Lord Ballister Blackheart

'' "Someone I love is going to try and kill [Nimona]. And she's going to kill him. And - and I'm the only one who MIGHT be able to stop them from killing each other..." - Lord Ballister Blackheart ''

Introduction
Lord Ballister Blackheart is the villain of the kingdom, and works against the Institute of Law Enforcement and Heroics and Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin, the kingdom's saviour. When Ballister took on Nimona as his sidekick, his entire world changed.

Appearance
Ballister is tall and thin, with short, black hair, and a thin beard. After Ambrosius shot Ballister's right arm off during their joust, it was replaced with a mechanical prosthetic. He often wears full armor and a red cape. When Ballister was younger, he was clean-shaven.

Personality
As a child, Ballister appeared to enjoy reading. He helped fend of bullies who mocked Ambrosius, and even went so far as to give Ambrosius some of of Ballister's toys and food in order to make Ambrosius have a good Christmas.

The final joust with Ambrosius made Ballister cynical and vengeful, and he spent his life seeking the Institution's downfall, and potentially to kill Ambrosius. Nonetheless, he cares deeply for his friends, and would do whatever it takes to help them.

Ballister is smart and has a tactical mind, though his plans are often more elaborate than functional. He doesn't believe in killing bystanders, or even enemy guards. He enjoys learning about science in all its forms, though he also likes spending time with Nimona.

Life
Ballister was raised in the Institution orphanage, alongside Ambrosius and other children. He and Ambrosius were friends and dating for some time, and became "heroes in training" at one point, where they "were the two most promising heroes the Institution had ever seen." At their last joust, where they dueled each other, Ballister knocked Ambrosius off his horse, and Ambrosius shot Ballister's arm off with a weaponized lance, seemingly in revenge, though he claimed it was an accident at the time. According to Ballister, the Institution had no use for a hero with only one arm, so he became a villain. Ballister seemingly promised to kill Ambrosius one day, and they began their careers as nemeses, where Ambrosius always foiled Ballister's plans.

When Nimona appeared in Ballister's laboratory, he was suspicious of her, and unwilling to accept her as his new sidekick until she demonstrated that she was a shapeshifter. Together they worked on a new plan, though they disagreed with the execution, and Ballister told Nimona his backstory with the Institution and Ambrosius.

Together, the duo broke into one of the Institution's laboratories, but were quickly discovered by Ambrosius. Both sides insulted each other, and Nimona began murdering guards before disappearing deeper into the facility. Ambrosius held Ballister back during a playful swordfight, until the self-destruct sequence was activated, and Ambrosius pulled Ballister out of the facility with him.

Ballister believed Nimona was dead. When he received a call from the Director, he asked to know about survivors. He was shocked when the Dictor transformed into a shark, revealing it was Nimona in disguise, and asked her to return to his fortress.

Skills
Ballister has strong combat skills with a sword, guns, and in unarmed combat. He's also incredibly intelligent, and enjoys learning and experimenting with different science-y things.

Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin
Ambrosius' love interest. They grew up together in the orphanage at the Institution, where they were close friends and secret(ish) boyfriends. They were both promising knights before the joust where, according to Ambrosius, the Institution supplied him with a weaponized lance. The new lance's balance threw Ambrosius off, and when Ballister appeared to win, Ambrosius, angered over losing, fired the lance, severing Ballister's right arm. They then became nemeses, with Ambrosius often foiling Ballister's plans against the Institution, and Blackheart seething over Ambrosius' betrayal. The Director used their relationship and Ambrosius' continued affection for Ballister to make Ambrosius toe the line. When Ambrosius was demoted and had to watch the Institution torture Ballister to make Nimona comply, Ambrosius fought the other guards, and helped Ballister escape. Ballister also worked hard to ensure Ambrosius survived fighting Nimona, even seemingly valuing Ambrosius' life more than Nimona's, or at least equally. In the epilogue, they appear to be close again, and perhaps in a relationship once more.

The Director
Ballister and the Director appear to dislike each other. The Director is the personification of the Institution, and everything that screwed with his life. The Director seems to see him as an obstacle in the way of the Institution's plans, and later as a tool to get Nimona to comply with the Institution's plans. The Director also disapproved of Ballister's more than platonic relationship with Ambrosius.

Dr. Meredith Blitzmeyer
Ballister and Dr. Blitzmeyer bonded over their love of science at the Science Expo. Ballister reached out to her twice for help, and a third time when he was at the hospital, since she's one of his only friends. Dr. Blitzmeyer was routinely supportive, and even forgave him for destroying her life's work. They seemingly ended up partnering in a new business together during the Epilogue.

Nimona
Ballister was initially impressed by Nimona's shapeshifting, and quickly came around to her ideas for battle plans, though he found her methods too dangerous and risky in terms of causing casualties and even deaths. The two grew close, though there was a tension between them over how Nimona hid or lied about her past, and how Nimona feared and awaited the day Ballister would turn on her, as others had. Ballister still tried his hardest to save her in the end, though he somewhat betrayed her by using the special device to dampen her powers, causing her to become even more enraged. In the end, he still insisted she wasn't a monster and he felt bad for killing his friend, and the last time they waved to each other was soft and hopeful.

Quotations

 * "As I said, Nimona, I go by the rules. Not their rules. Mine."
 * "Wait! NImona is still in there!"
 * "...No. I can still save her. I can save them all."

Trivia

 * Ballister is a little older than Ambrosius.
 * Riz Ahmed was slated to voice Ballister in the cancelled animated film.