Issoro: Behind the Science

Issoro: Behind the Science Issoro is Erica's father and the king of Atlantis in The Little Mermaid, and I want to keep him separate from Neptune. I already talked about Neptune from Grimm Universe. This is a different character, with his own story and a different set of things to look at. When Issoro is younger, he saves Elizabeth from a shipwreck and becomes interested in the human world because of her. His father isn't exactly happy about that. Issoro eventually goes to the Sea Witch for a potion that lets him become human, but it only lasts a day. She never promised him how long it would last. That's the kind of detail he really should have settled before taking the deal. Years later, the problem is much bigger. Erica is in danger, and he gives the Witch his blessing in exchange for help. That sounds fairly harmless until Proteus explains what it actually means. A king's blessing carries real magical power. Issoro describes it as effectively guaranteeing success in the recipient's chosen endeavors, which is why these blessings are supposed to have restrictions. He hasn't just told her good luck. He's given someone he already knows is dangerous a very open-ended advantage. There's a physical side to his power too. His trident releases destructive energy, and he uses a conch shell to blast open the laboratory wall during the rescue. His army can operate on land temporarily through his power. During the fighting, one of the soldiers specifically says they can't survive there without the king and the trident. That last part is worth paying attention to. We're not watching an army that has simply adapted to living on land. Their ability to remain there depends on an active magical support system. A trident doesn't provide a biological explanation for that, and the comic doesn't try to give us one. Issoro is powerful, but he isn't untouchable. At the end, he puts himself between Erica and a rifle shot, and it kills him. They barely get any time together. After all the bad bargains and the years apart, the one thing he can still do is stop that shot from hitting his daughter.