Mordred

"I shall never forgive this Emrys, and I shall never forget..."

- Mordred to Merlin

Mordred was a druid who formed a close bond with Morgana, Arthur and Merlin. However, when Merlin betrays him, they seemingly become enemies. Mordred is the first person to call Merlin by his druid name "Emrys ". When Kilgharrah foresaw that Mordred would be responsible for the death of Arthur Pendragon, the dragon warned Merlin not to help the young druid. Mordred had to choose between Arthur and Morgana, choosing Arthur because he believed in the good inside him. Arthur knighted Modred a Knight of Camelot, but Merlin still did not trust him. When his love interest Kara was captured and executed by Arthur, Mordred decided to turn against Camelot and ally himself with Morgana, revealing Merlin's true identity to her. This may be the reason for him bringing down Arthur. He succeeded in mortally wounding Arthur, but just when he stabbed the King, Arthur still had the strength to kill Mordred.

Prophecies
Kilgharrah had foreseen that Mordred would become a deadly enemy of both Merlin and Arthur, and according to his prophecy, Arthur would die at Mordred's hand. Nimueh is also implied to have foreseen this future because she told Arthur, "It is not your destiny to die at my hand" (The Poisoned Chalice).

Arrival in Camelot
After his master is turned over to the Knights of Camelot, Mordred uses his telepathy to call Merlin for help. Merlin helps him escape the guards and takes him to Morgana, who offers to help Merlin hide the boy. Uther declares that anyone caught hiding the boy will be executed along with the child. His arm was wounded by the guards when they chase him through the town, and he fell sick after the wound became infected. Although Merlin tries to treat the wound, he is unsuccessful and is forced to tell Gaius that he and Morgana are hiding the boy from Uther. Gaius agrees to treat the boy, but will not help them return Mordred to the Druids. Once Mordred recovers, Merlin, Morgana and Gwen try to sneak him out of Camelot ; but Morgana is caught by Arthur and they are taken back to the castle. They try for a second time to sneak Mordred back to his people, this time with Arthur's help. Arthur, with Merlin and Morgana's help, manages to take Mordred back to Iseldir and the Druids where the boy finally reveals his name. Merlin almost allows Mordred to be caught during the second attempt to sneak him out of Camelot due to the Dragon's prophecy, stating that Mordred is destined to kill Arthur, but eventually decides against this and helps him escape (The Beginning of the End).

Morgana later mentions Merlin's help in Mordred's escape as her motivation for accompanying Merlin to Ealdor (The Moment of Truth);

Life as a Druid
"Now I can take care of you. Like you did me."

- Mordred to Morgana When Morgana's magic starts to reveal itself, she goes to the Druids for help. Mordred informs his people of who she is and he takes care for her. But when Uther's soldiers raid the camp, Morgana is 'rescued' and Mordred is surrounded by several soldiers after briefly reuniting with Merlin. But, using a single spell, he knocks over, and possibly kills, the soldiers and escaped with the rest of his people. Merlin is visibly shaken by what he witnessed Mordred do (The Nightmare Begins).

Aligning with Bandits
"The prophecies speak of an alliance of Mordred and Morgana. United in evil."

- Kilgharrah to Merlin Mordred later joined sides with a group of bandits, led by a sorcerer named Alvarr. Mordred and Alvarr sneak into Camelot where they visit Morgana and persuade her to steal the Crystal of Neahtid. Morgana steals the crystal and delivers it to the camp where Mordred is pleased to see her. Back in Camelot, Merlin visits the Great Dragon and he is told of an ancient prophecy foretelling an evil alliance between Mordred and Morgana. When Merlin and the soldiers attack the camp, all are killed apart from Mordred, who escapes, and Alvarr, who is captured and later freed by Morgana. Merlin tries to stop Mordred from getting away by causing a branch to trip him, but Mordred uses magic on two spears so as that they kill the two guards who were chasing him. Following this, Mordred looks over at Merlin and speaks to him in his mind, saying: "I shall never forgive this, Emrys, and I shall never forget." Then he runs out of sight into the woods (The Witch's Quickening).

The Return
"Arise, Sir Mordred, knight of Camelot."

- Arthur to Mordred

Mordred sees that his ally, Ragnor and his men are about to kill Merlin and Arthur, he prevents them from this, saying Morgana should decide for their fate. He then helps Arthur get up, expressing his gratitude for the latter saving his life. When Merlin says his name, he smirks, shocking the two men. Unbeknownst to Arthur, Mordred has been revealed as a vision to Merlin, as Arthur's demise.

Mordred and Ragnor then were taking Arthur and Merlin to Morgana in Ismere. Whilst he is acting somewhat kind to Arthur and Merlin as he claims that he owes Arthur what he calls a 'life debt'. When Arthur and Merlin escape after sparing Mordred's life, him and Ragnor went to Morgana. Morgana recognises him instantly however she then acts towards him in a way she hadn't acted to anyone in a long time; showing kindness and softness. But later, whilst Mordred was feasting with Morgana, Mordred reveals to Morgana that Arthur was previously, only days before, in his and Ragnor's 'grasp'. This angers Morgana, she then shouts extremely shocking slurs; Mordred tries to calm her down, however she doesn't flinch.

Morgana, with Mordred at her side, corners Arthur, and Morgana holds him at sword-point. Threatening to kill Arthur, whilst Merlin cannot do anything. Arthur then tells Morgana that she was once good and they were once friends, but Morgana shows no signs of mercy, this seemingly persuades Mordred to turn on Morgana to save Arthur. Mordred slits Morgana with a knife, it is unknown if his intentions were to kill her, but Morgana was on the ground, dying. Mordred was then taken to Camelot and knighted a Knight of Camelot. Merlin then asked him of his intentions and he claimed that they were only natural, he says he believes Arthur is good (Arthur's Bane).



Near Death Experience
"I can't ignore what I saw. Gaius, Mordred is destined to play a part in Arthur's death."

- Merlin to Gaius In Camelot, Mordred and Arthur duel with swords as Merlin watches them. Mordred triumphs over Arthur for a short while, but eventually Arthur manages to win. Arthur tells him he fought well and that he may have to start trying soon if he continues to fight like that. When Sir Ranulf was killed, Arthur was speaking to Gwen about how he was his friend. Mordred comes in, and Arthur tells him that he is now ready to accompany him,y and that he will join the patrol to the White Mountains. Mordred is very honoured and tells Arthur that he will not regret it. After he leaves, Arthur mentions to Guinevere that he thinks Mordred will make a very fine knight.

As the patrol is getting ready to leave, Sir Percival, Sir Elyan, Sir Leon and Sir Gwaine are making fun of Mordred, pointing out the things he might have left behind. At the same time Merlin asks Arthur if it was a good idea to bring Mordred as he is very young. As they search the forest, they see Osgar nearby. The group separates, with Elyan and Leon going together as well as Percival and Leon. The ones who stay with Arthur are Merlin and Mordred. When Osgar is killed, Mordred sees Merlin building a grave for Osgar. He tells him that sorcerers are not permitted to have marked graves. Merlin tells him that he believes that one day they will have freedom again. Merlin later applies poultices to Gwaine and says to Arthur that he will make a full recovery. Both Arthur and Mordred compliment Merlin on his physician skills and his cooking skills. They then toast for Mordred, as he has successfully completed his first mission.

When the Knights arrive at the cave of the Disir, one of the Disir hit Mordred with their staff, and wound him badly. She aims at Merlin as well who uses his powers and leads the object away. The men escape the caves. Merlin examines the wounded Mordred and tells Arthur that he fears that Gaius is the only one who can save his life. Returning to Camelot, Gaius tells Merlin that he is the only one who can save Mordred's life. Merlin is reluctant so Arthur decided to ask the Disir to save Mordred. When Arthur refuses to accept magic into Camelot, when all seems lost, Mordred is seen to be alive and well when Arthur and Merlin return to Camelot. Mordred is training with Arthur, with Merlin and Gaius watching from a window. Mordred defeats Arthur and Arthur congratulates him by giving him a lift (The Disir).

As a Knight of Camelot
Mordred, along with the other knights, were at Arthur's coronation. Mordred was unsure why the king was so sad but Elyan told him that its because of his father's death, he was also at the meeting at the Round Table and he startled when the door slammed open (The Death Song of Uther Pendragon).

In a deleted scene, Mordred arrives at Arthur's chambers and asks why he is not accompanying him and the other knights to Nemeth, Arthur tells him that he is not ready, Mordred thanks him for his honesty but is then reasurred when Arthur tells him he will be one of the best.(Another's Sorrow).

Mordred was present among the other knights when Elyan was cremated after giving his life to save Gwen from the Dark Tower (The Dark Tower).

Mordred later hunts down the intruder in Camelot. Mordred later appears when Arthur tries the chemist, Sindri (A Lesson in Vengeance).

He also is the leader of the manhunt on the sorceress Finna. Only he knew that it was Merlin who was escaping with her and kept Merlins secret hidden by telling Arthur that it was too dark to see the other person (The Kindness of Strangers).

Restoring Guinevere
When Merlin and Gaius take the sleeping enchanted Gwen out of Camelot, they run into the knights, including Mordred and try to prevent revealing her inside, Mordred finds out as her hand pulls down. He does not tell anyone of the knights about that, and follows Merlin and Arthur and intends to help them. When Merlin and Arthur are trapped he saves them and helps them take Gwen to summon the White Goddess. However, Morgana appears there and she sends Aithusa to attack them and breathe fire on them. Morgana knocks Merlin and Mordred with magic. Merlin escapes, but Mordred falls unconscious. Morgana demands to know why Mordred betrayed him and teases him with who he really is and that Arthur would no longer tolerate him if he knew that one of his knights has magic. Mordred accuses Morgana of how much she has changed since his childhood days and hopes that one day she will change into her old self. This emotionally breaks Morgana, which allows the druid - Knight of Camelot defeat her with his own magic. After Merlin disguised as Dolma heals Guinevere from the Teine Diaga Mordred knows that it was Merlin's work and promises him that he will not tell Arthur about it or anyone else in Camelot (With All My Heart).

Fall from Grace
After a hunting trip, where Mordred is present, the knights find many of their other men dead. Mordred then sees a creature escaping, he chases it, nearly kills it but then it is revealed that the creature is actually Kara a love interest of Mordred. He sends her away to run or will catch her and kill her. When Arthur asks Mordred who was this he lies and says that it was only a deer. Arthur believes in his words, however Merlin's distrust of him grows extremely as he knows Mordred was lying and that it could have been a Saxon, whom Mordred spared. The druid knight later breaks into Gaius' chambers when he is absent and steals one of his healing potions to go and visit Kara and treat her wound. They are happy to see each other but later the druid girl demands to know why is he a Knight of Camelot and why is he loyal to Arthur. Mordred claims that Arthur is a much better man than Uther and he once saved his life, but Kara rejects his words. When Merlin accuses him of where has he been and knows what he's up to, Mordred tells Merlin everything about Kara and wants him not to tell Arthur about where she is. Merlin agrees reluctantly and because of his distrust of Mordred he immediately tells Arthur where Kara is hiding and they go and find her. Kara tricks the King into telling him she means him no harm but than quickly attacks him with a dagger, but thanks to Merlin's magic she is stopped, caught and brought to Camelot. This makes Mordred furious with Merlin. Kara says that she killed those Camelot knights for herself. Full of hate, Kara angrily declares that she despises Arthur, which shocks Mordred. Arthur sentences the girl to death, but Mordred wants to help her escape. He tries to talk about it with Arthur, telling the King that Morgana is possessing her will, but Arthur still finds her guilty of treason and says that she will be executed anyway. Mordred then helps her escape, and Merlin immediately warns Arthur about it. Arthur, Merlin and the knights surround the couple. Mordred begs the others to let the girl go, but they don't listen. And so Kara advises telepathically Mordred to kill his "friends" with magic. With no other choice he prepares to do it, but Percival knocks him unconscious and both druids are arrested with Kara sentenced to die and Mordred's fate to be decided later. When Kara is brought to the court to be hanged, Mordred feels her pain with tears down in the dungeons. As the execution is completed Mordred begins to scream with rage and easily frees himself and teleports out of Camelot. Having lost all his past faith in Camelot and Arthur, he meets up with Morgana, whom he attempted on her life twice and decides form an alliance with her to bring Arthur's downfall apologizing for what he has done to her recently but also revealing Merlin's true identity to her, whom she knew as his druid name, Emrys, who is destined to bring Morgana's downfall (The Drawing of the Dark).

Alliance with Morgana
After Mordred's love interest Kara was killed by Arthur, Mordred, like Morgana was consumed by hatred and after she died, Mordred broke out in anger and escaped prison and headed to Morgana's hideout and told Morgana who Emrys was, and stood by her side while Morgana prepared for war. Mordred warns Morgana that she has lost a powerful ally by taking Ari his magic but he is told it was for a good cause, the Garrison in stoul is attacked by Morgana and Mordred with the Saxons for a base to takeover, the two use their magic to fire a fireball at the Garrison and eventually no one is left alive and they make it a fortress. Morgana has now forged a sword for Mordred with Aithusa's breath and he states that he will wield it in honour. When Eira meets with Morgana to inform her that Merlin is going to the valley of the fallen kings, Mordred threatens her by putting his sword to her throat but Morgana tells him to be careful. Mordred tells Morgana about the crystal cave and that Merlin intends to gain his magic. Mordred and Morgana discuss plans to attack and suprise Arthur, Mordred states that he will personally choose the best warriors to flank Arthur. He is seen in a vision leading the Saxons into the hidden path, he then joins the big battle (The Diamond of the Day: Part One).

The Final Battle, Death and The Prophecy
"You gave me no choice."

- Mordred to Arthur as he kills him During the final battle Mordred is fighting and cutting down many Camelot soldiers, showing no mercy to his former friends. When he is surrounded by many Camelot knights, Morgana gets them off his back. When Arthur is tending to a fellow knight he can hear a Saxon behind him and draws his sword but when he sees that it is Mordred he hesitates and Mordred uses this to his advantage and impales him with his sword, and as Arthur falls, he tells Arthur that he gave him no choice, but Arthur gets up and impales him back. Because there is a chance Arthur's Excalibur was more powerful than Mordred's sword, Mordred dies instantly, but Arthur is mortally wounded, and when Morgana places Mordred's sword at his burial it appears a part is chipped off which is what is killing Arthur. After Arthur dies, it appears that the prophecy that has been told when Mordred was just a young boy came true and he was the reason for Arthur's death (The Diamond of the Day: Part Two).

Personality
"He's a likeable boy"

- Gaius on Mordred At first, Mordred seemed to be a shy and innocent child. He normally spoke telepathically and rarely communicated with his voice. Morgana even started to think he was mute, because he never spoke a word. He was frightened whilst trapped in Camelot, which could explain his selective mutism. When his father was executed Mordred sensed it even though he had not actually seen what had happened, manifesting his psychic abilities and his emotional bond to his father. Nonetheless, Mordred revealed a dark and vengeful personality when he told Merlin that he would never forgive or forget him after Merlin led Arthur and his knights to Mordred's camp and tried to stop him from escaping. He had a close bond with Morgana, who was the only person besides Merlin and a few other magic users who was able to hear him speak telepathically. He was magically brilliant, as he was able to master the Crystal of Neahtid.

As an adult Mordred rarely spoke telepathically, even to Merlin, although he spoke to Kara telepathically (The Drawing of the Dark). He was shown to be more confident than he had been as a child since he spoke commandingly to the men who captured Merlin and Arthur. He had changed into a good, honourable and loyal person, showing no hostility towards Merlin or Arthur and although he seemed to still have a bond with Morgana, he also realised that she had turned into a monster. Mordred eventually chose to save Arthur's life and stabbed Morgana although it is likely that he had not intended to kill her since she survived the injury. He also promised to keep Merlin's magic a secret. Nevertheless Merlin had seen a vision of Mordred killing Arthur and for a while he thought that Mordred was Arthur's Bane. He was also very calm and connected, shown when Morgana aggressively reacts to hearing that Arthur was still alive, but Mordred remains calm and self-controlled with surprising ease.

Mordred no longer calls Merlin by his Druid name Emrys. Gaius stated that Mordred was a likeable boy and even Merlin admitted that he liked him although he didn't trust him. Mordred showed a willingness to sacrifice himself and threw himself in front of a spear intended for Arthur. It is also shown that Mordred came to respect his fellow knights who, like Merlin, treated like a little brother. He seemed friendly with Elyan who explained to him why Arthur was upset during the celebration to celebrate his birth, his coronation and much to Arthur's displeasure, Uther's death.

However Mordred's faith in Arthur and Camelot was shattered after the imprisonment and death of his beloved Kara. Believing that Arthur had betrayed him and metaphorically spat on their friendship, Mordred turned against the king and joined Morgana once more. Wielding a blade forged by the young but powerful Dragon Aithusa, Mordred dedicated himself to M0rgana in the hopes of avenging Kara and killing Arthur, the very man whom had saved his life many years earlier and whom Mordred had almost died to protect. Mordred did have some emotion towards Arthur as, when he stabs the latter, he snapped that Arthur gave him no choice, seconds before Arthur killed him.

Abilities
Mordred was an incredibly  powerful druid. As a child his greatest ability was telepathy, which he used more for communicating as his mouth. Simply by screaming, both telepathically and with his voice, he was able to smash glass in Morgana's chambers and blast back two knights that surrounded him, either knocking them out or killing them. He was also able to levitate two spears and impale two guards without saying a word. Kilgharrah said that Mordred was possibly powerful enough to wield the Crystal of Neahtid while Morgana herself was not.

As a young man Mordred rarely used magic since he felt he still needed to hide it, even though Uther Pendragon was dead. He did not even use telepathy anymore, despite the fact that only those who had magic could hear him. Mordred was later made into a Knight of Camelot, after saving Arthur's life from Morgana. He stabbed Morgana, although he was careful not to inflict a fatal injury. During his training with Arthur and his knights, Mordred quickly proved to be an outstandingly talented swordsman and Arthur was highly impressed by his skill. Although he was exceptionally young for a Knight of the Round Table, Mordred was one of the most lethal warriors in Camelot. By the time he turned against Arthur his skill with a sword had increased to such a degree that he was capable of fighting the king as an equal and striking him down, according to a vision that Merlin had seen.

Despite not using his magic very often, Mordred's powers had noticeably grown. Although he claimed not to be as powerful as Morgana, he was still able to knock her out with a single non verbal stunning spell moments later. (With All My Heart) Enraged and deeply hurt because of Kara's death, he was able to cause many objects, such as a table, in the dungon where he was locked, to vibrate violently. He once again used his scream as once before as a child, this time causing the prison door to the cell to be knocked off its hinges (The Drawing of the Dark). Later he along with Morgana cast a powerful spell that conjured a great ball of fire, to help in the seige. As a young man, Mordred was also a very skilled swordsman. He impressed Arthur with his fighting skills and later even managed to fulfill his destiny by strikining Arthur to his death. Yet at the same time he himself was fatally wounded. Seconds before dying he gave a smile, though the meaning of this is unsure, to Arthur and then fell to the ground. (The Diamond of the Day)

Name

 * Mordred is a masculine name of Latin origin. The meaning of the name is "painful".
 * Other spellings of Mordred include Modred, Mordryd, Modred, Medraut, and Medrod.

Trivia

 * Of all the characters in the show, Mordred is the only character to have been recast, with Asa Butterfield playing the role of the child Mordred and Alexander Vlahos taking over the role as the teenage/adult Mordred.
 * Mordred's first lines were a telepathic plea for help. His last words could be considered a plea for redemption.

Appearances

 * Series 1
 * The Poisoned Chalice
 * The Beginning of the End
 * The Moment of Truth
 * Le Morte d'Arthur


 * Series 2
 * The Nightmare Begins
 * The Witch's Quickening


 * Series 5
 * Arthur's Bane: Part One
 * Arthur's Bane: Part Two
 * The Death Song of Uther Pendragon
 * Another's Sorrow (deleted scene only)
 * The Disir
 * The Dark Tower
 * A Lesson in Vengeance
 * The Hollow Queen
 * With All My Heart
 * The Kindness of Strangers
 * The Drawing of the Dark
 * The Diamond of the Day

Memorable Quotes

 * "My name is Mordred." - to Arthur
 * "Thank you, Emrys."- to Merlin
 * "Will we ever see her again?" - to Alvarr on Morgana
 * "Now I can take care of you like you did me." - to Morgana
 * "I shall never forgive this, Emrys, and I shall never forget!"- to Merlin
 * "You saved my life once, many years ago." - to Arthur
 * "You fear me, Emrys, don't you?" - to Merlin
 * "The love that binds us is more important than the power we wield." - to Merlin
 * "Until then we go unmarked in death as in life." - to Merlin
 * "I hope that one day you will find the love and compassion that used to fill your heart." - to Morgana
 * "This time you've gone too far! You will pay Merlin!" - to Merlin
 * "I know where Emrys is. Camelot. And I also know his true name. It is Merlin." - to Morgana
 * "You gave me no choice." - his last words, speaking to Arthur



Legend
Mordred is known as a notorious traitor who fought King Arthur at the Battle of Camlann, where he was killed and fatally wounded Arthur. In most versions of the legend, he is the illegitimate nephew of Arthur and the son of his half-sister Morgause, but in some versions was the illegitimate son of Arthur and of his other half-sister, Morgana.