| “ | Our children may share our blood, but they aren't us. They're essentially strangers. It is impossible to understand strangers. In the end… people will never truly be sympathetic with each other. | ” |
Donovan Desmond (ドノバン・デズモンド, Donoban Dezumondo?) is the chairman of the National Unity Party of Ostania and Twilight's target for his current mission. He is the main antagonist of the SPY x FAMILY series.
Appearance[]
Donovan is a gaunt man with light skin and wide, sunken eyes, seemingly always open so that they appear nearly perfectly circular, with extremely shrunken pupils and a complete lack of irises. His hair is black and combed back, appearing to be closely shaved on the sides of his head, with a lock of gray-white hair on his left. He has a noticeable mustache and a lack of eyebrows. There is a line of scars on the sides of his head. Donovan's ears are also pierced. The only time he is seen surrounded by people, his stature is revealed to be quite shorter than that of the adult men around him.
Donovan's attire consists of a tan, brown suit with a black tie that is held together using a brooch with a golden star-shaped symbol.
When Donovan was a middle school student at Eden Academy, he had a disconnected bowl cut. Compared to his current appearance, the younger Donovan appeared more bright-eyed.[2] In past photographs and memories, it is shown that Donovan had more hair than he does now, especially on the sides of his head, and had a few loose curls hanging from his hairline.
Personality[]
Donovan with his bodyguards
Donovan is a recluse and extremely suspicious of others, and he has been described as inscrutable by Loid upon their first meeting. Since losing power as the Prime Minister of Ostania, Donovan is very cautious and rarely makes public appearances, but regularly attends social gatherings at Eden Academy for his elder son, Demetrius. On these outings, Donovan travels with a large security team, with four core men surrounding him at all times. Donovan appears to keep a distance from others, especially strangers, as when Loid insists on going to his manor to make a proper apology, Donovan twice rejects him cordially, hinting to the man to back off.
As the patriarch of the Desmonds, Donovan seems to place great importance on their family name, something he urges his younger son, Damian, not to sully. Mysteriously, despite his emphasis, he was not offended but rather indifferent to the fact that Anya hit Damian, and even when Loid apologized for the event, he easily accepted it as a childish spat and forgave it.[3] In his younger years, he bluntly told his recently disgraced teacher Henry Henderson that he thought him to be a fool and said that "one shouldn't expect anything of those who, in their foolishness, have disappointed you once already."[2]
Donovan's long and exasperated sigh
He also appears to place importance on achievements, as he is negligent toward the less successful Damian, which motivates the boy to seek out any successes he can to get his father's attention. He shows further indifference when Damian tries to question him for dismissing Anya's punching of him by simply letting out a long and audible sigh until Damian lets it go. Later in their conversation, when Damian tells Donovan about his recent achievements at school, the man barely reacts and simply tells his son "Good for you."
During his school years, Donovan talked about his desire for peace like anyone else but had a firm belief that humans are liars who will never be free of war.[2] Years later, during his conversation with Loid, Donovan shares his belief that people can never truly sympathize with each other, even to the point of thinking of his own children as strangers. Loid alludes that this may be why he seeks to cause war, in order to control others through military force.[4]
Donovan conversing with Loid about Damian
While Donovan is a closed-off individual, he appears to make exceptions and other mysterious actions. Despite his busy schedule, Donovan agrees to meet with Damian after the Imperial Scholars mixer, which Loid suggests was his attempt to understand his estranged son better, though Donovan later tells Damian that it was just on a whim. He also does not appear to worry when talking to Loid, the father of his son's attacker and who is described by the boy as a "peasant," as he allows him a chance to speak with him, showing that he does not seem to care too much about his interlocutor's status. However, shortly after they parted ways, the two men quietly glared at each other before moving on.
Relationships[]
Damian Desmond[]
Donovan tells his son not to besmirch their family name
Despite his distant relationship with his second son, Donovan agrees to meet with Damian after the Imperial Scholars mixer for unknown reasons, only claiming it to be on a whim when asked. However, during this meeting, Damian is shocked that Donovan simply brushed aside the fact that his own son was hit. When he tries to express his frustrations, Donovan lets out a long sigh until he backs off, which he smiles to.
While talking to Loid, Donovan says in front of Damian that his children are strangers who are difficult to understand. After Donovan wraps up his conversation with Loid, he asks Damian what he wants from their meeting, then starts walking away when the boy appears to have nothing to say. After Damian tells Donovan of his achievements, he praises Damian, albeit in a disinterested manner, before telling him not to besmirch their family name.
Demetrius Desmond[]
Donovan with a young Demetrius in their past
Little is known about their relationship, but it seems that Donovan appears to spend more time with his elder son because he is an outstanding student and an Imperial Scholar, as well as a worthy representative of the family, though the boy is aware that Donovan is a very busy man. When Demetrius was little, he and his son were very close. Donovan hardly left Demetrius's side and watched him study, but later they emotionally distanced themselves from each other for unknown reasons.
It can be assumed that in the past, he (and his wife) came to Demetrius's orientation when he first entered the Academy and were in a group photo, which was not done for Damian, which perhaps indicates some of Donovan's favoritism for his elder son.
Melinda Desmond[]
Based on Loid's observations, Melinda appears to have an estranged relationship with Donovan, to the point of Melinda having her own residence. Seeing her reaction to Damian's mention of him, it seems that Melinda has a low opinion of Donovan, as her demeanor quickly fell, and she referred to Donovan as "that man."
Loid Forger[]
Donovan and Loid's parting glances
Donovan meets Loid for the first time during Damian's first year seeing the Imperial Scholars mixer, where Loid makes sure to create a situation that would force the two to meet. During their conversation, Donovan is seen as polite and amicable with Loid. While he states that people will never be able to sympathize with another, he agrees with Loid's point of never stopping to try to get close and understand them. Before he leaves, Donovan says that despite their conversation being very short, it was pleasant and that he enjoyed it, and he tells Loid he finds him a very interesting man. After Loid leaves, the men exchange quiet glares at each other.[1]
At the moment, there is no clear certainty that Donovan is unaware that Loid is actually a spy from WISE after their only meeting.[5]
Henry Henderson[]
Donovan is a former student of Henry during his time at Eden Academy. He respected his teacher, though he disapproved of the circumstances of Henry's arrest, calling him a fool that people would not expect much of. Despite his blank expression and mysterious behavior, Donovan earnestly enjoyed Henry's lectures, even telling the teacher as much.[2]
Chapter Appearances[]
| Mission 1 | Pictured |
| Mission 2 | Absent |
| Mission 3 | Absent |
| Mission 4 | Absent |
| Mission 5 | Mentioned |
| Mission 6 | Absent |
| Mission 7 | Mentioned |
| Mission 8 | Mentioned |
| Mission 9 | Mentioned |
| Mission 10 | Mentioned |
| Mission 15 | Mentioned |
| Mission 16 | Absent |
| Mission 17 | Fantasy |
| Mission 24 | Absent |
| Mission 25 | Fantasy |
| Mission 26 | Mentioned |
| Mission 27 | Mentioned |
| Mission 28 | Mentioned |
| Mission 29 | Mentioned |
| Mission 30 | Pictured |
| Mission 31 | Absent |
| Mission 32 | Absent |
| Mission 33 | Absent |
| Mission 34 | Absent |
| Mission 35 | Absent |
| Mission 36 | Absent |
| Mission 37 | Debut |
| Mission 38 | Appears |
| Mission 39 | Mentioned |
| Mission 40 | Absent |
| Mission 41 | Absent |
| Mission 42 | Absent |
| Mission 58 | Absent |
| Mission 59 | Absent |
| Mission 60 | Absent |
| Mission 61 | Mentioned |
| Mission 62 | Absent |
| Mission 63 | Absent |
| Mission 64 | Pictured |
| Mission 65 | Absent |
| Mission 66 | Mentioned |
| Mission 67 | Absent |
| Mission 68 | Absent |
| Mission 69 | Mentioned |
| Mission 70 | Mentioned |
| Mission 71 | Mentioned |
| Mission 72 | Mentioned |
| Mission 73 | Absent |
| Mission 74 | Fantasy |
| Mission 75 | Mentioned |
| Mission 76 | Fantasy |
| Mission 77 | Absent |
| Mission 78 | Mentioned |
| Mission 79 | Absent |
| Mission 80 | Absent |
| Mission 81 | Mentioned |
| Mission 82 | Absent |
| Mission 83 | Absent |
| Mission 84 | Absent |
| Mission 85 | Absent |
| Mission 86 | Absent |
| Mission 87 | Absent |
| Mission 88 | Absent |
| Mission 89 | Absent |
| Mission 90 | Absent |
| Mission 91 | Mentioned |
| Mission 92 | Absent |
| Mission 93 | Flashback |
| Mission 94 | Absent |
| Mission 95 | Mentioned |
| Mission 96 | Mentioned |
| Mission 97 | Absent |
| Mission 98 | Absent |
| Mission 99 | Appears |
| Mission 100 | Absent |
| Mission 101 | Absent |
| Mission 102 | Absent |
| Short Mission 1 | Absent |
| Short Mission 2 | Absent |
| Short Mission 3 | Absent |
| Short Mission 4 | Absent |
| Short Mission 5 | Mentioned |
| Short Mission 6 | Absent |
| Short Mission 7 | Absent |
| Short Mission 8 | Absent |
| Short Mission 9 | Absent |
| Short Mission 10 | Absent |
| Short Mission 11 | Absent |
| Short Mission 12 | Absent |
| Short Mission 13 | Absent |
Anime Appearances[]
| 26. FOLLOW PAPA AND MAMA | Absent |
| 27. BOND'S STRATEGY TO STAY ALIVE / DAMIAN'S FIELD RESEARCH TRIP | Flashback |
| 28. MISSION AND FAMILY / THE ELEGANT BONDMAN / THE HEART OF A CHILD / WAKING UP | Absent |
| 29. THE PASTRY OF KNOWLEDGE / THE INFORMANT'S GREAT ROMANCE PLAN Ⅱ | Absent |
| 30. PLAN TO CROSS THE BORDER | Absent |
| 31. THE FEARSOME LUXURY CRUISE SHIP | Absent |
| 32. WHO IS THIS MISSION FOR? | Absent |
| 33. THE SYMPHONY UPON THE SHIP / SIS'S HERB TEA | Absent |
| 34. THE HAND THAT CONNECTS TO THE FUTURE | Absent |
| 35. ENJOY THE RESORT TO THE FULLEST / BRAGGING ABOUT VACATION | Absent |
| 36. BERLINT IN LOVE / NIGHTFALL'S DAILY LIFE | Absent |
| 37. PART OF THE FAMILY | Absent |
Trivia[]
- Operation Strix (Loid's main mission), the purpose of which it is named after Donovan and has a double meaning:
- Strix is a genus of owl that seems to be a reference to Donovan's unique bulging eyes.[6]
- Strix is also a mythical creature that feeds on flesh and blood, which is a reference to the intentions of Donovan and his party to foment a war between two states, which will cause many people to die again.
Quotes[]
- (On the topic: "Can we ever free ourselves of war?"): "We will never be free of war. History is clear proof of that. But what if we purged all weapons from the world? Even then, no. Because in the end... human beings are simply liars. We'd ask, 'What if other nations have kept some weapons in secret?' And so long as that doubt persisted, history would be doomed to repeat itself. We can never know the true intentions of others. Because we ourselves are hiding our true intentions. Of course, I desire peace as much as anyone. And I know that solving differences with dialogue instead of weapons is ideal. But warring like this is the best we humans are capable of. Even if there were resources left over... even if there were governmental reform or a technological innovation, I can't imagine an end to war."[7]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 38, and Episode 25.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 99.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 38 (pp. 5-7), and Episode 25.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 38 (pp. 11-12), and Episode 25.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 66.
- ↑ Strix Etymology
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 99 (pp. 14-15).