The Manhattan Clan are the fictional protagonists of the animated Disney series Gargoyles. They are six gargoyles (mythical winged humanoid creatures that turn to stone by day), the last survivors of a Scottish Gargoyle clan who are frozen in stone in the year 994 AD only to be reawakened in 1994 in Manhattan.
Goliath hatched in 938. In 994, Goliath was the head of his clan at Castle Wyvern. Like the rest of the clan he faced prejudice from the human residents of the castle, and members of Wyvern's court often compared him to his biblical namesake Goliath; the Captain of the Guard regards Goliath as a mighty warrior, but Princess Katherine reminds him that the original Goliath was a "bully and a savage" , even though the gargoyle was neither. Her father, Prince Malcolm had named him years before.
In this time, he had mated with a female gargoyle that he called his "angel of the night" (later to be named Demona). During the Viking attack he was led away from the castle with his mentor (later called Hudson), on bad information by Demona and the Castle Captain of the Guard. This information was part of a greater plot conceived by Demona and the Captain of the Guard to evict the humans and leave the castle to him and the Gargoyles. When he returned, he believed that his love had been killed with the rest of his clan, and desired vengeance. He led the five surviving clan members in a raid on the Vikings, and personally chased the Viking leader Hakon when he fled with Princess Katharine as hostage. He rescued Katharine, but Hakon himself was tackled by Wyvern's Captain of the Guard and they fell to their deaths (though they were later encountered as ghosts).
Things were only compounded when he returned to the main group of Wyvern's refugees to discover that the five remaining members of his clan had already been turned to stone by a grief stricken Magus, who believed that Princess Katharine had been killed and that it was their fault. Upon realizing his mistake, he followed through with Goliath's request that he join them in stone sleep, and, along with Princess Katherine, vowed to protect the rookery eggs. The Magus could not reverse the spell himself, and it would only break if "the castle [rose] above the clouds."
In 1994, billionaire David Xanatos purchased the ruins of Castle Wyvern, moved the structure to Manhattan, and had it rebuilt on the roof of his skyscraper. With the castle now "above the clouds," the spell broke and the surviving gargoyles were reawakened. Initially distrustful of Xanatos's intentions, after an attack on the castle by enemies of Xanatos, Goliath agreed to work for him for a time. It was through the intervention of an NYPD detective, Elisa Maza, that he came to see Xanatos as a ruthless schemer who had manipulated him, and finally agreed to lead the clan away from their ancestral home.
He also encountered his former love, his "angel of the night." Now called Demona, she had also survived through to modern times, and had been partially responsible for the Viking attack that had wiped out the clan. She was cruel and twisted, and spiteful of humans, but Goliath nevertheless held out hope for a long while that she could be redeemed. Eventually, he came to realize that this could not happen and turned his affections toward Elisa, though for longer still neither of them would acknowledge the fact.
Partway through the second season, Goliath discovered that the rookery eggs from Castle Wyvern had been moved to the mythical island of Avalon, and were cared for by Princess Katherine and the Magus who had vowed to protect the eggs as atonement for freezing the clan in stone. On Avalon they formed a new clan, and among them was his own daughter, Angela. He was reluctant to accept parenting responsibilities, partly because of the Gargoyle tradition that the entire clan acts as a parent rather than one particular Gargoyle acting as a parent to his/her biological offspring and partly because he knew that Angela's mother was Demona, but was eventually convinced to treat her as a daughter. She became a part of the Manhattan Clan when they finally returned from Avalon. He also has an evil clone, Thailog, whom he has grudgingly accepted as a "son" (since Thailog was created from Goliath's DNA).
Hudson[]
The gargoyle that would later be known as Hudson was a former leader of the Wyvern Clan and friend to both Prince Malcolm, Wyvern's original human governor and Katherine's father, and the Captain of the Guard. Having retired after being blinded in the left eye battling the Archmage, the elder gargoyle (who was around 100 years old at the time) gave the leadership of the clan to his current second-in-command, Goliath. He nevertheless remained a fierce warrior, cunning strategist, and unparalleled tracker. Goliath often relied on his counsel and his experience. They were the only two gargoyles that left the castle to track the Vikings, and were thus absent during the raid that destroyed much of the rest of the clan.
Having been awoken in the present day, Hudson was the first of the then-nameless clan members to pick a name for himself, after the Hudson River. He befriended the blind author Jeffrey Robbins, who could accept him as a person without being aware by his being non-human (though he later revealed to Hudson he had figured out he was a gargoyle "by his Scottish accent, visits only during the night, and his smell of old leather and concrete"), and who taught him how to read.
Hudson often feels his age, and many times is relegated to watching television and guarding the clan's homestead while others are on patrols. Nevertheless he remains a proud warrior, ready to answer any challenge. Hudson is also the only gargoyle of the clan who regularly uses a weapon (a short sword), which he began using sometime after losing an eye. He was also the clan's second in command until he insisted Goliath pass it down to a younger member of the clan.
Brooklyn[]
Brooklyn, Goliath's second-in-command, is one of the younger gargoyles of the clan. He survived the Wyvern Massacre along with his two Rookery-Brothers by being locked in the castle's rookery as a punishment for misbehaving.
In the modern day, he displays an occasionally reckless and sardonic attitude, but is also a skilled tactician and leader, as evidenced by his promotion to Goliath's second in the second season episode Upgrade. He took his name from the New York City borough, Brooklyn. Brooklyn harbours a deep hatred for Demona, who tricked him in an early episode into betraying Goliath and allowing Demona to gain control of the lead Gargoyle via a spell. As such, he is prone to attack her on sight, much to the impatience of the clan who value his calculating nature.
During an extended absence by Goliath, Elisa Maza and Bronx, Brooklyn took control of the clan and led them with all the masterful skill Goliath knew he had.
Brooklyn is known for having bad luck with romances. His first apparent crush, on a human-turned-Mutate named Maggie Reed, ended badly, with her blaming him for her condition and saying he was a monster who wanted to keep her a monster. Though they later became friends, she entered into a relationship with Talon, another Mutate. Brooklyn also pursued Goliath's daughter Angela as a mate, and was heartbroken when she chose Broadway instead.
This streak of romantic misfortune continued with a particularly frustrating turn when the female clone hybrid, Delilah, passed him over for his own clone, Malibu.
Shortly after, Brooklyn is whisked away in time by The Phoenix Gate (which transforms into a Phoenix) to 997 AD. He aids Mary and Finella (last seen trying to keep the Grimorum away from Constantine). He persuades Demona and her clan to help Kenneth III defeat Constantine. After the battle is won, the Phoenix appears to whisk Brooklyn away to another era (though not shown, he brings Mary and Finella along with him). After 40 years of traveling through the time stream, Brooklyn would return to his original time 40 seconds later with his family.
Lexington[]
Lexington (called 'Lex' for short) is the smallest gargoyle in the Manhattan Clan. He is often shown being eager, analytical and outgoing, and sometimes impatient; in the episode, 'Upgrade' Lexington chooses his motto to be, "Speed is the key". He is named for Lexington Avenue, New York and can be recognized by his olive skin, and the fact that his wings are not the classic "bat" configuration (as separate "limbs") of the other gargoyles in the clan, but are more like a webbed membrane between his arms and legs, akin to a flying squirrel. He is voiced by Thorn Adcox. Interested in science, Lexington adapted quickly to the technology of the modern age, as he demonstrates by figuring out how to control a motorcycle and a helicopter. He became the clan's unofficial techie, taking leadership whenever technical obstacles needed to be overcome.
In an early episode, Lexington attempted to reach out to what he considered to be like-minded individuals: a group of television superheroes called The Pack. However, not only did he find that they were fake, but that they were mercenaries working for David Xanatos. Feeling betrayed, he often behaved irrationally where it concerned The Pack, especially their leader, Fox, though at the end of the series, he reconciled with Fox and vowed to specifically protect her son Alexander.
The Gargoyle story continues in comic books, published by Slave Labor Graphics, wherein Greg Wiseman is free to continue the story and the character development the way he wants. In these comics, Lex is set to realize his sexuality at one point, and with the introduction of a British cervine-appearing gargoyle named Staghart (Amp for friends, although Lex is the only one to call him so), whom it is suggested is homosexual and the strong bond they formed in a short time, it is already hinted that Lexington will realize this soon. Whether Staghart really becomes his mate or whether he will help him realize his attraction for the same sex is still not clear.
Broadway[]
The large, round, and bluish green-skinned gargoyle called Broadway, is a jolly and occasionally naive clan member with a fondness for food (even using food as a weapon on some occasions), as well as Westerns and detective movies. He is named after the famous Manhattan street known for its prominence of the American theater industry. He has the largest wings of all the group and has small bat wing-like structures as his ears. He is loyal, reliable, friendly and quite intelligent despite his appearance, and was the main focus of several of the show's more thought-provoking episodes.
Like the other gargoyles, he survived the 994 slaughter and was cursed to sleep as a statue for a thousand years. In the modern world, Broadway developed fast likings for Western and detective movies and cooking. He also made fast friends with the NYPD detective, Elisa Maza, possibly to a greater extent than any of the other gargoyles except Goliath.
Broadway was the star of the episode "Deadly Force", a somewhat controversial episode that was not aired on television for a long period. In it, Broadway finds Elisa's gun and imitates gunslingers that he had seen in a Western movie. In the process, he accidentally shoots and seriously wounds Elisa. Though she survives, and bears him no ill will for his actions, they both learn a valuable lesson about gun safety. Broadway takes it upon himself to destroy any firearm he finds, and Elisa learns to keep her weapon properly secured. In fact, the episode seemed to only bring the two closer together, and later Broadway was often seen aiding Elisa in her police cases serving as her unofficial "partner" using skills he picked up watching detective movies. Broadway seems to have been the gargoyle of choice for writers who intended to ground their stories in the real world, because of his down-to-Earth nature. Several stories featuring human criminals had only Broadway (and leader Goliath) in pivotal roles.
Broadway also appeared in a main role during the pro-literacy episode "Lighthouse in a Sea of Time", in which both he and Hudson (both previously illiterate) come to realise the value of the written word. After this in subsequent episodes, the gargoyles diligently struggle to master reading. Along the way, Broadway discovers a taste for poetry and the dramatic arts, particularly Shakespeare, as he is seen reading from Romeo and Juliet in the final canon broadcast episode of the series.
Following Goliath's return at the end of the Avalon World Tour, Broadway began courting Angela, Goliath's newly discovered daughter, as did Brooklyn and Lexington. After she expressed her frustration with them, Angela ultimately chose Broadway, as he saw her as the person she was, rather than simply an object to be won. Likely this was helped by the episode "Possession", in which they were briefly possessed by two of the personalities that made up the gargoyle Coldstone, two lovers that are called Othello and Desdemona.
Bronx[]
Bronx, though a member of the Manhattan Clan, is not technically a gargoyle. Rather, he is a gargoyle beast- resembling a dog more than a human. He could not talk, but was nevertheless depicted as intelligent and a fully-fledged member of the clan. He mostly sticks with Hudson and sits beside him watching TV. He was named by Brooklyn after The Bronx. He accompanied Elisa and Goliath to Avalon and the quests that Avalon sent them on. On Avalon, he met his future mate Boudicca, another gargoyle beast that is part of the Avalon clan. In the episode Hound of Ulster, Bronx was mistaken for - or could have been the reincarnation of - the eponymous hound by the reincarnation of the Irish hero Cuchulainn and his nemesis the Banshee. Cúchulainn comments that he once had a dog like Bronx, suggesting that within the Gargoyles universe, a gargoyle beast served as partial inspiration for the legend.
Angela[]
Angela was a late addition to the cast. Hatched from one of the clan's eggs while they were being safeguarded by Princess Katharine, the Magus, and Tom the Guardian on Avalon, she was originally a member of the Avalon of gargoyles. However, after Goliath, Elisa Maza and Bronx visited Avalon for the first time, she left with them as part of the worldwide quest that Avalon had sent them on known by fans as "the world tour".
On the journey, Anton Sevarius revealed to Angela that she was Goliath's biological daughter. Despite pressure from Angela and others, he was unwilling to treat her as such for a long while (claiming that to a gargoyle the whole clan is its parents), until Diane Maza, Elisa's mother convinced him. Beyond this, Angela also learned that her mother was Demona (now an enemy of the Manhattan Clan) and attempted to bond with her. Elisa early on commented that there was something about Angela that reminded her of Demona; indeed, Angela resembles Demona in build, but has her father's (Goliath's) coloring and personality.
Despite her sheltered, peaceful upbringing on Avalon, Angela is an extremely perceptive and cunning warrior with a temper reminiscent of both of her parents. Her natural curiosity and thirst for adventure is what inspired her to leave the safety of Avalon - as she told her rookery brother Gabriel, she wanted to "see the world, find [her] place in it". Having been raised by loving humans, she has difficulty understanding the prejudices that the majority of the human race displays towards her kind. She is also an extremely moral individual unaccustomed to deception, as evidenced by her shocked reaction to Goliath's lie about his hallucinations in "Shadows of the Past".
Upon returning to Manhattan, she was readily accepted by the other clan members. The three males of the Manhattan clan, also known within the Gargoyles storyline as "The Trio", all close to her own age - Brooklyn, Lexington and Broadway - all attempted to woo her as a potential mate; their aggressive courtship tactics frustrated her so much that she was forced to angrily put them in their place in the midst of a battle, against Czech gangster Thomas Brod, when he was in Manhattan. Later on, she more gently asked them to slow down so that any romantic feelings she might feel one day could develop naturally. Furthermore, to encourage them to be patient, she tells the boys the delightful fact that she has 15 rookery sisters back at Avalon. She eventually chose Broadway (much to Brooklyn's disappointment), though the two had not consummated their relationship as of the end of the show's initial run. Writer Greg Weisman planned for Angela and Broadway to eventually have three biological children named Artus, Gwenyvere, and Lancelot. Samson, the main character of the Gargoyles 2198 spinoff, would have either been a grandson of Artus or Gwenyvere or would have been the son of Lancelot.
Appearance in Ultima[]
Aside from Goliath, the rest of the Manhattan Clan has yet to appear in any Ultima stories. Although, it is possible that may happen soon. Although they haven't appeared yet, they do work alongside other Society heroes as a special operations unit for really intense and dangerous missions.
Goliath appeared in Classified where he and other Society members, with expertise in special operations, were discussing the location of a device, created by none other than the Dark King himself. As well as possible techniques to destroy it.
