Puck (Gargoyles)

Puck is the tertiary antagonist from the television show Gargoyles. Puck is one of the tricksters, a group of the Children of Oberon. He is the fay guardian of Alexander Xanatos.

History
Using Titania's Mirror, Demona captured Puck to force him to destroy the human, Elisa Maza, which he did in a roundabout way (by turning the human Elisa Maza into a gargoyle). During the night, Puck transformed all the humans in Manhattan into gargoyles, and the Manhattan Clan to humans (twisting Demona's commands to suit his own methods of interpretation). At the end of the night, Puck arranged that Demona should turn into a human every day at sunrise, and revert to her true gargoyle form at dusk.

In order to escape Oberon's impending Gathering, Puck cast an illusion on Goliath during his Avalon travels in an attempt to obtain the Phoenix Gate. Goliath, in his refusal, opened a time portal, and threw the gate into the time stream.

During the Gathering, Puck failed to appear so Oberon returned to the mortal world to track him down and steal Alexander Xanatos. Puck revealed his human alias as Owen Burnett, and with the help of the Manhattan Clan, convinced Oberon to allow Alexander and Puck to remain in the mortal realm. Puck was, however, banished from Avalon, and bound to Alexander as his fairy tutor. In condition as tutor and having been banished from Avalon, he could only use his magic when teaching or protecting the child.

In his capacity as a tutor, Puck taught Alexander how to possess mortal bodies, and to transfer souls.

Characteristics
"Did you say that human or that human? Oh never mind; I'll figure it out." - To Demona when she wants him to destroy Elisa Maza

Puck is a trickster, and one of the more light-hearted of his kind, who delights in all manner of relatively harmless magical confusion, such as changing humans into gargoyles and medieval weaponry into overgrown sunflowers. Despite his capacity for causing trouble, he does have a certain fondness for humans - and a mild dislike for humorless people, or at least for working with them, such as Demona. He has also developed a loyalty to the Xanatos family, initially based simply on fascination with and delight in their own "trickster" natures and ingenuity, but which has deepened to a level that has astonished him.

Puck has also gone under the alias of Robin Goodfellow, which is publicly connected to him in the way that "Owen Burnett" is not. He, at some point in his career, crafted a magic flute, which Oberon used to help Boudicca find his scent when tracking Puck in New York at the time of the Gathering. (The powers of this flute, if any, are as yet unknown). While considerably powerful in magic, Puck occasionally needs a conduit to amplify his antics, such as when he used the antenna mounted on the North Tower of the World Trade Center to transform all the humans on Manhattan Island into gargoyles though it should be noted, that he later turned them back to humans without it, suggesting he was lying about the necessity.

Powers and Abilities
Puck is a fay and a trickster, making him an unpredictable and sometimes dangerous entity but like all of his race he is weakened by iron. Although he may not appear formidable, Puck is actually a very powerful individual with a vast array of magical powers all ruled by a cunning and devious mind. His powers include: Given his past service to Oberon, that Oberon chose to collect Puck himself, and that Puck was willing to fight (an albeit weakened) Oberon, it is possible that puck may be the most powerful of the Children of Oberon, with only Titiana, and Oberon himself being stronger. He also displayed the greatest magical range among the Children of Oberon, with most others showing great strength, in a particular power or skill.
 * Spell-casting
 * Reality-bending
 * Flying
 * Possession
 * Conjuration
 * Shape-shifting
 * Illusions
 * Invisibility
 * Animating lifeless things

Spells
"Thy sight Demona doth offend,

So Puck will hasten to amend

Begone Elisa human borne

And be no more as you were formed!"

- To transform Elisa Maza into a gargoyle

"Humans of this concrete isle,

Demona finds your pressence vile

So do you now as I command

And be not woman, child, nor man!"

- To transform all the humans of Manhattan into gargoyles

"First the humans I'll attend

Then the Gargoyles will I mend

If his efforts you commend

Free Puck; let him homeward wend"

- Undoes all the transformations Puck did in Manhattan

"Fearful creature who would stay

Unchanged by the light of day

Remain you thus throughout the night

And be thou flesh by dawn's fair light"

- Puck's "gift" to turn Demona into a human by day and back to a gargoyle at night, though the transformation is very painful

Trivia

 * Puck is one of several Gargoyles characters played by a Star Trek cast member. In this case Brent Spiner, who portrayed Commander Data.
 * When Demona commanded him, he showed a tendency to bend but not disobey his orders, twisting them to suit his own amusements. This was shown again when he gave Alexander his first lesson to separate Coldsteel and Coldfire from Coldstone's body. Also in the episode "Future Tense," though this attempt failed.