Portrayed by: Calahan Skogman
Book | Show: Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom, and Netflix’s Shadow and Bone
Matthias Helvar is the kind of character you hope that real-world shitty people could be more like. He’s conditioned to believe one thing and fully fights with it, but through communication and love, he realizes that he’s in the wrong and chooses to grow. As a Fjerdan, the last thing he should’ve done was fall in love with a Grisha woman, but that didn’t stop him from giving all he was to protect Nina Zenik. His story should’ve never ended the way it does, but too often, people believe that the ultimate character redemption equates to death. None of the Crows should’ve died. Period.
Matthias Helvar is a complex, well-written character haunted by guilt and unwavering loyalty. The show’s unfortunate cancellation doesn’t let us see what the Six of Crows duology does, but it gives us more of his origin—it shows us the beginning stages of his relationship with Nina, which in turn acts as the catalyst to helping him grow.
Matthias Helvar and the Search for Something Bigger
Like each of the Crows in their unique way, Matthias is a man on his own path. He’s alone and doesn’t fit in. He places his loyalty in the wrong hands for reasons that ultimately focus on wanting somewhere to belong. Whether it’s the Drüskelle or the Crows, much of his character arc is about committing to something bigger than himself.
His home life is unclear, but the life of a soldier is anything but grand, either. It’s messy and it’s ugly, and it forces him into doing things that he hates. The same can be said about everything we see in Season 2 of Shadow and Bone when he’s stuck in Hellgate. Matthias Helvar believes in Djel, but does he truly understand what that means? Leigh Bardugo’s means of weaving faith into character arcs is one of the most exemplary parts of her writing because she addresses spirituality and religion with such nuances that we get all the character development we need when understanding these parts of the Crows.
Inej Ghafa and Matthias Helvar are the only two who speak mostly of faith. She’s firm in hers because she understands what it entails on a deeper level, but Matthias’ constant search for guidance stops his own voice from being heard. He initially uses what he knows to condemn and feel more righteous, but as the stakes grow higher and more dangerous, he learns to understand what belief and loyalty truly mean. He begins to realize that what we are told is sacred and what we discover ourselves are two very different things, making his journey even more heartbreaking in the long run because he should’ve survived to speak on that idea more.
To Become Better
Much of Matthias Helvar’s journey is tied directly to everything he learns with the Crows. Where he was once full of rage, he leaves this earth brimming with contentment instead. Where his heart was once full of hatred, it beats rapidly only for love now. It’s why he doesn’t seek vengeance but why he begins to care more intensely about how the Drüskelle could learn to change their ways as he did.
He’s smart enough to understand that not every person can change their stubborn ways, but he still chooses to believe in the light he finds with Nina. He chooses to see that even though each of the Crows is “all horrible,” they’re his chosen family. (Character growth is realizing he’s just as horrible as they are, and that’s why they’re a big, happy family.) They’re the ones he’ll fight to protect because they’re the ones who came for him in the end. It might’ve been on selfish grounds, and he knows as much, but when someone wants you despite all odds, it helps let the light in.
Further, being a good man versus having a good heart are sometimes wildly different. Matthias might not always fight how he should, but when necessary, he lays down his armor for those he cares for. For Matthias, armor comes in the form of religion. His brute strength is one thing, but it’s how Matthias Helvar grows to be more vulnerable, that his true strength shines through. When he gives more of himself to Nina and takes care of her, that’s where his good heart comes to the surface.
Related Content: Relationship Deep Dive: Nina Zenik and Matthias Helvar
At the same time, he’s the oldest of the Crows, and there’s an innately subtle need to protect them all. In this regard, it’s understandable why Bardugo chooses to kill him off instead. Matthias wouldn’t have it any other way. He would never let anything happen to Nina, but he would also do everything in his power to protect Kaz, Jesper, Inej, and Wylan, too. With his need to belong, he understands the importance of caring for people who need it the most. It’s why he stops for the young Drüskelle boy. It’s why he chooses to forgive everything that’s been done to him. Matthias Helvar is a broken man who doesn’t want anyone else to feel as shattered as he does. He might not say it aloud, but that’s the message beating inside his heart. That’s where his resilience comes from and where he’ll take no other option.
It’s why he’s fit to be the person who encourages Nina to embrace all that she is because when he fully accepts her, he shows his growth in that very decision. The Crows each have unique character journeys, and Matthias’ is the one that’s tied directly to unlearning and almost starting over. He’s the one who goes through the most changes from when we first meet him, and it’s because he’s the one whose life looked vastly different than the others.
Matthias Helvar is a gentle giant with the heart and resilience of a wolf. He should’ve lived long enough to see the changes he could bring forward. But life is especially unkind to the Crows and those fighting against terrible people in their world. But with his contradicting complexities, Matthias is one of the most memorable characters whose death holds weight even when it’s fictional.
We get it, Nina. He’s better than waffles.
We can’t conclude this deep dive without also crediting Calahan Skogman and the incomparable embodiment he brought to the role. With every facial expression, he became Matthias. His adoration and respect for the character consistently translated off-screen, making him feel even more real and nuanced. Everything we thought we knew, Skogman amplified to brilliant heights. I could never want another adaptation unless this cast is the one to bring these characters to life.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Netflix