Immortality

"So here's to the immortals – there aren't many like us . . ." - Macbeth mac Findleach to Arthur Pendragon, ("Rock & Roll")

Immortality in the Gargoyles Universe is subject to one's interpretation of the concept, but immortals are generally understood as living beings that do not die. In the many examples to follow, there is certainly a distinction between those living beings that are essentially immune from age and other ailments and those that are considered only (but remarkably) long-lived. [1] There are a myriad of ways for someone to become immortal including (but not limited to) biology, enchantments, resurrection, reincarnation, and literature. [2][3]

Dragons

Wyvern is incredibly long-lived, but it remains unclear what is the exact nature behind the only known dragon's longevity. ("The Dream", "Acquisitions")

Gargoyles

Demona is the only known immortal gargoyle that is immune from growing old or succumbing to injury (with one exception). Thanks to the pact she made with the human Macbeth in 1040, Demona can only die at the hands of Macbeth, or from killing him herself. Any and all other means of conventionally killing a gargoyle simply have not happened in Demona's extended lifespan. [4] When Demona summoned Puck, she wished to no longer turn to stone during the day, hoping to eliminate the most obvious way for Macbeth to attack her. ("The Mirror", "City of Stone" Part Three) [5]

Coldstone, Coldfire, and Coldsteel, after their souls were resurrected by Demona have effectively acheieved immortality, but they are still subject to wear and tear. [6][7] ("Reawakening", "Miracle Child")

The founding members of the Manhattan Clan (Goliath, Hudson, Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington, and Bronx) as well as the entire Avalon Clan are certainly long-lived gargoyles, due to the Magus's Sleep Spell and how time moves more slowly on the isle of Avalon, but none are considered immortal. ("Awakening: Part Two", "Avalon" Part One)

Humans

Rory Dugan in 1996 is the reincarnated Cu Chullain from the turn of the 1st Century. [8] Peredur fab Ragnal, Duval, and Fleur have achieved immortality thanks to use of the Holy Grail, living from the 6th Century until the present day. [9][10][11][12] Shahrizad describes her survival dependent on never finishing her tale, and has maintained her immortality for at least ten centuries. [13][14] Thanks to the Weird Sisters, Macbeth is eternally bound to Demona, and will remain so until one kills the other, surviving into the 22nd Century. It is possible that Alexander Fox Xanatos is an immortal, thanks to his mixed heritage through his mother, Fox. ("City of Stone" Part Three, "The Hound of Ulster", "Quo Vadis Cum Hoc?") [15][16][17][18]

Deluge survivor Utnapishtim is probably the oldest known human immortal, though the nature of his longevity has yet to be revealed. [19] Arthur Pendragon was mortally wounded at the Battle of Camlann in 542 AD, but was ferried off by The Three to Avalon, where he slept in suspended animation until awakened by Elisa Maza in 1995. As a changeling, Nimue is also long-lived, but other than being raised by the Third Race, the details to her longevity have yet to be revealed. [20][21][22] While Macbeth considers Arthur an immortal after the Once and Future King shared the particulars of his continued survival in 1996, Arthur Pendragon is not immune to age or harm as Macbeth (largely) is. [23] Thanks to how time passes on Avalon, Princess Katharine, Guardian, and the Magus have been alive for ten centuries, but nevertheless age and suffer injury as any human does. Indeed, the Magus eventually died from his battle with the Weird Sisters at the end of 1995. ("Avalon" Part One, "Avalon" Part Three, "Rock & Roll")

It is David Xanatos's desire to become immortal (and to extend that to his family), which has led to several schemes that have been unsuccessful, such as the Stone By Night Spell (having believed Demona's lie that she used a spell from the Grimorum Arcanorum to survive for centuries), the Cauldron of Life (the particulars proved far too literal), and abducting the Trickster Coyote (another non-starter). [24] ("City of Stone" Part One, "The Price", "Cloud Fathers")

Oberon's Children

Compared to the generally understood mortality of gargoyles and humans, the Third Race are believed to be immortals in the sense they are immune from ever growing old. Indeed, the very notion of the Children "aging" is an oxymoron. [25] Nevertheless, it is possible for the Third Race to be killed, though such a feat would be an incredible difficult feat. [26][27][28] Generally, Oberon's Children may not even fully comprehend death (perhaps Anubis and Titania are exceptions). ("Grief", "Ill Met By Moonlight", "The Gathering" Part Two, "Young At Heart") [29]

Although he is truly Puck, his role as Owen Burnett is that of a mortal human, and subject to age and injury. But Puck might forget to consider the age Owen needs to be whenever he transforms, effectively "reseting" Owen's age every time, at least until 2198. ("The Price") [30][31][32]

New Olympians

No specific New Olympians are known to be immortal. [33]

Extraterrestrials

Nokkar of the N'Kai is certainly long-lived compared to each of the Earthlings mentioned above, but is not immortal. [34] ("Sentinel")

Production Background

In 1992, when Gargoyles was still in development, its shift to an action-adventure drama featured a proto-Goliath character that was not a member of the biological gargoyles species, but an immortal magical construct. [35]

Greg Weisman wrote in his ramble for "The Price" that there was a logical confusion for the Manhattan Clan when it came to understanding the nature of Demona and Macbeth's immortality. Like the rest of his clan, Hudson saw that his rookery daughter was clearly long-lived and was a known sorceror. [36] Weisman explains, however, that "Hudson was thinking of immortality in the sense of living on without aging, ala the Norse Gods. Not in the sense that Mac was somehow immune to all injury and death ala the Greek Gods." [37] Until Goliath learned the details of Demona's and Macbeth's pact from the Weird Sisters, Hudson (and the others) would not know that they were immortals in the Greek sense (unless one kills the other). [38] Even after learning the details about the two immortals, the Manhattan Clan can still forget the extent of their magical immunity, such as when Goliath was unsure of Demona's survival in "The Reckoning". [39]