| “ | "Have you ever heard of the Berserkers?" "Germanic warriors. They wore the skin of bears to channel their ferocity." "They didn't just wear them-- they became them." |
” |
In Teen Wolf, Berserkers are men who, after special rituals using the pelts and bones of bears, gain supernatural powers of strength, speed, and durability. However, doing so also causes them to channel the bear's ferocity, causing them to become mindlessly violent beings.
They were first introduced in Season 4 as Kate Argent's henchmen after the revelation that she had been transformed into a Werejaguar. After becoming a Berserker, the animal spirit very quickly burns away the humanity within the person, and they become pure animals; according to Chris Argent, this is due to the fact that Berserkers aren't tempered by the moon like Werewolves.
Chris' first experience with Berserkers occurred a couple of years prior to the start of the series, when he was approached by a family who asked him for help in dealing with their teenage son, who managed to tap into the power of the Berserker Creation Ritual while he and his friends messed around with bear skins, causing him to viciously tear apart anyone upon who he came. By the time Chris was involved, the boy was no longer human, and according to Chris' story, it took three Hunters and all the ammo they had between them to take the boy down. He later reported that he felt no remorse about the kill, as he knew that the young man inside the Berserker was gone.
Appearance[]
The natural Berserkers who have appeared thus far in the series were shown to wear armor made of bear bones, including the sternum and rib cage, which is worn as a chest plate over their bare chests. Under the bones is a roughly-processed leather made out of bear skin, which also is used to create the strings that hold all of the armor together. Over their faces, they wear a bear skull, which is believed to bind the animal spirit to the human spirit, as evidenced by the fact that the only known ways to kill a Berserker is to damage the bear skull. Some Berserkers have bone claws affixed to their hands that they would use just like a bear would use their own claws, while others keep the claws tucked in their waist belt, which they use as daggers in battle.
Personality[]
Berserkers are highly dangerous creatures. They are mainly known for purely relying on their animal instincts, as the fact that the transformation burns away the human spirit causes them to lose their ability to think like a human. They are very destructive creatures who kill for the sake of killing and have highly developed survival instincts, although their incredible superhuman durability makes them more willing to fight than flee when threatened. If a Berserker is connected to a Werejaguar, they become incredibly loyal to them, acting as their subordinates and following any command they are given.
Nagual Connection[]
The huntress Kate Argent, better known as "La Loba" or "The Bone Woman" as a result of her recent transformation into a Werejaguar (also referred to as a Nagual), was not only able to control the Berserkers, but she was able to create them as well. Shortly after completing her transformation, she was drawn to the Temple of Tezcatlipoca (the Aztec Nagual jaguar god) located under a Mexican church called La Iglesia, where she discovered two Berserkers waiting for her there. Though she didn't understand why, the Berserkers obeyed her every command, as demonstrated when the Berserkers retreated from a fight when she roared at them. She was then able to successfully turn Scott McCall into a Berserker, though he was ultimately able to break free of his bear skull and return to his True Alpha Werewolf status.
In The Last Chimera, it was revealed by Theo Raeken that Werejaguars do, in fact, have a special connection to Berserkers. This unspecified bond allowed Hayden Romero who at the time was a Werewolf/Werejaguar Chimera to track and sense that the part-Berserker Chimera Noah Patrick was somewhat nearby and that he was dying.
Creation[]
- Main article: Berserker Creation
Kate prepares the ritual to turn Scott into a Berserker in Smoke and Mirrors.
There are two confirmed methods of becoming a Berserker, though many of the details of these methods remain unknown. Berserkers are typically created from humans but Kate Argent was capable of making True Alpha Scott McCall a Berserker, which proves that Werewolves (and possibly other supernatural creatures) can be made into Berserkers as well, at least temporarily.
Scott is turned into a Berserker by Kate in Smoke and Mirrors
The first method was used by Kate, though it is unknown if the power to perform this particular ritual is something unique to Kate herself, if the ritual must specifically be performed by Werejaguars, or if it is something that anyone can do; it is also unknown if this particular ritual must be performed in the Temple of Tezcatlipoca, or if it can be done anywhere. This ritual consists of binding the soon-to-be Berserker to an altar with wolfsbane (though this may be used only when turning a Werewolf such as Scott McCall into a Berserker), placing the bones and skin of a bear on the potential Berserker and then finally placing the skull of the bear over their face. This method proved successful, as Kate had complete control of Scott to the point where he nearly killed his friends, even despite the fact that he wasn't human when he was turned.
The second method involved rituals using animal skins, which was how the first Berserker Chris Argent hunted was transformed into one, but the exact ritual that was used by this teenager remains unknown; all Chris said about the experience was that the teenagers were playing around with animal pelts and somehow managed to tap into their power.
The Dread Doctors have also successfully created at least one part-Berserker Chimera, but their deaths in The Beast of Beacon Hills and Apotheosis means that this process, the details of which remain unknown, is not likely to be replicated again.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Super Strength: Berserkers are incredibly strong, and their strength is far greater than that of any human and most Werewolves. as not even the True Alpha Scott McCall could match their strength. Their power so strong that even Peter Hale was initially unwilling to fight one, even with superior numbers on his side.
- Super Speed: Berserkers are very fast, which has been stated and demonstrated on multiple occasions; neither Kira Yukimura, an incredibly fast Kitsune, or Malia Tate, a powerful Werecoyote, were able to keep up with them.
- Super Durability: Berserkers are one of the most durable supernatural creatures seen to date. They are capable of withstanding an exceptional amounts of damage with little to no injury whatsoever. Chris Argent stated that it took almost every bullet he and two other hunters had to take down just one of them. This durability extends to the bones they wear, as neither Kira Yukimura's katana nor the claws of a Werewolf or Werecoyote could breach their armor even despite the fact that the bones appear to be old and brittle.
- Enhanced Stealth: According to Chris Argent, Berserkers leave very little in the name of tracks, making them near impossible to track by footprint, even for a highly trained tracker such as Chris.
Weaknesses[]
- Skull Removal/Destruction: Berserkers can be killed through the forceful removal or destruction of their bear skull, though this is a difficult process to successfully perform, as the skull is what binds the animal spirit of the Berserker to the human spirit. The former process was proven successful when the newly evolved Derek Hale was able to break off the skull of one of Kate Argent's Berserkers from their face, as well as when Scott McCall ripped off his own skull upon remembering that he was a Werewolf. The latter process was demonstrated by Sheriff Stilinski when he successfully killed Kate's last Berserker by blowing it up with a claymore mine, destroying its skull so badly that it turned the Berserker to dust.
- Strong Scent: Despite their ability to conceal their footprints, Berserkers do not seem to be able to conceal their scent, making them easily tracked by supernaturals with heightened senses of smell. According to Malia Tate, a Berserker's scent is very strong and smells like death.
List of Berserkers[]
Kate's Berserkers[]
Natural Berserkers; deceased
Even though Kate Argent's Berserkers were not created by her, they did follow her every demand such as attacking the assassins, Chris Argent, Scott McCall, Kira Yukimura, and many others. She had full control of both, which is how she eventually acquired the nickname La Loba, although it is unknown why they were so loyal to her.
Scott McCall[]
Natural Berserker; formerly/briefly
While on a date with his girlfriend Kira Yukimura in Derek's Loft, Kate and her Berserkers broke in through the window and immediately began to fight them. Scott and Kira each started off well, but were ultimately no match for them, and they were able to capture them and bring them back to La Iglesia in Mexico. Scott awakened on a stone table, where he was strapped down and covered in wolfsbane, weakening him enough for Kate to perform the ritual to turn him into a Berserker by placing a bear skull over his face and outfitting him in clothes made of bear pelts. Under Kate's control, Scott later went on to unconsciously attack all his friends, including Kira, Stiles Stilinski, Liam Dunbar, Malia Tate, as well as Peter Hale, who was secretly working with Kate against Scott and the pack. He began to fight but was soon outnumbered and was nearly killed by Malia until his true Beta, Liam, was able to bring his consciousness back into control. Scott then used his Alpha roar and strength to break the skull off of his face, returning to his original Werewolf self.
Noah Patrick[]
Unnatural Part-Berserker; Chimera (deceased)
Noah Patrick was a Chimera experiment of the Dread Doctors who became part-Berserker, with the other part being an unknown supernatural species. At some point during the episode Status Asthmaticus, he attacked Sheriff Stilinski and left him for dead after being manipulated by Theo Raeken. He later attacked Malia at the hospital. Just when he got the upper-hand, Braeden arrived and shot him with her military-grade modified stun gun, which shocked him back into consciousness and caused him to flee the scene. The next day, Malia, Scott and Stiles found him in the tunnels, where they attempted to get him to safety. However, due to the appearance of the Dread Doctors, they were forced to split up, and Noah was presumably caught and killed by the Doctors after beginning to show the signs of being a "failure."
Trivia[]
- According to Malia, Berserkers smell like death.
- When a Berserker is killed, they turn to dust.
- This could possibly be due to their humanity being burned away by the animal spirit of the Berserker, leaving nothing else remaining once the animal spirit has been defeated.
- All of the Berserkers who have appeared in the series thus far have been men. It is unknown if women can be transformed into Berserkers as well.
- It is unknown how Noah Patrick can be a part Berserker Chimera as technically Berserkers are not a species, nor are their powers and nature tied to genetics as they are the result of a ritual.
- Despite in mythology being immune to fire Berserkers are not able to withstand a claymore mine, though this could be due to the force of the blast.
Gallery[]
See also[]
Berserker on Wikipedia