TV-Series
Description
Black, whose real name is William Macbeth, is a significant character known for his deep connection to the supernatural forces that shape the world of Hellsalem's Lot. He is the older twin brother of Mary Macbeth, who is more commonly known as White. In terms of appearance, Black is a young man with short blonde hair and blue eyes. He typically wears a black hooded jacket and round glasses, giving him an unassuming and somewhat bookish look.
Personality wise, Black initially comes across as a friendly, talkative, and kind-hearted individual. He is approachable and treats others with a gentle demeanor, as seen when he first meets Leonardo Watch and readily strikes up a conversation. However, beneath this sociable exterior lies a deep well of insecurity and low self-esteem. He is prone to being clumsy and awkward, panicking in an exaggerated manner when he spills a drink on himself, and he does not hesitate to speak negatively about his own abilities. This inferiority complex stems from his childhood; despite being born with significant psychic powers while his sister had none, he always felt that he was emotionally weaker than White. He recalls an incident where, after White made a better mud ball than him, he used his powers to destroy it out of frustration. He expected her to cry, but when she simply started over, he was the one who broke down. This event led him to resent his own powers and vow to avoid using them until he could become a stronger person on his own, even allowing bullies to beat him without fighting back.
Black's primary motivation is the protection of his sister, White. His love for her is the driving force behind nearly all of his actions. He is incredibly protective of her, a trait that becomes the central conflict of his story. This protective instinct leads him to make a desperate sacrifice. During the events of the First Great Collapse, a malevolent entity known as the King of Despair attempted to possess White. To save his sister from this fate, Black willingly offered his own body as a vessel, allowing the King of Despair to share his body instead. Consequently, Black's role in the story is defined by this duality. For much of the narrative, his body is controlled by the King of Despair, who uses Black's form to manipulate events and threaten the city. Black himself is often relegated to a passive state, a spectator trapped within his own mind, desperately trying to regain control and protect his sister from the entity he let in.
Key relationships define his arc. His bond with his sister White is the emotional core of his character, representing both his greatest strength and his greatest vulnerability. He also forms a meaningful friendship with Leonardo Watch. Despite his inner turmoil and secrets, Black genuinely connects with Leo over their shared feelings of inadequacy and their fierce devotion to their younger sisters. He teasingly calls Leo Tortoise Knight, and their lunch conversations reveal a mutual understanding of what it feels like to be underestimated. This friendship is tragically complicated by the fact that the King of Despair, while inhabiting Black's body, seeks to exploit Leo's power, the All-Seeing Eyes, for his own destructive plans.
Throughout the story, Black undergoes significant development, though much of it is internal. Initially presented as a fragile and insecure young man, his backstory reveals a quiet strength in his determination to better himself without relying on his powers. His greatest act of development is his sacrifice to become a vessel for the King of Despair, an act of desperate courage. The climax of his arc occurs when his will to live and protect his sister resurfaces. Through Leo's power and White's intervention, Black is finally freed from the King of Despair. This resolution, however, comes at the ultimate cost, as White sacrifices herself to complete the seal that banishes the entity, becoming part of the barrier that protects the city. In the end, a freed Black is left to live on, speaking to his sister as if she were still there and acknowledging Leonardo as their hero.
In terms of notable abilities, Black is a powerful psychic, having inherited the strong spiritual powers of his parents. His abilities primarily manifest as telekinesis, allowing him to manipulate physical objects with his mind. For example, he is shown using his power to stop a falling coffee pot from spilling on Leo, though he struggles to maintain the concentration for long. However, due to his deep-seated trauma and self-loathing regarding his powers, he deliberately suppresses them and rarely uses them, preferring to rely on his own physical actions even when it puts him in danger, such as when he jumped into a river to retrieve his sister's camera instead of using his powers to catch it. His most significant ability is not his psychic power, but the role his body plays as a cage for the King of Despair, a being of immense destructive capability.
Personality wise, Black initially comes across as a friendly, talkative, and kind-hearted individual. He is approachable and treats others with a gentle demeanor, as seen when he first meets Leonardo Watch and readily strikes up a conversation. However, beneath this sociable exterior lies a deep well of insecurity and low self-esteem. He is prone to being clumsy and awkward, panicking in an exaggerated manner when he spills a drink on himself, and he does not hesitate to speak negatively about his own abilities. This inferiority complex stems from his childhood; despite being born with significant psychic powers while his sister had none, he always felt that he was emotionally weaker than White. He recalls an incident where, after White made a better mud ball than him, he used his powers to destroy it out of frustration. He expected her to cry, but when she simply started over, he was the one who broke down. This event led him to resent his own powers and vow to avoid using them until he could become a stronger person on his own, even allowing bullies to beat him without fighting back.
Black's primary motivation is the protection of his sister, White. His love for her is the driving force behind nearly all of his actions. He is incredibly protective of her, a trait that becomes the central conflict of his story. This protective instinct leads him to make a desperate sacrifice. During the events of the First Great Collapse, a malevolent entity known as the King of Despair attempted to possess White. To save his sister from this fate, Black willingly offered his own body as a vessel, allowing the King of Despair to share his body instead. Consequently, Black's role in the story is defined by this duality. For much of the narrative, his body is controlled by the King of Despair, who uses Black's form to manipulate events and threaten the city. Black himself is often relegated to a passive state, a spectator trapped within his own mind, desperately trying to regain control and protect his sister from the entity he let in.
Key relationships define his arc. His bond with his sister White is the emotional core of his character, representing both his greatest strength and his greatest vulnerability. He also forms a meaningful friendship with Leonardo Watch. Despite his inner turmoil and secrets, Black genuinely connects with Leo over their shared feelings of inadequacy and their fierce devotion to their younger sisters. He teasingly calls Leo Tortoise Knight, and their lunch conversations reveal a mutual understanding of what it feels like to be underestimated. This friendship is tragically complicated by the fact that the King of Despair, while inhabiting Black's body, seeks to exploit Leo's power, the All-Seeing Eyes, for his own destructive plans.
Throughout the story, Black undergoes significant development, though much of it is internal. Initially presented as a fragile and insecure young man, his backstory reveals a quiet strength in his determination to better himself without relying on his powers. His greatest act of development is his sacrifice to become a vessel for the King of Despair, an act of desperate courage. The climax of his arc occurs when his will to live and protect his sister resurfaces. Through Leo's power and White's intervention, Black is finally freed from the King of Despair. This resolution, however, comes at the ultimate cost, as White sacrifices herself to complete the seal that banishes the entity, becoming part of the barrier that protects the city. In the end, a freed Black is left to live on, speaking to his sister as if she were still there and acknowledging Leonardo as their hero.
In terms of notable abilities, Black is a powerful psychic, having inherited the strong spiritual powers of his parents. His abilities primarily manifest as telekinesis, allowing him to manipulate physical objects with his mind. For example, he is shown using his power to stop a falling coffee pot from spilling on Leo, though he struggles to maintain the concentration for long. However, due to his deep-seated trauma and self-loathing regarding his powers, he deliberately suppresses them and rarely uses them, preferring to rely on his own physical actions even when it puts him in danger, such as when he jumped into a river to retrieve his sister's camera instead of using his powers to catch it. His most significant ability is not his psychic power, but the role his body plays as a cage for the King of Despair, a being of immense destructive capability.