Jareth

"Sarah, beware. I have been generous up until now. And I can be cruel."

- Jareth to Sarah Williams.

Jareth the Goblin King is the powerful villainous king of the Goblins and the main antagonist in the 1986 movie "Labyrinth". although a villain, Jareth was not necessary a purely evil character and was more accurately amoral, seeking to please the young girl he fell in love with by granting her wish to have her baby brother "disappear", however his method of kidnapping and plan to turn the baby into a goblin were villainous as were the tricks and obstacles he set in play to ensure the heroes of the film would not make it to his castle in time to stop the curse he had placed.

He was portrayed by singer David Bowie.

A mysterious immortal Jareth was served loyally by many goblins but was also hated by many of the inhabitants of his world - the relationship between Jareth and the main female hero of the story is also shown to be a mix of mutual attraction and her repulsion at his plans.

Role
Jareth's role in the film was a mysterious one, when the heroine of the story (Sarah Williams) became angry with her baby half-brother Toby she wished for the goblins to take him away (having always had a fascination with fairy-tales) - to her horror once she turns the lights off Toby has vanished.

Jareth, in the form of a barn owl, the flies into the bedroom and transforms into his human form - telling Sarah he has granted her wish, Sarah is shocked and begs him to return her brother but he states she must solve his great maze (the Labyrinth) before he shall agree to freeing her brother and that she has only 13 hours. Jareth would appear later in an imaginary ballroom to try and tempt Sarah away from her quest but she breaks free and along with three companions manages to make it to Jareth's castle within the Goblin City in time.

However Jareth doesn't let Sarah win so easily as she is faced with a difficult reality-defying maze within the castle itself, it is here he asks her to abandon her brother and stay with him - however Sarah refuses and defeats Jareth - causing the room to crumble away, despite being defeated Jareth simply turns into an owl and flies away back to his castle and goblins possibly to try to kidnap again.

In the end of the movie Sarah and her friends from the Labyrinth are celebrating in her room in the real world while Jareth, still in owl-form, watches from outside before he flies away into the night, ending the film.

Powers and Abilities
Jareth is shown to have a range of magical powers. He can transform into an owl at will, and uses this form to travel to the human world to spy on Sarah. He can manipulate crystal balls with his hands easily, and does so to impress Sarah at the start of the film. He is able to appear and disappear in his realm as he wishes, and appears to have telepathic abilities. He is also able to defy gravity, running through the Escher Room in his castle upside down.

In Return to Labyrinth, Jareth is shown to have created the Labyrinth in order to keep others from reaching him and his heart. He is said to be unable to travel to the mortal realm unless summoned, however this restriction does not prevent him travelling between worlds in his owl form.