Zovaal

The Jailer, whose true name is Zovaal, is an Eternal One who is imprisoned in and rules over the Maw in the Shadowlands. Very little is known about him, since nothing has ever escaped the Maw, and no one has ever seen the Jailer himself—or lived to tell the tale. Ruling from Torghast, Tower of the Damned, the Jailer is the singular and absolute master of the Maw: the realm continually alters and changes itself to his whims, and he observes all actions of note within the Maw through his magical eye. The damned souls who arrive in the realm are tortured and twisted by the Jailer until they willingly serve him for eternity as his Mawsworn soldiers.

The Jailer is the main antagonist and final boss of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands.

Ancient times
The Jailer is an evil older than reality itself. Ages ago, each of the Eternal Ones was given a sigil symbolizing their covenant's purpose. Zovaal saw these sigils as keys to forbidden knowledge and tried to claim them by force, but his siblings—led by the Primus—managed to defeat him. As punishment, Zovaal was bound within the inescapable Maw through the use of Domination magic to be forevermore its Jailer. The magic within the Heart of the Forest in Ardenweald was used to keep the Maw inescapable and ensure that he would remain bound forever.

Unbeknownst to the other Eternal Ones, Zovaal did not act alone in his original betrayal; he had a group of like-minded allies who continued acting on his behalf after his imprisonment and have influenced various events on the mortal plane throughout history. The Eternal One Denathrius, ruler of Revendreth, willingly gave his sigil to the Jailer at some point. Another ally was the loa Mueh'zala, who made a pact with the titanic keeper Odyn, claiming one of his eyes in exchange for giving him the ability to gaze into the Shadowlands. This led to Odyn creating the Val'kyr as an imitation of the Shadowlands' kyrian. The Jailer subsequently twisted Odyn's eye into the Eye of the Jailer, an instrument allowing him to see all that transpires within the Maw, and possibly other realms as well. At some point, Mueh'zala also brought the first Val'kyr Helya to the Jailer's side.

Over his eons of imprisonment, the Jailer found a way to weaponize the power of Domination and use it against his enemies. At some point, the Primus of Maldraxxus noticed that the Jailer's influence was seeping outside of the Maw and left Maldraxxus to investigate the matter. His suspicions ultimately proved true and the Jailer, having forged his chains into a weapon, brought about the Primus' defeat. However, his sigil was unclaimed as it was sealed in Korthia using the magic of memory, a magic even Zovaal could not wield.

Recent history
Sometime after defeating the Primus, the Jailer turned him into the Runecarver and imprisoned him within Torghast, Tower of the Damned, where he extracted his designs to use for the Mawsworn army, including designs for the mourneblade Frostmourne and the Helm of Domination. The Jailer intended for these "vessels of Domination" to be a way of establishing his influence on the world of Azeroth  so that he could claim his final prize, "the secret that the First Ones sought to hide."

Frostmourne and the helm were obtained by the nathrezim of the Burning Legion, who used the helm to imprison the spirit of Ner'zhul and transform him into the Lich King. Instead of heralding the Jailer's coming as he had planned, however, Ner'zhul and his successors Arthas Menethil and Bolvar Fordragon defied the Jailer's will. During his time as the Lich King, Bolvar could sense the Jailer's presence at the edge of his consciousness and realized that Zovaal was the helm's true master.

Sylvanas Windrunner allied with the Jailer after her suicide at Icecrown Citadel. He sent a group of Val'kyr to make a pact with her and allow her to return to the world of the living, so that she could ultimately claim the Helm of Domination from the "false king" Bolvar. Sylvanas and the Jailer have been working toward a common end ever since.

At some point during the Burning Legion's third invasion of Azeroth, the Arbiter fell dormant and all souls entering the Shadowlands began funneling into the Maw instead of being sorted to their just afterlives, thereby depriving the other realms of anima and threatening to make the Jailer strong enough to break free from the Maw. In the world of the living, Mueh'zala whispered to Vol'jin on his deathbed to convince him to name Sylvanas the new Warchief of the Horde. Sylvanas subsequently began bringing about great amounts of death and destruction on Azeroth, thereby feeding the Maw with even more new souls and causing both her and the Jailer to grow more powerful.

Shadowlands
With his bindings broken, the Jailer intends to "reclaim what is his". He also has his sights set on the soul of Azeroth. Should the Jailer break free from the Maw, all of reality will be unmade. According to Tal-Inara, the Jailer is said to be filled with hatred for the Arbiter, and if he struck her down, it would mean the end of everything the First Ones made. Prince Renathal believes that if the Jailer escapes, all the realms of Death will fall. Similarly, Lady Moonberry is of the belief that a freed Jailer would plunge all of the realms of the Shadowlands into inescapable, crushing despair. A warning left by the Primus before his disappearance states that Zovaal must not reach "the sepulcher" and that if the Arbiter is not protected, all will be lost. Meanwhile, Sire Denathrius and Herald Dalora believed that the Jailer will bring a torrent of change that will leave Death, and those who shaped its victory, as the only powers remaining. In a private conversation with Anduin Wrynn, Sylvanas claimed that the Jailer will shatter the system of Death and forge it anew, with everyone truly having free will. Devos of the Forsworn believed that the Eternal Ones' imprisonment of Zovaal was a "great injustice" and that he "seeks to free us from the prison we have built for ourselves".

After Sylvanas destroyed the Helm of Domination and tore open a rift through the Veil separating the Shadowlands from the world of the living, the Jailer's Mawsworn kyrian kidnapped leaders of Azeroth's Alliance and Horde—Anduin Wrynn, Jaina Proudmoore, Thrall, and Baine Bloodhoof—and brought them to the Maw. The Jailer took a special interest in these four prisoners and personally oversaw their torture. According to Thrall, it sometimes felt as if the Jailer was testing them for some unknown purpose. The Jailer specifically wanted Anduin because his plan required a mortal with heroic personal qualities that would allow them to enter the realm of Bastion. The Knights of the Ebon Blade and the heroes of Azeroth soon ventured into the Maw to rescue the leaders and managed to meet up with Jaina, Thrall, and Anduin. The group was joined by Baine after the Jailer declared the tauren chieftain to be unworthy and threw him off a platform. The Azerothians subsequently fought their way to an Eroded Waystone of the First Ones in the hopes of using it to escape the Maw. The Jailer was stunned to see the waystone responding to the presence of Azeroth's champion and sent his Mawsworn army to stop them, but Anduin used the Light to hold off the attackers long enough for the champion to escape. The Jailer declared this to be "interesting", and when Anduin claimed that he had failed, the Jailer calmly responded "No... I have precisely what I need." The Jailer subsequently brought Anduin, Thrall, Jaina, and Baine into Torghast for further torture.

The adventurers, now called Maw Walkers, eventually breached the Seat of the Primus and discovered the Primus' warning. When Sylvanas informed the Jailer of this, he declared that while it was unfortunate, it was of little consequence, and that the nuisance would be dealt with. Not long after, Sire Denathrius revealed himself to be in league with the Jailer and channeled his immense amounts of hoarded anima into the Maw. Prince Renathal stated that the Jailer would surely use this power to shatter his bonds. The remaining Eternal Ones and covenant leaders subsequently decreed that each mortal had to choose a covenant so that the realms could regain their strength and once again stand together against the darkness. With the guidance of Bolvar—who used the shards of the Helm of Domination to peer into the tower—the Maw Walkers repeatedly ventured into Torghast to rescue their captured allies and take Baine, Jaina, and Thrall to the safety of Oribos. However, Bolvar's repeated gazing into the tower eventually allowed the Jailer to gaze back, and the heroes could not find any sign of Anduin, who had been taken deeper into the Torghast than the others. In a private conversation with Sylvanas, the Jailer proclaimed that they had to begin preparation of their new "weapon". Sylvanas convinced the Jailer to leave Anduin to her, arguing that bringing him around into believing in their cause would yield superior results.

Following the defeat and capture of Sire Denathrius, Sylvanas approached the Jailer—who was overseeing the creation of the new mourneblade Kingsmourne—and questioned him on their plans to recover Denathrius. In response, the Jailer merely declared that every soul had its purpose, and that Denathrius had fulfilled his. He then declared that it was time to forge their next weapon and reminded Sylvanas that they had come too far for her to falter. While Sylvanas took Kingsmourne to the captive Anduin and tried one last time to convince him to join their cause, the Jailer struck at Bolvar in Oribos through the Helm of Domination in an attempt to seize control of his mind. However, Jaina and the Maw Walker were able to sever the connection.

Chains of Domination


In the hopes of uncovering secrets of the First Ones and the key to fulfill his vision for the Shadowlands, the Jailer pulled a fragment of the long-lost realm of Korthia into the Maw. With Sylvanas having failed to convince Anduin, the king was forcibly turned into an unwilling vessel for the Jailer and was equipped with a suit of armor covered in Domination runes that suppressed him to the Jailer's will. The Jailer sent the king to Elysian Hold in Bastion to obtain the sigil of Kyrestia, the Archon of the kyrian. Kyrestia recognized the Jailer's presence in Anduin and demanded that the former release the king from his grasp. In response, the Jailer's voice spoke through Anduin to proclaim that "He is bound to me, just as you once sought to bind your own brother". Anduin then stabbed the Archon through the chest with Kingsmourne to extract her sigil before returning with it to Torghast. The Jailer remarked that Anduin had performed his part flawlessly and that three keys remained before "they" would see that "Death was never meant to be chained".

The Jailer's next target was the sigil of the Winter Queen. He sent his Mawsworn—led by Sylvanas herself—to invade Ardenweald, and the four covenants rushed to defend it. During the battle, Tyrande Whisperwind confronted Sylvanas and revealed that she had killed the latter's champion, Nathanos Blightcaller. Sylvanas was surprised by this, and Tyrande mockingly told her that the Jailer was intentionally keeping secrets from her. The covenants ultimately pushed the Mawsworn out of Ardenweald, but Anduin managed to breach the Heart of the Forest and steal the Winter Queen's sigil. Meanwhile, the Jailer's forces assaulted Oribos to claim yet another sigil, that of the Arbiter, but the covenants and the Knights of the Ebon Blade managed to hold off the attackers. Unwilling to wait for the Jailer to make his next move, the Maw Walkers led the covenant forces in storming into the Maw and Korthia in order to waylay their enemy's efforts. Notably, the Maw Walkers worked with Odyn's Val'kyr to defeat the Eye of the Jailer and force it to leave the Maw for the safety of Torghast.

After the Maw Walker restored the Runecarver's shattered memories and restoring to him his identity as the Primus, the Jailer and his Mawsworn attacked and successfully acquired the Primus' sigil. With four of the five sigils in his possession, the Jailer departed from his battle and turned his attention to claiming the Arbiter's sigil. Meanwhile, the Primus was of the opinion that Zovaal was a fool for letting them live, and that his desire to have everyone bend to his will shall be his undoing.

After Sylvanas was confronted in the Sanctum of Domination, Zovaal achieved his goal of claiming the Arbiter's sigil, which is revealed to have been what was stolen from him. As the sigil is removed from the Arbiter, Zovaal ascends, gaining a set of armour, with the chest piece being slightly reminiscent of Ardenweald and the Drust.

After his ascension, Zovaal opens a large portal of unknown yellow magic behind him, and binds Thrall, Bolvar, and Jaina, forcing them to kneel as he commands them to. Sylvanas shouts that the way is open, and they already have what they need. Zovaal mentions that he has endured the Makers' flawed design for too long, and will forge a new reality where all will serve him. As he says this, the voice of The Lich King and Arthas echo in Sylvanas' mind, as she aims an arrow towards Zovaal, which he catches and destroys without so much as laying an eye on Sylvanas.

Sylvanas proclaims that she will never serve, effectively turning against Zovaal. As payment for helping return Zovaal's sigil to him, he gives Sylvanas the remaining portion of her soul, which makes her collapse.

Notes and trivia

 * Despite fan speculation, the Jailer is intended to be a new character and is not someone that players have met before (such as Arthas, Argus or Helya). Steve Danuser has described him as an important part of the Warcraft cosmology.
 * Ion Hazzikostas has described the Jailer as a "titan-level" or "titan plus plus level" antagonist.
 * Hazzikostas also described him as one of the "lords of death" in the BlizzCon 2019 What's Next panel.
 * Five large pillars can be seen floating around the Crucible in Oribos. Four are used by the covenant leaders during The Looming Dark, but the fifth—which is located directly opposite of the Arbiter and has a noticeably damaged appearance—remains unoccupied. This fifth pillar apparently belonged to Zovaal before his banishment, as shown by the covenant leaders directing their gazes at it while discussing him in Voices of the Eternal.
 * The Jailer was first seen in the Shadowlands reveal trailer at BlizzCon 2019, in which only a silhouette of his body is shown. In late November 2019, an alleged piece of concept art of the Jailer where his design matches the one in the trailer was shared by the YouTuber Pyromancer, who had been sent an image of the concept after it was posted on Twitter. The Jailer's in-game model, however, looks drastically different from both of these depictions, notably lacking the hair and armor he was originally depicted with. When asked about this in April 2020, Ion Hazzikostas stated that the difference in design between the original trailer and his in-game model was not because of any story reasons but simply because Blizzard had not finalized the Jailer's design by the time the trailer was released at BlizzCon.
 * The Jailer is voiced by Edward Bosco.

Inspirations

 * The Jailer can be seen as a composite of various mythological antagonists from various cultures and religions.
 * As both prisoner and ruler of the Maw, the Jailer shares similarities with some Christian depictions of Satan, notably depicted in 's  given the cold/ice motifs, and his overlording of the Maw, which draws similarities to the popularized conceptualization of hell, and the fact he was banished for seeking forbidden knowledge, similar to the myths of the.
 * Other Abrahamic motifs can be seen in both the winged Mawsworn (i.e. s of Christian Satan) and in the aesthetics of the shades in the Maw as spirits seemingly composed of ash and fire (i.e.  of Islamic Satan).
 * Given his pulling of Korthia into the Maw (from the Mesopotamian underworld called Kur), and the fact he wasn't always in the Maw, may have been another source of inspiration.
 * The way the Jailer's created the Lich King (likely inspired by a combination of Warhammaer's Arkhan the Black the Liche King and Tolkien's the Witch-King of Angmar who ruled the ) gestures to his being inspired by.
 * Zovaal's name may be derived from either or both Bulgarian зова (zova, derivative words meaning to summon/to name), Bulgarian зобам (zobam, to devour), Polish zobaczyć (to see).