Though Margo and Eliot are the most discussed High Kings of Fillory, The Magicians included many rulers of the magical land with varying degrees of success. Though the series heavily featured Brakebills University, a large portion of the show took place in the magical land of Fillory. This world was filled with talking animals, living trees, and citizens with a variety of needs.
When founding this fictional world, the creators – Umber and Ember – decided that only children of Earth could be rulers. As such, a variety of earthlings took over as the kings and queens. Only two Fillorians are ever shown ruling. The rulers of Fillory took different approaches to their job, some of which were more successful than others.
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9 The Beast
Fillory’s Most Tyrannical Ruler
By far, the worst ruler of Fillory in The Magicians is Martin Chatwin, also known as the Beast. Rather than being negligent, he was actively destructive and tyrannical. Years before the Breakbills students got to Fillory, the Beast threatened to kill Umber and sent Ember into hiding. He used both humans and Fillorians as pawns, not caring whether they lived or died.
What’s more, the Beast demanded complete control over the magic in the Wellspring, drinking it and draining it so that others in Fillory didn’t have as much magic as they needed. He was willing to kill others to prevent anyone from getting in or out of Fillory. Ultimately, this ruthless ruling style squashed the economic development of Fillory and the satisfaction of citizens.
8 Tick Pickwick
The Terrible Fillorian Ruler
When he wasn’t the individual in charge of leading Fillory, Tick Pickwick had a positive impact on the kingdom. However, the Fillorian was a terrible ruler after the coup d’etat. He cared more about making Margo and Elliott suffer than he did about being a good leader. The only time he paid attention to the needs of the Fillorians during his reign was when he was going up against Elliott in an election, and even then, he had ulterior motives for listening to the Fillorians. It’s unsurprising that the Fillorians decided to vote for Tick Pickwick in the election.
7 Alice Quentin
The Queen Who Did Nothing
Though she technically held the title Queen Alice the Wise in The Magicians, she never actually did anything to care about or support Fillory. Part of this is because she became a Niffin early in The Magicians season 2. She got a pass for not ruling over Fillory throughout season 2 when she was in Niffin state and early season 3 when she was processing her return to life. However, after coming back from being a Niffin, she never bothered to care about Fillory.
She actively worked against their efforts to regain magic, teaming up with the Order of the Library in The Magicians to limit everyone’s access. At no point did she stop to think about the Fillorians who would suffer due to her decision. In fact, others on the quest talked about Fillory’s struggles, and she didn’t give it a second thought. The only reason she placed higher than The Beast and Tick Pickwick in the list of rulers was because she killed the Beast, freeing Fillory from his tyranny.
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6 The Dark King
A King Who Manipulated His Constituents
At the end of The Magicians season 4, Margo and Elliott returned to Fillory to find that they entered that world 300 years into the future, where a ruler named the Dark King had taken over. He was initially viewed as the savior of Fillory, which would make him the best ruler if true. After the monsters attacked, he kept the Fillorians safe.
However, it turns out he was manipulating the entirety of Fillory by creating monsters that only he could defeat. This kind of fear and manipulation is an abusive tactic used to maintain. This makes him not only a cruel person, but a terrible leader.
5 Josh Hoberman
The Drug Dealing King Of Fillory
Both times that Josh Hoberman took over as the ruler of Fillory in The Magicians, it was temporary and done without any notice. He did care about the people he was ruling, but he handled that by giving them drugs, throwing parties, and baking. This was great fun but didn’t help with big issues. Additionally, it can’t be forgotten that Josh abandoned the Brakebills students trying to save Fillory and the magicians from the Beast. While he wasn’t a ruler at the time, it doesn’t bode well that he abandoned Fillorians when under pressure.
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4 Quentin Coldwater
The Subpar King Who Loved Follow
Throughout The Magicians, Quentin Coldwater loved Fillory and even took on the title of King Quentin the Moderately Socially Maladjusted. He went out of his way to protect Fillorians from the Beast, which made him a decent ruler. However, he didn’t always put the kingdom first, abandoning them after Alice died. He didn’t prioritize Fillory when he was trying to help Julia, harming Fillory with his complacency. Later, he put forth the effort to turn back on magic, which helped Fillory. However, his motive seemed to be getting magic back for himself and the others at Brakebills.
Eventually, he redeemed himself as a ruler of Fillory by taking on the responsibility of caring for the Monster so that they wouldn’t kill others or destroy Fillory out of rage. He understood the danger that the Monster caused to both Earth and Fillory. Finally, Quentin sacrificed himself in The Magicians season 4, saving both worlds.
3 Eliot Waugh
The King of Fillory Who Gets Dethroned By His Best Friend
In The Magicians, Eliot was a great ruler of Fillory even though he didn’t choose the role. He fought to protect his kingdom from the Lorians, putting his life on the line. When the magic went out, he got past his trauma in order to help fertilize the crops, feeding the Fillorians. Despite hating them, he found a way to handle the fairies because, otherwise, they’d put Fillory in danger. The only time that Eliot faltered as a ruler was when he was campaigning against Tick. He fell into the trap of caring about politics instead of the Fillorians.
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2 Fen
A Good Fillorian Ruler With A Heart Of Gold
While she started out as the wife of High King Eliot, Fen became a better ruler than almost everyone else, only taking second place to Margo. She started out soft-spoken but grew into her role, ensuring the well-being of Fillorians. One moment that exemplified her strength was when she allowed the fairies to be a part of her kingdom – even though she hated them. The primary reason why Fen was such a good ruler for Fillory was thanks to the fact that she grew up there, allowing her to understand the wants and needs of the Fillorian people.
1 Margo Hanson
The Mean Girl Turned High King of Fillory
In addition to Margo having the best quotes in The Magicians, she is hands down the best ruler of Fillory. When she’s the High Queen of Fillory, she’s often the person assisting Eliot with making massive decisions. She makes a deal with the fairies to get magic back for Fillory. While this backfires, she goes into the situation thinking it will only do good for her people. Unlike Eliot, she doesn’t get caught up in the politics of her position, caring more about listening to her constituents.
Because of her willingness to engage with the Fillorians, they elect her High King Of Fillory instead of Eliot or Tick. During her reign, she makes demands when necessary but typically maintains a diplomatic demeanor. Additionally, she refuses to abuse her position of power, standing up for the Muntjac when a pirate’s boat wanted to rape her. Margo does such a phenomenal job as leader that Fen appoints her High King of New Fillory in The Magicians’ ending.
The Magicians
- Release Date
- December 16, 2015
- Cast
- Olivia Taylor Dudley , Arjun Gupta , Jade Tailor , Stella Maeve , Summer Bishil , Jason Ralph , Hale Appleman
- Seasons
- 5
- Story By
- john mcnamara
- Writers
- John McNamara
- Network
- NBC , SyFy
- Streaming Service(s)
- Amazon Prime Video , Netflix , Apple TV+
- Directors
- Sera Gamble
- Showrunner
- Sera Gamble
