The first Castlevania animated series on Netflix succeeded by striking a perfect balance between its poignant, masterfully rendered moments of human drama and stunning action set pieces that brought back memories of playing Konami’s iconic side-scrolling game for the first time.
Renowned writer and Castlevania creator Warren Ellis spoke with Bleeding Cool during a break from the 2019 New York Comic Con (NYCC) about the show and the process of creating what is widely regarded as the best video game adaptation ever. So, let’s dive into the mind of Ellis and learn more about Castlevania.
How Godbrand Was Created in Castlevania?
Godbrand is a familiar character in Castlevania known for being egotistic and loud-mouthed, who enjoys the pleasures of raiders. Raiding human communities, killing, consuming blood and beer, having sex, and building boats are some of the ways he enjoys life.
In the interview with Bleeding Cool, the interviewer brought up the creation of the character Godbrand from season two since he is not based on any existing character. Warren Ellis said:
I found a name in the canon, Mathias Cronqvist, which I kind of liked and wanted to use but was told I couldn’t, at least not in the way I wanted to because Konami see it as their job to stop me going completely insane and trashing their property.
Very, very rarely will they draw a hard line but they did. By that point I’d already fallen in love with the idea of a vampire viking.
Ellis continued to say that he was in northern Norway on a tech retreat (an AI conference) in the same hotel where the film Ex Machina was shot, and down the road, there was a village called Godbrand. Although it was spelled slightly differently, that’s where the name comes from.
Warren Ellis Revealed That Godbrand Had No Filters
Continuing with the topic regarding Godbrand, the interviewer asked Ellis whether he thought Godbrand actually made longboats out of human skin or if that is something he just says that he is going to do. Ellis said:
Oh, I don’t think Godbrand lies. I think the terrible thing about Godbrand is that he has no filters. He wouldn’t think of lying. He has done all of those things.
Ellis further commented on the voice actor of Godbrand, saying that if Peter Stormare hadn’t agreed to voice the character then he would have been stuck because he was writing it with his voice in his mind. According to him, it was the reverse of what usually happens.
When asked what Peter Stormare thought about this role, Ellis mused that Stormare probably did not even realize that the microphone was on. According to Ellis, he just came in and ranted and raved for a few hours, clearly had a hell of a time, and left. And Ellis was clearly pleased with his attitude.
You can watch Castlevania on Netflix.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Godbrand in the Castlevania Netflix series?
Godbrand is a loud, egotistical vampire introduced in season 2 of Netflix’s Castlevania, conceived by series writer Warren Ellis as a ‘vampire viking.’ He is an original creation for the show rather than a character pulled from Konami’s games, and he is voiced by actor Peter Stormare.
Why couldn’t Warren Ellis use the name Mathias Cronqvist?
Ellis said he found the canonical Castlevania name Mathias Cronqvist appealing and wanted to use it, but Konami would not allow it in the way he intended. He framed the restriction lightly, joking that Konami ‘see it as their job to stop me going completely insane and trashing their property,’ so he created a new character name instead.
Where did the name ‘Godbrand’ come from?
According to Ellis, the name came from a village called Godbrand (spelled slightly differently) in northern Norway, which he passed while on a tech retreat for an AI conference, staying at the same hotel where the film Ex Machina was shot. It fit the Norse, viking-inspired vampire he had already fallen in love with.
