Emperor Malthazar

Malthazar, (Malthazard in the US version of the film) also known as Malthazar the Evil, Malthazar the Cursed, or the “Evil M”, is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Luc Besson's Arthur and the Minimoys movie as well as its original book series. He is the tyrant ruler of the Forbidden City of Necropolis, and the leader of an army of mosquito-riding rebels named Seides. With his army of minions, he is determined to conquer the land of the Minimoys. He possesses the treasure of the Minimoys that Arthur is in search of during the first movie, and keeps it in his stronghold in Necropolis, where it forms his throne of rubies.

Fictional character history
Malthazar was once a Minimoy himself; a war hero corrupted by a seductive weevil, by whom he has a son called Darkos. Malthazar is referred to as an evil wizard in the books upon which the film is based and various media surrounding the film although he is never called one in the film and doesn't exhibit any magical powers other than regenerative healing abilities. Presumably he gained his magical powers from the weevil as Selenia says to Malthazar "You gave her your powers and she gave you hers." At some unidentified point after his corruption he stole the treasure of the Minimoys and became warlord of the City of Necropolis.

Arthur's grandfather is Malthazar’s prisoner throughout the first movie, and has been so for two and half years.

When Arthur is underground with the Minimoys, he learns of a danger to the little people's future, posed by the plans of Malthazar, who intends to flood their city, using methods he learned from Arthur’s grandfather, and the straws that the Seides stole from Arthur’s would-be irrigation system.

Selenia, princess of the Minimoys and lover of Arthur, is determined to get revenge on Malthazar, not only for the pain and death that he has enacted upon her people but also for a perceived slight that is never elaborated upon much in the US version of the movie, though is better explained in other versions. Malthazar wishes to claim the Princess Selenia as his queen, because her kiss can cure him of what has tainted his heart, and, even though it is never stated in the US version, will also make him rightful ruler of the Minimoy people and Selenia's husband. He perceives to love her and cares about her a lot but he probably only lusts after her beauty and power. Selenia doesn't return Malthazar's advances on her and she constantly rebuffs him.

Though, again, it was cut in the US version of the movie, Selenia kisses Arthur before entering Malthazar’s quarters to confront him, transferring her powers to Arthur, making him her rightful husband and king. When Malthazar learns of this he is enraged and has her imprisoned and later tries to have her killed. In the US version he attempts to have her killed because he learns from a Seide that she has brought Arthur with her to steal the rubies.

Even though they don’t say much about it in the English version of the movie, some of the reasons Selenia may dislike Malthazar so much may have something to do with the fact that he was chosen to go on a quest to find water during a previous drought and not her. It is mentioned in the book that the extremely proud Selenia believed she should have led the expedition instead, but Malthazar was chosen because Selenia was too young at the time.

Although the film refers to him as "Malthazard", his name in the book was "Malthazar" and some film versions refer to him as Maltazard. Even more confusingly in the US version his name is spelt Maltazard but pronounced "Malthazard". The reason for the differences in spelling are unknown.

Necropolis is destroyed by Arthur in human form at the end of the film with the help of one of his slaves Mino but Malthazard escapes on the back of one of his Seides leaving his army and son to die.

Personality
Malthazar is ruthless, arrogant and cruel, desiring praise and devotion and being jealous when others get it and not him. He is apparently aware that he is evil but follows something akin to a warped code of honour and chivalry left over from when he was a warrior hero. Malthazar is highly intelligent and possesses a dry, cynical sense of humour. He usually conducts himself with an aura of calculating aloofness but beneath his calm exterior he is a very tortured and tormented individual who declares that kissing the weevil ruined his life. His unstable nature is shown in his somewhat violent mood swings, which are particularly prevelent in the book but less apparent in the film; however, he is shown seizing Selenia by the throat in a deleted scene.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu