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| “ | Trust is something for mortals, a God has only himself to believe in. All this power inside me... I can feel it, coursing through my blood like fire! Begging to be unleashed, to conquer this world in the name of Azra! | „ |
| ~ Pilgrim |
| “ | You can’t create lasting change, unless you change people themselves. | „ |
| ~ Pilgrim's justification for forcing his followers to receive the Gift. |
| “ | To think I wanted to be you, that I looked up to you! You're a poison Sanzō, a snake in the garden. | „ |
| ~ Pilgrim betraying Sunny. |
Taurin, better known as Pilgrim, is one of the two main antagonists (alongside Baron Quinn) of the AMC series Into the Badlands. He serves as the main antagonist for the second half of the series.
Born in the mythical city of Azra, he was one of the few children to escape the city after it's destruction by the Black Lotus. Decades later, he returns as a warlord from the Outlying Territories who describes himself as a Messiah, claiming to lead his followers to build a new Azra. After finding the legendary Meridian Chamber, he obtains the Gift, chi powers which corrupt his soul and turn him into a Dark One, causing him to become psychotic and dangerous.
He was portrayed by Babou Ceesay. As a child, he was portrayed by Teni Taiwo.
Appearance[]
Pilgrim using his highly-unstable Gift.
Pilgrim is shown to be an extremely tall man who wears a great deal of clothing, made up of Azran robes along with a red and black coat. He is also shown to be covered in jewelry, most prominently in his hair, giving an almost crown-like appearance. He is shown to have a black line along his forehead, that may either be the result of cutting into himself or a burn mark. Upon receiving the Gift, Pilgrim's eyes turn black like other Dark Ones, but he also has pulsating veins that appear in his face and neck, displaying the sheer amount of raw power in his body.
Personality[]
Pilgrim is shown to be a fanatic believer in the lost city of Azra, as his mission is to recover and rebuild what is left of it, even if it means taking over the Badlands. Initially, he cares for all who follow him, and tells them that through him, they will be able to create a better world. He is still willing to kill those who oppose him, making it clear that he intends to kill the Barons of the Badlands if they do not follow him in his mission to bring back Azra. He is also willing to kill his own followers, although he expresses extreme remorse and distress at this, as he is devastated after feeling it necessary to kill Castor so he would not hinder Pilgrim's mission. Pilgrim has a great deal of affection for both Sunny and Kannin, the only two other surviving children of Azra, but they are unable to convince him to give up on his mission, showing his mission to rebuild Azra is above all of his loyalties.
Once Pilgrim obtains the Gift, his minds becomes massively warped, to the point that even upon being told that the founders of Azra wanted to kill those without the Gift (which originally would have included him, as he didn't have the Gift as a child) he still wants to follow their mission, and decides to kill everyone who isn't a Dark One. Kannin and the Master both remark that this is likely due to the fact that the Gift wasn't something he was born with like the other Dark Ones, meaning it has corrupted his mind, and made him lose any morality he had previously. This is best seen when he kills Nix, as he shows no remorse in doing so, where as he was devastated upon having to kill Castor, this loss of remorse over his actions undoubtedly being a result of the Gift infecting his mind. He was even willing to kill Cressida if she did not accept the Gift when he was forcing it on all of his followers, finally stating that the word of Azra is whatever he says it is, his mind having deteriorated to the point that he truly saw himself as a God.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Unnamed parents
- Sunny - Adoptive brother
- Kannin - Adoptive sister
- Castor - Adoptive son/"Dear One"
- Nix - Adoptive daughter/"Dear One"
Allies[]
- Cressida (formerly) - Lover
- M.K. - Loyal follower
- Castor - Son/"Dear One"
- Nix (formerly) - Former daughter/"Dear One"
- Dante - Original leader of Azra
- Kannin (formerly) - Adoptive sister
- Ankara (formerly)
- Eli
Enemies[]
- Sunny - Former brother and archenemy
- Bajie - Pilgrim's catalyst
- Kannin - Former sister
- Nix - Former daughter/"Dear One"
- The Widow
- Lydia
- Baron Chau
- Gaius Chau
- The Master
- Ankara
- Magnus
- Nathaniel Moon
- Tilda
Powers & Abilities[]
- Martial Arts/Swordsmanship: Pilgrim is shown to be a master martial artist, in part due to his upbringing in the kingdom of Azra. While he did not originally possess the Gift, it does seem that the chi power of the kingdom affected him, as he was able to fight with such proficiency that he could defeat multiple people while blindfolded.
- The Gift: After receiving the Gift from Henry, Pilgrim becomes the most powerful individual to ever wield it in terms of raw power, to the point that he is able to match The Master in battle. The Gift amplifies his martial arts abilities to the point that he is considered unbeatable in a one-on-one battle with anyone else in the world.
- Gift Deactivation: Pilgrim was capable of deactivating the Gift by speaking the phrase "peace be with you" in Azran, an ability that even worked on The Master.
- Leadership: Pilgrim displayed a high level of persuasion, being able to amass a large group of followers, and even convince them to fight for him in a war to bring back Azra.
- Military/War tactician: Pilgrim showed a high level of skill in military command, as he was able to lead an invasion into the Badlands, and likely would have been successful in taking it over if he was not killed by Sunny.
Quotes[]
Said by Pilgrim[]
| “ | Aza na la, la ba! (Peace be with you.) | „ |
| ~ Pilgrim's command that disables the Gift. |
| “ | A man is only ever as strong as his faith. | „ |
| ~ Pilgrim's fanaticism. |
| “ | When a flock loses its way, the fault lies with the shepherd. | „ |
| ~ Pilgrim blaming himself for the doubt in his followers. |
| “ | What is the soul, if not a record of our lives? Immortal only for as long as we are remembered. | „ |
| ~ Pilgrim's desire to have an immortal legacy. |
| “ | The true test of faith is not the belief in the seen, it’s the acceptance of the unseen. | „ |
| ~ Pilgrim's rationale for searching for the lost city of Azra. |
| “ | Pilgrim:The Gift is not yours to mold, Master. It molds us. Azra tells us so. The Master: No! It is a responsibility! One that must be tended less the darkness consume us all! As it has consumed you. |
„ |
| ~ Pilgrim and the Master's conflicting ideologies. |
| “ | You can’t change the world by hiding on a mountain. You must do it through action. | „ |
| ~ Pilgrim lambasting the Master for hiding away from the world. |
Said about Pilgrim[]
| “ | Everything Pilgrim promises comes true, good and bad. | „ |
| ~ M.K. |
| “ | I've seen him level cities with only his gaze. Decimate armies with only his words for weapons. | „ |
| ~ Castor describing Pilgrim. |
| “ | You speak of hubris, yours is bleeding from your eyes. | „ |
| ~ The Master |
| “ | Your Azra will be a wasteland... just like your soul. | „ |
| ~ Nix's final words before Pilgrim kills her. |
| “ | I'm sorry Taurin, I can't let you finish what our ancestors started. | „ |
| ~ Kannin turning against Pilgrim. |
| “ | Goodbye, brother. | „ |
| ~ Sunny's final words to Pilgrim before killing him. |
Trivia[]
- Pilgrim possibly alludes to the Azure Lion Demon from the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, of which Into the Badlands is loosely based on.
- Pilgrim is shown to be the most powerful user of the Gift by far, even in comparison to his followers, who were given the Gift by the Meridian Chamber machine, meaning they did not originally posses it just like him. The explanation for this is that Pilgrim obtained his Gift by transferring it from Henry to himself, and Henry's Gift was likely extremely powerful since he inherited it from Sunny, who is stated to have the most powerful Gift out of anyone in the series, but has it locked and thus is never able to use it.
- Pilgrim is the only character who does not use weapons in battle, relying solely on martial arts and later his Gift when in combat.
- It is unclear whether or not Pilgrim's ability to turn off the Gift by speaking the phrase "peace be with you" in Azran is due to him being born in Azra or if instead anyone who speaks Azran can use this ability. Considering Bajie and Kannin, who both also speak Azran, do not use the phrase in order to turn off the Gift, instead utilizing pressure point techniques to do so, it is likely this power is unique to Pilgrim.
External Links[]
- Pilgrim on the Into the Badlands Wiki
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 Villains
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