Movie
Description
In the continuity of the 2003 anime series and its film conclusion, Envy is a Homunculus created over three hundred years prior to the events of Conqueror of Shamballa by the alchemist Hohenheim of Light. Unlike adaptational counterparts, this version was born from a failed human transmutation performed by Hohenheim in an attempt to resurrect his deceased son, a young man who died of mercury poisoning. This origin defines the core of Envy's being, as he carries the memories and face of the son Hohenheim lost, though he typically rejects this true form out of profound resentment and claims to have forgotten it. Envy is widely regarded as the oldest and most powerful Homunculus in this narrative, serving as a primary antagonist.
In Conqueror of Shamballa, Envy's driving motivation remains the singular, obsessive desire to find and kill Hohenheim, who had long since abandoned him and Dante, his creator and mother figure. Envy's hatred is rooted in the perceived rejection by his father and the lack of acknowledgment he suffered, feelings that festered for centuries. This resentment extends to Hohenheim's other sons, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who received the paternal love that Envy himself never experienced. Unlike other Homunculi who may desire to become human or obtain the Philosopher's Stone, Envy has no interest in humanity. Instead, he finds pleasure in causing suffering, taking pride in his status as a superior creature and viewing humans as pathetic and easily manipulated. His personality is defined by cruelty, sadism, and a volatile temper, though he often maintains a deceptively calm and mocking demeanor compared to his more openly chaotic brethren.
Envy's role in the film's story is that of a formidable and trapped force. Having pursued Hohenheim through the Gate, he emerged into the parallel world of Earth (specifically 1920s Munich) permanently stuck in a massive, serpentine dragon form. In this world, alchemy does not function, which prevents Envy from using his signature shape-shifting ability, leaving him trapped in this monstrous shape. During the two years before the film begins, Envy is captured by the Thule Society, a German occultist group. They intend to use him as a living Ouroboros, a key component to open a physical Gate to the world of Amestris, which they believe to be the mystical land of Shamballa. The Thule Society keeps Envy docile by offering him Hohenheim, who has also been captured, allowing the Homunculus to constantly bite and torment his father while being restrained. For much of the film, Envy serves as a living MacGuffin, a powerful and dangerous creature reduced to being a tool for the Society's ambitions of conquest. He briefly escapes and confronts Edward Elric in an abandoned castle, but is soon recaptured by the Thule Society's military forces.
The key relationship that defines Envy is, without question, his connection to his father and creator, Hohenheim. This relationship is a toxic blend of desperate, rejected love and all-consuming hatred. Envy's every action is a reaction to Hohenheim's abandonment. He despises the Elric brothers for being the sons Hohenheim acknowledged, but his ultimate goal is always to personally end his father's existence. In the film, Envy's relationship with Hohenheim reaches its grim conclusion when Hohenheim, in a final act of redemption, uses his own life and Envy's body as the material to create a new Gate, allowing Edward to return to Amestris. Envy finally achieves his lifelong goal by killing Hohenheim, but this act results in his own annihilation as well, as his existence is consumed in the transmutation. This moment represents a tragic fulfillment of his character arc: achieving his sole desire for revenge at the ultimate price of his own existence.
In terms of development, the film presents Envy at his most desperate and single-minded. Having lost the ability to shapeshift, a power he once used with devastating manipulative skill, he is a creature of pure, raw, and focused aggression. While this portrayal has led to some perception of a reduction in his threat level from the series, where he was a master of disguise and capable of killing Edward Elric, his role in the movie is less about cunning and more about his function as an unstoppable force of vengeance. His fate is the final end for the Homunculi of the 2003 continuity.
Regarding notable abilities, Envy's most famous power, his shapeshifting, is entirely absent in Conqueror of Shamballa. Upon entering the world without alchemy, he became permanently locked in his dragon form, unable to transform into other people or even revert to his preferred humanoid appearance. In this leviathan-like state, his abilities are purely physical. He possesses immense size, strength, and durability, using his powerful jaws and large body as his primary weapons. He is shown to be capable of withstanding gunfire from early 20th-century aircraft and even felling a plane with his attacks. Furthermore, his body, having passed through the Gate, is covered in mysterious alchemic marks that make him a crucial component for opening a portal between worlds. Although trapped in this form, he retains the ability to speak, which he uses to express his hatred. Thus, in the film, Envy's power lies not in deception but in his raw physical might and his symbolic role as a living key.
In Conqueror of Shamballa, Envy's driving motivation remains the singular, obsessive desire to find and kill Hohenheim, who had long since abandoned him and Dante, his creator and mother figure. Envy's hatred is rooted in the perceived rejection by his father and the lack of acknowledgment he suffered, feelings that festered for centuries. This resentment extends to Hohenheim's other sons, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who received the paternal love that Envy himself never experienced. Unlike other Homunculi who may desire to become human or obtain the Philosopher's Stone, Envy has no interest in humanity. Instead, he finds pleasure in causing suffering, taking pride in his status as a superior creature and viewing humans as pathetic and easily manipulated. His personality is defined by cruelty, sadism, and a volatile temper, though he often maintains a deceptively calm and mocking demeanor compared to his more openly chaotic brethren.
Envy's role in the film's story is that of a formidable and trapped force. Having pursued Hohenheim through the Gate, he emerged into the parallel world of Earth (specifically 1920s Munich) permanently stuck in a massive, serpentine dragon form. In this world, alchemy does not function, which prevents Envy from using his signature shape-shifting ability, leaving him trapped in this monstrous shape. During the two years before the film begins, Envy is captured by the Thule Society, a German occultist group. They intend to use him as a living Ouroboros, a key component to open a physical Gate to the world of Amestris, which they believe to be the mystical land of Shamballa. The Thule Society keeps Envy docile by offering him Hohenheim, who has also been captured, allowing the Homunculus to constantly bite and torment his father while being restrained. For much of the film, Envy serves as a living MacGuffin, a powerful and dangerous creature reduced to being a tool for the Society's ambitions of conquest. He briefly escapes and confronts Edward Elric in an abandoned castle, but is soon recaptured by the Thule Society's military forces.
The key relationship that defines Envy is, without question, his connection to his father and creator, Hohenheim. This relationship is a toxic blend of desperate, rejected love and all-consuming hatred. Envy's every action is a reaction to Hohenheim's abandonment. He despises the Elric brothers for being the sons Hohenheim acknowledged, but his ultimate goal is always to personally end his father's existence. In the film, Envy's relationship with Hohenheim reaches its grim conclusion when Hohenheim, in a final act of redemption, uses his own life and Envy's body as the material to create a new Gate, allowing Edward to return to Amestris. Envy finally achieves his lifelong goal by killing Hohenheim, but this act results in his own annihilation as well, as his existence is consumed in the transmutation. This moment represents a tragic fulfillment of his character arc: achieving his sole desire for revenge at the ultimate price of his own existence.
In terms of development, the film presents Envy at his most desperate and single-minded. Having lost the ability to shapeshift, a power he once used with devastating manipulative skill, he is a creature of pure, raw, and focused aggression. While this portrayal has led to some perception of a reduction in his threat level from the series, where he was a master of disguise and capable of killing Edward Elric, his role in the movie is less about cunning and more about his function as an unstoppable force of vengeance. His fate is the final end for the Homunculi of the 2003 continuity.
Regarding notable abilities, Envy's most famous power, his shapeshifting, is entirely absent in Conqueror of Shamballa. Upon entering the world without alchemy, he became permanently locked in his dragon form, unable to transform into other people or even revert to his preferred humanoid appearance. In this leviathan-like state, his abilities are purely physical. He possesses immense size, strength, and durability, using his powerful jaws and large body as his primary weapons. He is shown to be capable of withstanding gunfire from early 20th-century aircraft and even felling a plane with his attacks. Furthermore, his body, having passed through the Gate, is covered in mysterious alchemic marks that make him a crucial component for opening a portal between worlds. Although trapped in this form, he retains the ability to speak, which he uses to express his hatred. Thus, in the film, Envy's power lies not in deception but in his raw physical might and his symbolic role as a living key.