What happened to Scott Speedman's character Michael Corvin in the Underworld franchise? The first Underworld had the simple but effective pitch of vampires versus werewolves, with a dash of romance thrown in. The first movie was also heavily inspired by The Matrix, as can be seen with the heavy use of slow-motion during its action sequences and lots of leather. While it didn't receive the most positive reviews, the movie was a solid hit and helped make Kate Beckinsale a certified action movie star.
It wasn't long until the sequel Underworld: Evolution arrived, which pit Death Dealer Selene (Beckinsale) and her lover Michael against the originators of the vampire and werewolf races. The franchise moved forward after with a prequel Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans, which saw Michael Sheen reprise his role from the first movie and revealed how the vampire/werewolf conflict kicked off. Outside of archive footage, Beckinsale wasn't involved. She did return for 2012's Underworld: Awakening and 2017's Underworld: Blood Wars to continue Selene's journey.
As the Underworld franchise continued, though, it was noticeably without Scott Speedman. The Felicity actor played a prominent role in the first two movies, and it was expected that Michael Corvin would stay by Selene's side as their war progressed. This couldn't be further from reality, though, as future Underworld movies didn't bring Michael back — even though Underworld: Evolution wasn't the last time Michael was seen. Here's what happened to Scott Speedman's Underworld character.
What Happened To Michael Corvin In Underworld
The first two Underworld movies focused on the romance between Selene and Michael, with the latter revealed to be the first hybrid of vampire and werewolf. Underworld: Awakening was something of a soft reboot for the Underworld movie series, taking place after humanity has learned of the existence of vampires and werewolves and all but wiped them out. Selene was frozen for 12 years by a biotech company, and she awakens to find she and Michael have a daughter named Eve, who is a vampire/werewolf/immortal hybrid.
While Michael does briefly appear in Underworld: Awakening, he's not played by Scott Speedman. Series creator Len Wiseman later explained that after focusing on the Selene/Michael dynamic in the first two movies, part 4 was intended to revolve around Selene and her hybrid daughter. Underworld's Michael Corvin is thus played by a stand-in with Speedman's likeness CGI-ed on top, who is repeatedly shot by police before being captured and frozen. Selene later finds Michael's frozen body and tries to release him, but after she defeats Stephen Rea's main villain, she comes back to learn he's broken free and has run off on his own.
Why Scott Speedman Didn't Appear In Underworld: Blood Wars
Michael's role in Underworld: Awakening left the door open for him to return as a main character, but the fifth movie Underworld: Blood Wars slammed that shut. The film involves yet another battle between vampires and werewolves, with both Michael and Eve missing. In the finale, Selene is battling new Lycan villain Marius (Tobias Menzies), when she gets a drop of his blood in her mouth. This triggers his blood memories, which includes him tracking down Michael — played again by a stand-in — stringing him up and slitting his throat to drain him of his blood, which helps Marius transform into a powerful hybrid creature.
It's unknown if Scott Speedman was approached for Underworld: Blood Wars and turned it down, or if producers decided the character had run his course. Speedman hasn't addressed his Underworld exit in the years since he last appeared, and franchise overseer Len Wiseman has also not acknowledged the actor's absence. Either way, the franchise gave Michael a rather blunt ending that somewhat undermines his status as one of the most powerful creatures within the world of the franchise. That said, Michael Corvin did previously overcome a slight case of death in Evolution, so it's not impossible he survived. In order for that to happen, though, the Underworld franchise will have to continue past Underworld: Blood Wars.
Is Michael Coming Back To Underworld
Creative writing could bring Scott Speedman's Michael Corvin back to the Underworld franchise in the future. Since the series deals with vampires, werewolves, and other aspects of the supernatural, there are endless possible ways to cheat death. This would be trickier to accomplish with Michael based on how he died in Underworld: Blood Wars, but it's not impossible. Reversing his death wouldn't even be necessary to bring Scott Speedman back. A possible Underworld 6 could include flashbacks to Selene's past as part of the narrative. This would allow him to return in some fashion and dive deeper into what happened to Michael in the Underworld franchise.
However, with Kate Beckinsale seemingly uninterested in more Underworld sequels, the series is more likely to reboot than continue on from the story set up in Blood Wars. If a reboot happens, that should officially be the final straw for Michael. It has been half a decade since the last installment came out, though, and there are no official plans for a reboot. Kate Beckinsale might continue to doubt that Underworld 6 will happen, but Sony isn't likely to easily throw away a franchise that made more than $500 million across five lower-budget movies. At this point, it's even possible that another Lycan spinoff could be made that puts Scott Speedman in a starring role.