Why did Puck choose to help Xanatos fight against Oberon to keep Alexander?

When push came to shove, Puck/Owen cared about Xanatos, Fox and Alex.

Owen can become Puck only when Alex is in trouble or is being taught. In all other times, is Owen physically unable to become Puck, or is it just a law he must follow?

It's a law he must follow which makes him physically unable to become Puck... unless he can think of a loophole.

In Future tense why do you kill everybody in Goliath dream and when Angela died why didn`t Golaith react well its just that I know that the gargoyle were frozen in stone but why?

Puck wanted to devastate Goliath enough that he would be willing to turn over the Phoenix Gate. Death makes for great devastation (which is why we included it in the story). Goliath didn't immediately react to Angela's death, because (frankly) he didn't know he could at first.

How did you decide on what Puck was going to look? (the white hair, his clothes, etc.)

I had some imput, but the real credit should go to my partner Frank Paur who oversaw design for the series. (And of course to whoever designed the character for "The Mirror". I'd guess that was Greg Guler, but I'm honestly not sure anymore.)

Did Xanatos know that Owen was Puck before the episode the Gathering? You've said that Demona knew that he was Puck so I'm assuming it was Xanatos who would have told her but its all still a bit unclear as to whether he knew or not.

Xanatos knew Owen was Puck. Years before, Puck had offered Xanatos a choice, remember? Xanatos did not tell Demona about Puck's secret identity.

I have a feeling that I'm going to get the generic "I like them all" answer for this, but here it goes anyway. Who is your favorite villian?

I like them all. But it's hard to top the top two. Xanatos & Demona. I immodestly believe that in these two we created two of the most original, well-thought out and complex antagonists you'll ever see anywhere. I'm also quite fond of Macbeth and various other antagonists who aren't always villainous. Owen/Puck is a lot of fun. The Archmage was great fun for me.

Why is Puck considered Oberon's servant, and not one of his children?

The term "Oberon's Children" refers to all the fair folk, including Puck and even Oberon. But Puck was also Oberon's personal servant. Was.

After acting in A Midsummer Night's Dream and looking at the animation in Gargoyles, I came up with a question. Shakespeare's Puck thinks of Oberon as his idol. He always tries to imitate Oberon to be "more like him." Owen and Oberon look pretty similar... is this an accident, following Shakespeare's characterization of Puck or something different?

I'm not sure I agree with your assessment of the Oberon/Puck dynamic in Midsummer. Do Owen and Oberon really look alike? I don't really see it. Although, I think it's funny, because for months (between the first airings of "Awakening, Part Two" and "Avalon, Part Three") all I heard was how much Owen looked like the Magus.

What exactly are the appearance differences between Owen Burnett and Preston Vogel?

They wear a different style of glasses. Vogel wears a bowtie, Owen wears a regular one. They have different hair color. There may be subtle differences in their facial structure, but depending on the animation, that tends to be less than consistent. We strived to make them look very reminiscent of each other.

How much of Puck's vision in Future Tense was a prophecy? or was it all a dream?

Some things have already come true. Alexander was born. The Clock Tower was destroyed. Other things have already been proven untrue. Primarily, Goliath did return to Manhattan before 2036. As for the rest, well, ask me some other time.

In The Mirror, Demona says to Puck, "You serve the human; you can serve me." Did she know that he and Owen were the same person?

Yes.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Xanatos is the kind of villain I like to write. Anyone interested in seeing his precursor (and Owen's) should check out General Eiling (and Captain Allard) in back issues of the DC comic book CAPTAIN ATOM which I used to write with Cary Bates.

How did Puck work for Xanatos as Owen when he was in The Mirror? How did Owen get turned into stone in The City of Stone? Why would a human\gargoyle spell work on him?

When Puck transforms into Owen, he transforms into a human being, with all a human's weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Now Owen can transform back into Puck, but he can't perform magic as Owen. And Demona caught Owen off- guard with a spell that affected his all-too-human form. I suppose Owen could have transformed back into Puck in between the two nights of the curse, but that would mean he couldn't help Xanatos at all. Remember their deal: one wish from the Puck or a lifetime of service from Owen. Xanatos chose Owen. As for "The Mirror", Xanatos went without Owen for a few hours. Who knows whether he even noticed.

What was the original "comical" series of Gargoyles supposed to be like, and what were the original versions or counterparts to the main characters we know now?

Owen Burnett - Mr. Owen was Xavier's assistant. In the first episode, he got hit by a magic spell that permanently tranformed him into an anthropomorphic aardvark.
[Heavily edited. I cut out the descriptions of all the other characters. -Bud]

When Puck gave Xanatos the choice between one wish from Puck or life long service from Owen was this with the understanding that Owen/Puck would never work magic for Xanatos? If the answer to the last question is yes then when Owen/Puck was "explaining" his reasons for working for Xanatos to Oberon and beating up Oberon in the process was he playing lawyer? If the answer to question 1 is no why did Owen not use magic before? Also did Xanatos know Owen was Puck or did Puck make him think that Owen was working for Puck at the time he gave Xanatos the choice? Why did Owen/Puck not know the true source of Demona's Immortality in "City of Stone"?

1) Exactly. 2) To some extent. Puck was on trial as well, and he knew it. 3) N.A. 4) At the time of the choice, Xanatos knew. Although by then he had known Owen for some period of time. 5) Why would he?

Will Puck ever get his full powers back and return to Avalon?

Ever is a long time. Not for centuries at least. Oberon isn't exactly forgiving.

Everyone is asking about the gargoyles, but what I wanna know is did you ever have plans to give Puck/Owen a lovelife?

Yes.

Where was the rebel hideout in "Future Tense"? It looked like the Labyrinth, but I think Xanatos would have looked there first.

It was in the Labyrinth. And it doesn't really matter whether Xanatos would have looked there, as long as Puck believed that Goliath would buy the Labyrinth as a rebel base. Goliath did buy it. But if he had questioned it, Puck would have made up some excuse and had one of his "characters" use that excuse to convince Goliath. Just like he did when Goliath brought up Demona and Thailog's pairing. Puck/Owen hadn't known about that, so he had "Brooklyn" give the Clone Wars excuse to explain his oversight.

Is Owen immortal? He's trapped in a mortal body, but he's Puck, the child of Oberon at the core. So is he mortal or immortal?

Is Puck immortal? Define your terms. Owen is certainly mortal. But everytime he transforms into Puck and then transforms back, Owen is recreated anew. Puck obviously remembers to include Owen's stone hand for perverse reasons of his own, but I wonder if he remembers to include all the aging that Owen had done since his last transformation back and forth? Perhaps that slips Puck's mind, and perhaps he always recreates Owen at the same age Owen was when Puck originally fashioned the identity. Only time will tell.

Are Fox or Alexander immortal, will their half-Child of Oberon heritage just make them very long-lived, or will they have a normal human lifespan?

Alex, at least, will be quite long-lived -- but whether that will be due to science or sorcery I'm not saying.

What were the circumstances of Puck and Demona's first meeting?

Again, I'm not inclined to tell entire stories in this format. Sorry.

Since Demona knew that Owen was Puck, why didn't she go after him for revenge for turning her into a werehuman?

A "werehuman"? Doesn't that translate "man-human"? Well, never mind. I know what you mean. Demona learned in "The Mirror" that Puck is more trouble than he's worth. And she shortly learned that there were certain advantages to Puck's gift/curse.

Does Oberon really banish Puck/Owen from Avalon *forever*... or does Oberon cool down after a couple of centuries?

It's not a matter of "cooling down". Having made his decision, Oberon would need to be convinced to reverse that decision. Forever is a long time, but let me put it this way: in 2158, Puck will still be living as Owen in the mortal realm.

What were your plans for the four tricksters? You mentioned them in your master plan but all of them were stuck on Avalon except for Puck who was forbidden to use his magic. Would they have been allowed to leave Avalon or would their episodes have been on Avalon?

The other three would have left Avalon, with Oberon's permission... and a very specific purpose.

I'm realy curious about what you think are the best episodes of Gargoyles.

My single favorite episode is "The Mirror". Great animation, a great premise, a great story, great character work and....IT'S FUNNY. I'm proud of that, because I got some flack from people who didn't get it in scr ipt. They thought it was too complicated. But the conceit played clear and well on screen, and the jokes still play great.
[Heavily edited. Greg listed at least a dozen of his other favorites before forcing himself to stop. -Bud]

Greg, I Have A Puck Related Question. From The Chacteraztion He Was Given Did U Plan To Use Him More Had The Show Not Been Cancled. His Few Episodes Have Been Rated By Most Gargoyle Fans As Some Of The Best

Yes.

I'm a huge fan of Gargoyles, and I wonder what plans you had for the Owen half of Owen/Puck.

More of the same, plus more of the different.

Is Puck an illigit. halfling, like in the legends?

Which legends specifically?

RANDOM GREG QUOTE:

The future is hazy. I'll consult Puck later (not that he can be trusted).

In the episode called "The Mirror" Puck shows an image of Goliath in the mirror to Demona and says, "So after all these years, you still carry a torch for him." What did he mean by this? Does Demona still love Goliath deep down, or was Puck just playing mental games with her?

Both.

You stated at one point that Demona and Xanatos were intoduced by Puck/Owen. What was the reason for the introduction?

Mutual self-interest.

What were you planning to do with Owen's stone hand, anyway? He only hit Oberon with it once I believe (I may be wrong) and that's about it. I doubt you would have made such a drastic change to a character without a plan on what was going to happen.

Owen never hit Oberon with it, though he did use it on Talon once. Originally it was put in to deepened the mystery of who Owen was. What kind of man would react so casually to such a drastic change? I also felt it was a kind of clue to Owen's true identity. Now, it's largely a reminder of what Puck has lost to stay in the mortal world; a disability he lives with and a weapon he occasionally makes use of.

When did you decide that Owen and Puck should be the same person?

I didn't exactly decide. I realized Owen was Puck about 12 hours after I decided to put Puck into the series. At almost the exact same time, Lydia Marano and Brynne Reaves realized the same thing independently. That confirmed we were on the right track.

When Xanatos talked about it not being a good idea "mixing magics," was he referring to Puck in some way?

Yes.

I absolutely love Puck (er...Owen), the way you fit him in was really clever. Did you ever intend further develop him as a character? Give him a past? A love life?

Yes.

Were Owen and Xanatos really friends? Or was it just a matter of servitude. What were the reasons why Owen came back to help them in the GPart2. My friend says they weren't friends at all. If they were, when and how did that start?

I think they are friends. Moreso than either would admit. And I'd say that friendship developed and deepened over time, though the starting point was probably Xanatos' choice of Owen over Puck.

Not sure if I'll get a concrete answer to this, but what was Owen doing when Demona summoned him in "The Mirror"? I hope he wasn't giving a press conference or in public or something.

Nothing that caused a crisis. Not that Owen couldn't handle a crisis, thank you very much.

Are the Sisters more powerful [as in who would win a battle between] than say, the Puck? It seems to me that three magical beings would be better than one. They can drag the Banshee back without too much trouble seemingly, they seem to be only a bit less powerful than Oberon and Titania.

Who's stronger Hulk or Thing? There's more to winning than strength, but yeah, I think the Sisters combined might is pretty impressive when they really cut loose. Puck's a tough bird to get in hand though.

If David Xanatos is dead by 2158, what is Owen's purpose in "Future Tense"?

Alexander.

When I really think about Owen's stone arm, I wonder how he would accomplish certain things like putting on his tie, tieing his shoes, drying his back after a shower, cutting his food, and stuff like that. In the series, he doesn't seem too bothered by his disability. Were there any plans on showing how it changed his life?

In a twenty-two minute episode, there isn't much room to depict the daily tasks of a supporting character. But we might have gotten around to it, if there was a story reason. To some extent, I don't know how Owen manages, but there are a lot of people out there with less than two hands, and I'm quite sure that they manage just fine. If we had shown some of the things you mentioned we would have tried to do our homework to make sure we were depicting things with accuracy.

This question has been bugging me for god knows how long. First of all, let me make sure I have a few things straight about the restraint on Owen/Puck. He cannot go back to Avalon- that is what is meant by eternally banished. He cannot use his powers unless he is prtecting or teaching Alexander. Am I correct, or have I missed something? There are a few details I'm curious about. Alex can only learn so much. I assume that once you've got the basics of magic down, everything e lse, more or less, is pretty much covered. There's only so much you can do. In which case, what is poor Puck going to do when he has nothing left to teach? More or less, he's pretty much stuck as Owen forever. . . Unless, of course, if I understand correctly, Owen is mortal. In which case, if Puck remains Owen for too long, will he die? Will just the Owen facade "die" or will Puck actually die? On the topic of Owen's mortality, if someone were to slice off Owen's head, and working under the assumption that Puck dies when Owen dies, who's left to teach/protect Alex? Would Oberon start the whole kidnapping ordeal again, or would he just sort of forget about it? Speaking of which, does he monitor Alex's teaching, or is that mostly Titania, or is it anybody? Oh, and just a quicky "yes or no" answer; was Fox ever going to learn to use her magic or is she uninterested?

It seems you've got the rules straight, but the notion that Alex can only learn so much seems preposterous to me. I'm 34 and constantly learning new things, even new things about things I thought I had wired. Learning is a lifelong process.

Owen is mortal. But everytime Owen becomes Puck to teach Alex something, he kinda resets Owen when he changes back. So Owen's never gonna age all that much. It's a loophole, that allows Owen/Puck to continue to teach and protect Alex as long as Alex lives.

If Owen gets killed (like shot in the back or something) while he's Owen, then both Owen and Puck die. The situational question you ask is tougher to answer, because it depends on what else is going on, how old Alex is at the time, etc.

I don't think Oberon monitors much unless it strikes his fancy. Titania probably plays closer attention.

As to Fox, I think she'd be very interested, up to a point.

You said that Owen *would* have a lovelife, now would she be fae, human, gargoyle or another race I've failed to mention or we haven't met yet?

Human.

I just wanted to tell you that "The Mirror" is my all time-favorite ep. But just one question - was it's production rushed? I ask this because Puck's character design seemed to be in flux through out the entire show. Actually, it still seemed to be changing in his two other eps. (by way of eye size/ height etc...) Was this due to different animators or lack of time to develop him?

"The Mirror" wasn't anymore rushed than any of our other second season episodes. We were on a very tight schedule in general. We had 10 months to get the first 13 episodes on the air. Then we had 10 months to get the next 52 on the air. We also had to ramp up our staff, since we had only planned on producing six episodes for the second season originally. So time was an issue, although not development time per se. Another issue is that many different artists worked on the show. And although each artist is theoretically working off the same model sheets, their individual styles are bound to shine through a bit. In fact that individualism is probably key to making a character like Puck really come alive in "The Mirror". I haven't noticed a great deal of flux in Puck specifically, at least no more than in, say, Goliath.

what were the general circumstances under which you would have had owen and his true love meet? would she have been a former enemy, working for another corporation or what? also, how would that have affected owen's responsibilites to xanatos and alex?

I'm not going to answer that one at this time. Sorry.

So, about Owen's lovelife: I don't suppose you'll tell us the whole story in this forum (that would be no fun a t all), but would you at least reveal whether she was human, one of Oberon's children or gargoyle? And do we already know the character or have we at at least heard from her? And finally - is this a new love interest or has she just not yet graced ourselves with her presence?

She's human and, no, you haven't met her yet.

If Owen Burnett has a middle name what is it?

I'd guess Alan. But I'd want to check that with Michael Reaves.

Did you have any further plans for Owen? Maybe a life beyond Xanatos?

I did have plans for Owen. I had plans for everyone.

In what year did Demona meet Puck?

I don't know yet.

How old is Puck?

Very old.

When did Puck reveal himself to Xanatos?

Shortly after Owen left Cyberbiotics.

When did you actually have the idea to make Owen to be Puck in disguise? Was it actually thought up in the beginning of the 1st season, or did the idea popped up during the creation of the 2nd season?

Almost immediately after we conceived the character of Puck, before "The Mirror" was written, probably toward the tail end of season one.

In "Leader of the Pack" and "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time", Owen had a *really* sneaky smile on his face. Was this a little foreshadowing of his true identity?

I suppose, but Owen is entitled to smile now and then. Owen is Owen. The fact that he's also Puck, doesn't make Owen a cardboard one-note character.

Did you get a lot of letters from people before "The Gathering" who thought that Preston Vogel was the result of a lazy animator copying Owen?

Well, not letters. I certainly heard a bit of that on the Ranger List. And also from people on the show who weren't in on it. (Jeff Bennett, by the way, didn't know Owen was Puck until he read "The Gathering, Part Two". We intentionally kept it from him. Aren't we stinkers?)

Okay, were there any plans to better develop Owen's character in respect to his personal life?

Sure, eventually.

Will Owen ever get a life separate from Xanatos?

Who says he doesn't have one now?

This sounds like a stupid question but it's really been bugging me. Does Owen have a different personality than Puck?

Sure.

Do Angela's belt ornament and Puck's brooch have any significance?

I don't think so. But I reserve the right to change my mind later.

If Owen died, would Puck die?

Yes, if I get your meaning right.

Okay, we know Oberon has a son, a wife, and a mother. Obviously he had to have had a father. So is Oberon's father around, and if so, who was he?

I'm not saying right now. I didn't plan on revealing Mab right away either. You're just getting ahead of me.

Does Oberon have any siblings?

Yes.

Is Oberon the most powerful fay, or is there any fay more powerful than even him? (I'm talking about just plain, brute magical strength here.)

Mab is more powerful. No one else.

Oberon divorced Titania because she hated mortals so much, but was there a specific event that was the last straw?

"Hate" isn't the right word. And that's not why he divorced her anyway. But yes, there was a last straw incident. And incidentally, the Titania of 1000+ years ago was not the same woman we met in our series. (Wait, wait, she is the same person. I wasn't being literal.) She was considerably less mature than the Anastasia/Titania you know today. At the time, Oberon was substantially more mature than his mate, and consequently "wiser". Over the millenium however, Titania really grew as a person. Oberon, thinking he needed no improving, remained stagnant. Now it's easy to see Titania as wiser and more mature. But she's the one who changed, not him. And if you think he's bad, wait 'til you meet his mother.

At the end of "The Mirror", didn't Demona smash Titania's Mirror? It shows up later on in "The Gathering".

That's "Oberon's Mirror" at the Gathering. Demona did smash Titania's. But a long time ago, they each had one made at the same time.

Why weren't Preston Vogel and Halcyon Renard affected by Oberon's sleep spell in "The Gathering"?

They arrived in Manhattan after the spell was cast. Their bridge may also have been protected by an energy field, which jammed Oberon's magic, just as Owen's field protected David, Petros and Fox inside the castle.

What did Titania wisper in Fox's ear???!!!

Something that made her smile. :)

According to Sevarius in "Metamorphosis", gargoyles have to turn to stone by day and soak up solar energy in order to glide around at night? So how is Demona able to glide around after what Puck did to her in The Mirror? And how do the Guatemalan gargoyles in The Green handle it?

Sevarius was hypothesizing, but he was more right than wrong. Demona's transformation was magical. Magic compensated. Why wouldn't it work for the Mayan gargoyles?

At the end of "The Gathering," what did Titania whisper to Fox?

I'm not telling yet.

Are the Children of Oberon his and Titania's biological children, or is it figurative in the sense that he is their ruler and father figure?

Figurative.

Is it just a coincidence that they were turned to stone the same year that Oberon sent his children out? Also, is it just a coincidence that they were freed 1000 years exactly?

Actually, our gargoyles were frozen in stone in 994. Oberon banished his children in 995. There is a connection though it's not directly causal.

Did you ever plan on the Xanatos having more kids than Alex? Or willl he stay an only child?

Good question. I'd have to ask them, but I'm pretty sure we're looking at an only child. And a handful.

Did Oberon repair all the damage he did after "The Gathering"? He mentioned something to that effect, but is he actually that powerful? Not to mention all the people that would die if everyone just fell over asleep like that.

I doubt he could be bothered to repair all the damage.

In what year (Earth time) did Oberon banish his children from Avalon? Titania said they were gone for 1001 years at the time of "Ill Met By Moonlight," but this meant they probably left in 995 AD, just a little while before Princess Katherine , Tom, the Magus, and the eggs arrived. Am I right?

You're right. (See, you don't need me.)

Are the children of Oberon immortal? What are the details if so? Can they legitimately be called faeries?

"Faeries" is one name. The Fair Folk is another. So is Dark Elves. Changelings. Fae. The Children of Oberon. The Third Race. The Aesir Gods. (The Vikings took certain very powerful Children of Oberon to be gods. For that matter, so did the Egyptians. So did at least two Native American tribes and the Hauka tribe of Nigeria. (At least, that's how we played it in the GARGOYLES Universe.)) The generic name doesn't matter so much. Because it changes depending on who you're talking to. As to their immortality, it depends on how you define it. Certainly they are extremely long-lived. Certainly they are difficult -- but not impossible -- to kill. Certainly, they are almost all shape-shifters, so no matter how old they are, they can always look as young as they desire. So, again, it depends on point of view.

Why were Oberon's Children banished? Who's "fault" was it, or was Oberon just having a bad day?

Arrogance. His and theirs. As to "fault", the immediate blame went to Titania, though what she did was simply the straw that broke Oberon's not-to- impressive patience.

Will Puck ever remove the humanity spell on Demona?

No.

Titania and Bottom... is there anything about that in your plan for Gargoyles?

Uh huh.

This has been asked twice or more before, but I've decided to ask it the right way. *In the Gargoyles universe*, who created the Phoenix Gate? One of the Sisters says that it was forged on Avalon, but by whom? Also, why would Puck try to bribe Oberon with it? Isn't Oberon powerful enough to traverse space and time under his own power?

Oberon has a lot of power. But Time Travel requires a lot of energy. It may be beyond his abilities. It's certainly beyond his ability to do with the kind of ease the Gate allows. As to the Gate's origin, I'm not at liberty to divulge that right now. (Well, I am, but I don't feel like it.)

Did Titania start the entire battle in "The Gathering" just to bring Fox's powers to the surface?

Maybe.

Did Oberon have any children during his 1001 years spent off Avalon?

Maybe. He definitely had at least one kid before that: Merlin. Oh, and by the way, Oberon's mother is Queen Mab.

Does Titania and Oberon have any biological children together? It would seem only.....well, proper to have an heir to the throne of the Fey and Avalon.

Yes. Although Oberon doesn't acknowledge the need for an heir.

How did Oberon and Titania come to rule the fey?

Oberon overthrew his predecessor.

Was there a leader before them?

Yes. Oberon's mommy.

We know that Titania married at least one human during the banishment, but what about Oberon?

He's not the kind to kiss and tell. Well, actually, maybe he is. But I'm not. At least not today.

budclare@geocities.com