| Acrisius/Calibos | |
|---|---|
 ' | |
|
Species |
Human |
|
Alignment |
Evil |
|
Origin |
Argos |
|
Relatives |
|
|
Status |
Deceased |
|
Appearances |
(1981) Clash of the Titans |
Acrisius/Calibos is the antagonist of Clash of the Titans. He was portrayed by Neil McCarthy in the 1981 film and by Jason Flemyng in the 2010 remake.
Mythology
Acrisius was a mythical king of Argos, and a son of Abas and Aglaea, grandson of Lynceus, great-grandson of Danaus. His twin brother was Proetus, with whom he is said to have quarreled even in the womb of his mother, Thetis, who was mythologically the Queen of the Sea, alongside Poseidon.
When Abas died and Acrisius had grown up, he expelled Proetus from his inheritance; but, supported by his father-in-law Iobates, the Lycian, Proetus returned, and Acrisius was compelled to share his kingdom with his brother by giving Tiryns to him, while he retained Argos for himself.
In the 1981 film, Calibos was the King of Argos whom was set to marry Andromeda. Due to the fact that she did not want to marry him, as he was deformed as punishment by Zeus, every other man who wanted to do so was given a riddle to solve, by Calibos. Those who failed were burned at the stake.
History
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Calibos is the son of Thetis, goddess of the sea. He was to marry the princess Andromeda and be the next ruler of the Kingdom of Joppa, and he prevents Perseus from reaching his goal numerous times. He was deformed by Zeus as punishment for hunting and destroying every living thing surrounding The Wells of The Moon, including Zeus's entire sacred herd of flying horses (except for Pegasus the stud). For that and many other transgressions, Zeus punishes him, transforming him into a satyr-like creature who is subsequently shunned and forced to live as an outcast in the swamps and marshes.
In revenge against Joppa, he summoned Andromeda and arranged for her to give a riddle to anyone who wishes to wed her. If they failed, they would be burned at the stake. Perseus managed to follow Andromeda into the swamp using the helmet left for him by Athena. After overhearing what the riddle would be, Perseus left and was later ambushed by Calibos when he was near the swamp. Perseus managed to cut off Calibos' hand and presented it to Andromeda the next day when the answer for the riddle ended up being a ring as the severed hand had a ring on it. Calibos appeared in the Temple of Thetis praying to his mother to take revenge on Perseus for cutting off his hand. Thetis tells Calibos that she can't do that as Perseus is protected by Zeus. Calibos tells Thetis to at least punish Joppa.
Calibos in the 1981 Movie
Thetis does when her statue breaks during the wedding demanding that Andromeda be sacrificed to the Kraken. After Perseus had beheaded Medusa, Calibos (now having replaced his lost hand with a trident-like hand) pokes at the bag that Medusa's head is in causing some nearby Scorpions to become large. When the giant scorpions were defeated, Perseus managed to fight Calibos again with the fight ending with Perseus killing Calibos, though Calibos manages to kill everyone else in Perseus' Legion. He has a definate Satyr-like appearance to mark him as a destructive force of nature.
The actual King Acrisius appeared at the beginning of the film. After it was discovered that Zeus had impersonated him to impregnate Danae, he had Danae and Perseus locked into a trunk and threw it into the ocean. Zeus responded to his by having Poseidon unleash the Kraken which destroys Argos.
Clash of the Titans (2010)
In the remake, Acrisius was once the king of Argos that defied the Gods and lay a siege on Olympus, rallying his armies, Zeus decided to make of Acrisius an example to all humanity by becoming the king himself and making love to his wife and queen, breeding a son. Acrisius, being overwhelmed cursed Zeus by trying to throw his wife and the child in her to the sea, but a lighting strikes him deforming half of his face and half of his body, transforming him into Calibos.
Years after, Hades appears where the banned Acrisius lived and offers him to serve the ruler of the Underworld, Hades gives him great strength an resistance, corrupts him and orders him to chase and kill Perseus, which is seeking to destroy Hades. Calibos pursues Perseus and the Army of Argos in the forest. Calibos manage to kill several soldiers and was even close to kill Perseus, but Draco stops him by cutting his hand. A damaged Calibos is overhelmed by many Argosian soldiers, so he decides to escape into the desert, where Calibos finds out that his blood is tranforming into giant scorpions, in fear Calibos escapes for good. Then, after battling Medusa, Perseus is confronted by Calibos. Calibos is killed by Perseus at the entrance of Medusa's Lair in a duel. Upon regressing back to Acrisius, Calibos' last words were: "Perseus, don't become one of them." before falling from a cliff.
Other appearances
Clash of the Titans: The Videogame
Calibos as he appears on the 2010 video game