A Case For Emperor Belos | Owl House Analysis

[@olleselin]

The Animation Industry seriously needs more villains like Belos! That stays a villain throughout the story.... Especially since most of Disney's modern feature films lacks this characterization. Like Hans from Frozen or Dawn Bellwether from Zootopia. In fact, i don't think Disney has had a dark villain like Belos since like Scar or Frollo!

[@sorcerersapprentice]

Technically, if you count Pixar there are some like Ernesto, Syndrome and Lotso.

[@docfox4353]

Everyone is born innocent. Philip lost his innocence when he killed Caleb, but he lost his humanity when he justified the act, and continued his hunt against the denizens of the Isles. I imagine Gravesfield was a puritan colony, based on the timing and location in Connecticut. Puritans were extremely strict and god-fearing, so I imagined the brothers were both influenced by their rigid lifestyle (Fact: Puritans actually believed people were born into sin, and that only a select few were destined to avoid eternal damnation). It seems Belos incorporated a lot of that Puritan ideology into his regime as emperor, from claiming only 'the worthy' would inherit a new world free of wild magic, to his abusive 'disciplining' of Hunter.

[@fragilesnowz]

You have an incredible knowledge of the pilgrims

[@docfox4353]

@@fragilesnowz Thank you, though the Puritans and Pilgrims were actually two distinct groups. Both were Protestant Christian groups that came to America seeking religious freedom. But while the Pilgrims seperated from the Church of England entirely, the Puritans wanted to reform it of its 'gaudy' and 'unnecessary elaborate' Roman Catholic ideals and practices

[@olleselin]

@@docfox4353 wow, you sure know alot of history, man!

[@jeffreygao3956]

That and Connecticut was once home to the Pequot…who the English annihilated. Because the Anglo-Pequot War happened.

[@CMR324]

I love the video you made, and you really made me think. I've seen a lot of videos like this that analyze the character. I believe that you are mostly right that he is a product of his time, and his final fate could be tragic, but at the same time, he brought it on himself because being born in that time period and having the beliefs he was raised in do not excuse his crimes. Thank you for making this great video. It was a treat to watch it.

[@fragilesnowz]

Thank you so much! I've always found it interesting to learn about "villain" backstories, and Belos especially has a great one!

[@ElementalAer]

He was rotten at the moment of the assassination, but living in the boiling islands for hundred of years could have redeemed him, seeing that witches and demons not as pure evil, but people. Yet he still held his beliefs and tried everything he could do to destroy everyone. He's an amazing villain, realistic too.

[@digieykid6096]

Eh, I agree with The Titan when it comes to Belos. He might claim and even believe what he does is to protect humanity but that’s not what truly motivates him, he just truly wants to see himself as a hero and have other humans view him as such as well if he can have that. If just protecting humanity was truly his only goal he should have been able to realize that not all witches were evil and a threat. He was always motivated by malice, spite, ignorance, hatred and his own selfish desires even if many of those were implanted in him by the culture he was raised in. Caleb was able to see the truth and though he at first held the advantage of age Philip lived on for hundreds of years and remained ignorant and hateful. I just have hard time believing he was ever truly motivated for the good of humanity.

[@fragilesnowz]

I would slightly disagree When Luz put the coven sigil on Belos, they both knew he would die if he did the draining spell, but Belos still went ahead with it. This shows that he thought he was doing the greater good and was willing to sacrifice himself

[@digieykid6096]

@@fragilesnowz 1. Kiki states that Belos couldn’t stop the draining spell 2. Regardless of that I do agree that he is willing to die for his cause. I just don’t see that as evidence his motives are genuine. He believes he’s dying to protect humanity but what he’s actually doing is dying to satisfy his ego by doing a “heroic sacrifice”

[@fragilesnowz]

​ @digieykid6096 Fair enough. But when did Kikimora say that?

[@digieykid6096]

@@fragilesnowz Right before leading King to The Collector

[@olleselin]

​@@digieykid6096 exactly. His own ego was his motivation this whole time. And yes, he couldn't stop the draining spell, because only the Collector could.

[@The-Coven-Head]

Belos isn't just my favorite villain, EVER! But he's also one of the most interesting and well written characters I've ever seen. I'm so glad that someone else pointed out that he didn't have bad intentions. He grew up in a time where people were taught that witches were not only real, but we're evil and could not be redeemed. He didn't want to kill his brother, but in his mind at that point that was the only way to free his soul. Like you said it doesn't make it right, but still.

[@robertbusselmaier]

His intentions don't excuse his actions. The Titan himself even says in Watching and Dreaming that Belos just wants to look like a hero. Even if some witches were bad, that doesn't mean Belos was doing any good. He had FOUR HUNDRED years to see how much good was actually in the Boiling Isles and instead of trying to give him the benefit of the doubt for when he grew up, accuse him of having every opportunity to change and refusing.

[@Sighi_YT]

YES YOU KEPT THE FANDOM ALIVE I LOVE YOU (ironically not love type)

[@fragilesnowz]

Thank you! I try my best :)

[@Sighi_YT]

@@fragilesnowz your welcome keep it up!

[@bluebellsforever]

Nah, hes a bad guy. It was already shown that he lies and manipulates, like when he told lulu that he'd heal eda but that was a lie. Maybe she told luz that, so when he starts yapping, luz already knows its bullshit.

[@fragilesnowz]

"When he starts yapping" 😆

[@bluebellsforever]

​@@fragilesnowzI mean that's what it is right ? All bark and no bite ?

[@minemanfan409]

Great vid! Phillip may have been led astray, but Belos definitely doesn’t deserve any sympathy. I see it like Anakin/Vader

[@fragilesnowz]

That's honestly a really good comparison.

[@-Spartanoblivion1515]

Honestly I don’t think he had good or bad intentions at first, I think he was just a child playing pretend at being a witch hunting hero way too much for way too long, and all the while losing himself along the way with his brother. Papa titan said so himself.

[@Sashimipommes]

3:23 „not with that attitude“

[@mistydragonfan1008]

Off topic but Lord Shen,Lord Viren,Emperor Belos,and Judge Claude Frollo would defff be besties ❤ Edit: Friend 1:Lord Shen -Insane,sociopathic,serious,and elegant friend who always makes fun of Friend 2 Friend 2:Judge Claude Frollo -Creepy,misogynistic friend that uses racial slurs and makes racist jokes and is offended by women and is very straight Friend 3:Lord Viren -Seriousn,grumpy,and fruity friend who's always annoyed by Friends 3 and 4 like Friend 1 and is the one that keeps the group grounded Lastly Friend 4:Emperor Belos -Manipulative maniac that's also like the leader (Friend 3) but instead just tricks people into accidentally doing something that's either annoying or just plain despicable Also they're all Gaslight,-Genocide,-Gatekeep,and Girlboss ✨️ Sry for the random comment btw I just had an impulsive thought ;-;

[@trisstudio625]

Agreed they would be best friends

[@jays_blues]

there is actually a witch trials that happened before the salem witch trials that occurred in connecticut (where gravesfield is)

[@fragilesnowz]

Do you think Belos was once innocent? Thanks for the kind words everyone!

[@ccherry.berryy]

Once, absolutely. he was brought into gravesfield as an orphan wanting to belong just like his brother did and was no doubt forced to kill witches or at the very least, watched from a very young age. but he (for lack of a better phrase) chose for himself what he would do with that no doubt traumatic experience and became the monster he’d been forced to hate. I’m not the first one to make this connection but he was so afraid of the devil he became one. So I do feel sympathy for young Philip, I do not feel an ounce for Belos

[@GAT957]

one of my favorite things about him is the monster form how ots made out of literal slime and how it uses the body of small animals to get stronger

[@fragilesnowz]

@@olleselin Sure!

[@fragilesnowz]

@@olleselin I've seen the TOH one, not the others

[@fragilesnowz]

@@olleselin Yeah! It was enjoyable

[@majormccoy2659]

Philip is a victim of his time's environment and it's teachings and ideology. And it makes me think of a couple of other characters. First there is Mina Loveberry from Star vs the Forces of Evil. Mina was a young person who fell under the sway of Solaria Butterfly and her monster hating ideology and was later magically enhanced to be a warrior and her mind was drastically warped in the process. Mina is unable to think or change from this. Then theres Johannes "Jojo" Betzler from the movie Jojo Rabbit who followed the ideology of a extremely bad party in Germany during World War 2. Thankfully he sees how bad the ideology is and turns away from it. The point is that none of these characters were evil to begin with and they were all just young people who fell under the sway of a ideology of their time.

[@guillermorodriguezdomingue274]

For real, he definitely reminds me of Abraham Van Helsing from Hotel Transylvania 3.

[@jessicamalca]

Belos reminds me of Amon from The Legend Of Korra both people loved by everyone both hate and want to get rid of people with powers and have equality both clame to comuntcat with a entity and both of them turn out to be compleat frauds and both of them changed there names and both of them have a brother and both of them have a scar across his face and both of them ware a mask

[@namelessguy6777]

Go watch The Crucible for a better understanding of the Salem witch trials.

[@ryuzoir]

I think she meant 1630s with an s

[@jamestolbert1856]

I don’t he wanted to protect Luz. I think he wanted her to believe his own views