Warning: Major SPOILERS ahead for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina part 3
Part 3 of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina took viewers to Hell. Once there, they met Caliban, who claimed to be Prince of Hell and thus the one who should take the throne, not Sabrina – but who is this guy and where does he come from? Based on the Archie comic book series, and originally intended to be a companion series to The CW’s Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina debuted on Netflix in 2018. This first part was praised by critics and viewers, and the series was renewed for a second season, which arrived in April 2019, with part 3 making its debut in January, 2020.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina follows Sabrina Spellman, a half-witch and half-mortal teenager struggling to balance both sides while fighting different evil forces that are after her, her family, and her mortal friends. The series has progressively got darker and darker, with Lucifer himself appearing in part 2, and part 3 following Sabrina to Hell and back. Being Queen of Hell doesn’t mean being free of enemies, and Sabrina came face to face with new and bigger threats in Hell and Greendale, among those Caliban.
Born, raised, and living in Hell, Caliban challenged Sabrina’s claim to the throne and wasn’t exactly the most honest competitor, becoming Sabrina’s biggest enemy from Hell (without counting her father, Lucifer, as he wasn’t in Hell anymore). Caliban had a big impact on viewers and characters within the series, but who is he and what does he really want?
Sabrina’s Caliban Origin Story & Powers
Caliban was introduced in the episode “Chapter Twenty-One: The Hellbound Heart”, where the Fright Club – that is, Sabrina, Harvey, Theo, and Roz – went to Hell to rescue Nick, who was still serving as a human prison to the Dark Lord. The group arrived on the shores of Hell, where they came across with a stranger who was (for some reason) building a big sand castle. This man didn’t introduce himself, but he did tell them how to get to Pandemonium, the capital of the infernal underworld. Once at Pandemonium, the stranger appeared and finally revealed who he is: Caliban, and he claimed to be the Prince of Hell.
Although he looks human, he’s actually “molded from the clay of the Pit itself”, which is why he claimed to be the Prince of Hell and the one who should be taking the throne, even if it’s unknown who created him and Lucifer doesn’t even know who he is. Caliban’s powers are shown to be the same ones that a warlock can have, but with the peculiarity of not bleeding and not being an easy one to kill, simply because he’s made of clay. Being a literal son of Hell means that he has many tricks up his sleeve, mostly used to his benefit. He has many allies in Hell (who obviously support him taking the throne from Sabrina), is a cheater, and offered Sabrina a political marriage so they could rule Hell together, which obviously didn’t turn out as he expected. Although he tried to help Sabrina, Harvey, and Theo bring back Roz when she was turned into stone, Caliban is definitely not one to be trusted.
Caliban’s Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Villain Plan
Sabrina is Lucifer’s daughter, but Caliban was born from the grounds of Hell, so in a way, it can be said that he is Hell – and with that in mind, his self-appointed title of Prince of Hell and quest to take the throne doesn’t sound unreasonable. After Sabrina crowned herself as Queen of Hell in front of the court – much to the surprise and displeasure of Lilith – Caliban realized that she could be challenged, and with demons and pretty much all of hell backing him up, he challenged her claim to the throne and the hunt for the Unholy Regalia began.
First was King Herod’s crown, which Sabrina found but was taken away by Caliban while she, Nick, and Ambrose fought against what was left of King Herod. The second was Pontius Pilate’s plate, which took Sabrina and Caliban back thousands of years, to the time of the Crucifixion. Sabrina managed to escape the time loop and took the plate, with Caliban becoming trapped and being killed – but he only had to wait for 2000 years “beneath the dust of the ages” to come back because, well, he’s made of clay (something that he never lets anyone forget, by the way). Though he cheated during the first challenge as he didn’t find the crown, he was very upset when Sabrina took the plate and called her a cheater, prompting him to play a very dirty trick on her when the third challenge began.
The third piece was Judas’ silver, which Sabrina once again found, but she was tricked by Caliban and entombed in stone in the ninth circle of Hell. Caliban returned to Hell with the coins, meaning he could take his place in the throne (and no one could stop him because he also entombed Lucifer and Lilith). Caliban’s plan as King of Hell was to turn Earth into the tenth circle of Hell, and so he led armies to take over the realm, but was defeated by the Pagans after they resurrected the Green Man. However, when a future version of Sabrina rescued her past self from the stone, the whole story changed. Sabrina went back in time to protect her family while her other self in that same timeline went after Judas’ silver. Sabrina then prevented her past self from Caliban’s trick, and Caliban ended up entombed. In this new timeline, Caliban couldn’t complete his plan, but that doesn’t mean he can’t come back in season 4.
Who Plays Caliban In Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Caliban is played by Sam Corlett, an Australian model whose acting career is just starting. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is Corlett’s first major role, and previously appeared in the short films Noah and Pretty Face in 2018. Corlett studied at the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts and took part in various stage productions, such as A Streetcar Named Desire and William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (funny enough, Shakespeare’s The Tempest has a character named Caliban, who is the son of a witch). Although Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has been renewed for a fourth part, it’s unknown if Sam Corlett will be back, though it wouldn’t be surprising if he did as part 3 showed that anyone can be brought back – it’s magic, after all.
Next: The Biggest Questions After Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Season 3
