Methos

Methos
Highlander character
Portrayed by	Peter Wingfield
Born	c. 4500 BC
Immortality	c. 4475 BC
Teacher	Pharaoh Djer, Donald Salzer
Appearances	Highlander: The Series Highlander: Endgame Highlander: The Source

Methos is a fictional character from the Highlander universe - the film series, the television show Highlander: The Series, and several fiction books. He is an Immortal. He is portrayed by actor Peter Wingfield in both series and the movies. Methos, as one of the The Four Horsemen, represents death.

Methos was first introduced in the Highlander episode "Methos". It was originally planned to have him die at the end of the two-parter “Finalé” episode, but the writers saw potential in the character and kept him.^[1]

Highlander: The Series

Methos, when first introduced during Season 3, was portrayed as the "Oldest of the Immortals”. He claims he is roughly 5000 years + old,^[2][3] the approximate date he took his first head, but admits that “[b]efore that, it all starts to blur.”^[3]

According to the series, Methos had been keeping journals chronicling his life.^[3] Because of these journals, he was considered one of the Watcher Organization's greatest mysteries. His existence was doubted and questioned for many centuries. Methos (under the guise of Watcher Adam Pierson) was assigned to the writings chronicling the legendary Methos' past. These journals documented - with varied accuracy - much of his life. In doing so, he became somewhat of an off-field agent for The Watchers and was able to keep tabs on other Immortals that he preferred to avoid. That changed when two Watchers died at the hand of Kalas, an evil Immortal.^[3]

During the third season Joe Dawson, Duncan's Watcher and close friend, realized that Kalas was looking for Methos. Duncan MacLeod knew that with Methos's Quickening, Kalas could be unstoppable. Both Kalas and MacLeod raced to be the first to find Methos. Duncan's search led him to seek out the Watcher known as "Adam Pierson." When they first met, Duncan immediately sensed that Adam was an Immortal. Through his conversation with Adam, MacLeod realized that Adam was Methos.^[3] Duncan eventually killed Kalas on top of the Eiffel Tower in the season's finale.^[4] Methos and Duncan become friends.

During the Bronze Age, Methos rode alongside three other immortals: Silas, Caspian, and Kronos, who were known as The Four Horsemen^[5] and who had plundered and raped across villages on two continents.^[5][6][7] Kronos tracked down Methos in order to get to MacLeod.^[5]

Cassandra, an Immortal love interest of Duncan's and who was also tracking Kronos, pointed out to Duncan that Methos was actually Death. She claimed he had enslaved her after destroying her village thousands of years ago.^[5]

Methos decided to flee, but Duncan caught him before he left. When asked whether Cassandra's accusations were true, Methos responded:

“

I killed. But I didn't just kill fifty, I didn't kill a hundred. I killed a thousand. I killed TEN thousand! And I was good at it. And it wasn't for vengeance, it wasn't for greed. It was because... I liked it. Cassandra was nothing. Her village was nothing. Do you know who I was? I was Death. Death — Death on a horse. When mothers warned their children that the monster would get them, that monster was me. I was the nightmare that kept them awake at night. Is that what you want to hear?! The answer is yes. Oh, yes.[5]

”

In that moment, Duncan decided to put an end to their friendship.^[5] Methos persuaded Kronos to put the band together again since he knew where both Caspian and Silas were. Kronos took the opportunity, relishing in the idea of world domination again. In the end, Methos allied himself with Duncan MacLeod to destroy the Horsemen. The two defeated Kronos and Silas together in the same area, resulting in a powerful Double Quickening. Their friendship, however, still remained strained.^[6]

Methos returned again in Season 6, the last season for the television series. During the episode "Indiscretions", he learns he's being chased by an obsessive Immortal named Morgan Walker. Walker hated him for having had an affair with his slave 200 years ago. Methos, trying to hide from Walker who had tracked him down, looked for information in the Watchers' computer database. Joe Dawson was angry when he found out that Methos was only trying to save his own life by hacking into Joe's files, instead of explaining his whereabouts one year earlier. Although Joe and Methos' friendship was shaky, together they helped rescue a rookie Watcher and also Joe's illegitimate daughter, Amy Thomas. Their adventure helped them to rekindle their friendship and Methos was able to defeat Walker.^[8]

Alternate Methos

During the series finale, Duncan MacLeod was thrown into another reality where he had never been born. In this reality, Methos had a lover named Jillian, who was killed by The Watchers (who were trying to kill him). He survived their attack due to Kronos saving him. The event made him swear revenge to all the Watchers. He gathered together the Four Horsemen and also Richie Ryan, but the Watchers killed Silas and Caspian. Methos later killed Richie, who couldn't bring himself to kill Joe Dawson on Methos's orders. Duncan MacLeod saw this with the help of the Hugh Fitzcairn's spirit, and tried to stop all of it. He fought Methos and killed him in revenge for Richie's death. In the same instant that Duncan executed the killing stroke, he returned to his original reality, where Methos tried to wake him up. In the end, it was the advice of Methos that put Duncan MacLeod back into The Game once more.^[9]

Other appearances

According to the book An Evening at Joe's, he was born in ancient Egypt around 4000 BC and was the second son of three boys and two girls. When he was approximately 35 years old, the oasis at which his family lived ran dry. He had accompanied his family as they traveled to another oasis and experienced his first death when a sandstorm trapped them before they reached their destination. A Bedouin tribe found him and housed him for a while, teaching him the ways of survival in the desert. He stayed with them for many years, until it was evident that he wasn't aging. By the time he was an estimated 603 years old, he began to meet others that were like him. He then realized that there were many Immortals besides himself. He learned some facts of immortality from Menahem, an Immortal whom Methos considered ancient at the time. It was also during this time in his life that he took his first head, from another immortal named Joseph.^[7]

During time he spent in ancient Egypt an Immortal pharaoh named Djer took him under his wing. Methos soon learned that the Pharaoh had his nomad wife killed during a smiting of Sinai (the killing of all nomads). Angered at Djer, Methos buried him alive inside a sarcophagus deep within a tomb. He claimed Djer's throne and became Pharaoh of Egypt.^[10]

Personality

Methos is portrayed as having a dry sense of humor,^[3][11] a pessimistic view on life^[12] a witty repertoire^{[13][14][15][16]} and a somewhat loyal devotion to his friends.^[8][14][15] He's also very untrusting of people,^[11][12] has been accused by others as putting himself first,^[6][8] as being arrogant,^[12] and as being manipulative.^[5][16]

Methos avoided battle and, for the most part, other Immortals whenever possible.^{[2][3][11][15]} He slept with his sword under his bed and sometimes carried a handgun.^[17] He rarely participated in The Game (his preference was to observe rather than fight),^[3][18] preferring to remain a legend so few would come looking for him.^[16] Whenever he perceived that there was a great danger nearby, he had a habit of suddenly disappearing for a while.^{[2][5][8][19]} However, even though he preferred to stay in the shadows, he could still defend himself when needed.^[6][8][14]

He considered opera music to be boring ^[15] and he liked Bruce Springsteen, Queen,^[3] and other music as well. He collected things, mostly antiques that many people considered to be junk, claiming that he thought some of the "junk" could be his from the past.^[12] He has also commented that although he knew most of everything in life, he was a bit weak in pop-cultural matters.^[5]

Methos often used the name "Adam" in some way in most of his aliases (likely a reference to the Biblical Adam and his extreme age). In the early 19th century, one of his aliases was “Benjamin Adams.”^[20] He was also known as “Ben Adams” when he moved to Arizona around 1860.^[7] Between 1980 and 1996 he was known as “Adam Pierson.”^[3]

When an impostor calling himself Methos appeared he thought it was flattering, and was happy to let someone else be hunted for a while.^[16]

Professional degrees and credentials

“

Whatever you need: doctor, lawyer, Indian chief. I've got paperwork to cover it all.[12]

”

According to the episode “One Minute To Midnight” he majored in medicine at the University of Heidelberg in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1453.

He claims to have studied at the University of Paris, majoring in classical studies.^[3]

Friends and relationships

Methos claims to have met Helen of Troy,^[5] Socrates,^[16] Julius Caesar,^[5] Jesus,^[21] and Cleopatra.^[16] He knew the English poets Byron and Percy Shelley, the English author Mary Shelley,^[20] and rode with Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid.^[7] In his first meeting with MacLeod, he said not many people can claim to have been on the same stage as both Julius Caesar and The Rolling Stones.^[3]

He's also been married 68 times, but never to an Immortal. According to him, it would be too much of a commitment.^[15]

Alexa Bond

He fell in love with a mortal named Alexa Bond, a waitress who worked in Joe's bar, and who was terminally ill. Their relationship spanned three episodes ("Timeless", “Deliverance”, and "Methuselah's Gift") as well as multiple chapters (entitled:“Postcards From Alexa”) in the book An Evening at Joe's.

At first, Alexa refused his proposition of dating, because she didn't want to disappoint him as she was dying. However, Methos was persistent, and waited for her under the rain and asked her out on a date. He mentioned to Alexa that the reason for asking her on a date was "[b]ecause the alternative is unthinkable."^[13] In his quest to make her feel alive even though she was dying, he wanted to make her dream come true by traveling the world.^[7][13][22]

During their travels, Alexa became gravely ill. Methos wanted to use the Methuselah's Stone, rumored to be able to make a person Immortal, to save Alexa. He tried to steal it, with help from Amanda. Methos failed to retrieve the stone due to the intervention of the Watchers.^[18] Methos remained at Alexa's side until she died of her illness.^[11] It was her strength that taught Methos' humanity's will to live despite the fact they would ultimately die. She was the person that opened his eyes, at the same time, cursed at the fact that with the power of immortality, he would have to live with the fact the he must watch her suffer and die. A thing that Duncan knows too well.

Amanda

Amanda and Methos had similar personalities in the series. Both are shown to be cunning, to think of themselves as a priority, and both remain loyal to their friends. When Amanda was captured by a nemesis of Duncan MacLeod's, Methos offered to help, saying he was “...fond of the little vixen [him]self.”^[23]

She seemed to know Methos from earlier times and she also helped him when he tried to steal the Methuselah crystal.^[18] When he failed, Amanda gave him a heartfelt hug and words of encouragement.^[18]

Duncan MacLeod

Methos believes very strongly in Duncan MacLeod^[3][21] going so far as to offer him his head to defeat an evil Immortal.^[3] He often refers to MacLeod as a “boy scout”^{[citation needed]} and tries to keep him out of trouble as much as possible.^[12] Often, Methos will take on the opposite view of Duncan about situations, appearing to play devil's advocate.^[12][16] Although at times this quirk rubbed Duncan the wrong way, their friendship still remained relatively strong during the series and into the movies (even despite the events of “Comes A Horseman” and “Revelation 6:8”), as Duncan often seeks out Methos for help and guidance.^[21][24]

Methos in The Game

Sometime during his life, when realizing that for being the oldest Immortal, he was a primary target for all the other Immortals, he removed himself from The Game. He hid within The Watchers, where he was put in charge of locating himself.^[3] When Duncan MacLeod meets him in 1995, Methos had not taken a head for roughly 200 years; however, his sword skills were not diminished.

1 - Unknown, c. 4475 BC^[3]

2 - Joseph, c. 2400 BC^[7]

3 - Kristin Gilles, 1995^[14]

4 - Silas, 1997^[6]

5 - Morgan Walker, 1998^[8]

6 - Prince Khyan, 1999^[25]

Appearances

Movies - Highlander: Endgame, Highlander: The Source

Episodes - "Methos," "Finalé, Part 1," "Finalé, Part 2," "Chivalry," "Timeless," "Deliverance," "Methuselah's Gift," "Through A Glass, Darkly," "Till Death," "Judgement Day," "One Minute to Midnight," "The Messenger," "The Valkyrie," "Comes a Horseman," "Revelation 6:8," "Forgive Us Our Trespasses," "The Modern Prometheus," "Archangel," "Indiscretions," "To Be...," "...Not To Be"

Animated Flash Series - The Methos Chronicles

Books - Scotland the Brave, Zealot, The Captive Soul, An Evening at Joe's

References

1. ^ Highlander: The Complete Watcher's Guide
2. ^ ^{a b c} “One Minute To Midnight”
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p} "Methos"
4. ^ “Finalé, Part 2”
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} “Comes A Horseman”
6. ^ ^{a b c d e} “Revelation 6:8”
7. ^ ^{a b c d e f} An Evening at Joe's
8. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Indiscretions"
9. ^ "Not To Be"
10. ^ The Methos Chronicles
11. ^ ^{a b c d} "Through A Glass, Darkly"
12. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "The Valkyrie"
13. ^ ^{a b c} "Timeless"
14. ^ ^{a b c d} "Chivalry"
15. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Till Death"
16. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "The Messenger"
17. ^ "Forgive Us Our Trespasses"
18. ^ ^{a b c d} "Methuselah's Gift"
19. ^ "Judgement Day"
20. ^ ^{a b} "The Modern Prometheus"
21. ^ ^{a b c} Highlander: The Source
22. ^ “Deliverance”
23. ^ "To Be"
24. ^ Highlander: Endgame
25. ^ "The Captive Soul"

External links

• Highlander: Endgame at the Internet Movie Database
• Highlander: The Source at the Internet Movie Database
• Highlander: The Series at the Internet Movie Database