Lucian in Underworld: The Lycan Leader Played by Michael Sheen

Lucian is the Lycan commander who leads the werewolf side of the long war against the vampires, and Michael Sheen plays him in three of the five films. Lycan is the series' word for werewolf, so the plain answer to whether he is a vampire or a werewolf is that he is a Lycan, and an unusual one. In Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009), directed by Patrick Tatopoulos, he is the first Lycan able to look human, which is why Viktor raises him and puts him to work as a servant and laborer. The credits also list a Young Lucian, credited to Alexander Carroll.

That difference answers why Lucian is different in Underworld. Lycans in the saga are bound to serve the coven, while Lucian, born a Lycan but able to take human form, is used as a trusted worker and go between for the others.

In Underworld (2003), directed by Len Wiseman, the audience meets him as the leader of the Lycans, who are tracking a human doctor named Michael Corvin. If you are new to the series, it helps to think of him as a rebel general who started out as a servant. For the wider picture, the underworld characters page lists everyone else, and the underworld vampires and lycans page explains how the two species work.

Lucian's most important relationships are his love for Sonja and his conflict with Viktor, and together they explain most of what he does. Sonja, played by Rhona Mitra in Rise of the Lycans, is Viktor's daughter and Lucian's secret love. When Viktor puts her to death while she is pregnant, Lucian's rebellion stops being a bid for fair treatment and becomes a war. You can read more about her on the sonja underworld page.

Viktor, played by Bill Nighy, is Lucian's captor, guardian and enemy at once. Viktor raises him, uses him and then tries to crush him, which is why their duel in the prequel carries so much weight. His profile is on the viktor underworld page.

Kraven, played by Shane Brolly, is the vampire who leads the coven in the absence of the elders in the first film, and he is the one who kills Lucian. Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale, is the Death Dealer who keeps hunting Lycans, and she notices that Lucian's Lycans are following Michael Corvin. Her link to Lucian is indirect: she turns on Viktor only after Viktor admits that he murdered her family. See selene underworld and michael corvin underworld for those two. Michael is the human doctor Lucian tracks, and Lucian's bite sets Michael's story in motion.

Among the Lycans, the scientist Singe explains to Michael in Underworld (2003) that Michael descends from a common ancestor of both races and could become a hybrid of the two.

In my opinion, Lucian's best scenes are the ones in Rise of the Lycans where the story shows what the Lycans are prevented from being. His break from the fortress after the lovers are discovered is the clearest example, because it is the first time he chooses a side. It could be argued that this is the most important moment in the prequel, since the Lycan rebellion that follows, and the army that storms the fortress, starts with it.

The second is the duel with Viktor at the end of the prequel. The film wants the audience to believe that Lucian has finally won, and then it quietly reveals that Viktor is only sealed away in a long sleep. That small twist makes the opening of the first film feel earned, and it is a good example of a prequel that adds weight to its sequel rather than just filling in a gap.

The third is the bite in Underworld (2003). During an attack Lucian bites Michael, and that bite forces Selene to choose between killing him and protecting him. Paradoxically, the Lycan who dies in the first film is the one who sets Selene's choice in motion. If you want to feel the weight of the saga, start with Rise of the Lycans and then watch the original, and the underworld movies ranked page gives my full ordering of the films.