Glaucus/Minotaur: KAOS character explained

In KAOS, Ari finds out that Glaucus, her twin brother, is a feared beast called the Minotaur. Fady Elsayed plays Glaucus.

When Minos becomes the president of Krete, he is ordered by Poseidon to father heirs, an order that terrifies him due to his prophecy.

Minos’ prophecy states that he will be killed by one of his children: the child that draws its breath first, which he interprets to mean his firstborn.

After hearing Minos’ concerns, Poseidon decides to give him twins, Glaucus and Ari, allowing Minos the option to kill his firstborn while still having an heir.

As Glaucus comes into the world first, Minos believes that he is the one destined to kill him. The only way Minos can change his fate is by killing Glaucus. Thus, Glaucus is declared dead when he is still a toddler.

The citizens of Krete, as well as Glaucus’ mother, are told that Ari is responsible for his death. Minos claims that Ari rolled over her brother in her sleep, suffocating him to death.

Minos performs the last rites while Glaucus is still alive. He prevents his wife from seeing their son’s body, so no one ever questions Minos’ story.

More beast than man

Minos threatens to harm Daedalus’ son if Daedalus does not help him kill his firstborn. However, Minos cannot bring himself to murder Glaucus when the time comes. 

With Daedalus’ help, Minos imprisons the young Glaucus in dark dungeons to prevent him from ever fulfilling the prophecy. Glaucus spends his days alone in the dark.

Daedalus and the other guards are not allowed to use his name or talk to him, leaving Glaucus with nothing to do. He never learns to be human.

Over time, he begins to become more beast than man, attacking the guards who come to feed him. The only person he does not attack is Daedalus, who shows him kindness.

Glaucus was born a weak baby, but as he grows up, he becomes stronger. He continues to attack guards until one day he kills a guard with his bare hands.

Impressed with Glaucus’ strength, Minos decides to turn him into a weapon to inspire fear in his citizens. Glaucus is then made to wear horns and a mask.

This is how Glaucus becomes the Minotaur, a beast conditioned to charge and attack whenever he is let out of his dark dungeon.

Reunion before death

At the age of thirty, Ari discovers that she never killed her brother and that he has been turned into the Minotaur by their father.

Ari goes to meet him with Daedalus. Unfortunately, Minos chooses that moment to open the gates of Glaucus’ prison, intending to kill him on Poseidon’s orders.

As Glaucus has been conditioned to attack, he attacks Daedalus but refrains from doing the same to Ari, recognizing her as his twin.

He reunites with his sister, allowing her to remove his mask and horns, and he breaks down, reminded of his humanity for the first time in years.

KAOS Glaucus
Ari takes off Glaucus’ mask

Minos also arrives there and tries to kill Glaucus, who fights back. Despite Glaucus being stronger, Minos manages to stab and kill him.

Ari then kills Minos to avenge her brother’s death, telling her father that he misinterpreted the prophecy. Although Ari was born second, she breathed before Glaucus, who was born weak and not breathing.

The tragedy of Glaucus’ life is that he was imprisoned and punished by Minos, who feared he would commit patricide—a crime Glaucus was never destined to commit.


Also Read: KAOS recap and ending explained

Muskan Chhatwani
Muskan Chhatwani
Muskan is an editor at The Envoy Web. Her name translates to smile in English, but she likes shows and films that do anything but make you smile. She believes that analyzing and interpreting the tiny little things on-screen can reveal a story that is not visible to everyone, a story of your own.

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