- “My brother has taught you well. But... not well enough.”
- ―Dictatious to Jim before he knocks him unconscious and captures him[src]
Dictatious Galadrigal is a former supporting antagonist of Trollhunters, serving as one of the two secondary antagonists of Part Two (alongside Queen Usurna), a minor antagonist-turned-neutral character of Part Three, and a minor character of Wizards.
He is the former advisor of Gunmar and the older brother of Blinky Galadrigal.
History[]
Backstory[]
Dictatious was born and grew up in the Old World. He and his younger brother, Blinky, dabbled in hexes and spells together. He also wrote and published several books that Blinky keeps in his library. However, as Dictatious once points out, they could never agree on anything.
At some point, Dictatious secretly became adept at Gunmar's ideals of destroying the human race and taking the surface lands and, as a result, left Trollmarket to become one of Gunmar's followers. During the Battle of Killahead Bridge, he was banished into the Darklands with Gunmar and the Gumm-Gumms. Blinky never knew about this and thought he was dead, finding the remnants of Dictatious' clothes and mourning over them.
Finding himself in the Darklands, Gunmar accidentally stepped on his small body which caused Dictatious to screech out in pain and fear. He begged mercy from Gunmar and began to tell of what he knew about his brother, offering to serve Gunmar. Just as Gunmar's forces were about to strike the killing blow, Dictatious screamed out that they would never find their way out of the Darklands without his help.
Dictatious then began to lay out a plan of how Gunmar could begin rebuilding his empire from within the Darklands until such a time that they could finally make the Eternal Night a reality. Intrigued and inspired by this plan, Gunmar ordered his Changeling Kodanth to begin construction of a new throne for him, as he began to take advice from Dictatious about how he could begin to communicate with his son using the materials found nearby.
Trollhunters (Part One)[]
While trying to find a way to remove the Inferna Copula off of Stricklander, Blinky takes Jim and Toby to his library and explained that his brother spent his centuries collecting information regarding the magical and mortal worlds. Toby remarks that Blinky never even mentioned having a brother, which is because he was killed years ago and his books were all that he had left of him. Blinky read years upon years of Dictatious' books in honor of him
Trollhunters (Part Two)[]
Meeting Jim[]
Jim meets Dictatious two weeks after first entering the Darklands on his own. Dictatious catches Jim and takes him to Gunmar's throne room. At first, Gunmar considers destroying Jim himself, but Dictatious convinces him otherwise when he finds out that the Trollhunter's allies will be coming for Jim, so they can get access to surface lands. They instead spare Jim and lock him in the prison cell beside Nomura's prison cell.
Dictatious and Gunmar try everything in the Crucible Pit to break Jim's will and allow the Skullcrusher to remake him as their dark champion. However, Jim just continues fighting and keeping his will strong by keeping faith in his friends.
A Not-So-Happy Family Reunion[]
When the other Trollhunters finally arrive in the Darklands, Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! run into Dictatious, shocking Blinky greatly, who previously believed that he was dead.
Dictatious later visited the tied-up duo and mocks his brother for failing to side with Gunmar. Blinky tried to rationalize that Dictatious was brainwashed by the Decimaar Blade, but the latter twists the knife by admitting that he follows Gunmar of his own free will. Heartbroken, Blinky laments how he idolized his brother, whose very books fill his library. Growing impatient with his brother's sentiment, Dictatious demanded the location of the Killahead Bridge, but Blinky stands his ground and refuses. However, Dictatious manipulates his brother into indirectly revealing the bridge's location based on his nature-based quips and deduced that it was in a forest outside Arcadia Oaks.
After sending a Gumm-Gumm to find the bridge's corresponding location in the Darklands and to report to Gunmar afterwards, Dictatious proceeded to execute Blinky. However, Blinky managed to swing out of the way, causing Dictatious to break his chains instead. Blinky is able to use the flare that Kanjigar had entrusted to him earlier to permanently blind Dictatious in all six eyes. Dictatious proceeded to curse his brother, only for a contemptuous Blinky to knock him out cold with his own weapon.
With the aid of a Gumm-Gumm, Dictatious managed to find Gunmar, who had just been defeated by AAARRRGGHH!!!, and informed the Skullcrusher that he knew where to find the bridge and must gather his army. However, Gunmar refused to rally his army, knowing there was little time before the bridge closed and so Dictatious escaped the Darklands with Gunmar and two Gumm-Gumms.
Meeting the Janus Order[]
The following night after their escape from the Darklands, Dictatious heard the sounds of fireworks caused by a fight between the Trollhunters and blood goblins and mistook them for signs of a battle. Gunmar interpreted it was the humans' fear of darkness that prompted them to light up the sky. As they only managed to escape with a couple of Gumm-Gumms, Dictatious promises they can build Gunmar a new army if they could reach the Janus Order.
Hearing the sounds of a surface beast (a truck) approaching, Dictatious ordered one of the two Gumm-Gumm soldiers to slay it, only for the troll to be run down, losing his left arm in the process, so Gunmar executes him. Subsequently, they are found by Otto Scaarbach of the Janus Order.
Upon arriving at the Janus Order's Arcadia headquarters, Gunmar was unimpressed by the lack of meat to eat, before Scaarbach presented him with Vendel's Heartstone Staff, which restored some of the Skullcrusher's strength. As this did not fully sate Gunmar, Dictatious suggested they launch a full-scale assault on Heartstone Trollmarket to claim its Heartstone for him. Scaarbach argued a more subtle approach, least they suffer the same fate as Bular. Dictatious took umbrage at the insult to the late Gumm-Gumm prince, but Gunmar chose to defer to the Changeling's advice and asked how Trollmarket could be handed to him.
Becoming a False Prophet[]
Dictatious was later tripped by Scaarbach, who gloats about gradually replacing him as Gunmar's advisor, taunting that Gunmar would most likely execute Dictatious for being blind and useless. Dictatious threatened to tell Gunmar and see that the Skullcrusher executes the Changeling... before realizing he had already left.
Judging that he was no longer safe in the Janus Order, Dictatious approached a random Changeling for the exit but was refused (apparently on Scaarbach's orders). The blind troll soon eavesdropped on Scaarbach discussing with the Janus Order regarding "The Pale Lady" being completely silent ever since Gunmar's return. Deciding to exploit this to his advantage, Dictatious approached Gunmar while he was being oriented about the modern world by Scaarbach where he falsely claimed about being granted visions from the Pale Lady, earning back Gunmar's good graces.
The Skullcrusher took great interest in Dictatious' "visions", in which he promised Gunmar's victory over the surface lands. When asked about what to do about Jim, Dictatious stated they need to weaken his team first. Scaarbach protested that it was the exact the same plan he's been plotting, believing that there was something fishy about the blind troll's so-called "visions". Dictatious quickly covers his little ruse up as Otto disrespecting the "Pale Lady's wisdom", also using this as an opportunity to win Gunmar's favoritism even more. Gunmar was then insulted by the Changeling's offering of cats and decides ventured out into Arcadia to find human flesh to consume.
Conquest of Trollmarket[]
After Gunmar's ally, Queen Usurna, manages to exile the Trollhunter into the Deep, the Skullcrusher creates a new Gumm-Gumm army by converting helpless trolls with his Decimaar Blade. During the chaos, Dictatious ordered a brainwashed Draal to find Blinky for him, only to be captured by his brother when no one else was looking and was chained up and dangled like a piñata in Blinky's library. And much to his surprise, he learned that Jim had escaped the Deep. When Blinky attempted to interrogate him, Dictatious gloated that Gunmar's victory was already assured and proclaimed that resistance was futile, but Blinky declared Vendel, who was murdered by Usurna, to be his true brother, and spun him around. His torment was stopped by Jim, who insisted that he let the other trolls go so he and Gunmar can settle things. Dictatious stated that with Gunmar's army lost in the Darklands, he'll stay in Trollmarket and create a new one. His ranting was soon stopped by Toby, who stuffs his mouth with a book and ears with socks.
Dictatious was later found by Usurna and Draal, whom he told about Jim's survival. Usurna expressed surprise, as no troll had ever survived the Deep, to which he reminds that Jim was no troll and that the Trollhunters were evacuating Trollmarket as they speak. Though Usurna's first instinct was to warn Gunmar, Dictatious asked her if she would face his wrath once he learns that Jim was alive and their enemies were slipping under her nose.
They soon cornered the Trollhunters at the Gyre station but by the time Draal broke through the barrier, the Trollhunters had used the Shadow Staff to teleport everyone to safety.
Trollhunters (Part Three)[]
The Pale Lady's Call[]
Despite Gunmar regaining his strength and his army, the Skullcrusher knew it was still meaningless with trollkind's vulnerability to the sun. He then asked Dictatious what the Pale Lady told him as to the Trollhunter's impending demise. Dictatious lied, saying he "saw" Jim dead at Gunmar's feet while his allies mourn his demise inside the latter's belly. To his surprise, Gunmar seizes Dictatious by the throat for his useless information, but only Usurna's intervention prevents Gunmar from supercharging his advisor.
After being dismissed, Usurna, annoyed because of Dictatious's repeated insistence that the Pale Lady had been giving him visions, tells him the only reason she saved him is to ensure that Gunmar remains focused on world conquest and not superstition, least he executes his two most trusted advisors.
Dictatious desperately tries to find some way to help Gunmar invade the surface lands, but due to his blindness, he cannot read his own books. However, he later happens to be by the phonograph, which the Janus Order used to communicate with the Pale Lady and actually heard her voice as a fleshly hand reached out of it. He then summoned Usurna to tell her what happened, but she doesn't believe him. And because she thought nothing would happen if she repeated the name "Morgana" over and over, does this in front of a record player which Dictatious supposedly says that Morgana spoke to him from. To her surprise, the record player actually speaks in Morgana's voice saying "Come to me" over and over. Dictatious futilely tried to stop Usurna, who was unnerved by what just happened, from throwing the phonograph into the depths. As Gunmar called for him, Usurna reminded Dictatious to ensure that the Skullcrusher remained committed to their influence, not Morgana's.
Defecting Gunmar[]
When Gunmar returned from Morgana's Cave in Bulgaria, he announces that he now knows how to bring forth the Eternal Night: by finding Merlin's chief weapon, the Staff of Avalon, which is hidden within Merlin's Tomb in the Ardennes Mountains.
He then sarcastically remarks that Dictatious must have foreseen this since he claims that "The Pale Lady speaks through him in visions". When the blinded troll tries to lie about his "vision", Gunmar angrily roars at Dictatious that he's spoken to Morgana, who has also told him what his so-called advisor truly is: a fraud. In desperation, he tries to remind him that he threw away his relationship with his own brother and betrayed the good trolls just to join Gunmar's cause, which he retorts as meaningless. He then exclaims that he knows how to find the staff, which his former master knew immediately was just another lie. He desperately begs Usurna to help support him, but she only watches in cold pride and bitterly calls him a traitor.
Now that Dictatious had exhausted his usefulness, Gunmar attempted to execute him, only for AAARRRGGHH!!! to intervene and save the blind troll (in spite of the fact that he previously held him and Blinky captive and intended on killing them in the Darklands). The pair soon hide out in the Heartstone chamber, where Gunmar shatters the petrified head of Angor Rot to find his eye, as part of his quest for the Staff of Avalon. With the Trollmarket exit under guard, AAARRRGGHH!!! passed Dictatious a Horngazel and told him to find Blinky while he distracts the guards, as the latter could speak in bigger words about Angor Rot.
Shortly after, Dictatious catches wind of Usurna's plan to assassinate him and learns she recruited the goblins to do so. He flees into Arcadia, where he runs into Bagdwella and pleads her to take him to his brother, Blinky. With his hands bound, Dictatious was brought to the basement of the Lake house, where he tells Jim of recent events. However, Jim and Blinky were both understandably reluctant if Dictatious is even telling the truth about Gunmar's plot to resurrect Angor Rot with Morgana's magic, especially after everything he put them both through in the Darklands.
While he and his brother are hiding in Jim's basement, the goblins come in through the furnace and overflow the house, much to Claire's parents and Toby's Nana's disbelief. In the struggle, Dictatious is pinned down, and as the lead goblin is about to shoot Dictatious with an arrow imbued with Creeper's Sun poison, Blinky arrives and fights off the goblins long enough for Jim, Toby and Claire to kill them. Claire then returned from the Shadow Realm and confirmed that Dictatious was telling the truth about Angor Rot. As a result, they decide to let Dictatious off the hook, but not too easily.
Accompanying the Adults[]
Dictatious joins the Trollhunters in Jim's room, where Blinky insists destroying the amulet to find Merlin's tomb is deranged. Claire insisted that the leftover memories from Morgana had led her to this conclusion. Drawing on his own knowledge, Dictatious supported Claire's assumptions, as the amulet and the Staff of Avalon are both connected by Merlin's magic. Ultimately, the Trollhunters decide to rescue AAARRRGGHH!!!, which would lead them to Gunmar.
After that, Blinky insists that he still doesn't trust him, but sort of forgives him for everything he did. Soon after, Detective Scott arrives, and noticing Dictatious, is about to call for backup, when Nana hits him on the head, knocking him out. Once Detective Scott wakes up, he finds the parents doing a play, with Dictatious posing as Nana's "costume" for her "troll form".
Dictatious later takes up residence with Nana Domzalski as his caretaker and does nothing but watch crime shows while eating pie, and he doesn't even participate in the Eternal Night War.
It's unknown what's become of Dictatious afterwards, if he ever stayed in Arcadia or left with the trolls to New Jersey.
Wizards[]
During the Dark Ages, Dictatious and his brother, Blinkous, lived in Dwoza together and took in a wounded Jim and Callista and treated them until they regained full health. When Callista woke up, she was startled by Dictatious and punched him in three of his eyes, giving him black eyes. When Jim wakes up, Dictatious politely greets him and excuses him for Blinkous' rudeness.
With Jim and Callista fully healed, the Galadrigals proceed to throw them out of Dwoza since they proclaim that "outsiders" tend to cause trouble wherever they go. Jim tries to insist they're on their side, but neither of them believe him, nor heed his warning that Gunmar's going to attack Killahead. However, the Gumm-Gumm general, AAARRRGGHH!!!, appears and wreaks havoc on Dwoza, demanding the trolls to either join Gunmar or die.
While Jim and Callista handle AAARRRGGHH!!!, Dictatious and Blinkous have a little heart-to-heart concerning how they're complete cowards, yet Dictatious points out that doing nothing is just about as bad as doing the wrong something. Moved by his words, Blinkous joins his brother to rally up the trolls to fight... until AAARRRGGHH!!! knocks Jim unconscious. Luckily, Callista uses her wits to subdue the Gumm-Gumm brute (which Blinkous tried to take credit for, making the trolls cheer for him). However, Blinky's luck turns upside down when Vendel arrives and proposes that Blinky should be the in charge of the Gumm-Gumm's care, much to his great dismay. Dictatious is more than amused by this and wishes him luck.
Later on, Dictatious is shocked when King Arthur and his knights visit Dwoza to propose a peaceful agreement, giving them a weapon against the vicious Gumm-Gumms and banish them from their realm. When the Amulet of Daylight is finished, the trolls are shocked and distraught that it chose Callista, which made them believe that they have just wasted their time. However, after a little pep talk from Jim, Callista (who later discovered her birth name is Deya) rallies the trolls of Dwoza and inspires them to fight against the evil Gumm-Gumms who have betrayed them.
During the Battle of Killahead, Dictatious and Blinky fight back against a group of goblins that ambush them. They are quickly overcome and a group of them carry Dictatious away from his brother. After a changed AAARRRGGHH!!! saves Blinky, they take off to find Dictatious, but to no avail as Blinky is lead to believe that he had been killed (but in actuality, he was unknowingly sucked into the Darklands, along with Gunmar and the Gumm-Gumms).
Physical Description[]
- “Dictatious was by far one of the more challenging characters to design. He had to be very similar to Blinky in terms of design and shape, but had to have something unique and particular. Ultimately, we came up with the very simple idea of having his hair and horns go upwards in contrast to Blinky's, which go down.”
- ―The Team at Headless Animation Studio[src]
Dictatious looks almost identical to Blinky, except he has dark green and frizzy hair that sticks up, sea foam green skin and a dark brown nose. He used to have brown eyes, but ever since Blinky blinded him with a flare crystal by "Homecoming" and onward, they permanently became white.
He wears brown pants with a single strap suspender across his chest. He also has three golden earrings pierced in his right ear. He would occasionally wear a black hooded cloak, like in "Escape from the Darklands" and "Parental Guidance".
Personality[]
- “From the early goings, Guillermo told us Blinky had a dark, evil brother, and his name should be Dicky. The writers room had some apprehension, thus the name Dictatious was born. Playing opposite Kelsey Grammer is difficult, a task only Mark Hamill could have accomplished.”
- ―Kevin & Dan Hageman, Co-Executive Producers[src]
In the past, as mentioned by Blinky, Dictatious was once a good troll who was admired and idolized by his brother.
However, he eventually became convinced that Gunmar's ideas were best for the troll race, turning evil, calculating and loyal only to Gunmar (as such, Dictatious himself stated that he and his brother could never agree on anything). He abandoned all his ties with his previous life, including the bond he had with his own brother, even sadistically waving aside and ignoring all of Blinky's moral beliefs (as well as his own apparently, before he joined Gunmar's cause).
Later on, when Gunmar begins to take over Trollmarket and discovers that Morgana is trying to escape, Dictatious begins to see the error of his ways and goes back to the side of good (though it was merely out of fear for his life, rather than actual morality). He was overjoyed that his brother partially forgave him, but Blinky claims that he still doesn't trust him. In addition, Dictatious is also very lazy, as he does not partake in the Eternal Night War and just sits in Toby's house, watching TV and eating pie (and cats apparently).
Powers & Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Troll Physiology: Like his brother, Blinky, Dictatious is not as strong nor aggressive as many trolls.
- Enhanced Strength: Although he's clearly not as strong as AAARRRGGHH!!! or Draal, Dictatious is still strong enough to punch Blinky, sending him spinning a few times.
- Superhuman Endurance: As a troll, Dictatious can endure more than an average human.
- Superhuman Durability: Dictatious is durable enough to withstand many attacks.
- Superhuman Stamina: Dictatious can physically exert himself for long periods of time with wearing himself off.
- Enhanced Speed: Dictatious is about as fast as his brother.
- Additional Limbs: Like Blinky, Dictatious has more eyes and arms than other trolls.
- Extra Arms: He has four arms, which allow him to multitask.
- Extra Eyes (formerly): He has six eyes which helped him read faster and study his surroundings easier, though they become completely useless when Blinky permanently blinds him.
- Longevity: As a troll, Dictatious is capable of living for hundreds of years, but is still capable of being killed.
Abilities[]
- Intelligence: Dictatious is one of the smartest trolls in the troll world. He shares this trait with his brother, Blinky, but he is certainly not as wise nor knowledgable as he is, and even lacks in certain morality.
- Manipulation: In comparison to his intelligence, Dictatious was able to manipulate Blinky into indirectly revealing the location of the Killahead Bridge. He was even able to lie to Gunmar that he was the Pale Lady's seer just to win back his good side (albeit briefly when Gunmar later learns the truth from Morgana herself).
Weaknesses[]
- Direct Sunlight: Like all trolls, Dictatious is highly vulnerable to sunlight as it burns and turns him to stone through physical contact.
- Lack of Combat Skills: Like Blinky, Dictatious lacks certain combat skills.
- Blindness: After Blinky uses his flare crystal on Dictatious in "Homecoming", he permanently blinds him. He's therefore now unable to tell what's going on around him and is unable to read his own books, in spite of his high knowledge.
- Cowardice & Immorality: Like Blinky, Dictatious pretty much lacks bravery, but his was much more extreme than his brother's. He threw away all past ties with the good trolls (including his own brother) to join Gunmar's cause and save his own life. When Gunmar discovers Dictatious's fraudulence as Morgana's "seer", Dictatious is quick to run away with AAARRRGGHH!!! and help the heroes against his former master (though he actually reformed just to keep his own skin, not out of actual morality).
Equipment[]
- Parlok Spear: During his time in the Darklands, Dictatious used to carry a spear while he's traveling outside Gunmar's chambers. After Blinky accidentally revealed the location of the Killahead Bridge, Dictatious attempted to use his parlok spear to kill his brother, only to accidentally set him free and allow him to blind him.
- Walking Stick: After getting blinded, Dictatious often carries a stick to feel his surroundings, though he abandons this after Gunmar takes Trollmarket.
Relationships[]
- Main article: Dictatious Galadrigal/Relationships
Quotes[]
- Main article: Dictatious Galadrigal/Quotes
Episode Appearances[]
Trollhunters[]
| Trollhunters Part 1 | ||
| "Becoming: Part 1" Absent |
"Becoming: Part 2" Absent | |
| "Wherefore Art Thou, Trollhunter?" Absent |
"Gnome Your Enemy" Absent | |
| "Waka Chaka!" Absent |
"Win Lose or Draal" Absent | |
| "To Catch a Changeling" Absent |
"Adventures in Trollsitting" Absent | |
| "Bittersweet Sixteen" Absent |
"Young Atlas" Absent | |
| "Recipe for Disaster" Absent |
"Claire and Present Danger" Absent | |
| "The Battle of Two Bridges" Absent |
"Return of the Trollhunter" Absent | |
| "Mudslinging" Absent |
"Roaming Fees May Apply" Absent | |
| "Blinky's Day Out" Absent |
"The Shattered King" Absent | |
| "Airheads" Absent |
"Where Is My Mind?" Absent | |
| "Party Monster" Mentioned |
"It's About Time" Absent | |
| "Wingmen" Absent |
"Angor Management" Absent | |
| "A Night to Remember" Absent |
"Something Rotten This Way Comes" Absent | |
| Trollhunters Part 2 | ||
| "Escape from the Darklands" Appears |
"Skullcrusher" Appears | |
| "Grand Theft Otto" Appears |
"KanjigAAARRRGGHH!!!" Appears | |
| "Homecoming" Appears |
"Hiss Hiss, Bang Bang" Appears | |
| "Hero with a Thousand Faces" Appears |
"Just Add Water" Appears | |
| "Creepslayerz" Appears |
"The Reckless Club" Appears | |
| "Unbecoming" Absent |
"Mistrial and Error" Absent | |
| "In the Hall of the Gumm-Gumm King" Appears | ||
| Trollhunters Part 3 | ||
| "Night Patroll" Appears |
"Arcadia's Most Wanted" Appears | |
| "Bad Coffee" Absent |
"So I'm Dating a Sorceress" Appears | |
| "The Exorcism of Claire Nunez" Mentioned |
"Parental Guidance" Appears | |
| "The Oath" Appears |
"For the Glory of Merlin" Appears | |
| "In Good Hands" Absent |
"A House Divided" Appears | |
| "Jimhunters" Absent |
"The Eternal Knight: Part 1" Appears | |
| "The Eternal Knight: Part 2" Absent | ||
Wizards[]
| Wizards | ||
| "Spellbound" Absent |
"History in the Making" Absent | |
| "Witch Hunt" Absent |
"Lady of the Lake" Appears | |
| "Battle Royale" Appears |
"Killahead, Part One" Appears | |
| "Killahead, Part Two" Appears |
"Wizard Underground" Absent | |
| "Dragon's Den" Absent |
"Our Final Act" Absent | |
Trivia[]
- Dictatious is the first (and only) villain to be related to a main character (Blinky).
- Originally, Dictatious was going to be killed off, but the producers liked Mark Hamill’s performance so much, that they decided to have him reform and keep him around.
- Dictatious also has a striking resemblance to The Joker from DC Comics. This is likely due to the fact that Mark Hamill has voiced the Joker numerous times (primarily Batman: The Animated Series, various Justice League incarnations, and the game Batman: Arkham Knight), as well as used the same voice for both characters.
- Although Dictatious made his onscreen debut in the Part Two opening episode "Escape from the Darklands", he first appeared in the novel Welcome to the Darklands which was officially released three days before the release of Part Two.
