Viren

Viren

Viren is a fictional character in The Dragon Prince, an American–Canadian fantasy computer-animated streaming television series which has been airing on Netflix since 2018. The character was created by the show's co-creators Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond, and is voiced by Jason Simpson. Viren is introduced as the High Mage of Katolis, the best friend and closest advisor of King Harrow, and the father of Soren and Claudia. A practitioner of dark magic, he often uses his abilities to help King Harrow and the kingdom of Katolis. Following King Harrow's assassination and the Princes' disappearances, Viren assumes rulership of Katolis. In the second season, he fails to unite the other four human kingdoms against the elves and dragons, and allies with Aaravos, a mysterious Startouch elf who lives inside a magic mirror belonging to King Thunder of the dragons, and their relationship continues in the show's third season, in which they align with most of the human kingdoms to invade Xadia. Viren was one of the first two characters to be created for The Dragon Prince alongside his son Soren, who early in development was split into Soren and Claudia. Despite making Viren the story's villain, Ehasz and Richmond wrote him as a "flawed [and] complicated" pragmatist because they felt this moral ambiguity made the character rounder and more interesting, providing better storytelling opportunities. Critics gave Viren positive reviews and many praised the character as one of the show's best, and his ambiguous morality has often been the subject of attention. Many critics said it makes him a compelling character and villain, and praised the show for encouraging its viewers to ask whether Viren's actions are justified. His relationships with other characters, such as his children and King Harrow, have also been praised for humanizing him. From the second season onward, Viren's interactions and relationship with Aaravos have also been commended.

Update this biography »
Complete biography of Viren »