If you’re into dark fantasy films with a mix of both action and horror and delves into the vampire and lycanthrope mythos, then the Underworld series of movies is for you. It tells of the ancient war between werewolves and vampires and caught in the middle of it all is Selene, a Death Dealer trained to kill Lycans. But somewhere along the way, she meets a special kind of werewolf named Michael Corvin, who opens her eyes to the reality of what she is fighting for.
There are a lot of important characters and events to remember that it’s easy to get lost in the translation. After all, there are five installments in the Underworld movie franchise. There are prequels, flashbacks, recollections, and more to connect the events from the origin to the final war between Lycans and vampires.
Hence, it is best to watch the films in chronological order rather than based on release dates. This way you get a clearer picture of the story. It is also advisable to be familiar with the names of the important characters, although Kate Beckinsale is the star of the franchise.
To get you started, we’ve listed down the names of these characters according to their affiliation/clan: Lycans, Vampires, House of Corvinus. We’ve also provided a bit of a background story for each title in the Underworld movie franchise.
LYCANS
- Lucian, a pure-blood werewolf portrayed by Michael Sheen. He was once a Lycan servant to Viktor, the vampire elder. His hatred for his former master prompts him to stage a war against Viktor’s clan.
- Raze, played by Kevin Grevioux, was a son of a powerful Sultan but his family lost their lands during long periods of war. He was forced into slavery and given as a payment to Viktor, but eventually became Lucian’s right-hand man.
- Singe, a scientist under Lucian’s employ who experiments on humans by injecting them with vampire and Lycan blood in his quest to create hybrids. Played by actor Erwin Leder.
- William Corvinus, the first and only Lycan elder who, like his twin brother Markus, inherited their immortality from their father. He was bitten by a werewolf and his brother by a bat. He is played by Brian Steele.
- Quint Lane, portrayed by Kris Holden-Ried, is a powerful Lycan called a “super-Lycan” who has the ability to heal at rapid speed.
- Dr. Jacob Lane, a traitor and head of research company Antigen. He experiments on both werewolves and vampires in his quest to create a new and powerful Lycan race and rule over both humans and creatures. Played by Stephen Rea.
- Marius, portrayed by Tobias Menzies, is a powerful Lycan leader feared by the vampire clan because he can metamorphose into a Hybrid thanks to Michael Corvin’s blood.
VAMPIRES
- Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale, is a highly-skilled Death Dealer tasked to illuminate all werewolves. She falls in love with Michael Corvin, a powerful hybrid, and over the course of many battles, eventually becomes a Vampire/Corvinus-Strain Hybrid who is immune to the sun.
- Viktor, played by Bill Nighy, was a former warlord-turned-immortal after he bargained his life with Markus in exchange for his military expertise and army to battle against William’s Lycan clan.x
- Sonja, portrayed by Rhona Mitra, is Viktor’s daughter, who fell in love with Lucian and carried his child. Her death staged the war between vampires and Lycans that lasted for many centuries.
- Markus Corvinus offered Viktor immortality in return that he leads the Death Dealers in a fight against his twin brother William’s werewolf clan. Tony Curran played the role.
- Amelia, the youngest and only female vampire elder portrayed by Zita Görög.
- Erika, a vampire seductress in Viktor’s mansion who has dreams of vampire aristocracy. She is portrayed by actress Sophia Myles.
- Kraven, a long-time suitor of Selene who betrayed his clan and formed an alliance with Lucian in a bid to overthrow the vampires. Portrayed by Shane Brolly.
- Andreas Tanis, portrayed by Steven Mackintosh, is a very old vampire who helped keep Sonja and Lucian’s relationship a secret until her death by execution. He also proved helpful for Selene and Michael when they go searching for answers about their respective bloodlines.
- Soren, Viktor’s former bodyguard who later works as his head torturer. He tortured Lucian and the rest of the werewolf slaves. He revealed Sonja and Lucian’s relationship to her father. The character is played by Scott McElroy.
- David, played by Theo James, is the son of Amelia, who rescued Selene and helped her and her hybrid daughter Eve search for Michael Corvin. He becomes a Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrid, following an attack on his vampire clan, which means he too has sunlight immunity.
- Thomas, portrayed by Charles Dance, fathered David through Amelia although he kept this family history a secret at first. He distrusts Selene but unlike his son, is a coward who orders his coven to flee rather than fight the Lycans.
- Lena, a vampire warrior from the Nordic Cove who helped rehabilitate Selene and boost her hybrid abilities. She became one of the new vampire elders alongside Selene and David at the end of the franchise. She is portrayed by Clementine Nicholson.
- Semira, played by Lara Pulver, is one of the leaders of the Eastern Coven who metamorphose herself into a Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrid after she injected herself with Selene’s blood. She attempts to overthrow the vampire council, but David eventually reveals her true duplicitous identity.
HOUSE OF CORVINUS
- Alexander Corvinus, portrayed by Derek Jacob, is the father of Markus and William, who believed his sons to be oddities of nature. He believes the human world does not belong to either the vampires and the Lycans and for many centuries has kept the existence of both species a secret from the outside world. But his sons’ battles prove too much for him to handle.
- Michael Corvin, a Lycan/Vampire Hybrid who was first bitten by Lucian and then by Selene. He is a descendant of Alexander Corvinus, the first true immortal in the Underworld movie series, and lover of Selene. He is played by Scott Speedman.
- Eve, portrayed by India Eisley, is the hybrid daughter of Selene and Michael, born while the former was captured in Antigen and under an unconscious state.
HUMAN
Detective Sebastian is the only important human character and he appears in the final film in the franchise. He sympathizes with the immortals but has long been suspicious of the Lycans. He eventually forms an alliance with Selene, who he helped rescue her daughter Eve from Antigen. The character is played by Michael Ealy.
Below you will find the list of Underworld movie titles in the order that they are supposed to be watched. This way, you get a better grasp of the story and events according to their correct timeline. The films have earned their spot as cult classics despite them not being a commercial success, especially with the recent releases as they have become popcorn movies. But for the sake of entertainment and mindless gore and action, then the Underworld movies certainly do not disappoint.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
This prequel story explains the centuries-old feud between vampires and werewolves. Set in the Dark Ages, it begins with Hungarian warlord Alexander Corvinus, whose DNA becomes molded with the Bubonic Plague that turned him into an immortal. He and his wife Helena eventually become parents to three children. Twin siblings Markus and William inherited their father’s immortal gene while their other brother remained human. However, through unforeseen circumstances, Markus turns into a vampire and William into a werewolf after a bat and a wolf bites them, respectively.
William becomes a savage beast and starts turning people into werewolves. To stop his brother, Marcus makes a deal with Viktor. In exchange for capturing the Lycans and his military skills, he passes his immortal gene to Viktor. Together, they worked in imprisoning the werewolves including William, who they placed in a secret prison only Viktor knows for over 800 years.
Centuries later, a werewolf named Lucian is born in captivity and into slavery. He, along with those of his kind, are subjected to torture and intense labor under the rule of the tyrant Viktor. Enters Sonja, the vampire ruler’s daughter, who has long been a loyal soldier under her father’s command. But she falls in love with Lucian and eventually becomes pregnant with his child. The lovers eventually plan ways to overthrow Viktor, much to their demise.
Viktor learns of his daughter’s treachery and despite being his blood, orders for Sonja’s execution by sun exposure, killing both mother and unborn child, while he lets Lucian watch in agony with his hands bound. The vengeful werewolf ultimately becomes a powerful Lycan leader and urged those of his kind to revolt for their freedom. He, along with his trusted ally Raze, lead a group of werewolves into battle against the vampires.
It’s a good thing this film was released, albeit six years after the first of the movie in the franchise premiered in theatres. It helped viewers understand the origin of the battle between the Lycans and the vampires and further brought meaning to the flashbacks featured in the original.
Director: Patrick Tatopoulos— Screenplay: Danny McBride, Dirk Blackman Howard McCain— Cast: Rhona Mitra, Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin Grevioux — Run Time: 1h 32m
Underworld (2003)
This first film in the Underworld movie series introduces the vampire Selene, a skilled Death Dealer, whose goal is to eradicate the world of werewolves in the belief that they killed her family. She has been loyal to Viktor, who she considers as her father figure.
In one of her missions, she rescues a human doctor named Michael Corvin and learns that he is being pursued by the werewolves for reasons unknown. She soon realizes that he has been bitten by a Lycan, specifically Lucian, who Selene and the rest of the vampire clan think is already dead.
Worse, Selene learns that Michael belongs to the Corvinus clan, a descendant of Alexander from his human son, who still carried an exact replica of the immortality pathogen (albeit inactive) in his genetic code and passed it along to his human descendants. In this Underworld film, Selene also uncovers the truth about her parents’ death and the reality of who Viktor really is in her life.
Meanwhile, Lucian, who faked his own death with the help of Kraven, has been working in the shadows finding ways to turn himself into a hybrid so he can kill Viktor. Singe informs him about Michael and orders a sample of the human’s blood to use in the transformation. He met Michael in the elevator while he was trying to run away from Selene and bites him.
Unfortunately, Lucian’s plans to kill Viktor and transform into a hybrid fails. But Selene realizes his goal when she avenges her family’s death and bites Michael, turning him into a Lycan/Vampire hybrid.
This film catapulted Kate Beckinsale into Hollywood stardom. Despite having appeared in several American movies prior, she is still better known as the gun-toting, latex-wearing, sexy vampire in the Underworld series of movies.
Director: Len Wiseman— Screenplay: Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, Danny McBride— Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Erwin Leder, Sophia Myles, Kevin Grevioux, Wentworth Miller, Zita Görög, Scott McElroy— Run Time: 2h 1m
Underworld: Evolution (2006)
As the battle between the warring clans continues, Selene and Michael decide to take Lucian to a safe house so they can confront Kraven about his plans to kill Markus, who is in hibernation. Unbeknownst to them, the vampire elder has already been awakened by the blood of the Lycan Singe after the latter was killed.
Now a hybrid, Markus kills Kraven and his men before they could vanquish him. He also sets out after Selene and Michael, but they manage to escape him. In their search for truths about their respective bloodlines, they travel to the hideout of an exiled vampire historian Andreas Tanis, who tells them about the history of the vampires and the werewolves. He was there when the war began, triggered by Sonja’s death and Lucian’s revolt.
Selene learns about her architect father who built William’s prison and that her blood holds the location of the said secret cell. Tanis also tells them to seek help from Alexander Corvinus, who still lives under the name of Macaro. Alexander has been working tirelessly to clean up the mess the vampires and Lycans make to keep their existence a secret to the public. But Macaro remains loyal to his sons and refuses to help Selene to the detriment of his own life.
Meanwhile, Marcus learns of Selene’s whereabouts after he drinks Tanis’ blood. It turns out that he wants to know where Viktor has imprisoned his brother so he can free him and they can both rule a new world of Vampire/Lycan hybrids. But the savage William has other plans. The movie ends with Selene becoming immune to sunlight after she drinks Alexander’s blood.
Director: Len Wiseman— Screenplay: Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, Danny McBride— Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly, Bill Nighy, Brian Steel, Erwin Leder, Sophia Myles, Zita Görög, Tony Curran, Scott McElroy, Kevin Grevioux, Steven Mackintosh, Michael Sheen— Run Time: 1h 46m
Underworld: Awakening (2012)
The story takes place years after the government and the public learn of the existence of vampires and werewolves that spurred the purge. The government begins to eradicate these creatures while the others, they decide to imprison in the hopes of using their powers to their advantage. But their efforts ended in an all-out genocide.
During the purge, Selene and Michael are captured in a facility. Due to her enhanced vampiric traits, she is placed in a cryogenic state. She wakes up 12 years later after a young girl named Eve deactivates her chamber. She and Eve, along with another vampire escapee named David, try to escape the facility while fighting off the Lycans who are hunting them.
As they escape, Eve undergoes a transformation that made Selene realize that she is her daughter with Michael. She was born while Selene was in cryogenic hibernation. Eve gets injured so David decides to take them to his clan to meet his father, Thomas. His father, distrusting of mother and daughter, decides to sell them out to the enemy, harming his clan in the process. Thankfully, the trio survives the attack.
All the while, Selene feels deeply connected to Michael and knows in her heart that he is still alive somewhere. Thus, begins the search for her lover. David and Eve join her in their search for the hybrid, which leads them to Detective Sebastian, who tells them of the company Antigen. He said the facility, run by director Dr. Jacob Lane, is doing experiments on hybrids and is actually controlled by Lycans, who have been posing as humans to trick the world into thinking that the werewolves are already extinct.
Once there, Selene is torn between saving Michael and her daughter Eve, who is wanted by Antigen because of her genes. The rescue operation ends in a bloodbath with David needing to drink Selene’s blood, thus making him immune to the sunlight as well.
Story-wise, it lacked in the plot twist which would have made for an interesting storyline. Otherwise, it is an entertaining watch if you’re just after the action, blood, and gore.
Director: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein— Screenplay: Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, J. Michael Straczynski— Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Michael Ealy, India Eisley, Stephen Rea, Theo James, Charles Dance, Kris Holden-Ried, Sandrine Holt — Run Time: 1h 28m
Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)
The final film in the Underworld movie franchise sees the vampire covens on the verge of annihilation by the Lycans. Selene is a wanted vampire from her own clan who seeks revenge for the death of Viktor. Selene’s only ally is David and surprisingly, his father Thomas.
Meanwhile, the Lycans under the leadership of Marius, are after her because of Eve. They want the girl’s blood so they can build an army of powerful Lycan/Vampire hybrids.
Despite living with her clan, there are still those who are envious of Selene’s powers including vampire council member Semira. She orders her lover Varga to poison the former Death Dealer so she can drain her of her blood and use it to her advantage. She also frames Selene for murder. Thomas and David eventually come to her rescue but to tragic ends. Thomas sacrificed himself so his son and Selene can escape.
Selene and David escape while being pursued by vampires under Semira’s command. But the council member ultimately ends up on the losing end when it’s revealed that she holds no authority over the clan. It turns out that David is the rightful heir because he is the son of the only female vampire elder Amelia.
Sadly, Selene learns that a Lycan killed Michael. But despite the countless lives lost, the vampires ultimately won their centuries-old battle against the Lycans following the defeat of Marius’ army. This Underworld film ends with David, Selene, and Lena, the leader of the Nordic vampires who fought alongside them in the fight against the werewolves, as new Elders. Selene is also reunited with her daughter Eve, who has been looking out for her mother through their telepathic connection.
This last movie in the Underworld movie series may have brought Kate Beckinsale and Theo James (still running high from his popularity in the Divergent films) back, but it failed in comparison to the previous films. It was somewhat boring with its mindless action sequences. You can either watch it or skip it.
Director: Anna Foerster— Screenplay: Cory Goodman, Kyle Ward— Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Lara Pulver, Charles Dance, James Faulkner, Bradley James, Daisy Head, Peter Andersson, Clementine Nicholson, Dan Bradford, Brian Caspe, Oliver Stark, Zuzana Stivínová, Jan Nemejovský — Run Time: 1h 31m
