WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Castlevania Season 4, available now on Netflix.
Castlevania has sadly come to a close with its fourth and final season. Unfortunate as that may be, Season 4 is perhaps the series' finest to date, ending with a bang and beautifully wrapping up storylines ahead of a planned spin-off set to take place in this macabre world. Creator Warren Ellis left no stone unturned with this final season, wringing every last bit of gothic horror goodness out of this series before saying farewell, including one long-awaited villain from the source material.
From Trevor Belmont's Vampire Killer whip and Holy Cross to Alucard's multitude of animal transformations, Castlevania has never failed to deliver incredibly satisfying, earned fan service since its inception. For longtime fans of Konami's beloved franchise, there really hasn't been much missing from this Netflix series worth lamenting. One such absence has been rectified though, with the introduction of one of Castlevania's most iconic villains — Death.
There was no plausible scenario in which Ellis and his team could end this show without once bringing in the Grim Reaper himself. Arguably the second biggest Castlevania baddie after Dracula, Death was a necessary inclusion to give this series the proper send-off it deserves. Death has played an integral part in nearly every game in the franchise, even murdering Luigi in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, so it's about time he made an appearance.
Early into the season, viewers are introduced to Varney, an ancient vampire hailing from London who was among Dracula's original cohort. Varney, who is voiced by the brilliant Malcolm McDowell, has been hellbent on resurrecting his old master ever since his untimely demise. McDowell plays Varney as a buffoonish, overconfident lackey in way over his head. In reality, it's all an act to conceal his true identity.
Varney has been speaking with magicians and scholars across the land in a desperate attempt to bring Dracula back to life. Eventually, he comes across the hapless Saint Germain, who he manipulates with ease. Posing as a female alchemist in the Infinite Corridor, Varney coerces Saint Germain into using death magic to resurrect Dracula in an effort to find his long lost love.
When Saint Germain plucks Dracula and Lisa Tepes from hell, Varney reveals his true skeletal form of Death, as seen in the video games. Played with delightfully wicked menace by McDowell, Death explains that he literally feeds on departed souls, which is why he needs Dracula back: "His rage will know no bounds. There will be murder on a scale never before seen. I will feed and become the strongest creature on this Earth." Death is not really a vampire, he is an elemental spirit, which is why he requires a human like Saint Germain to return Dracula from hell.
Typically in the video games, Death shows unwavering loyalty to Dracula as one of his top servants. Here, however, Death is represented as more of an autonomous schemer. For his own benefit, Death forcefully rips Dracula and his wife back to life on Earth, when they were both at peace in hell.
While the first two seasons adapted Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse, this season loosely borrows elements from Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, especially with regard to Death's portrayal. In that game, he disguises himself as a priest named Zead and tricks Hector, not Saint Germain, into reviving Dracula. It is then Hector, not Trevor, who defeats him.
Of course, it wouldn't be Castlevania without a boss fight against Death and his giant scythe, and Season 4 doesn't disappoint in that realm. Trevor battles Death with all the pomp and circumstance of a video game brought to life. Armed with his magic dagger, Trevor plunges his blade into Death's skull, vanquishing him once and for all. By contrast, in the video games, Death is rarely ever the final boss. The Grim Reaper is generally the penultimate boss fight before Count Dracula, which made this incredible fight with Trevor even more special.
Death's appearance in Castlevania was long overdue, but Warren Ellis made great use of the iconic villain. McDowell's performance was sinister, yet hilarious and added real gravitas for the finale of this series. Though the show has come to a close, one can only hope that, as in the games, it's not really dead. It's just waiting to be resurrected.
Castlevania stars Richard Armitage as Trevor Belmont, Alejandra Reynoso as Sypha Belnades, James Callis as Alucard, Theo James as Hector, Adetokumboh M'Cormack as Isaac, Jaime Murray as Carmilla, Jessica Brown Findlay as Lenore, Bill Nighy as St. Germain, Jason Isaacs as The Judge and Rila Fukushima as Sumi. Season 4 arrived on Netflix May 13.
