Barbas (Charmed)
Encyclopedia
Barbas, the Demon of Fear, is a fictional character
cast as a major foe (an upper level demon
in the Charmed universe) from the WB Television Network television series, Charmed
. He was played by Billy Drago
in a number of major tests of the series' three main protagonists, the Charmed Ones—the three sisters who happen to become witches, a force of good like supernatural police in the series premises. Being powerful witches makes them targets of all sorts of supernatural evil entities, most of whom can absorb and take their powers.
Barbas is an unusually resilient and a particularly diabolical foe to the sisters, showing up unexpectedly from time to time to ambush them with chess-game-like situations where he's cheated using projective mental telepathic manipulation backed by a strong ability to see into a persons heart (Empathetic sensing
) and mind (thought reading) where he accurately reads their greatest fears. With his projective telepathy, he then guides them into trains of logical thought based on their fears getting them to act seemingly in their own best interests and their volition—most often to aid some convoluted scheme to further his own causes.
and turn it against them, which literally scares them to death,causing many witches to die of shock. (however, in later appearances, he used this power to manipulate his victims rather than simply kill them). His name is taken from Barbas
, the Great President of Hell in Judeo-Christian
demonology
.
He appears on Earth once every thirteen hundred years on Friday the 13th
for twenty-four hours. His appearance is attributed to the universal convergence of negative energies as derived from astrological charts. He derives his life force by feeding off the fears of witches. If he can kill 13 unmarried female witches before the stroke of midnight on Friday the 13th he will be able to break free from his eternal bonds and walk the earth for eternity. However, this rule changed as the character made return appearances since his return from being banished by the sisters.
One way to defeat Barbas is to overcome one's greatest fear. However, ways to vanquish Barbas are limited. Barbas has only been vanquished twice; first by Cole in Season 5, using the powers that he took from the Demonic Wasteland, and then by the Charmed Ones in Season 7, who by this time were proficient enough in potion-making to vanquish him.
Ms. Hellfire:
Sympathy for the Demon:
Crimes and Witch Demeanors:
It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World (Part 1)" / "It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World (Part 2):
A Call to Arms:
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
cast as a major foe (an upper level demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
in the Charmed universe) from the WB Television Network television series, Charmed
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
. He was played by Billy Drago
Billy Drago
Billy Drago is an American actor known for his roles as villains in television and motion pictures.-Personal life:Drago was born William Eugene Burrows in Hugoton, Kansas to William and Gladys Burrows. He took his grandmother's maiden name as his stage name to keep from being confused with another...
in a number of major tests of the series' three main protagonists, the Charmed Ones—the three sisters who happen to become witches, a force of good like supernatural police in the series premises. Being powerful witches makes them targets of all sorts of supernatural evil entities, most of whom can absorb and take their powers.
Barbas is an unusually resilient and a particularly diabolical foe to the sisters, showing up unexpectedly from time to time to ambush them with chess-game-like situations where he's cheated using projective mental telepathic manipulation backed by a strong ability to see into a persons heart (Empathetic sensing
Empathy
Empathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings that are being experienced by another sapient or semi-sapient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion. The English word was coined in 1909 by E.B...
) and mind (thought reading) where he accurately reads their greatest fears. With his projective telepathy, he then guides them into trains of logical thought based on their fears getting them to act seemingly in their own best interests and their volition—most often to aid some convoluted scheme to further his own causes.
Character background
Barbas has the power to see a person's greatest fearFear
Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
and turn it against them, which literally scares them to death,causing many witches to die of shock. (however, in later appearances, he used this power to manipulate his victims rather than simply kill them). His name is taken from Barbas
Barbas
For the Charmed character, see Barbas . For the bishop and saint, see Barbatus of Benevento. For other persons named Barba, see Barba ....
, the Great President of Hell in Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian is a term used in the United States since the 1940s to refer to standards of ethics said to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, for example the Ten Commandments...
demonology
Demonology
Demonology is the systematic study of demons or beliefs about demons. It is the branch of theology relating to superhuman beings who are not gods. It deals both with benevolent beings that have no circle of worshippers or so limited a circle as to be below the rank of gods, and with malevolent...
.
He appears on Earth once every thirteen hundred years on Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
for twenty-four hours. His appearance is attributed to the universal convergence of negative energies as derived from astrological charts. He derives his life force by feeding off the fears of witches. If he can kill 13 unmarried female witches before the stroke of midnight on Friday the 13th he will be able to break free from his eternal bonds and walk the earth for eternity. However, this rule changed as the character made return appearances since his return from being banished by the sisters.
One way to defeat Barbas is to overcome one's greatest fear. However, ways to vanquish Barbas are limited. Barbas has only been vanquished twice; first by Cole in Season 5, using the powers that he took from the Demonic Wasteland, and then by the Charmed Ones in Season 7, who by this time were proficient enough in potion-making to vanquish him.
Episode appearance
From Fear to Eternity:- Episode 13, Season 1, first shown 10 February 1999
- He makes his first appearance at the mark of 12 on Friday the 13thFriday the 13thFriday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
. His plan is to kill 13 unmarried witches before midnight or else he will stay trapped in the underworld. If he succeeds, he will be allowed to wreak havoc on the world, every single day. Prue Halliwell believes she vanquishes him by overcoming her fear, and does defeat him, but it is later revealed his upper level powers allow him to stop in a limbo plane of existence, well short of the vanquishment plane later shown after the Charmed Ones vanquish Cole TurnerCole TurnerCole Turner is a fictional character on the WB television series Charmed, portrayed by series regular Julian McMahon between seasons three and five. McMahon returned for a guest appearance in the show's seventh season, for its 150th episode. Charmed is a series which focuses on three good witches,...
as the end of his first office as Source of All Evil (Charmed (season 5)Charmed (season 5)The fifth season of Charmed, an American supernatural drama television series, began airing on September 22, 2002 on The WB. Airing on Sundays at 8 P.M., the season consisted of 23 episodes and concluded its airing on May 11, 2003....
).
- He makes his first appearance at the mark of 12 on Friday the 13th
Ms. Hellfire:
- Episode 9, Season 2, first shown 13 January 2000:
- It is another Friday the 13th, and Barbas somehow manages to return, angry at the sisters for previously having vanquished him. He hires Bane Jessup and Ms. Hellfire, two assassins, to kill the sisters for him. Prue repels the bullets using her powers, killing Ms. Hellfire. Bane gets caught and ends up in jail. The sisters defeat Barbas again and put him back in purgatory.
Sympathy for the Demon:
- Episode 7, Season 5, first shown 3 November 2002
- Barbas returns again, and he manages to get into the sisters' houseHalliwell ManorHalliwell Manor is a fictional house, an important setting for the WB television series Charmed. Members of the Halliwell family have owned the Manor property for four generations...
, where he implants their worst fears. All three of the sisters and Cole are affected and this causes a major shift in power when a great deal of power flows from Cole into Barbas. Paige eventually orbs a potion onto Barbas, stripping him of his stolen powers; Cole then vanquishes him with an energy ball. This is the first time Paige deals with Barbas.
- Barbas returns again, and he manages to get into the sisters' house
Crimes and Witch Demeanors:
- Episode 19, Season 6, first shown 25 April 2004
- Barbas returns, brought back from Purgatory as a lawyer of sorts, to prosecute the sisters' misuse of powers. However, he actually set up the sisters by possessing people with phantasms, in hopes that their use of magic would be exposed without their knowledge. In the end Barbas wins and Phoebe is temporarily stripped of her powers. Barbas thinks that without their powers, the sisters will be easier to kill. Barbas also discovers the Elder GideonGideon (Charmed)Gideon is a fictional character on the television show Charmed.- Character's background :Gideon is one of the most powerful Elders and is the headmaster of Magic School, an institution where young magical beings learn magic...
's worst fear.
- Barbas returns, brought back from Purgatory as a lawyer of sorts, to prosecute the sisters' misuse of powers. However, he actually set up the sisters by possessing people with phantasms, in hopes that their use of magic would be exposed without their knowledge. In the end Barbas wins and Phoebe is temporarily stripped of her powers. Barbas thinks that without their powers, the sisters will be easier to kill. Barbas also discovers the Elder Gideon
It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World (Part 1)" / "It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World (Part 2):
- Double-hour season finale Episode 22–23, Season 6, first shown 16 May 2004
- Barbas approaches Gideon for a part in helping to destroy the Charmed Ones. Aware that Barbas knows his worst fear, Gideon agrees and Barbas distracts the sisters long enough for Gideon to get his hands on Piper's first-born child, WyattWyatt HalliwellWyatt Matthew Halliwell is a fictional character on the WB television series Charmed. Charmed is a series which focuses on three good witches, the prophesied "Charmed Ones", sisters who battle the forces of evil. In present day scenes, infant Wyatt is portrayed by twins Jason and Kristopher...
. The sisters then have to travel to a parallel dimension to make an agreement with their parallel but complementary selves, where "Barbas" in that dimension exists as the "Demon of Hope" and is as equally powerful as his counterpart "Barbas: Demon of Fear". The evil Charmed Ones have to work a deal with their opposites to defeat the combined power and situation forced by the joint machinations of The Elder Gideon and Barbas— who ultimately have conflicting agendas, which the dualized-sisters' and dualized-Leos' exploit to force a defeat.
- Barbas approaches Gideon for a part in helping to destroy the Charmed Ones. Aware that Barbas knows his worst fear, Gideon agrees and Barbas distracts the sisters long enough for Gideon to get his hands on Piper's first-born child, Wyatt
A Call to Arms:
- Episode 1, Season 7, first shown 12 September 2004
- Barbas is being tracked by Leo for conspiring with Gideon. In this episode he tries, yet again, to kill the sisters by infecting Piper and Leo with their worst fears. Although he manipulates Leo into killing an Elder, he fails yet again to kill the sisters as Phoebe and Paige are there to help them. Phoebe and Paige make a strong vanquishing potion, using it against Barbas. Before being vanquished, Barbas states that he will return again because "fear always comes back".
Notable powers
Barbas is a very powerful upper level demon, and having an "of" title implies he's one of the more powerful ones. He has the power to:- Bring one's greatest fears to lifeReality warpingReality warping is a superpower in superhero fiction. It is the ability to reshape matter and energy, create or alter life forms, turn a person's thoughts or desires into reality, simulate any and all other powers and abilities, bend time and space, and possibly even rewrite the laws of physics.All...
- Create fear-related hallucinations
- See one's greatest fears
- Break the physical plane (Going through doors, floors, walls etc.)
- TeleportTeleportationTeleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
- Throw energy balls and fireballs
- Communicate telepathicallyTelepathyTelepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
- Astral project into someones consciousnessAstral projectionAstral projection is an interpretation of out-of-body experience that assumes the existence of an "astral body" separate from the physical body and capable of traveling outside it...
- Send subliminal messages
- Influence others by speaking to their subconsciousSubconsciousThe term subconscious is used in many different contexts and has no single or precise definition. This greatly limits its significance as a definition-bearing concept, and in consequence the word tends to be avoided in academic and scientific settings....
- Voice Imitation Speak with the voice of another person/being