Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings. Today’s post is a countdown of my five favorite portrayals of Merlin across visual media! As a huge lover of Arthurian legends since a young age, I have seen countless adaptations of the legends. It took some narrowing down, so I did not include animated versions of Merlin, or ones where he is only in a scene or two of the total run time. Without further ado, here’s the countdown!
Number 5: Camelot (2011) played by Joseph Fiennes
~Coming in at number five, I had to choose Joseph Fiennes in the 2011 short-lived television series Camelot. He portrayed Merlin in a bit more of a grey light, not showing Merlin to be an infallible master of magick, almost giving him an heir of being the one pulling all the strings like an expert puppet master. It calls to mind older variants of the legends where Merlin was said to have been fathered by a Demon or Fallen Angel. At least that is the way I view this performance, it is definitely worth watching this series if you have not seen it yet!
Number 4: Excalibur (1981) played by Nicol Williamson
~Coming in at number four, I had to choose Nicol Williamson in the absolutely iconic 1981 film Excalibur. This performance is one of the best remembered, as this film is one of the most well-known of films based on the Arthurian legends. I really love how Nicol Williamson and Helen Mirren play off of one another in their roles of Merlin and Morgana, which certainly earns Williamson his place on this list!
Number 3: Merlin (1998) played by Sam Neill
~Coming in at number three, I had to choose Sam Neill in the television mini-series Merlin from 1998. This is one of my earliest memories of the character, as I am uncertain whether or not I saw this first, Excalibur, or The Sword in the Stone as a child, given that even growing up I watched and read everything I could find about the Arthuriad! But no matter what I saw first, this is a crucial formative memory of watching this mini-series with my mother and loving seeing the legends from Merlin’s perspective. Neill does a good job portraying various aspects of Merlin’s long and complex life, earning him the spot on this list!
Number 2: Once Upon a Time (2011) played by Elliot Knight
~Okay, so now we are probably in the part of this countdown where people are shocked I ranked a portrayal so high. Coming in at number two, I have chosen Elliot Knight who portrayed Merlin in the fifth season of Once Upon a Time. I truly loved this version of Merlin for his soothing nature and interesting backstory of how he came to be immortal. I thought finding a way to tie Merlin, Excalibur, and the Dark One all together, making for a richer mythos for the series, was brilliant! Knight gave a good performance, especially in the emotionally wrought scenes with Nimue!
Number 1: Merlin (2008) played by Colin Morgan
~I could not have ranked any other portrayal as number one, other than Colin Morgan in the modern classic 2008 television series Merlin. Throughout five seasons the audience got to see a young teenage Merlin embrace his magic, learn of his destiny being tied to Arthur, and the whole of the Arthuriad played out, as the series ended with Arthur’s death! I really enjoyed the very end which showed an old Merlin in the modern day, proving that in the show’s universe, those with magic are immortal. Colin Morgan deftly portrayed Merlin as a young man coming of age, a powerful wizard wrestling with his destiny, and a version of Merlin that was allowed to be silly (especially in bromance scenes with Arthur)!
~I hope you have enjoyed my countdown of my five favorite Merlin portrayals. Did I include your favorite Merlin portrayal? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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