Lord Viren

Lord Viren
The Dragon Prince character
Promotional still of Viren
First appearance	"Echoes of Thunder"
Created by	Aaron Ehasz Justin Richmond
Designed by	Caleb Thomas
Voiced by	Jason Simpson
In-universe information
Species	Human
Title	Lord High Mage (formerly) King (briefly)
Position	High Mage of Katolis (formerly)[1] King of Katolis (formerly)
Affiliation	Kingdom of Katolis (formerly) Aaravos (formerly)
Weapon	Dark Magic Staff of Ziard Primal Sky Stone (formerly)
Spouse	Lissa (ex-wife)
Children	Soren (son) Claudia (daughter) The Being (via blood magic ritual)
Nationality	Katolian

Lord Viren is a fictional character from the Netflix animated fantasy television series The Dragon Prince. The character was created by the show's co-creators Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond, and is voiced by Jason Simpson.

Viren is introduced as the High Mage of Katolis, the best friend and closest advisor of King Harrow, and the father of Soren and Claudia. A skilled practitioner of dark magic, he uses his abilities to help King Harrow and the kingdom of Katolis. Following King Harrow's assassination and the disappearance of the princes Callum and Ezran, Viren assumes rulership of Katolis. In the second season, he fails to unite the other four human kingdoms against the elves and dragons, and allies with Aaravos, a mysterious Startouch Elf who communicates with him via a magic mirror that previously belonged to King Avizandium. Their partnership continued in the show's third season, in which they ally with three of the four other human kingdoms to invade Xadia.

Viren was one of the first two characters to be created for The Dragon Prince alongside his son Soren, who early in development was split into Soren and Viren's daughter Claudia. Despite making Viren the story's villain, Ehasz and Richmond wrote him as a "flawed [and] complicated" pragmatist because they felt this moral ambiguity made the character rounder and more interesting, providing better storytelling opportunities.

Critics gave Viren positive reviews and many praised the character as one of the show's best, and his ambiguous morality has often been the subject of attention. Many critics said it makes him a compelling character and villain, and praised the show for encouraging its viewers to ask whether Viren's actions are justified. His relationships with other characters, such as his children and King Harrow, have also been praised for humanizing him. From the second season onward, Viren's interactions and relationship with Aaravos have also been commended.