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There are things you can't control. There are battles you lose. At the end of the day, the only thing we have is the people we trust.
— Ethan to Sir Malcolm[src]


Ethan Chandler (Born Ethan Lawrence Talbot) is an American sharpshooter running away from a checkered past. When Sir Malcolm enlists him in a personal quest, Ethan meets Brona Croft, a beautiful Northern Irish prostitute with a mysterious past. But behind Ethan's bright eyes lurk dark secrets. He is running from something, and his troubling past threatens to overtake him at every turn. After the death of Brona, Ethan had lost control and had revealed himself to be a werewolf.

History[]

Ethan was born in 1857 to a wealthy family. At some point in his life, he served as a cavalry soldier fighting in the American Indian Wars and was involved in a brutal massacre where the troops eradicated an entire native village. Ethan later fled America after he had killed a senator's son, and joined a circus in Europe where he used his skills as a gunslinger to entertain small crowds.

In 1891, Chandler's Wildwest Show visited London, where he was met in a bar by Vanessa Ives who offered him a job as an armed escort that very night. After she deduced that he had told his audience a lie about his involvement in a particular war, he smiled and agreed to help. Ives gave him an address for their meeting and left immediately, leaving him to finish his drink.[2]

Appearance and Personality[]

A charming American who finds himself trapped in the darkest corners of Victorian London, Ethan's charm and brash ways are like catnip to the ladies. However, the persona of the dashing, careless gunslinger of the circus that he displays to the world is all just an act. Underneath, he is a more kind and thoughtful man, possessing a stronger sense of morality than most of the other characters, taking little pleasure in the suffering or manipulation of others. He has the air of an older man, one who has experienced a great deal of hardships. Nevertheless, his sense of moral outrage in difficult circumstances makes him prone to angry and violent outbursts. He has sometimes expressed deep mistrust, even dislike, towards characters such as Sir Malcolm Murray and Victor Frankenstein, whom he considers callous and amoral by comparison. He does later develop something of a friendship with Victor, however, as the two of them bond when he is teaching Frankenstein how to shoot. He continues to aid Sir Malcolm to the end, despite his distrust of the man.

Powers, Skills and Abilities[]

Human[]

  • Marksmanship: Ethan is an incredibly accurate marksman, and had a job working as a sharpshooter in a wild west show. His skills are exceptional and allow him to wield pistols effectively in either hand.
  • Hand-To-Hand-Combat: Ethan is a capable fighter, and manages to hold his own in brawls against infected vampires. He can also handle regular people quite well, except for when outnumbered by too many.
  • Theology: Despite proclaiming himself to be an Atheist, Ethan has some knowledge of Catholicism and is fluent in Latin, able to say saint Jude's prayer in complete Latin (he claims he was raised on Latin). This comes in handy as it allowed him to exorcise the demon possessing Vanessa.
  • Canine Affinity: Ethan exhibits a unique understanding of wolves, and has caused a wolf pack's alpha male to turn and lead an otherwise hostile pack away. It isn't clear whether this is an extension of him being a werewolf himself, or results from his confident personality.
  • Multilingual: As well as English and Latin, Ethan is fluent in Apache.

Werewolf[]

  • Shapeshifting: Ethan changes into a hybrid of both wolf and man when the moon is full.
    • Enhanced Strength: Ethan exhibits greatly increased strength when in his transformed state. He can casually kill grown men with little to no effort.
    • Enhanced Agility: Ethan was shown to be able to kill and maim a large number of humans in rapid succession, before they could react.
    • Enhanced Resistance: It has been implied that werewolves are extremely durable and that trauma from a silver weapon might be one of the few ways to kill one.
    • Wolf Physiology: In his wolf form, Ethan grows claws sharp enough to tear through living flesh and sharp canine fangs.
  • Lycanthropy: As a werewolf, Ethan can turn others into werewolves.[3]

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

  • Ethan Chandler's real name identifies him as the Penny Dreadful version of Larry Talbot, the Wolf-Man protagonists of classic Universal horror movies, usually portrayed by Lon Chaney Jr.

Memorable Quotes[]

Ethan Chandler (to Victor Frankenstein): You're a man with a bloody knife like everyone else out there, so stop putting on airs.

-Night Work


Ethan Chandler (to Dorian Gray): You ever wish you could be someone else? Just run away from your life?

-Demimonde

  • Fans who have read the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray will notice that this line from the show is more than likely an homage to a scene in the novel in which Dorian Gray says; “I am tired of myself to-night. I should like to be somebody else.”

Ethan Chandler (to Brona): We've all done things to survive. There are such sins at my back it would kill me to turn around.

-Demimonde


Sir Malcolm Murray: Do you hold out hope for her?

Ethan Chandler: I hold out for dignity.

Sir Malcolm Murray: She will cease to be who she is.

Ethan Chandler: Then I will love who she becomes.

-What Death Can Join Together


Ethan Chandler (to Sir Malcolm Murray): You know what, I have a father, I don’t need another one, and you had a son and you killed him. Am I missing anything?

-Possession


Ethan Chandler: I have a theory. I think Sir Malcolm saved your life, and you owe him. That’s why you’re here.

Sembene: Or I saved his, and now he is my responsibility.

Ethan Chandler: Guess it comes down to the same thing. We all owe each other in the end.

-Possession


Ethan Chandler (to Demon): Sancte Judae Apostole gloriose Servus fidelis Iesu Amice ora pro ea.

Translation: St. Jude, glorious apostle, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, pray for her.

-Possession


Ethan Chandler (to Vanessa): We are not like others. We have claws for a reason.

-Little Scorpion

Gallery[]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

  • Ethan Chandler is the Penny Dreadful adaptation of Lawrence Stewart "Larry" Talbot, the main character of the 1941 Universal film "The Wolf Man" and its sequels.

References[]

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