Zobek

"Finally it is time for the truth. Let us remove... our masks."

- Zobek revealing his true form to Gabriel

Zobek is one of the main antagonists in the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series. He is voiced by Patrick Stewart. He is responsible for Gabriel Belmont's descent into darkness, turning him into Dracula in the process. He is also the Lords of Shadow reboot's version of Death and Shaft.

Lords of Shadow
Zobek was one of the founders of the Brotherhood of Light along with Cornell and Carmilla. After the founders ascended to Heaven as pure spirits, they left their dark sides on Earth. Cornell became the Dark Lord of the Lycans, Carmilla became the Dark Lord of the vampires, and Zobek became the Dark Lord of the necromancers. Together, they formed an uneasy truce for centuries within themselves, but Zobek resented that truce and was prepared to find power over the others. He went to the depths of Hell, fought demons, and became strong. Zobek revealed that he used the Devil Mask and put in on Gabriel in his sleep to kill his wife, Marie, as well as Claudia. Then Satan's influence expanded his knowledge of the dark arts greatly. He then cast a spell that separated Earth from Heaven, knowing that his good counterpart in Heaven would be forced to contact the order of the Brotherhood of Light.

He convinced Gabriel to go on a quest to reunite the three pieces of the God Mask with the promise that Gabriel could bring his wife, Marie, back from the dead with it. After Gabriel defeated Cornell and Carmilla and reunites the three pieces of the God Mask, Zobek puts on the Devil Mask, showing his true Lords of Shadow form. After telling Gabriel that the prophecy was all a part of his plan to obtain power and that he made him kill Marie and Claudia, Gabriel tried to attack Zobek in a rage, but Zobek stopped with the gauntlet Gabriel took from Claudia's black knight and lifted him up the air. Then Zobek killed Gabriel with his lightening powers. Standing over Gabriel's corpse, Zobek picks up the God Mask and laughs triumphantly until he hears Satan's voice telling him that he and Gabriel were part of Satan's plan to get the God Mask. Decided that he no longer needed his assistance, Satan had Zobek engulfed in flames. From those flames, Satan took form over Zobek's body, picked up the God Mask, and declared that God will bow down to him before his attack at Heaven ended. Gabriel came back to life with the power of the dead spirits trapped on Earth and defeated Satan. After the spirits, including his wife and Claudia, ascended into Heaven, Gabriel fell on his knees, mourning for everything that he had lost with the Devil Mask that Zobek left behind, after being burned by Satan, behind him.

A millenium later, Zobek was alive and well and encountered Gabriel, who is now Dracula, inside a cathedral. He told him that Satan's Acolytes are preparing for his return. He asks Dracula to help him stop him, or he will torture them both for eternity in Hell. When Dracula tried to bite Zobek's neck, Zobek teleported and blasted him through the cathedral window down to the streets of the city built upon the foundations of Castlevania. Zobek offers to end Dracula's immortality if he helps him stop Satan.

Lords of Shadow 2
"May you and your spawn be damned forever!"

- Zobek to Dracula after he and his son, Alucard, set him up

Zobek returns as both an ally and antagonist in the sequel. When Dracula awakens weakened from centuries of starvation and his mind fragmented, Zobek sends his lieutenant to capture a family so Dracula can kill them, drink their blood, and regain his strength. Zobek once again offers Dracula eternal rest if he helps him prevent Satan's acolytes from bringing him back to Earth. He reassembled the Combat Cross that Dracula destroyed in the underworld after he defeated the Forgotten One and swore to him that if he succeeds in helping him, he will deliver the fatal blow to his heart. His true purpose is to get rid of both Dracula and Satan so he can be the evil to rule all. After defeating two of the acolytes and before confronting the final acolyte, Guido Szandor, Dracula was stopped by Zobek's lieutenant, who was actually his son Alucard, giving him back his memories. It turns out that Alucard and Dracula had come up with a plan to destroy both Zobek and Satan. Alucard would stab Dracula's heart with his sword, the Crissagrim, not killing him but putting him in a deep slumber, and he would lose his powers and memories. Centuries would pass and Satan would think that Dracula was dead, driving Zobek out of hiding, and out of panic would look to Dracula for help to prevent Satan's return. As soon as Guido Szandor would summon Satan, Dracula would have both Zobek and Satan at the palm of his hand. When Dracula and Alucard allowed Guido to proceed with summoning Satan, this angered Zobek. Realizing that he had been set up, he branded both Dracula and Alucard traitors and transformed into Death to destroy them. After a brutal battle, Dracula beats Zobek back into his human form. In a last ditch effort, Zobek tries to kill Dracula with the Combat Cross only for Dracula to impale him with the Void Sword. After an evil laugh, Zobek's body turns into ice and shatters. With Zobek dead, Dracula has finally got vengeance over the man who ruined his life.