Lucian

""We were slaves once. The daylight guardians of the Vampires. I was born in servitude. Yet I harbored them no ill will. I even took a Vampire for my bride. It was forbidden, our union. Viktor feared a blending of the species. Feared it so much, he killed her. His own daughter, burnt alive, just for loving me. This is his war. Viktor's. And he's spent the last 600 years exterminating my species.""

- Lucian to the Lycans

Lucian is a Lycan (werewolf) and the main protagonist in the movie Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and a anti-hero in Underworld. He is portrayed by Michael Sheen.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Prior to Lucian's birth, no Lycans existed. Instead, a feral group of Werewolves, descended from William Corvinus, were used as slaves to the aristocratic Vampires with inconsistent success. In the early 13th century, an enslaved Werewolf gives birth to a seemingly human child, Lucian. The Vampire Elder Viktor initially chooses to kill the child, but then changes his mind, curious as to what it would become. It soon becomes clear that Lucian has the ability to shift between human and Werewolf form, making him the first Lycan. Viktor uses Lucian to infect humans brought to the castle for almost 200 years, so that he can use them as slaves. This new species is much favored compared to their predecessors, the Werewolves, since the Lycans are more docile and thus capable of comprehending orders issued by their Vampire masters, thereby replacing the Werewolves as slaves. And because Lucian is the first of his kind, Viktor prizes him above all others. Lucian himself feels no ill will towards the Vampires, rather, he rebels against his feral nature and seeks to be more sophisticated than others of his kind.

At some point during Viktor's reign, Lucian meets Viktor's daughter, Sonja, and falls in love with her. When Lucian is 195 and Sonja 192, the two wed secretly, kept hidden from both Lycan and Vampire alike. Lucian bravely defends Sonja anytime he sees she is in danger, but his heroic actions are met with cynicism from Viktor. The Coven's historian, Andreas Tanis, discovers the relationship, and gives Lucian a key that will remove his shackles at any time in return for Sonja's seat on the Vampire Council. After seeing Sonja being overwhelmed by Werewolves a few nights later, Lucian removes his collar and changes form. He rushes to her defense, saving her life. Viktor is outraged to learn that Lucian removed his collar, and has him severely beaten for it. When Sonja protests that Lucian saved her life, Viktor ignores her, stating that the fact that Lucian's actions saved Sonja's life only means that Viktor will not kill him immediately. Soon after, Sonja learns she is pregnant, and the pair begin plans to escape the castle together. However, Viktor discovers the secret passageway used by Sonja to meet Lucian, and begins to suspect that things are not what they seem. To learn the truth, Viktor attacks Sonja and drinks her blood. From her blood memories, he learns of the affair. He condemns both Sonja and Lucian, and the pair try to flee.

Viktor is able to stop them by dueling with Sonja, who refuses to kill him. Sonja reveals to Viktor that she is pregnant, hoping that this will force him to accept the relationship between herself and Lucian. Instead, Viktor is horrified, and he condemns both Lucian and Sonja to death. He has Lucian chained to the floor with Sonja tied to a stake in front of him. A Death Dealer, Soren, beats Lucian as Sonja is forced to watch. Viktor then has Sonja burned alive in front of Lucian by exposing her to sunlight, killing her and their unborn child. As night falls, Lucian is able to shift into his Lycan form. He steals Sonja's pendant and attempts to flee with it. As Lucian approaches the walls of Viktor's castle, he is pinned against the wall by several crossbow projectiles. Lucian then rallies the support of the local Werewolves, and returns to free the remaining enslaved Lycans. The Lycans and Werewolves take over the castle, leaving only a scant few Vampires alive once the night is over. Lucian duels with Viktor, using the rising sun to his advantage, and is able to wound Viktor by stabbing him through the mouth. Viktor initially appears to be dead, but Tanis puts him into a state of hibernation, ensuring his survival, and leaves the castle with all three Vampire Elders. Only six Vampires are known to have escaped Lucian's wrath that night: Viktor, Tanis, Soren, Kraven and the other two Vampire Elders: Marcus Corvinus and Amelia. Lucian then uses the former Vampire stronghold as his own. Though Lucian has freed the Lycan slaves and killed a great many Vampires, he still vows revenge against all Vampires for the murders of Sonja and their unborn child as well as for the cruel injustice his kind has recieved at their hands.

Cheating Death
Following Lucian’s success, the Vampires begin to demonize him. Lucian is deemed the “most feared and ruthless leader ever to rule the Lycan clan” and the major instigator of the war between the two species. Viktor alters history, erasing any knowledge of Sonja's existence and the fact that Lycans were once the Vampires' slaves, thus blaming Lucian for the war. Because only a few Vampires survive Lucian's attack, this tale is believed by many to be truth. The only Vampire who tries to speak out about the truth, Andreas Tanis, is exiled in the 18th century by Viktor's progenie, Selene, under orders by Viktor, who claims he is telling "malicious lies".

Lucian and his cohorts are tracked down by a new group of Death Dealers. Somewhere amidst the attack, Lucian strikes a deal with a Death Dealer named Kraven. The exact details of the deal or what happened that night are unknown, but Kraven eventually returns to Viktor with the branded skin from Lucian's arm, using it as proof that he killed Lucian. All Vampires sent to fight Lucian that night are killed, with the exception of Kraven. A fire is then set to the castle, and Lucian and his followers go into hiding. Though Kraven tells Viktor he killed Lucian, Lucian is still very much alive, and willingly gives Kraven the skin from his arm as "proof" of his demise. For the next 600 years, Lucian lies low, waiting for the perfect moment to strike the Vampires with Kraven's help.

At some point, Lucian begins experimenting with the Vampire and Lycan blood types, hoping to create a Hybrid. Initially, all tests fail, and Lucian learns that the only way to hybridize himself is to find a descendent of Alexander Corvinus, the first Immortal. Lucian and his fellow Lycans begin kidnapping members of the Corvinus family one by one, searching for one who carries the genetic component necessary to create a Hybrid. Lucian uses a scientist named Singe to test captured humans for signs of the Corvinus Strain.

Lucian also forms an alliance with Tanis after his exile from the Vampire Coven, in which Tanis provides him with ultraviolet ammunition for use in the war against the Vampires. In return, Lucian provides Tanis with first-generation Lycans, which Tanis uses as guard dogs, and a relatively comfortable existence.

Underworld
In the early 21st century, Lucian hones in on a doctor named Michael Corvin as a possible carrier of the Corvinus Strain. He sends two of his lieutenants, Raze and Trix, to find and kidnap Michael, so that his blood can be tested. Raze and Trix are so intent on catching Michael that they don't notice they're being followed by three Death Dealers: Selene, Nathaniel, and Rigel. Once Raze recognizes the three Vampires, a gun battle ensues, in which Michael escapes amongst the confusion. Trix is killed by Selene, while Nathaniel and Rigel are killed by the two Lycans. While running from Raze, Selene comes upon a vent in the subway that allows her to hear the Lycans in their lair. She quickly returns to the Vampire mansion, and informs her superiors of this. At the time, Kraven is the regent of the Coven and the only waking Vampire Elder, Amelia, is in America, which ensures that Lucian and his allies are not hunted down immediately. Ignoring Kraven's orders to stop looking into the Lycan den, Selene begins to unravel the truth about the Lycans' plot to use Michael's blood to create a Hybrid.

After learning of Raze’s failure to capture the human, a frustrated Lucian sets out to capture Michael himself. Lucian arrives at Michael's apartment and ambushes him, but Selene intervenes and shoots him several times. Lucian grabs Michael and bites him, infecting him with the Lycan virus. Before Lucian can do anything else, Selene drags Michael away from him, but Lucian keeps a small amount of Michael's blood in his mouth, which he then spits into a vial. He pushes the bullets out of his body, then attacks Selene and Michael as they try to drive away. He is able to stab Selene in the shoulder, severing an artery, before she throws him from the car and tries to run him over. Despite his efforts, Selene survives his attack and Michael is taken back to the Vampires' lair. Having been infected by Lucian's bite, Michael begins to see memories of Lucian's past, and of the night Sonja died.

Things begin to spiral out of control when Kraven argues with Selene and suffers an ill-timed slip of the tongue. In his anger with Selene's kidnapping of Michael, Kraven accidentally refers to Lucian in the present tense, triggering Selene's suspicions. Selene breaks into the restricted area of the Vampires' library, and is there able to discover that the Lycan who attacked her the previous night is Lucian. Frightened by this, she awakens Viktor a century ahead of schedule, and informs him that Lucian is still alive. Viktor, angered by Selene's growing relationship with Michael Corvin, chooses not to believe her, and so gives Lucian and Kraven the time needed to set their plan into motion.

Lucian returns to the Lycan den and tests Michael's blood, which tests positive for the Corvinus Strain. He then orders Singe to take a small group of heavily armed Lycans and track Selene, with the hopes that Selene will lead them to Michael. Due to the meddling of a love-sick servant girl named Erika, who is infatuated with Kraven, Selene is able to escape the mansion and leads the Lycans to Michael. Michael is captured by Pierce and Taylor, two of Lucian's lieutenants, and is taken to the den. There, Lucian draws Michael's blood and injects himself with it, creating the first step towards becoming a Hybrid. The second step is to gain access to Amelia's blood, so that Lucian can inject himself with that as well.

On the night that Marcus Corvinus is due to be awakened as part of the Chain, Lucian sends Raze and a team of fully transformed Lycans to attack and kill the Elder Amelia and the Vampire Council. Once the Council is dead and Amelia is incapacitated, Raze drains her of her blood, which he then takes back to the Lycan den. Before Raze can return, Kraven arrives at the den, having fled the mansion after a tortured Singe revealed the truth about Lucian's status and the Lycans' plans for Michael to Selene and Viktor. Kraven and Lucian argue heatedly as the first sounds of battle reach them, confirming that the Death Dealers have found the lair. While preparing to join the battle, Lucian berates and insults Kraven, who then angrily shoots Lucian in the back with a Silver Nitrate gun, a weapon specifically designed to kill Lycans, ensuring Lucian's eventual death.

Lucian regains consciousness several minutes later to see Michael and Selene together. He realizes that Selene and Michael are in love, and that they have become the modern day Lucian and Sonja. Ironically, Selene is the adoptive daughter of Viktor, who turned her due to her startling resemblance to Sonja. Seeing that history is repeating itself, and realizing his part is finished, Lucian injures Kraven by stabbing him in the leg, but not before Kraven is able to shoot Michael. As Michael is dying, Lucian tells Selene to bite him, rationalizing that her bite will offset the effects of the Silver Nitrate, making Michael a Hybrid in the process. Desperate to save Michael, Selene sinks her fangs into Michael’s neck, injecting the Vampire virus into his system and causing him to shift into a Hybrid. Dying, Lucian proclaims to Kraven, “You may have killed me, cousin, but my will is done regardless.” Kraven then shoots Lucian multiple times in the chest, killing him. Lucian dies satisfied, knowing that his goal has been achieved and both his wife and unborn child have finally been avenged.

Lucian's will is carried out when Michael is fully transformed into a Hybrid and Viktor is killed by Selene in retaliation for the murder of her own family, as well as that of Sonja. As a final reminder of Lucian and Sonja's struggle, Selene picks up Sonja's pendant and carries it with her as she and Michael leave the Lycan den.