| “ | It's all about knowledge. Everything is. Knowing...is owning. | „ |
| ~ Magnussen describing his blackmail methods. |
Charles Augustus Magnussen (or CAM) is the main antagonist of series 3 of the BBC crime-thriller series Sherlock.
He is a media mogul who owns the majority of Western civilization through very careful application of blackmail. He is shown to be even more intelligent than Sherlock, and frequently puts people in mortal danger for his own amusement.
He was portrayed by Lars Mikkelsen, who also played Volcazar in Ronal the Barbarian and Grand Admiral Thrawn in the Star Wars franchise.
Biography[]
Charles Augustus Magnussen was a formidable figure in Western Europe, known for his ownership of a prominent newspaper company and his mastery of blackmail. He held sway over some of the most influential people in the region, a fact that came under examination in a parliamentary inquiry.
Sherlock Holmes, the renowned detective, had recently returned to the public eye after being presumed dead for two years. This caught the attention of Magnussen, who sought to test the detective's limits and resolve. To this end, he kidnapped Dr. John Watson, a dear friend of Sherlock's, and placed him in a perilous situation to see how far Sherlock would go to save him. The rescue mission confirmed to Magnussen the significance of John to Sherlock.
Several months after the incident, during the wedding of John and Mary, Magnussen sent a cryptic telegram to the newlyweds, wishing them luck and alluding to Mary's family's absence. The missive left Mary deeply troubled.
During the parliamentary inquiry, Magnussen's relationship with the Prime Minister of Great Britain came under scrutiny. He took a keen interest in the MPs, seeking to uncover their "pressure points," or areas of weakness. He targeted one MP in particular, threatening to reveal information about her husband's inappropriate relationship with a minor. The MP turned to Sherlock for help.
Magnussen visited Sherlock and John at their Baker Street residence, seeking to probe their vulnerabilities. However, his brash demeanor led to a hasty departure, with Magnussen and his men leaving after he desecrated the fireplace.
Later, Magnussen was cornered in his penthouse by Mary, who had previously worked as a CIA agent before becoming a dangerous assassin. Holmes intervened but was shot in the process. Magnussen then went to his record room, where he looked up information on Mary Watson and her troubled past.
It was later revealed that Magnussen's true target was Mycroft, Sherlock's influential brother who held sway in the government. He deduced that manipulating Sherlock, through the leverage he held over John and Mary, was the key to getting Mycroft under his control.
Sherlock, aware of Magnussen's intentions, decided to bargain with him. He retrieved information from Mycroft to trade with Magnussen in exchange for releasing everyone under his control. They met at Magnussen's penthouse, where Sherlock presented him with a laptop containing sensitive information and a GPS locator to guide the secret services to his blackmail archives. However, Magnussen revealed that the information was not stored in any physical vaults but rather in his "mind palace", and that he owned a newspaper company that could easily print the information if needed.
As they waited for the SWAT team and Mycroft, Magnussen triumphed and declared his "ownership" of the Holmes brothers through Mary's vulnerable information. In a moment of finality, Sherlock, faced with no other options to protect those he loves, takes decisive action and shoots Magnussen, liberating all those who were previously under his tyrannical grasp.
Legacy[]
Although Sherlock was initially going to be sent on a dangerous mission abroad as punishment for his murder of Magnussen, Sherlock was later pardoned when he was brought back to the United Kingdom when Jim Moriarty had apparently returned after being dead. The government covered up Magnussen's death by editing footage to make it look like he was taken out by a sniper working for the SWAT team, rather than being executed by Sherlock.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Charles Augustus Magnussen is based on the character Charles Augustus Milverton, who featured in the Sherlock Holmes short story The Adventures of Charles Augustus Milverton.
- Sherlock refers to Magnussen as the "Napoleon of blackmail", which is a reference to the story "The Final Problem" in which Sherlock referenced to his archenemy James Moriarty as the "Napoleon of crime".
- Magnussen's actor, Lars Mikkelsen also provided the voice of Scar in the Danish dubbed version of the 2019 film adaptation of The Lion King.
