| “ | I'm gonna find out how this happened, and I'm gonna expose you. Then you'll be shunned, unable to practice, exiled from the city. Basically I'm gonna erase you. | ” |
— Van to Davina in You Hung the Moon
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Van Nguyen was a recurring character in the third season of The Originals. He was a handsome, stubborn witch of Vietnamese descent who has always stayed out of coven politics. When tragedy strikes, he found himself inescapably drawn into the beginnings of a war.
Van was a member of the Nguyen Family. He was a Versailles witch of the Ninth Ward Coven.
He was elected as Regent, but the Ancestors refused him. Vincent Griffith was elected instead and is forced to follow the Strix, unbeknownst to Van. However, he was later chosen by the Ancestors themselves as Regent to help destroy the Mikaelson Family.
Van was ultimately killed by Kol Mikaelson in Where Nothing Stays Buried, after his failed attempt to resurrect Davina.
History
There is not much known about Van's history, except he's a Versailles witch of the Ninth Ward Coven, his mother was Kara and he has sisters.
Season Three
In You Hung the Moon, Van arrives finding the massacre of dead witches learning his mother, Kara, is among them and breaks down. Davina assures them protection if they follow her. During the funeral, Van is seen giving his respects to his dead mother. Davina tries to offer her sympathies, but Van tells her he knows she was responsible and vows to have her exposed and exiled.
In The Axeman's Letter, He attempted to use a figure veritas on Davina, so it would make her confess her darkest truths, which in Van's case, Davina's role in the murder of his mother and the eleven other Versailles witches. After she tells him about Kara attacking her and she wanted a mutiny, but Davina doesn't want anymore casualties and Van asks if she thinks the covens are better off with you, which she says she does and that she has done things the old way, but they don't work. She tells him if he doesn't want peace, then he can go, but she asks him to stay so they can work things together and change things. Van stares at her for a long moment and turns, leaving the tomb without saying another word.
In Out of the Easy, Van finally gets justice for his mother as he exposes Davina with Vincent's help. He then gets her shunned from the covens and losing her access to ancestral magic.
In Savior, Tristan offered Van money to become Regent of the witch covens and to use his powers for him. He decides to do due to the fact he is financially struggling to put food on the table for his sisters after his mother's death. Van isn't chosen to become Regent, and it's revealed that Vincent offered instead.
In The Devil Comes Here and Sighs, Van confronts Vincent for allying himself with the Mikaelson Family. They get into a heated argument which ends in the Ancestors taking Vincent's title and magic as Regent away and giving it to Van. Van boasts that he now has the power as Regent and subdues Vincent after he tries to use magic on Van.
In Where Nothing Stays Buried, Van was taken to Lucien's penthouse, where Lucien told him about his plan to kill Rebekah, so he needed Van to locate her body. Later, Van was confronted by Vincent in the cemetery, who told him that what he's doing is wrong and that he shouldn't be helping Lucien Castle. Van claimed that the Ancestors have a vision for a Mikaelson-free New Orleans and that Lucien is the one who'll lead to it. In that moment, Kol shows up behind him and quickly knocks him out. Kidnapped and taken to Davina's body, Van was forced to use his regent powers in order to bring Davina back - a task he failed to accomplish. After Van returned to the cemetery, he was approached by angered Kol, who stated that Davina was the only thing that kept him from being himself, ruthlessly killing Van.
Personality
Van seemed to be a very outspoken person. He was very loyal to his loved ones like how he vowed to expose Davina for killing his mother. He was also very determined to get what he wants.
Physical Appearance
Van was a young Asian male in his early 20's, with short black hair and brown eyes. He is seen wearing a black earring in his right ear and a necklace which bears the Versailles coven symbol.
Relationships
- Kara and Van (Mother/Son Relationship/Former Allies)
- Van and Davina (Enemies)
- Van and Vincent (Enemies/Former Allies)
- New Orleans Witches/Warlocks and Van (Former Allies)
- The Ancestors and Van (Allies)
Powers and Abilities
Before he died, Van possessed all the standard Powers and Abilities of a Regent.
Weaknesses
Van had the typical weaknesses of a human/witch.
Appearances
- You Hung the Moon
- The Axeman's Letter
- Out of the Easy
- Savior (Mentioned)
- The Devil Comes Here and Sighs
- Where Nothing Stays Buried (Death)
Name
- Van is of Vietnamese origin. Văn (文) means “knowledge, culture” in Sino-Vietnamese (Chinese.)
- Nguyễn is a common Vietnamese surname and means "loyalty for the savior".
Trivia
- Van's actor, Lawrence Kao, revealed Van's surname was Nguyen on social media.
- He's the first major witch character of Vietnamese descent to appear.
- It's strongly implied from Marcel's comment in Savior that Van came from a single parent household as he was struggling to put food on the table for his sisters after his mother was murdered.
- Van's actor, Lawrence Kao, is part of a dance group called The Kinjaz, whom participated in MTV's America's Best Dance Crew. In his final appearance in The Originals' season three, he purposely snuck in The Kinjaz trademark hand sign in his last scene as a subtle shout out.
References
Gallery
See also
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