Aaravos

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Aaravos is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Netflix’s The Dragon Prince. He’s an ancient Startouch Elf—one of the first elves in Xadia—believed to be about 5,000 years old when the series begins. Aaravos is uniquely powerful, able to master all six Primal Sources of magic (Moon, Sun, Sky, Earth, Ocean, Stars) plus the seventh source, dark magic, which he helped humans learn.

For about 300 years, Aaravos was trapped in an undersea prison beneath the Sea of the Castout, hidden inside a giant pearl and watched over by a magic mirror. The Dragon King Avizandum keeps the prison’s location secret. He communicates with the outside world through a purple caterpillar-like familiar that travels through a magical link to Viren’s staff, letting Aaravos guide and influence Viren.

Aaravos’s plan begins when he persuades Viren to help him escape and then manipulates Claudia as well. He aims to use their combined power to wage war on Xadia and, ultimately, to bring Eternal Night by corrupting the sun. He’s shown as charming and persuasive, able to make people trust him while secretly advancing his own dark goals.

Behind his schemes is a painful history. Aaravos’s daughter Leola was executed by Startouch Elf authorities for introducing magic to humans, a tragedy that fuels his hatred and desire for revenge. His long game involves guiding human mages, bending events from the shadows, and secretly orchestrating conflicts that degrade both elves and dragons.

Once he rekindles his power, Aaravos can take mortal form again and works with Claudia to manipulate the Moon Nexus and access the In-Between. He seeks to plunge the world into Eternal Night by corrupting the sun. He faces resistance from the Archdragons and Katolis forces, and his plans are ultimately challenged by Callum, Rayla, Ezran, and Soren.

In the end, Aaravos’s mortal form is destroyed by the combined efforts of the Archdragons and their allies, and he vanishes, with the world warned that his return will come when the stars realign in seven years. Critics and fans have praised both the performance of Erik Todd Dellums, who voices Aaravos, and the character’s complex, morally gray relationship with Viren and Claudia. Aaravos is widely seen as a charismatic and dangerous mastermind who operates with a slow, seductive manipulation.