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He is a ruthless, devious, and cunning dragon hunter who believes in the extermination of all dragons, though he has four drugged Deathgrippers at his command. Grimmel is responsible for bringing the Night Furies to near-extinction, leaving Toothless as the last of his kind. The reason he was motivated into hunting down all the Night Furies was when he slew one as a teenager, causing him to be hailed as a hero.
A year later, following the death of Drago Bludvist, Grimmel was hired by the Warlords to counter the Dragon Riders' interfering of the Warlords' dragon hunting operations. When he learns of Toothless being the last of the Night Furies, Grimmel vowed to not stop until Toothless dies at his hands, which ended up getting him into conflict with Toothless' rider and best friend Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III along the way. Thus, this makes Grimmel the final arch-nemesis of Hiccup and Toothless, while being the former's antithesis.
Grimmel is a tall, muscular, and slender man with receded but frizzled gray hair, pale skin, and icy light blue eyes. He wears a dark brown robe with a hooded jacket and leather armor, brown pants, and grayish-brown boots. He is 55 years old, but he appears to be around his 60s-70s due to his grey hair and voice.
Personality[]
“
Grimmel, he's just all about intolerance. He thinks dragons are vermin. They are the enemy, they must be suppressed or removed. He cannot tolerate a world in which he has to live with dragons, and the idea that there's some young Viking chief on the island of Berk trying to teach people that they can all live together is personally offensive to him.
„
~ Dean DeBlois describing Grimmel in his interview.
Grimmel has been referred to as the darkest adversary to all of the Dragon Riders, including the draconic creatures themselves. He is a seasoned, experienced, and callous dragon hunter with a very encyclopedic knowledge of dragon behavior. Grimmel possesses a deep hatred for dragons, as he firmly believes humans and dragons cannot and should not coexist peacefully together, and that mankind is supreme to them. He even has the tenacity to be cold-hearted to his Deathgrippers: as he drugged them into obedience against their will, stuck an apple on one of their tusks so it couldn't reach the apple, almost threw a measuring tool at two of them when he was very annoyed with Ruffnut, and fed them baby dragons as he was disappointed that he couldn't feed them the baby dragon Ruffnut was riding as he was willing to follow her to discover where the Hairy Hooligan Tribe relocated. Grimmel’s only seeming show of a single shred of empathy for his deathgrippers is the look of surprise when Toothless kills some of them, which is clearly only out of frustration at his plan faltering on him.
Despite his hatred of dragons, Grimmel convinced himself that he is a savior who brings peace to the people of the world. He believes dragons are nothing more than savage monsters, meant to serve mankind if anything at all but death. However, this is nothing more than a mere egotistical delusion, as he razed Hiccup's house alongside four others and tried to drag Hiccup down with him to his death, showing a clear example of his pettiness and unfailing cruelty. Grimmel also has other instances where he proves to be such a hypocrite: such as when he claimed to Eir Stormheart that her father King Stormheart didn't deserve to be burnt down in the hall by Drago, despite that he would later try to burn down the Dragon Riders with the Deathgrippers' acid. Hiccup also calls him out on having dragons himself despite his racism against them, even though Grimmel sees his Deathgrippers as disposables and not dragons.
“
Nothing's accidental when it comes to old Grimmel. he lives for the hunt, to get inside the mind of his prey to control its every choice, it's all a game to him.
He was also a savvy, intrepid, and contentious strategist, as he was able to quickly assess a foe and get into their head, playing them into his traps. He is a chess master possessing a suave, loquacious, and gentlemanly nature despite his cold determination. He is also possibly the smartest villain in the series, surpassing even the combination of Mildew, Alvin the Treacherous, Dagur the Deranged, Ryker Grimborn, Krogan, Johann, Viggo Grimborn and Drago Bludvist in terms of general intelligence. However, his greatest weakness is his indefatigable motive to debunk Hiccup and Toothless' friendship as an illusion, a trait that ultimately led to his downfall.
Despite his sadism, delusions, and wicked nature, Grimmel seems to possess one tiny bit of nobility, as according to his dialogue with Hiccup in their first encounter, it can be implied that Grimmel once had respect for Hiccup's late father; Stoick the Vast. This is because both of them agreed on the danger that the dragons represented, though Grimmel was oblivious that Stoick later changed his opinion. However, in reality, Grimmel has loyalty to no one, as he cared nothing about the people who praised him and never lavished any good on them, apart from ridding the people from dragons, whom they believed was a bigger menace than him. When he is called out by Hiccup for sitting in Stoick's chair, instead of showing any signs of remorse, he simply smirks at Hiccup. Also, although he made a deal with the Warlords to bring them all the Berkians' dragons, he altered it and refused to give them Toothless and the Light Fury so he could dispose of them himself, therefore being dishonorable and was never noble in the first place. Due to his true dishonorable nature, he possesses an irredeemable nature of being a villain. Grimmel refuses to see dragons as anything more than thieves and murderers worthy of subjugation or slaughter, though his hatred of night furies is so great that he simply won't rest as long as he knows any are alive. He won the reputation of a hero and has his eyes set on Toothless and will stop at nothing to hunt the dragon down, putting him in conflict with Hiccup along the way.
Grimmel's arrogance lead to his downfall as he seriously underestimated Hiccup and thought that the young chieftain and the other Berkians were powerless without their dragons and didn't represent a threat to his plans once Grimmel captured Toothless and all of the other dragons. His inability to even consider the possibility of humans and dragons being capable of bonding together also caused him to underestimate how far Hiccup would go to save Toothless and he was totally shocked when the Light Fury came back to save Hiccup from falling, proving Grimmel wrong that dragon and human friendship is real, as he witnessed himself before his death. He also underestimated Toothless, as he briefly had a hard time tracking him (he need Ruffnut to help find him) and was left in shock after witnessing Toothless' new ability to cloak and summon lightning.
Equipment[]
Crossbow: Grimmel wields an ordinary crossbow, with wooden structures combined with metal ones. It is also slightly smaller than regular crossbows seen in the franchise and has a simpler ammunition loading mechanism. Grimmel uses his crossbow to launch arrows that contain Deathgripper venom that can kill or paralyze a dragon. The venom also stuns humans as Grimmel shot Fishlegs who he thought it was Toothless. The crossbow is extremely powerful, as Grimmel managed to shoot down Toothless, who was presumably flying at full speed while riding the female Light Fury.
Airship: Grimmel primary mode of transportation was an airship he built by himself. Using four of his Deathgrippers, Grimmel can travel through the air from one place to another with his airship. In addition, the airship can also carry captive dragons as shown with the Light Fury and Toothless. The airship is also equipped with weapons like a harpoon launcher when he threatens the female Light Fury.
Deathgripper Venom: Grimmel used the venom of his Deathgrippers to create a drug that allows him to control them and resist any Alpha dragon after he injects it into them. These were used in all of his traps and projectiles. The venom is also effective on other dragons with one small vial of Deathgripper venom is enough to subdue dragons like a Stormcutter or a Light Fury into submission or knock dragons like a Rumblehorn or a Night Fury unconscious. When any number of dragons are drugged by the Deathgripper venom solution used by Grimmel, their behaviors resemble those of the dragons under the Bewilderbeast's control in every way: their pupils retract and their expression becomes listless and unresponsive to their surroundings until they are put into combat, whereupon they become fierce killing machines. The venom is also implied to have other effects on his mind-controlled dragons but they were not shown but it is likely that the venom keeps them in a constant state of agony.
Light Fury - Former Pawn, Temporarily Hostage, Brainwashed Victim
Stormfly - Temporarily Hostage
Meatlug - Temporarily Hostage
Hookfang - Temporarily Hostage
Barf and Belch - Temporarily Hostage
Grump - Temporarily Hostage
Skullcrusher - Temporarily Hostage
Cloudjumper - Temporarily Hostage
Other Appearances[]
School of Dragons[]
Grimmel serves as a major antagonist in the video game. He is scheming on assaulting Berk to abduct all the dragons. In one of the other quests in the game, he assembles a conclave on Old Berk with Eir Stormheart and the player. He makes an offer to them to not end up in a sword fight, after separating from each other. During the Riders' attack on Glacier Island, Grimmel poisons Valka's Stormcutter dragon Cloudjumper with his dart.
He later exploits him as a weapon by brainwashing him with venom and using him for his attack on New Berk. He manages to knock out Astrid and wound Stormfly with a brainwashed Cloudjumper during the quest to rescue and reclaim him. The player and however manages to return Astrid and Stormfly to New Berk. In the next chapter, Grimmel along with Cloudjumper and his Deathgrippers, assaults New Berk. The player vanquishes him and manages to liberate Cloudjumper, causing Grimmel and the Deathgrippers to retreat with his airship.
Quotes[]
“
My dear Warlords, how go your plans to conquer the world?
„
~ Grimmel's first line.
“
That sounds like a nuisance, but I'm in the business of killing dragons, not retrieving them.
„
~ Grimmel refusing the Warlords offer.
“
Oh I hope you won't mind if I help myself? This is, hmm… quite good. [hears Hiccup ignite his Inferno] That is impressive, but let me finish my drink.
„
~ Grimmel meeting Hiccup.
“
Hiccup: What did you do to him? Grimmel: Nothing that he won't sleep off.
„
~ Grimmel after shooting the dart.
“
May I, Chief Hiccup? Hmm, do I say Chief [hiccups] or do I just call you Hiccup? What do you prefer?
„
~ Grimmel taunting Hiccup for the first time.
“
Grimmel: You have no idea who I am, do you? Well, your father knew of me. Now, there was a chief. One of the greatest dragon hunters to have ever lived! What would he think of you? He did it right, you know. Making it his mission to destroy the beasts so that you could grow up in a better world. Hiccup: He changed his mind. Grimmel: And look where that got him. So let's get to the point.
„
~ Grimmel telling Hiccup about Stoick, plus harassing him.
“
You are going to give me that dragon, or I will…
„
~ Grimmel about to threaten Hiccup.
“
You wish dragons to be free, among us, like equals? A toxic notion, my boy. History has shown that we are the superior species. What if your misguided ideas were to spread? It would be the undoing of civilization as we know it.
„
~ Grimmel to Hiccup about his racism against dragons.
“
Ah, a fighting spirit. I love it. Only, I'm afraid you're mistaken. You've never seen anything like me.
„
~ Grimmel to Hiccup.
“
Do I have to explain this? Night Furies can't survive in the cold so they haven't gone north. They're trying to put distance between themselves and enemies to the east and south. And Night Furies cannot fly long distances without rest.
„
~ Grimmel explains some Night Furies' weaknesses and their natural habitat to the Warlords when they impatiently want to know where the Berkians are going.
“
Where's your dragon when you need him, hmm, Chief? Must've forgotten all about you.
„
~ Grimmel taunting Hiccup about Toothless not being there to save him.
“
First rule of the hunt: always separate the prey from the pack! You just removed yourselves from the equation!
„
~ Grimmel to the Dragon Riders after they unknowingly fell into his trap.
“
Now, our little game must come to an end.
„
~ Grimmel capturing both Toothless and the Light Fury.
“
Call them off Alpha! No reason for her to die too!
„
~ Grimmel coercing Toothless to call off the dragon pack to save the Light Fury.
“
Save your breath. The only alpha they respond to is me!
„
~ Grimmel telling Toothless that the Deathgrippers will never obey his orders.
“
Oh, don't feel too badly. You tried your best, but you are nothing without your dragon!
„
~ Grimmel disgracing Hiccup.
“
Grimmel: You didn't think I'd actually hand you the Night Fury, did you? He's mine to kill! Griselda: That snake! Grimmel: I intend to finish what I started! Best of luck controlling them without an alpha!
„
~ Grimmel betraying the Warlords.
“
You still think he cares about you? Then let's see who he follows!
„
~ Grimmel to Hiccup during their flight as the former is about to ride the Light Fury.
“
No!
„
~ Grimmel's last words before he hits the ocean and dies.
Trivia[]
Grimmel is technically considered the evil version of Hiccup, serving as an example of what Hiccup would have become if he had killed Toothless the first time they met, and how he would have desired to kill all dragons rather than save them.
He can also be considered an even worse version of Viggo Grimborn, as both wanted to kill all dragons, are master strategists, and have launched an assault on Berk (Grimmel drove the Vikings away so he can track them down and kill their dragons, while Viggo unleashed a Submaripper on Berk to starve the residents). However, Viggo eventually found genuine respect for dragons and redeemed himself, while Grimmel remained hateful and bitter to his very end. Therefore, Grimmel serves as an example of what Viggo could've become had he never let go of his prejudice against dragons.
It's been proven that Grimmel died during his fall, as even though he landed in the ocean, he fell from thousands of feet. Falling into the water from that height is like falling on concrete, so Grimmel's bones were shattered upon impact, meaning that Grimmel either died upon impact or eventually drowned to his death.
In the original trailer for The Hidden World, both Grimmel's physical appearance and personality were shown to be slightly different compared to the final cut of the film. In the original trailer, Grimmel was shown to be much less pale, had much thicker hair, and had a less narrow face. He was also shown to be petting one of his Deathgrippers with a slight sign of affection. This may imply that Grimmel was originally supposed to be far less evil than he became in the film but was changed later on.
Also in the trailer version, when Grimmel said "I will destroy everything you love", he says it in a calmer tone, and the first part of his line wasn't added. After the film's release, he gives it a more serious and louder tone to make himself sound more threatening.
It is possible that Grimmel had dealings with Drago Bludvist, as Drago wore a black color dragon skin cape which looks similar to a Night Fury to cover his mechanical arm and Grimmel hunted the Night Furies to near-extinction.
He is also the only human villain Hiccup ever killed since he let go of the Light Fury, making them both fall to their death and remove his prosthetic leg so only he can survive and Grimmel can die.
Although Grimmel states that Night Furies cannot survive in the cold or fly without rest (which makes them easy to track down), Toothless has been seen many times to survive in cold areas (i.e. freezing water, cold temperatures, and even icy regions) with no discomfort at all and fly at long distance for hours. It is possible that Toothless may have overcome these weaknesses or Grimmel just denounced that the Berkians went west and made some sarcastic comments about Night Furies while mocking the Warlords (This is similar to when Hiccup told Snotlout that Night Furies' saliva having healing properties in "Defiant One", however it may have also been a prank Hiccup pulled to get back at Snotlout for being difficult earlier in the episode).
Grimmel is possibly named after the Grim Reaper, who symbolizes death. This is fitting since Grimmel potentially has the highest kill count in the franchise, as he killed every Night Fury in existence except Toothless.
Although Grimmel was defeated in the end, he posthumously wins after Hiccup sets Toothless and the other dragons free, knowing they won't be safe among humans. This means that Grimmel got what he wanted - a world free of dragons, although Hiccup and Toothless reunited in the epilogue. This implies Grimmel is the sole DreamWorks villain (so far) to actually succeed at the end.
✓
