“ | Soren was Kraven's personal pit bull, reporting directly to him. Selene had always considered Soren more of a thug than a soldier, lacking the discipline and commitment of a Death Dealer. The simmering rivalry between the Dealers and Soren's goon squad had endured almost as long as the war itself. | ” |
—Narration, from Underworld novelization |
Soren is a Vampire of considerable age and he is the head of Kraven’s personal bodyguard as well as a Death Dealer and Viktor’s former head torturer. His past is mostly a mystery but he holds a very high position in the Coven. Before the fall of Castle Corvinus, Soren held high standing in Viktor’s eyes and was first in line to take Kosta’s position as the overseer of the Lycans.
Biography[]
“ | Although reputed to be nearly as old as Viktor himself, Soren was usefully unambitious, preferring to place his considerable strength and lack of scruples at the disposal of his chosen leader. Of Black-Irish descent, he had the broad shoulders and baleful looks of his fierce ancestors. Soren once had been Viktor’s personal bodyguard; now he was Kraven’s. | ” |
—Narration, from Underworld novelization |
Not much is ever revealed about Soren's past. According to the novelization for Underworld, Soren is rumoured to be almost as old as the Vampire Elder Viktor, who is more than 1,500 years old. Soren was originally Viktor's bodyguard, a position he held since at least the 14th century. Later, he served as the head torturer in Viktor's employ.
He proved to be very skilled in taming Lycan slaves with silver-edged whips and used them to punish transgressors. Before the fall of the Vampires' 14th century Coven, Soren held high standing in Viktor's eyes and was first in line to take Kosta's position as the overseer of the Lycans. After the fall of the Vampires' main Coven, Soren became a confidant of Viktor, who used him to help slaughter the families of the men who had built a fortress for Viktor.
The Vampire regent, Kraven, would later use Soren as his Janissary, and as the head of his own personal guard, due to Soren's useful and surprising lack of ambition and unscrupulous nature. Soren is described as Kraven's "personal pit bull". Soren is tasked with covering up Kraven's dirty secrets and keeping guard of Kraven. Kraven uses Soren and his small, hand-picked group of Vampire enforcers as an army similar to the Death Dealers, but one who is independent of the duty-obsessed and heavily-loyal Death Dealers, and who answers only to him.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans[]
In the 14th century, Viktor calls upon Soren to brutally whip a Lycan slave named Lucian. Soren whips Lucian until he falls over, while his lover, Sonja, cries and pleads for mercy. After Soren leaves the room, a hole is opened in the roof and Sonja is exposed to sunlight, burning her alive. How Soren is able to survive the Lycans' attack on the castle is never explained.
Underworld[]
“ | He glanced over at a tall, black-haired vampire standing watch over the reception from a discreet corner of the room. This was Soren, the imposing head of Kraven’s not-so-secret police. | ” |
—Kraven, describing Soren |
In Underworld, Soren has attached himself to Kraven as his guard. He often accompanies Kraven when the Vampire regent has clandestine meetings with Lucian, who was supposed to have been killed six centuries before. Kraven uses Soren to aid the Lycans in the murders of the Vampire Elder Amelia and the Vampire Council.
Soren appears to have a deep personal hatred towards Lucian's second in command, Raze, who also feels the same. It is because of Soren's previous torture of Lucian (who Raze deeply honours) that Soren and Raze acquired a strong hatred and rivalry, although their mutual status as physically powerful members of their own already-strong breeds contributed to this tension.
In a final battle during the Death Dealers' raid on the Lycans' compound, Soren is attacked by Raze. He attempts to whip Raze with his silver-studded whips, but they get stuck under a rock and Raze shifts into his Wolf form and kills Soren. Raze is later seen feeding on Soren's body, which he leaves there when he senses Viktor's presence to meet his own death at the hands of the Vampire Elder.
Underworld: Evolution[]
Soren is only seen briefly in Underworld: Evolution, during a flashback to the night of Selene's turning. Viktor leads Soren and Kraven on an attack of the home of a master builder associated with the building of prison for a feral Werewolf, and the three proceed to kill every member of the family. However, Viktor refuses to kill Selene, and orders Soren and Kraven to hide the truth of her family's death from her.
Soren is also seen in a Behind The Scenes image depicting him in the village in which the first Werewolf, William Corvinus, was captured in 1202.
Blood Enemy[]
Soren appears in the non-canon novel Blood Enemy, which chronicles an alternate origin to the war. In Blood Enemy, Soren is shown as an overseer of the Lycan servants, as well as a member of the retinue of Ilona, the wife of Viktor and mother of Sonja. When the Vampires are attacked by a group of humans led by the charismatic Brother Ambrose, Soren is one of only three survivors of the attack. The circumstances of Soren's survival are unknown, as the novel only shows that he was able to reach the main Vampire fortress before Lucian or Sonja and present himself as the only survivor. However, it is heavily implied that Soren, a coward by nature, fled the scene in a panic, leaving the Vampire elite that he was supposed to be protecting to fend for themselves.
Despite his long history with Viktor, his failure to save Ilona and his subsequent ignorance of Sonja's affair with Lucian significantly lowers his standing in the Elder's eyes, making it easy for Kraven to lure him into the possibility of an alliance.
Quotes[]
- "Son of a bitch!"
- "Come on! Move! Move! Move! Move! Move!"
Trivia[]
- Soren's name was originally intended to be V. It was later changed to Soren, so as not to be confused with Viktor.
- In the non-canon Blood Enemy, Soren had been a Vampire for nearly four centuries at the time of Lucian and Sonja's love affair, which would put him at roughly 1,000 years of age by the time of the events of Underworld.
- Blood Enemy states that Soren was originally a Viking.
- Soren's actor, Scott McElroy, was also the film's stunt coordinator.
- Although no actor is credited as Soren in the cast list for Rise of the Lycans, actor Jason Hood is only credited as "Death Dealer." This makes it likely that this is the actor for Soren in Rise of the Lycans.
Gallery[]
v · e |
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Characters |
Major Characters |
Lucian - Sonja - Viktor - Raze - Andreas Tanis |
Other Characters |
Soren - Sabas - Orsova - Coloman - Kosta - Luka - Xristo - Sandor - Ivan - Ilona - Casmir Janosh - Covasha family - Malvina - Ulrik - Lucian's Mother |
Weapons |
Weaponry of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - Silver - Shurikens - Swords - Crossbow - Knives - Whips - Death Dealer Uniform |
Species |
Vampire - Lycan - Immortal - Human - Werewolf |
Locations |
Castle Corvinus - Elders' Ship |
Terms |
Corvinus Strain - Vampire Council - Death Dealer - Vampire Elder - The Chain - Blood Memories - Budapest Coven - Moon Collar - Vampire-Lycan War - Vampire-Werewolf War |
Archives |
Items - Soundtrack - Score - Novel - Comic - Quotes - Videos - Images |
v · e |
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Characters |
Selene - Lucian - Sonja - Viktor - Kraven - Nicolae - Soren - Leyba - Brother Ambrose - Grushenka - Ilona - Leonid Florescu - Marcus Corvinus - Yoshio - Diego |
Species |
Vampire - Lycan - Immortal - Human |
Locations |
Silver Mine - Castle Corvinus - Crypts - Strasba - Keep - Ördögház - Budapest |
Weapons |
Silver |
Terms |
Death Dealer - Vampire Elder - Budapest Coven - Blood Memories |