Marcel is getting his hands dirty this season on The Originals.
After losing everything he started off the series with — control over the city, his loyal band of followers and his home in general — the vampire that used to reign over New Orleans has a lot to be frustrated about in season three. And that’s why he started a vampires-only fight club, right in the heart of St. Anne’s Church.
“His main focus this season is getting back to a position where he has enough leverage to make a play for the city or at least feel strong again,” Charles Michael Davis tells Nerdist. “There’s no more romantic interest with Rebekah as far as building a life for them, so now he’s more singularly focused with the city. He’s been patient. He’s not quick to lash out or try a new strategy or be crazy with schemes like a lot of villains who come on the show. He’s a bit more patient because he’s so close to the family. They’ll help protect him when outsiders come in. He’s smart in that way.”
But while he bides his time, waiting to make his move, he’s got some anger issues to work out. Enter: his fight club.
“We see it right away in the premiere, this fight club he’s started,” Davis says. “He’s turned St. Anne’s Church into this fight club both as a way to recruit new vampires and as a way to blow off steam from some of the other characters taking advantage of him. And you’ll see some other characters signing up, joining his gym to blow off some steam as well. It’s become a fixture on the set and the show. And it’s supposed to be vampires only, but some of them are hybrids, too.”
Davis was excited about what the fight club storyline would bring to the show.
“The funny thing is we can’t call our ring an ‘octagon’ because it’s trademarked,” Davis says with a laugh. “Ours is like a ‘septagon’ or something like that. In our ‘septagon,’ you’ll see some cool fight scenes and moves that kids can try on their older brothers and sisters. Something a little more realistic than the fights you’ve seen on the show in the past.”
Preparing for the fight club scenes may seem like it would be daunting for some, but Davis had some prior training that helped him out.
“I had to learn a lot of specific fight choreography, but luckily I took Muay Thai and Jujitsu and we have a great stunt coordinator,” Davis says. “But I actually tore my pec going into the first episode, so you’ll notice that Marcel is left-handed now in all his fight scenes.”
And the rules are a lot more simple than those of the movie Fight Club:
“You can wear shirts and you can wear shoes,” Davis says with a laugh. “Our rules are the opposite of Fight Club. You should tell everyone about fight club so I can increase my membership.”
And it’s probably a good thing that Marcel is brushing up on his fighting techniques, since the Original family’s first sired vampires, the Trinity, have come to town looking to start a sire line war.
“The Trinity predates him, so they were out of the nest before Marcel was born,” Davis says. “I don’t even know if he’s heard about them since they were so far in the past for the Original family. They’re coming back into play, and Marcel will definitely cross paths with them. They’re going to be the new big bads of the season. They’re really creative and smart and a lot more dangerous than the villains we’ve seen in the past.”
As if he didn’t have enough on his plate already, Marcel is also going to have to learn how to navigate his new dynamic with Davina.
“Marcel and Davina are at odds now because she’s the clear leader of an opposing group, the witches,” Davis says. “They’re going to have to navigate her new role and learn how to negotiate with each other instead of the father/daughter dynamic they had before. They’re more equal now.”
Are you excited to see more of this vampire fight club on The Originals? Is Marcel’s desire to gain control of the city again a smart move? Hit the comments section below to weigh in now!
The Originals airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on The CW.
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Images: The CW
