I shouldn't have to say this, but this blog serves as an extensive analysis of David Xanatos as such massive Gargoyles spoilers abound here, with a dash of personal opinion. If you want to learn more about Gargoyles, I highly recommend it (plus shamelessly plug my blog on Gargoyles). With that out of the way, let's begin.
Introduction
Given his integral part in the series, Xanatos' introduction goes in hand with the pilot: Awakening. To the uninitiated (or boomers in the audience), Gargoyles is a dark fantasy action series from 1994 to 97 by Greg Wiseman featuring six creatures of the same name (Goliath, Hudson, Lexington, Broadway, Bronx, and Brooklyn). A thousand years ago, the supernatural creatures once dutifully protected the Scottish Castle Wyvern against invaders while facing discrimination at every turn.
The gargoyles were placed under a magic spell through misunderstanding and betrayal and forced to endure a stone sleep till the castle rose above the clouds. Flash forward a thousand years later, and David Xanatos, CEO of Xanatos Entreprises, did just that, placing every brick of Castle Wyvern on top of his skyscraper, which laid above the heavens.
With that, he breaks the spell, catapulting the Gargoyles into a modern age and becoming their first ally. However, across the brief five episodes, enemies from Xanatos' rival business corporation: CyberBiotics, attack the Gargoyles numerous times, forcing them to rightfully counterattack and steal three floppy discs from separate bases.
Once he obtains the discs, he then uses their information to complete his series of robotic gargoyles: The Steel Clan. Armed with his new creations, Xanatos immediately moves to "replace" the Gargoyles when they realize the truth. CyberBiotics never attacked them. Xanatos had so he could aim the Gargoyles towards his rival corporations. A massive battle then breaks out, which ends with Xanatos in jail. The Gargoyles celebrate, thinking they won the day, not realizing how devilish Xanatos is.
Characteristics
To many outsiders looking in, Xanatos is often read simply as "evil Tony Stark," lumping him in with other big evil corporate businessman villains of the 90s. And while the comparison works on a surface level, it's the surface. Though I won't lie and say Jonathon Frakes' performance as Xanatos doesn't help sell the image.
Jonathon slides into the first animated role with flying colors in a sea of legendary actors. He gives Xanatos a mix of sophisticated intelligence and down-to-earth charm that's instantly charming. In addition, the character radiates steady confidence that rarely shakes, often treating his enemies with genuine respect, serving as a basis for many teams with past foes.
It says he views Goliath as the greatest warrior alive, and his Steel Clan robots got made in his image. A critical factor that makes their spin on the Goliath and David myth work. And while he is incredibly competitive and hates to lose, Xanatos abhors having things handed to him. He would instead acquire his victories through other means. Unbefitting his other villains as well, Xanatos genuinely despises revenge.
His charisma is so good it's hard even to say he's "evil," falling more into the amoral territory. This should never make you question his effectiveness, though. While Xanatos doesn't endorse killing, he's not above theft, experimentation, embezzlement, and blackmail to get people to do what he wants. Though if I were to explain the character's most outstanding characteristic, we're going to have to go towards
Xanatos Gambit
Being an iconic villain is one thing. Naming an entire trope after yourself is a different matter entirely. For the less trope-savvy members of my audience, the Xanatos Gambit is a narrative trope where the creator constructs a plan where any outcome benefits them. Thus, the hero can either do something unexpected or choose the path that least helps the enemy.
Unfortunately, our hero, being the concept's creator, also made him a master of the trope. The best example is arguably Xanatos' best episode, "The Edge." Immediately after serving his time, Xanatos willingly gave the city a precious gem known as the Eye of Odin, rebuilding his reputation. Unbeknownst to the public, though, Xanatos steals the gem back with one of his Steel Clan robots while on camera, stirring the media into a Gargoyle fear frenzy.
Angered, Goliath actively tries confronting him to no avail. In response, we see Xanatos send out his Steel Clan accompanied by a robotic red leader, this time to incur a skirmish, so the Gargoyles retreat towards their base. He proves unsuccessful in that regard, though, the Steel Clan falling once again. Satisfied, our heroes return home thinking they've won.
Only for the episode to end revealing the red leader was Xanatos himself. While he planned to find the Gargoyle's home, he successfully tested his combat skills and Steel Clan robot against his adversaries. Added with his reacquisition of the Eye of Odin plus the city's debt towards him and Xanatos proves why he has the edge in the end. Thus Xanatos still "wins" even when he loses.
Many of his plans operate on this level of thinking, continuously improving his technology to new levels to make the "game" more interesting. Maneuvering through beings that could rip him in half, the one would water. Somehow always coming out on top with ulterior methods seem all too human. Leading to his ultimate motivations.
Motivations/Weakness
Much like a good hero isn't complete without a fatal flaw, the same goes for a villain. On paper, I can see why one could conflate the Xanatos Gambit as a get-out-of-jail card that makes the planner a Gary Stu/Mary Sue. However, multiple episodes across the second season reveal Xanatos' critical character flaws.
Outside of subjugating the Gargoyles, a consistent play Xanatos makes is combining sorcery and science to obtain immortality for his family. In the episode "The Price," he justifies that it's simply to enjoy his riches for eternity, but through further questioning, he reveals slight insecurities. For example, when musing about old age, he covers up his innate fear of it by saying nothing is beyond his ability to change.
This suggests Xanatos' various failsafes and calm attitude are safeguards because he hates failing, even against concepts he can't control. But, ironically, these same traits also occasionally bite him in the ass. For example, the later villain Thailog, a combination of Goliath's genetic material and Xanato's amoral teachings used Xanatos' pawns purely because they knew better than to question his complicated plans.
"Eye of the Beholder" also highlights another critical factor he never considered: love. After developing a relationship with fellow antagonist Fox, they quickly go from newlyweds to parents throughout the show. Originally though, he did find his initial connection to Fox a weakness, giving his enemies an easy target.
However, Goliath's heroism teaches him to embrace these qualities rather than fault them. "The Gathering" brings these separate plotlines to a head as Goliath and Xanatos bury their hatchet fully so they can create a safe environment for Xanatos' son: Alexander. Eventually, leaving us at -
Conclusion
Unfortunately, with Gargoyles' second season's costly investment not producing the expected members, Greg Wiseman was laid off for a non-canon season 3. Thus perpetually leaving Xanatos in a rather odd position. His new family and alliance with his foes have introduced a softer side to the character. Though recent tie-in material implies, the trickster still has some major plays.
I hope that Gargoyles, finally living again as a new comic book distributor, will continue to take Xanatos in an exciting direction. Without his very actions, the entire series would've never happened. I'll still succeed either way, regardless of which path Wiseman goes with him. He'll always remain Disney's underrated trickster, whether he finally gets the credit he deserves or continues to fade into obscurity.
I hope you like this deep dive into a singular character instead of a whole series. I want to do more to spice up these blogs, and it was refreshing to geek out about a character I like. Nevertheless, thanks for listening, and have a good day.