Simon Belmont (Lords of Shadow)

Simon Belmont is one of the protagonists of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate. He is the son of Trevor and Sypha Belmont. Following the death of his parents, Simon decides to destroy the evil Dracula once and for all.

Appearance
In comparison with his father Trevor Belmont, Simon appears more barbaric. He wears leather gloves, a fur cloak, is bare-chested, has a thick beard and carries a leather whip, named the Beast Killer, rather than the Combat Cross. He attains the Combat Cross later. The reason for this difference is because Simon was raised by Mountain People (under watch of the Brotherhood of Light ), while Trevor was raised by the Brotherhood. In addition to his "barbaric" attire, Simon seems to be wearing a wooden face on his torso similar to one worn by Baba Yaga (But, they don't have connection ). He wields a leather whip and uses some of the sub-weapons that he used in past games. Unlike in previous games, he is also able to call upon mystical guardians.

Personality
Simon is a gruff man given over to fits of anger, as evidenced when he almost smashed the mirror pendant when the Lost Soul failed to speak to him and refused to show him anything. His gruff and and straightforward method of dealing with problems can be a concern at times, but otherwise does not impede his ability to rampage through Dracula's castle with abandon.

Unlike the usual stereotypical protagonist, Simon prefers not to concern himself with anything outside of his primary goal. This is the sole reason he neglected to finish off the Night Watchman after defeating him, leaving Alucard to deal with the Reaver he would later become. Another example of his straightforward personality is shown when he finds the relic holding the Spirit of Belnades; giving it a single glance he tosses it over his shoulder with a grunt of disinterest, unintentionally freeing the spirit in the process.

While his straightforward manner of dealing with problems, and his unrelenting iron focus on the matter of Dracula's defeat help him overcome most of the creatures in the castle, in truth, Simon proves to be no match for Dracula himself, something that is mentioned by Alucard and later by Dracula. In fact, only by teaming up with Alucard was Simon able to land the finishing blow to Dracula at all, as neither Belmont would have been able to defeat him otherwise.

Early Life
Born in 1067, Simon is the son of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belmont. At the age of six, his parents were murdered by the forces of Dracula, Sypha to a pack of lycans and Trevor against Dracula in single combat. Simon was lucky to escape with his own life. Lost and alone, he was found in the forest by some of the mountain people, taken in and raised amongst them. Howewer he never forgot what had happened to his parents and vowed to deliver vengeance one day upon those responsible. He trained hard and was extremely gifted in combat, yet life was hard for young Simon growing up. Always an outcast amongst the tribe, he developed a strong will and stubborn attitude that would always boil over into rage, and men soon came to fear him and his prowess in the arts of war.

He fiercely protected a fragment of mirror given to him by his father and always wore it around his neck for safekeeping.

Events of Mirror of Fate (1103)
Many years passed, yet the rage and yearning for revenge never left his heart. So one day he left the relative safety of the mountains and headed towards the land of his birth, to seek out the one they call the Dragon, to meet him face to face, and destroy him forever, little knowing that the curse of his family name would lead him into darkness and a terrible truth.

Upon arriving at the castle gates, Simon encounters the Lost Soul, who shows him that Trevor's Combat Cross is still in the castle. After going through the caves and finding his mother's spirit, he battles the Night Watchman in the castle hall, and leaves him for dead.

While using an elevator near the castle kitchens, Simon sees a mysterious figure in flames, dropping from a tower and diving into the water below. Simon is then incapacitated by fleamen, but kills his foes easily. In a theater, Simon confronts a legion of Puppets, and Alucard helps him escape before disappearing without saying a word.

In the library, Simon finds a secret place and his father's weapon. A Necromancer steals the weapon, saying Zobek is looking for it, and confronts Simon. The warrior emerges victorious and get the weapon back.

Simon is later trapped into the Toy Maker's carousel, but Alucard appears once again to help him, swearing that Simon will not fight Dracula alone. The Dark Lord watches from above, unnoticed by the two warriors.

After climbing a tower, Simon breaks into the castle keep, but finds a paradise created by the Succubus. While he doesn't at first resist her, her soul drain forces him to realize it's a trap, and he battles the Succubus. upon her demise, her illusion fades and Dracula appears, sitting on his throne.

After a short dialogue, the two prepare to fight, but Alucard intervenes. The three battle, Simon and Alucard barely getting the upper hand in the fight with the Dark Lord. Simon is knocked unconscious in mid battle and then controlled by Dracula for a short bit off time, but Alucard frees him from the mind control by draining the black fog surrounding his form.

Once the two defeat Dracula, the vampire disappears, and Alucard notices his death is atypical for a vampire. Simon reluctantly gives his mirror fragment to the Lost Soul on the request of Alucard, who explains he will never be able to make a decision with the cursed artifact. Simon asks Alucard of his true identity, but the vampire doesn't answer and takes his leave.

Simon is last seen in the mountains, watching the castle collapse and saying farewell to Alucard, who is seen flying out of the destruction in bat form.

After the events of Mirror of Fate
After the events at Dracula's castle, Simon marries a woman named Selena. The couple continues the Belmont line. After the destruction of the Brotherhood of Light in its final battle against Dracula, the surviving members sought out Simon's descendents to act as their new leaders. These descendents would command what remained of the brotherhood, awaiting the Dracula's return.

Lords of Shadow 2
Simon is mentioned, and it is explained that he was found by the barbarians of the White Mountains who trained protected him. But the Brotherhood of Light maintained watch of him and prepared him for his encounter with Dracula.

It would seem that Simon's descendants continued to be members of the Brotherhood of Light as well, and later leaders of the Brotherhood of Light, leading up to Victor Belmont.

Abilities
Due to years of hunting and training in the mountains, Simon grew into a strong and capable warrior, able to tear weaker monsters apart with his bare hands and even pummel stronger beasts to death, such as when he overpowered the Night Watchmen, stealing his own weapon and beating him with it and the Necromancer, who he ripped apart. One evidence of Simon's great strength is the fact the he is able to snap Merman's necks and break Werewolves backs over his knee with relative ease.

Like his father and grandfather, Simon displays great combat prowess, first with his Beast Hunter whip and later with his father's Combat Cross, using both weapons with great skill, though due to the fact he needed Alucard's aid to defeat Dracula, Simon may not be as skilled as his progenitors.

Simon has some magical abilities due his tie to the Belnades blood line. Although Simon doesn't carry a magical madalllion and isn't trained in Combat Focus he is still able to absorb magic into his body. Simon is able to manifest the Spirits of Belnades and Schneider from his body after he finds their spirits. Though the Spirits use magic and Simon is able to call on them for defensive and offensive aid, they draw on Simon's magical reserves simply to remain summoned and can be stolen from him as evidenced when the Necromancer ripped his mother's spirit from his body.

Trivia

 * The Simon Belmont featured in Mirror of Fate differs in appearance from the original concept of Simon from Lords of Shadow, as seen here.
 * The original pitch for Lords of Shadow was a remaking of the original Castlevania and MercurySteam had intended to have Simon as the protagonist before they were given free reign to make their own story.
 * In the trailer, Simon had stated that his father had given him a piece of mirror when he was a young boy that is said to come from a magical mirror, later revealed to be the self-same mirror the game is named for.
 * It seems that in this continuity, Simon rather than Trevor is the first, and so far only, Belmont to ever defeat Dracula, if only temporarily.
 * For unknown reasons, Dracula was deliberately holding back during his fight with Alucard and Simon, it is entirely possible, given the trap he had laid for Simon through the Succubus, that he had intended to turn Simon rather than outright kill him.