Tony’s Timeless Thursdays™: Selene: The Death Dealer Who Redefined Immortality

🩸 Introduction: The Rise of a Vampire Icon

Family, every generation gets its own defining warrior — a figure who rises from darkness, battles the impossible, and stands alone in strength and sorrow. For the early 2000s, that figure was Selene — the black-leather-clad, pistol-wielding vampire assassin who ruled the night in the Underworld series.

Portrayed with icy precision and fierce vulnerability by Kate Beckinsale, Selene wasn’t just another action heroine. She was vengeance made flesh — a warrior haunted by betrayal, driven by love, and caught between two ancient races at war.

The Underworld universe — and the unforgettable character of Selene — was created by Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, and Daniel K. McBride. Together, they reimagined the vampire and werewolf mythos, blending Gothic horror, cyberpunk visuals, and tragic romance into something new.

In 2003, when Underworld hit theaters, audiences had never seen anything quite like her. She was part myth, part machine, and all emotion. But beneath the gunfire and gothic beauty lay something deeper: the eternal question of loyalty, loss, and what it truly means to be human — even when you’re not.

⚔️ Selene’s Origin and Background

Before she became the feared Death Dealer, Selene was a mortal woman. Born in the 14th century, she lived with her family under the rule of the Vampire Elder Viktor. Unknown to her, Viktor murdered her parents and sister, sparing Selene because she reminded him of his dead daughter. He turned her into a vampire, raising her as his protégé — a weapon to hunt and destroy Lycans (werewolves).

For centuries, Selene served Viktor faithfully, believing the Lycans were savage beasts responsible for her family’s deaths. It wasn’t until she met Michael Corvin, a man whose bloodline would change everything, that she uncovered the truth — and the lies that had defined her existence.

🩸 Underworld (2003): The Awakening of the Death Dealer

Creators: Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, and Daniel McBride

Director: Len Wiseman

Release Date: September 19, 2003

Cast:

• Kate Beckinsale as Selene

  
  

• Scott Speedman as Michael Corvin

  
  

• Michael Sheen as Lucian

  
  

• Bill Nighy as Viktor

  
  

• Shane Brolly as Kraven

  
  

• Sophia Myles as Erika

Synopsis: Selene is one of the elite Death Dealers — vampires trained to hunt Lycans in a centuries-old war. When she saves Michael Corvin, a human targeted by Lycans, she uncovers a conspiracy that shatters everything she believes. Michael is the last descendant of Alexander Corvinus, the father of both vampire and Lycan bloodlines — making him the key to ending or escalating the war.

When Selene learns Viktor betrayed her and slaughtered her family, she kills her maker in one of the most emotionally charged scenes of the franchise — not for revenge, but for freedom.

Underworld Quotes:

“For six centuries I was a loyal soldier of the vampires. A Death Dealer. I was told my family was killed by Lycans.”

“You’re acting like a pack of rabid dogs.”

“The war had raged for centuries, the exact reason lost to time.” (opening narration) Viktor: “You were like a daughter to me, Selene. My greatest creation.”

Selene’s Role: This is where she begins her transformation — from loyal soldier to independent warrior.

⚔️ Underworld: Evolution (2006)

Creators: Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, and Daniel McBride

Director: Len Wiseman

Release Date: January 20, 2006

Cast:

• Kate Beckinsale as Selene

  
  

• Scott Speedman as Michael Corvin

  
  

• Tony Curran as Marcus Corvinus

  
  

• Derek Jacobi as Alexander Corvinus

Synopsis: Picking up directly after the first film, Selene and Michael are on the run — hunted by both vampires and Lycans. The first vampire, Marcus Corvinus, awakens and seeks to free his twin brother, the original Lycan, William.

Selene discovers her entire life was built on lies: Viktor, her father figure, was a tyrant; Alexander Corvinus, the immortal patriarch, is her true link to the origins of both species.

Underworld Quotes:

“The war had finally ended, yet it was not the victory I had hoped for.” (opening narration)

“I’m not asking for forgiveness. Just trust.”

“Michael saved me. He saved us both.”

Alexander Corvinus: “You have fought for a world that would have never accepted you.”

Selene’s Role: Selene evolves into something beyond vampire — after absorbing the blood of Alexander Corvinus, she becomes the next stage of immortal, stronger, faster, and nearly invincible. Her eyes, once blue, turn silver — a symbol of her transcendence and newfound power.

🩸 Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)

(Prequel — Selene does not appear, but her story’s foundation is explored.)

Creators: Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, and Daniel McBride

Director: Patrick Tatopoulos

Cast:

• Michael Sheen as Lucian

  
  

• Rhona Mitra as Sonja

  
  

• Bill Nighy as Viktor

Synopsis: Set centuries before Selene’s birth, this prequel reveals how the war between vampires and Lycans began. Viktor’s daughter Sonja fell in love with Lucian, the first Lycan born of freedom. Their forbidden love and tragic deaths mirror what Selene and Michael would later endure — history repeating itself.

Selene’s Connection: Viktor’s words from Rise of the Lycans echo the origins of Selene’s transformation:

“You remind me of someone… a child yet to be born.”

It foreshadows Viktor’s obsession with her centuries later — the twisted father-daughter bond that defines her story.

⚔️ Underworld: Awakening (2012)

Creators: Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, and Daniel McBride

Directors: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein

Cast:

• Kate Beckinsale as Selene

  
  

• India Eisley as Eve

  
  

• Stephen Rea as Dr. Jacob Lane

  
  

• Theo James as David

  
  

• Charles Dance as Thomas

Synopsis: After centuries of hiding, humans discover the existence of vampires and Lycans, launching a global purge. Selene is captured by a biotech corporation and cryogenically frozen for twelve years. When she awakens, the world has changed — and she discovers she has a daughter, Eve, born from her union with Michael.

Underworld Quotes:

“When humans discovered the existence of Vampires and Lycans, a war began.” (opening narration)

“She’s my daughter. I will find her.”

“They took everything from me. My love. My family. My world.”

“I’ve lived for nothing else for the past twelve years.”

Eve: “You found me. You’re my mother.”

Selene’s Role: Now a mother and mentor, Selene fights not just for survival, but for her child’s future. Her connection with Eve softens her while sharpening her resolve — revealing a maternal side that adds depth to her lethal persona.

⚔️ Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)

Creators: Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, and Daniel McBride

Director: Anna Foerster

Cast:

• Kate Beckinsale as Selene

  
  

• Theo James as David

  
  

• Tobias Menzies as Marius

  
  

• Lara Pulver as Semira

  
  

• Charles Dance as Thomas

  
  

• Clementine Nicholson as Lena

Synopsis: Selene is hunted by both vampires and Lycans who want her blood — the key to hybrid evolution. Haunted by loss and betrayal, she joins forces with David, the son of Thomas, who becomes her new ally. Selene undergoes another transformation, gaining heightened abilities after being resurrected through the Nordic Coven’s rituals.

In the end, she becomes one of the Vampire Elders — finally earning peace and respect after centuries of conflict.

Underworld Quotes:

“You underestimate me.” “I’ve been denied everything. But not anymore.”

“The vampire and Lycan bloodlines are in my veins. I am their future.”

“There is no beginning. There is no end. There is only the now.” (closing narration)

Semira (about Selene): “The infamous Selene. The Death Dealer who has killed more Lycans than anyone in history.”

David (to Selene): “You don’t fear death because you’ve seen too much of it.”

🕯️ Selene’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths:

• Master combatant with centuries of experience.

  
  

• Enhanced senses, speed, and strength.

  
  

• Immunity to sunlight (after Evolution).

  
  

• Emotional resilience and strategic intelligence.

  
  

• Leadership through example and empathy.

Weaknesses:

• Emotional isolation — trust doesn’t come easily.

  
  

• Haunted by her past and those she’s lost.

  
  

• Her humanity — love makes her vulnerable.

💔 Family, Legacy, and Revelations

Selene’s story is rooted in betrayal and rebirth. Her “family” — Viktor, Michael, and Eve — represent the three phases of her existence:

• Viktor: The manipulative father figure who shaped and scarred her.

  
  

• Michael Corvin: The hybrid lover who taught her to feel again.

  
  

• Eve: The daughter who gave her purpose beyond bloodshed.

Each revelation reshaped her understanding of love, loyalty, and identity. Selene began as a pawn in someone else’s war and ended as a legend who rewrote her own fate.

⚡ Why Selene Matters

Selene’s importance extends far beyond vampires and Lycans. She’s a symbol of reinvention, a reminder that strength isn’t the absence of pain — it’s what you do with it.

When Underworld premiered, the idea of a woman leading a dark action-horror franchise was groundbreaking. She paved the way for characters like Alice (Resident Evil), Furiosa (Mad Max: Fury Road), and even Marvel heroines like Black Widow.

She showed that femininity and ferocity could coexist — that you could wear sorrow like armor and still emerge victorious.

✨ Final Thoughts: The Eternal Now

Selene is proof that immortality isn’t about living forever — it’s about never being forgotten.

She began as a servant of the night and became the soul of it — a fighter, mother, and myth.

Through five films and two decades, she has remained consistent: a woman haunted by her past but defined by her choices. Her story reminds us that redemption is possible, even after centuries of war — and that the real monsters aren’t always the ones with fangs.

“There is no beginning. There is no end. There is only the now.” — Selene, Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)

⚔️ From Death Dealers to Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™

Selene’s journey through betrayal, pain, and rebirth mirrors the spiritual battles found in my S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™ series. Both remind us that courage isn’t found in perfection — it’s found in persistence.

✨ Order your autographed copies today at www.tyronetonyreedjr.com/the-shop and step into a world where light and darkness wage war, and heroes like Selene prove that redemption begins with a single choice: to fight on.