Pearly Soames

"Quit me? You don't quit me, boy. I've been blackening souls and crushing miracles for longer than I can remember. Do you ever ask yourself why the universe goes through all this trouble to help you fulfill your destiny and then throws me in your path? Maybe it's because God is just as bloodthirsty as the rest of us. Maybe He doesn't like eternal benevolence and light. Maybe He just likes a good fight."

- Pearly, to Peter

Pearly Soames is the main antagonist of the 2014 fantasy/romance film Winter's Tale.

He is portrayed by Russell Crowe, who also portrayed the title character in Noah, Mayor Nicholas Hostetler in Broken City, SID 6.7 in Virtuosity, and Inspector Javert in Les Miserables.

Overview
Pearly is essentially a demon in gangster's clothing. He is the boss of a gang that Peter Lake, the protagonist, is involved in, and is also Peter's adoptive father. When Peter leaves the gang, Pearly plans to kill him. Later on, he discovers that Peter has fallen in love with Beverly Penn and orders his men to capture the latter, but unfortunately, Peter rescues Beverly with the help of his spirit guide and they flee to Beverly's lake home.

Supernaturally limited to the Burroughs of New York, Pearly goes to his boss Lucifer for access to the lake home, but Lucifer refuses and orders Pearly to find another way, so Pearly enlists Gabriel to poison Beverly, causing her to die after she and Peter consummate their love for one another. Sometime after Beverly's funeral, Pearly finds Peter at the Brooklyn Bridge and head-butts him enough times for Peter to wind up with amnesia for a full century.

One hundred years later, Pearly discovers that Peter is still alive and sends his men to track him down, but in order to pursue Peter, Pearly becomes mortal. He is ultimately defeated when Peter stabs him with the "City of Justice" plaque, causing to Pearly to turn to ice.

Quotes
"You see, Beverly Penn, in my line, it's the ripples that give the work meaning. Ideas--they can do more good than harm. And that would be the opposite of the plan, you see."

- Pearly, to Beverly

"Shit happens."

- Pearly, in response to Lucifer's remark about how he raised Peter like a son

"LUCIFER! I need permission to stop this one. NOW!"

- Pearly, to Lucifer

"I'll tell you something that should chill your blood. No matter how far we tip the scales our way, no matter how many of them we turn dark, nothin' seems to break their capacity for hope. They pass it back and forth like the flu at a preschool fair. We're losing, Lucifer. One bright star at a time, we're losing."

- Pearly, to Lucifer