Queen Isabelle (Robin Wright) is the main antagonist of the 2024 action fantasy film Damsel, based on the 2023 novel of the same name by Evelyn Skye. She is the queen regnant of Aurea, Prince Henry's mother and King Roderick's wife who sacrifices princesses to the Dragon.
Biography[]
Isabelle was descended from the first king of Aurea; who had led an unprovoked attack against a dragon, invading it's lair and finding it's offspring, three dragon hatchlings, just emerging from their eggs. The king ordered their deaths and immediately the dragon mother attacked, slaughtering the king's men; but sparing him so as to; make him suffer her pain, demanding he sacrifice three of his own daughters, as well as three female descendants for generations to come.
But the king chose to fool the dragon; by offering not his own daughters nor any future female descendants; but; instead the innocent daughters of other families. These poor girls were offered a false proposal of marriage; into the king's family and a ritual would take place to mingle the brides' blood; with the blood of their so-called royal suitor; before casting them; into the dragon's lair.
Because the dragon smelled the king's blood on the young women, she was fooled; into believing that; they were the king's own descendants and so took her revenge on innocent daughters while the the royal family of Aurea never had to sacrifice any of their own at all.
Overtime, Isabelle would assume the throne of her 4th great-grandfather and continued this wicked deception, offering a false wedding proposal to three young women to marry her son, prince Henry and sacrifice them to the dragon as well.
The first sacrifice succeeded; but the second, a young woman, named Elodie, managed to escape the dragon, infuriating her.
Realizing what had transpired from afar, Isabelle had ordered for Elodie's younger sister, Floria to be sacrificed as a replacement. When Henry protested, stating Floria was only a child, Isabelle disparaged her son, calling him weak and went through with condemning Floria all the same.
But Isabelle's manipulations had failed and ultimately came to an end.
Elodie convinced the Dragon that; she had been fooled and arrived just as Henry was "marrying" the third sacrifice, and told the young woman to flee with her family. Isabelle tried to silence Elodie and even mocked her, asking if they should be afraid of her just because she had escaped the dragon.
Elodie responded that; it was not she they should fear and the dragon arrived, now knowing the truth of how she had been deceived; by the royal family of Aurea and set Isabelle, Henry and her husband, Roderick, as well as their castle ablaze, ending their bloodline and reign of terror for good, as well as avenging the dragon's daughters, along; with all the innocent daughters; who had been unjustly sacrificed; in the process.
Personality[]
Queen Isabelle is a powerful and ruthless tyrant who seemingly shows compassion to her people. In reality, she is calculating, manipulative, and is not above using human sacrifice, murder, abuse, and kidnapping to secure her power, which eventually leads to her downfall.
Trivia[]
- Queen Isabelle has some similarities to Queen Ingrith in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, as both are wicked rulers determined to use a princess for their own gain.
- Isabelle is one of Netflix's darkest villains, along with Mictlan, Joseph Crackstone, the Podestá, and SkekSo, as she is bloodthirsty and will kill anyone who gets in her way.