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| “ | When all is said and done, this young chief will bring me the Night Fury. They don't have a leader, just a boy. | „ |
| ~ Grimmel about Hiccup to the Warlords. |
| “ | I am the Night Fury killer. I've hunted every last one, but yours. | „ |
| ~ Grimmel telling Hiccup what happened to all the Night Furies. |
| “ | Have my dragon ready when I return, or I will destroy EVERYTHING you love! | „ |
| ~ Grimmel threatening Hiccup and his most famous quote. |
Grimmel the Grisly is the overarching antagonist of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. He is the unseen overarching antagonist of the first two films How to Train Your Dragon and How to Train Your Dragon 2, and the main antagonist of the third and final film How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. He also serves as the overarching antagonist in the 2011 short film Book of Dragons.
He is a ruthless dragon hunter who won the reputation of a hero, by driving the Night Fury race of dragons to near-extinction and has his eyes set on Toothless, the last Night Fury in existence, and will stop at nothing to hunt the dragon down, putting him in conflict with Hiccup along the way. He is the cruelest, most manipulative and greatest enemy that Hiccup and the rest of the Dragon Riders ever faced and is Hiccup's greatest archenemy after Drago Bludvist.
He was voiced by F. Murray Abraham, who also played Antonio Salieri in the 1984 film adaptation of Amadeus, Bernardo Gui in The Name of the Rose, and Cyrus Kriticos in Thirteen Ghosts.
Biography
Early Life/Night Fury Genocide
When Grimmel was just a boy, he found a Night Fury in a vulnerable state while it was sleeping, but chose to kill it in its sleep instead of training or befriending it. As such, the simple act of courage he did made his village consider and treat him as a hero.
Motivated by this, Grimmel dedicated the rest of his life to killing dragons, especially Night Furies, and became praised as a hero for it. He eventually succeeded in hunting down almost all of the Night Furies, and was respected by a few folk for killing a number of other dragons. He even managed to discover the atrocious venom of the pugnacious Deathgrippers, and drugged six of them with it, thus making the creatures loyal to him. His actions were enlightened as he had powerful and strong minions who could kill anything or anyone trying to attack or enclose him. He even managed to invent a platform for him to ride from place to place (with his Deathgrippers carrying it in the air) and a bundle of equipment for him to capture and even carry his prey, including a crossbow that could pierce any dragon's hide. Grimmel became more savvy and dangerous amongside dragons and people that he could manipulate anyone who he comes across with. He was even ennobled the title 'Grimmel the Grisly' and became the greatest dragon slayer across the world, for murdering hundreds of dragons, especially the entire Night Fury race.
However, one Night Fury was never slaughtered — Toothless, who survived the Night Fury genocide because Toothless was with Hiccup and was sheltered as a result, yet Grimmel was unaware of it.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Hired by the Warlords
| “ | A year since Drago's defeat, and no further along with your dragon army, I see. | „ |
| ~ Grimmel taunting the Warlords when he sees that they can’t retrieve more dragons like the amount Drago did. |
One year after the demise of Drago Bludvist, Grimmel is summoned and hired by the Warlords to capture Toothless, the sole Night Fury that he has not hunted down, because of their problem with dragon poaching; their intentions were to conquer the world by using dragons they are trying to hunt now that they have assumed the leadership of the Northern Alliance. Grimmel accepts the offer, but hides from them secrets about what he plans to do with Toothless. He plans on using a female Light Fury as bait for Toothless, and frees her at Berk, but leaves a poison dart nearby and hides a trap.
Meeting Hiccup
| “ | (pours himself a mug of tea or wine) Oh I hope you won't mind if I help myself? This is, hmm… quite good. (Hiccup ignites his Inferno) That is impressive, but let me finish my drink. | „ |
| ~ Grimmel meeting Hiccup. |
Grimmel walks down the stairs and approaches Hiccup whilst the latter is studying his father's notes, and pours himself a wood tankard of tea (or wine). He explains to Hiccup how he nearly hunted down all of the Night Furies, and shoots Toothless sleeping under a blanket, not realizing that it was actually Fishlegs who was sleeping under the blanket instead. Hiccup detests Grimmel by proclaiming that he will never relinquish Toothless. Then, the Dragon Riders come out of hiding and enter the room.
With that, Grimmel orders his Deathgrippers to attack the Dragon Riders and all of Berk. The Deathgrippers use their acid to burn down Hiccup's house, as well as most of Berk and Grimmel disappears with an ultimatum: if Toothless is not surrendered the next day, then he will destroy everything Hiccup loves. In response, Hiccup leads the Berkians away from Berk on a journey to find the Hidden World. However, unbeknownst to them, they do exactly as Grimmel had planned. Later after this happens, by the Great Hall, Grimmel reveals to the Warlords exactly where the Berkians are headed.
Manipulating the Dragon Riders into his trap
| “ | Hiccup: Why are you doing this? Grimmel: Really? I didn't think you cared! Well, unlike you, when I was a boy and I came up on a Night Fury, I killed it where it slept! That simple act of courage made me a hero in my village. So, I decided to kill every last one, bringing real peace to the people of this world. |
„ |
| ~ Grimmel explaining his backstory to Hiccup, hinting that he is a dark reflection of him. |
After have incinerated and pillaged Berk, Grimmel returns to his tower, where the Northern Alliance are in development in their conquest. He spots Valka and Cloudjumper spying on them, but allows them to return of New Berk in order to proceed in his scheme. Hiccup and the Dragon Riders fly to the tower, (during the night Valka and Cloudjumper returned) to break into the tower and eliminate Grimmel in stealth, in order to end the war.
Unfortunately, Grimmel has contrived another trap for his enemies, to kill them and disgrace Hiccup further more and (probably) kill him to. Grimmel pulls the Cord triggering the trap, shutting the roof and causing a giant metal net to cover the base, Hiccup and the Dragon Riders used to enter the tower, locking them inside. When asked why he is committing his knavish acts, Grimmel explains his past and that the first Night Fury he killed made him a hero of his village, as it was a cavalier act. And determined to kill off every single dragon in the world, not only to exploit false rumors about them as diabolical beasts and to make a prudent act, but to also become reputable in the world, as the hero who rid humanity from abnormality, and kill anyone who says otherwise, especially Hiccup, who fathomed the real truth. Hiccup is disdained into trepidation of Toothless’ whereabouts and the precarious world he is living in. Grimmel’s Deathgrippers assault the Dragon Riders and set fire to the tower, diminishing their chance of escaping.
Hiccup and the Riders succeed in their endeavor to escape before getting burnt alive. Grimmel watches them indignantly, but is fortuitous to have captured Ruffnut who was left behind by accident, leaving more deterioration for the Hiccup.
Grimmel and the Warlords endure a garrulous and incessant babble from Ruffnut for hours, irritating them ultimately. However, Ruffnut disclosures the specific location of where the Berkians were hiding. An irate Grimmel releases Ruffnut and gives her a baby dragon prisoner (what Grimmel feeds his Deathgrippers with) to fly back with. Ruffnut is obtuse enough to not realize that Grimmel and the Northern Alliance were following her behind, as Grimmel watches her leave the tower, and yearns to culminate his goal.
Capturing Toothless and betraying the Warlords
| “ | Call them off, alpha. No reason for her to die, too! | „ |
| ~ Grimmel forcing Toothless into a sadistic choice between letting the Light Fury live and calling the other dragons for help. |
Hiccup and Astrid return with Toothless from the Hidden World back to New Berk and find out the Light Fury followed them. It's at this moment when Grimmel has the perfect opportunity to strike and capture both Toothless and the Light Fury. However, all of the dragons from the island appear with intentions to save Toothless. Grimmel foresees this, and orders Toothless to call off the dragons as he points his crossbow at the Light Fury. Grimmel succeeds in his mission and leads all of the dragons to the Warlords, but alters their deal, deciding to keep both Toothless and the Light Fury for himself to dispose of them.
Final Showdown and Death
| “ | You’ll kill the both of us! Fighting over a dragon, that’s your plan? | „ |
| ~ Grimmel trying to drag Hiccup with him. |
Hiccup and the rest of the Dragon Riders, wearing their flight-suits, fly toward the armada to start a battle against Grimmel, much to the latter's surprise. During said battle, Grimmel's platform is quickly destroyed. Because of this, he makes an escape attempt by putting one of his collars on the Light Fury. The collar injects her with his Deathgrippers' venom, allowing him to gain control over the dragon. Hiccup is able to free Toothless, and starts to chase Grimmel down.
However, Grimmel was prepared for this, and shoots one of his darts at Hiccup. The latter jumps off Toothless, thus evading the dart, but this causes the dart to hit Toothless instead, prompting him to plummet toward the ocean. Hiccup drubs Grimmel by kicking him off the Light Fury, and removing Grimmel's collar after seeing Toothless fall. However, Grimmel grabs Hiccup's prosthetic leg, attempting to take him down with him to cause his death as well. Hiccup tells the Light Fury to save Toothless and lets go of her, causing him to almost fall to his demise while Grimmel rips off Hiccup's "wings" to further ensure his death.
However, the Light Fury comes back for Hiccup after saving Toothless. Hiccup removes his prosthetic leg to separate himself from Grimmel, thus allowing the Light Fury to carry him to safety while Grimmel falls from the impact of the ocean below. The impact eventually crushes every bone in his body, killing him automatically or causing him to drown slowly. Thus, his days of dragon hunting are now permanently over.
With Grimmel gone forever, this would be the final time the Dragon Hunters would come to capture and harm the dragons, who were finally forever safe and currently hiding in the Hidden World until they can eventually coexist peacefully with humans who care for them. Until then, only the Berkians will guard their secret.
Appearance
Grimmel is a tall, slender man with receded but frizzled gray hair, pale skin, and light blue eyes. He wears a dark brown robe with a hooded jacket and leather armor, brown pants, and grayish-brown boots.
Personality
| “ | Nothing's accidental when it comes to old Grimmel, he lives for the hunt to get inside the mind of his prey to control it's every choice, It's all a game to him. | „ |
| ~ Eret describing Grimmel. |
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 dragon hunter with a very encyclopedic knowledge of dragon behavior, and possesses a deep hatred for dragonkind, believing humans and dragons cannot and should not coexist peacefully together. Despite his hatred of dragons, Grimmel convinced himself that he is a savior who brings peace to the people of the world, believing dragons are nothing more than savage monsters. However, this is nothing more than a mere delusion, as he razed an entire section of the village of Berk and tried to drag Hiccup down with him to his death.
Despite his xenophobic and ruthless nature, Grimmel was also a savvy, cold-hearted, manipulative, intrepid, odious, psychopathic, pragmatic, patient and contentious strategist, able to quickly assess a foe and get into their head, playing them into his traps. He is a chessmaster possessing a suave, charismatic, loquacious, gentlemanly and friendly nature despite his cold determination. He is also possibly the smartest villain in the series (surpassing even the combination of Alvin the Treacherous, Johann and Viggo Grimborn's intelligence). However, his greatest weakness is his willingness to debunk Hiccup and Toothless's friendship as an illusion, a trait that ultimately led to his downfall.
In spite of his sadism, delusions, and wicked nature, Grimmel seems to possess one tiny bit of nobility, as according to his dialogue between Hiccup in their first encounter, it can be implied that Grimmel once had respect for Stoick the Vast, Hiccup's late father, because both of them apparently 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 to them, apart than ridding the people from dragons, whom they believed were 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.
Abilities
- High Intelligence: Grimmel's specialization in hunting Night Furies allowed him to gain a great amount of knowledge about the species' behavior. For instance, he is aware that this species mates for life and is able to exploit that by exposing Toothless to a Light Fury. It can be presumed that he has significant knowledge of other dragon species as well. He was also extremely intelligent, and was prepared for nearly every scenario when facing the Dragon Riders by setting up traps or ordering his Deathgrippers to be in certain locations. He also correctly deduced the trajectory the Vikings would take on their quest for the Hidden World, something the Warlords were unable to do, and employed tactics such as tracking the movements of a released Ruffnut to locate the Berkians.
- Inventing: Grimmel had a talent for creating devices that would help him in his hunting expeditions. He was able to create devices that are oriented with Deathgripper venom such as his crossbow and collars that he would use on his dragons. It is also possible that Grimmel created his airship to help him travel to various locations.
- Stealth: Grimmel was able to sneak into most places without anyone noticing him as he was able to sneak on Berk and lay a trap there without anyone knowing about it. He effortlessly snuck into Hiccup's home and followed Ruffnut to New Berk with his Deathgrippers without being seen by anyone (though Ruffnut didn't try to check if there was someone following her).
- Marksmanship: Grimmel was a very skilled crossbowman, using his crossbow to shoot dragons with great accuracy both at short and long range without ever missing his target.
- Dragon Hunting: Grimmel is known as the smartest dragon hunter in the world. Grimmel was an exceptionally skilled and experienced hunter who knew how to track down his prey and anticipate their actions. The most infamous example of his hunting skills is the fact that he hunted the Night Furies, a dragon species that is said to be the smartest, fastest, and most powerful species of dragon, to the brink of extinction. He is an extremely deadly and precise shot with a crossbow of his own invention and is adept at laying traps to capture or kill dragons.
- Dragon Commanding/Manipulation: Grimmel managed to successfully drug six Deathgrippers and train them to become vicious killers that obey his every command. He trained them through unknown ways to answer to his whistles and finger snaps. He can also force dragons to do what he demands without Deathgripper venom, such as forcing Toothless to call off his dragon flock from attacking in order to protect his mate. Grimmel was capable of manipulating dragons under the command of Drago's Army.
- Dragon Riding: Grimmel was capable of riding dragons, which was shown when he rode the Light Fury after drugging her with the Deathgripper venom. Grimmel rode the Light Fury without any difficulties after drugging her with Deathgripper venom, until he was knocked off her back by Hiccup.
- High Pain Tolerance: Grimmel has an extremely high pain tolerance caused by a desire to act alone, which has hardened him. He pushed away Inferno with his bare hand, without reacting to the flames. And Hiccup knocked him off his airship at high speed and later pushed him off the Light Fury at the same speed with no visible reaction.
Equipment
- Crossbow: Grimmal wields a ordinary crossbow, with wooden structures combined with metal ones. It is also slightly smaller than regular crossbows and has a simpler ammunition loading mechanism. Grimmel uses his crossbow in order to launch arrows which contain Deathgripper venom. The crossbow is extremely powerful, as Grimmel managed to shoot down Toothless, who was flying at full speed while riding the female Light Fury.
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. |
| “ | 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? Uh- ha ha. 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. |
„ |
| ~ Grimmel telling Hiccup about Stoick, plus abusing him. |
| “ | Let's get to the point. I am the Night Fury killer. I've hunted every last one, but yours. You are going to give me that dragon. | „ |
| ~ Grimmel revealing to Hiccup that he killed all the Night Furies except Toothless. |
| “ | 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 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. |
| “ | 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. |
| “ | Save your breath. The only alpha they respond to is me! | „ |
| ~ Grimmel telling Toothless about the Deathgrippers' loyalty. |
| “ | Oh, don't feel too badly. You tried your best, but you are nothing without your dragon! | „ |
| ~ Grimmel taunting 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. |
| “ | You'll kill both of us! Fighting over a dragon that's your plan? | „ |
| ~ Grimmel trying to climb back up. |
| “ | No! | „ |
| ~ Grimmel's last words before he hits the ocean and dies. |
Trivia
- In the trailer version, when Grimmel said I will destroy everything you love, he says it in a more calmer tone and the first part of his line wasn't added. After the film's release, he give it a more serious and louder tone to make himself sound more threating.
- It is possible that Grimmel had dealings with Drago Bludvist, as Drago wore a Night Fury skin cape to cover his mechanical arm and Grimmel hunted the Night Furies to near-extinction.
- In many ways, Grimmel is technically considered the malign/evil version of Hiccup, serving as an example of what Hiccup would have become if he had killed Toothless the first time they met.
- Grimmel is the foremost antagonist in the How to Train Your Dragon series, along with Drago Bludvist but greater, as he hunted the Night Furies to near-extinction, which is one of the two reasons why there was no information of it in the Book of Dragons and the fact that he was never seen in the first film, as well as the fact that it was a plot point in some of the episodes. However, he is proven to be arguably even more dangerous than Drago, who was just being driven by revenge to hunt and enslave dragons rather than being driven for sadism and pleasure to kill them without reason, making Grimmel not only the final antagonist of the series but the Greater-Scope Villain of the franchise.
- Grimmel and Drago can be considered counterparts to each other, as they have many similarities yet many contrasts as well:
- Both knew Stoick in their pasts but betrayed him.
- Both share a sense of cruelty towards dragons and want to subjugate them, though Drago is motivated by vengeance and brutality while Grimmel enjoys hunting dragons for sport.
- Both abuse a certain species of dragon to use their abilities to brainwash an army of dragons against their will: Drago raised the Muddy Bewilderbeast to be his slave and used it to control all of the Berkians' dragons, while Grimmel brainwashed his army of Deathgrippers using their own venom.
- Both also personally abused an elusive white-colored dragon to the point of trauma to act as a tool in order to complete their plans, with Drago abusing his Bewilderbeast and Grimmel using the Light Fury as bait.
- Hiccup had different actions between the two in order to avoid conflict, but it inadvertently led to the villains gaining an advantage: he tried to reason peacefully with Drago and evacuate Berk to flee from Grimmel.
- Their plans led to Berk having a huge, irreplaceable sacrifice; Drago caused Stoick's death, robbing Berk of its chief, and Grimmel forced the Berkians to leave their old home and (posthumously) made them release their dragons to save them from future hunters.
- Both met their end by falling into the ocean and drowning: Drago was helpless and powerless when he fell, while Grimmel attempted to take Hiccup with him by attempting to kill him.
External links
Template:DreamWorks Villains
