Top 10 Fictional Characters Who Lived Over 1000 Years

One of the great things about fiction is the ability to speculate about unnatural situations. One possible unnatural situation is long-lasting life. Sometimes long-lasting life can play out as a moral drama. Sometimes, long lasting life can lead to horrific implications. Sometimes, long lasting life can merely lead to laughs. Here is the list of the top ten fictional characters that lived to be over 1000 years old.

10.  Walter Jameson (The Twilight Zone)

Walter Jameson is a character from the first season of the original Twilight Zone series. The episode, titled Long Live Walter Jameson, reveals that history professor Walter Jameson knows so much about history because he has lived pretty much all of it. Jameson reveals to his prospective father-in-law, that an alchemist granted him immortality over 2,000 years ago. Jameson proposes to Professor Kittredge’s daughter, Susanna. Susanna accepts, but Professor Kittredge disapproves. It is not known how Jameson’s relationship with Susanna would have worked out, as Jameson is killed at the end of the episode by an ex-wife. The former wife is very elderly, and shoots Jameson with his own gun.

9.  Methos (Highlander)

In the Highlander television series, Methos is often referred to as being the “oldest of the immortals.” Methos has actually been around long enough to infiltrate a group set up specifically to look after Immortals, called The Watchers. According to the Highlander anthology book An Evening At Joe’s, Methos is over 5000 years old. He also rode with three other immortals as a makeshift Four Horsemen. Methos was considered to be the Death of the group. Methos told Duncan MacLeod that Methos had killed tens of thousands of people in his time.

8.  Apocalypse (X-Men)

Apocalypse emerged out of the shadows at the end of X-Factor #5 (June 1986). Apocalypse would go on to become one of the greatest X-Men villains of all time, particularly in the Age of Apocalypse storyline. Over the years, Apocalypse was revealed to be a mutant named En Sabah Nur. Originally abandoned by his parents for an unnatural appearance, Nur was rescued by a tribesman named Baal. Nur was raised over 5000 years ago, living through coercing various civilizations to honor him as a God. Eventually, the renamed Apocalypse would come into conflict with the modern-day X-Men. Age of Apocalypse was an alternate future, in which Professor X was killed by his son, Legion. In that future, Apocalypse took the opportunity to rule over the entire world.

7.  Cosmo Cosma (The Fairly Oddparents)

Cosmo (along with his wife Wanda) is assigned to young Timmy Turner as a Fairy Godparent in the animated series The Fairly Oddparents. Although Cosmo is revealed to be one of the youngest Fairies in existence, he has still managed a considerable impact on human history. Cosmo is revealed, throughout the course of the series, to be the cause of such historical tragedies as the volcanic eruption in Pompeii, and the destruction of Atlantis. This puts Cosmo firmly in the category of having lived over a thousand years. However, in Cosmo’s case, older is not necessarily wiser.

6.  Akasha (The Queen of the Damned)

Akasha first appears in 1988, in the third novel of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, titled Queen of the Damned. Akasha is revealed to be the Queen of Egypt, before the land was even called Egypt. Akasha is awoken in present times and embarks upon a scheme to reveal her nature to the human world. Akasha’s overall plan, before she is stopped, is to eliminate ninety percent of the world’s men. In Akasha’s nirvana, the women of Earth would worship her. Akasha is ultimately killed, and cannibalized, by another ancient vampire named Mekare, who is as old as Akasha and becomes the new Queen of the Damned.

5.  Wowbagger The Infinitely Prolonged (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series)

Bowerick Wowbagger The Infinitely Prolonged first appeared in Douglas Adam’s 1982 novel Life, The Universe, and Everything. Wowbagger is granted infinitely-long life by an accident involving rubber bands and a particle accelerator. After centuries of boredom, Wowbagger dedicates his life to insulting every being in the galaxy. Arthur Dent confronts Wowbagger during caveman times on Earth. When they meet again in the future, Wowbagger comments to Dent, “I’ve done you before, haven’t I?” Wowbagger desires to dole out his insults in alphabetical order. The order, as well as Wowbagger’s existence, ends when he insults The Great Prophet Zarquon (at least on the radio series, anyways).

4.  Tom Bombadil (The Lord of the Rings trilogy)

Tom Bombadil is a mysterious and ancient character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Bombadil first appears in the Old Forest, singng to Old Man Willow in order to put the ancient tree to sleep. This action saves the life of Merry, who is caught in the roots of Willow. Frodo spends two nights at the Bombadil home, and has two different prophetic dreams during this time. In a controversial move to Lord of the Rings fans, Bombadil was left out of both the Ralph Bakshi animated films, and Peter Jackson’s live action films.

3.  Imhotep The Mummy (The Mummy)

In the classic 1932 film by Universal Pictures, Boris Karloff plays the character of Imhotep, who is both cursed and mummified alive, for attempting to resurrect his lover Ankh-en-es-amon. Centuries later, an archaeological expedition, as well as an errant reading of a scroll, brings Imhotep back to life. Imhotep escapes the archaeologists, and his wrappings, to continue his resurrection quest. Imhotep is finally destroyed, while attempting to resurrect his lover once again, when the spirit of Ankh-en-es-amon prays to the Goddess Isis. Isis then destroys Imhotep, and renders him to dust.

2.  The Genie (Aladdin)

Apparently, “ten thousand years (in captivity) will give you such a crick in the neck.” In 1992, Robin Williams gave one of the most memorable film performances ever, animated or otherwise, as the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin. William’s big blue Genie is never given a proper name, but emerges from a lamp in the Cave of Wonders ready to pursue life, as well as serve his young new master, Aladdin. The Genie knows the rug, as well as some history. The Genie also seems to possess the power to travel through time as well, once released from the shackles of genie-dom.

1.  The Two Thousand Year Old Man (Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks)

The Two Thousand Year Old Man was a series of comedy sketches, starring Carl Reiner as an interviewer and Mel Brooks as the mythic 2000-Year-Old Man. He was born on October 16^th, but the year was never specified. Just assume he was born 2000 years prior to whenever you sat down to watch the show. Among the “revelations” about the 2000-Year-Old Man: he dated Joan of Arc, Robin Hood stole from the rich but never gave a dime to the poor, and that the first known language was “rock.” Brooks also talks about knowing “Bernie,” who was the first man to figure out what women were, and what to do with them. The 2000-Year-Old Man also had “hundreds of wives” and “thousands of children.” Sadly, none of the children ever write him a note or bother to visit. His biggest regret in life is not changing his Star of David factory into a cross factory.

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