Darklighters were a species of magical beings that were the dark counterparts of Whitelighters. They were considered a great cost to Whitelighters existing.
Description[]
When the Elders created Whitelighters as protectors for witches after the events of the Salem Witch Trials, the subjects were separated from their undesired personality traits. The resulting Darklighters were given no corporeal form and sealed away in bottles where they were to remain for eternity, so that they would not be able to wreak havoc upon the world. The containments could be undone by either a talisman (protected by Marisol Vera) or a key (kept at Castle Breithe).
All Whitelighters had a Darklighter doppelgänger of themselves as did Harry Greenwood and Helen McGantry. When the Elders died, the Whitelighters died along with them, as did all of the Darklighters, aside from Harry's and Helen's. Harry's Darklighter—named Jimmy—was released from his bottle by Julian Shea and Vivienne Laurent to assist the Faction[1] before finally being vanquished by Harry while their connection was severed due to magic momentarily being lost to the world.[2] Helen McGantry's Darklighter was vanquished when Helen stabbed herself in the heart, causing them both to merge and die.[3]
When Harry decided to become a Whitelighter again, he, Celeste and Jordan Chase performed the process together. Jordan initially worried that they would create another Darklighter, but Celeste explained that they could avoid that by not extracting the dark part of Harry's soul; thus, the Darklighter's creation was avoided.[4]
Physical Appearance[]
Darklighters have a human appearance and are physically indistinguishable from their Whitelighter counterparts. Jimmy shrouded himself in a cloak when hunting.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Active Powers
- Smoke Form: All Darklighters, aside from apparently Helen's, were given no physical form upon their creation and imprisoned within magically sealed bottles. After the deaths of the Elders, Harry's Darklighter was eventually freed from his bottle by the Faction and given a tangible form.
- Black Orbing: Darklighters have the same teleportation ability as their Whitelighter counterparts, but their form of orbing is smoky in nature. On one occasion, Jimmy was also capable of manipulating his orbing to appear identical to Harry's in order to trick Macy Vaughn into going with him.
- Conjuration: Darklighters can summon their fire grenades and their crossbows at a moment's notice.
- Inactive Powers
- Immortality: Darklighters are unaging and have a potentially limitless lifespan.
- Self-Resurrection: The ability to come back to life upon being killed. Just as Harry did when the Darklighter killed him, Harry Greenwood's Darklighter woke up from his grave after being killed by his good counterpart. This power only works if the Darklighter or Whitelighter try to kill the other.
- Resistance: Darklighters have a incredibly high resistance to magic. Harry Greenwood's Darklighter was capable of resisting even the Power of Three, fighting through the Charmed Ones' containment.
Weaknesses[]
- Darklighter Poison: Like Whitelighters, Darklighter are vulnerable to their own poison. As proven when Harry smashed a vial of the poison in his Darklighter's face, it can dramatically weaken them the same way it weakens Whitelighters, leaving them unable to orb.
- Darklighter Talisman: The Darklighter is under the control of a talisman previously owned by Marisol Vera. Whoever wields the talisman controls the Darklighters' fates.
- Life Link: Darklighters were connected to their Whitelighter counterparts. One cannot kill the other, but can be killed by other people. If the Whitelighter dies, the Darklighter dies along and vice versa.
Known Darklighters[]
Trivia[]
- In the original series, Darklighters did not resemble their Whitelighter counterparts. A full origin for Darklighters was never given, and it was never revealed how they came to be.
- The modus operandi of Darklighters in the original series was to kill Whitelighters with their poisoned arrows, leaving witches open to the attack of evil. They also went after those who were destined to become Whitelighters, seeking to kill them before they completed their destiny. In the reboot, Darklighters, or at least Harry's Darklighter, seem to target witches and powerful magical creatures. The poison from Darklighter darts is deadly, unless the being is healed or the poison is transferred. However, transferring the poison also severely weakens Whitelighters.
- In the original series, Darklighters were not capable of resisting high levels of magic, easily being vanquished by potions, active powers such as Molecular Combustion, and even their own arrows.