Gandahar (1987) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The Men of Metal were created by Metamorphis as a means to prolong his own life. His cells, aged and unable to regenerate, engineered the automata to travel back through time and harvest Gandaharian life force. The petrification was a process to capture and extract the living essence from Gandaharian captives, which Metamorphis needed to survive.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Metamorphis hints at a deeper connection to the Men of Metal but claims not to have created them.

• men of metal
• petrification
• metmorphis
• life force
• automation

Metamorphis is a colossal brain-like entity who serves as the central antagonist. He was created by Gandaharian scientists during genetic experiments but was abandoned at sea due to his rapid growth and violent tendencies. Despite his immense power, he claims not to desire Gandahar's destruction and attempts to understand his mysterious connection to the Men of Metal.

Foreshadowing: The Deformed were created by the same scientists who made Metamorphis, suggesting a shared origin.

• metamorphis
• giant brain
• experiment
• antagonist
• creator

Metamorphis reveals that the Men of Metal come from the future, traveling through the same portal Sylvain discovered. He explains that a syringe administered immediately would be ineffective because his cells regenerate too quickly. Only if administered a thousand years in the future, when his cells have aged and lost regenerative capacity, will the poison actually work.

Foreshadowing: Metamorphis asks Sylvain not to kill him now but to wait, hinting at his knowledge of time's effect on his own body.

• syringe
• time travel
• thousand years
• metmorphis
• poison

The Deformed are a race of mutants who were accidentally created by Gandaharian scientists during genetic experiments, essentially failed creations similar to Metamorphis. They were cast aside and abandoned by Gandaharian society, leaving them resentful and wary of humans. Despite this, they share a common enemy in the Men of Metal and ultimately ally with Sylvain to save Gandahar.

Foreshadowing: The Deformed explain they were unwanted experiments, echoing Metamorphis's own origin story.

• deformed
• mutants
• experiments
• genetic
• outcasts

Metamorphis placed Sylvain into stasis, a state of suspended animation, before the thousand-year wait began. This allowed Sylvain to sleep through the century while his body remained preserved. When he awakens, he is greeted by the Deformed, who have survived and evolved over the millennia, now able to explain the true origins of the conflict.

Foreshadowing: Metamorphis mentions placing Sylvain into stasis to wait for the right moment.

• stasis
• suspended animation
• sylvain
• time
• sleep

After Sylvain and Airelle return to Jasper, the Council of Women learns that Metamorphis, despite claiming innocence, is intrinsically connected to the Men of Metal threat. Recognizing him as a danger, regardless of his stated intentions, the Council orders Sylvain to kill Metamorphis with a specialized syringe, seeing him as the source that must be eliminated to save Gandahar.

Foreshadowing: The Council's decision reflects Gandahar's history of disposing of experiments they deem dangerous.

• council of women
• orders
• killing
• syrimge
• authority

The petrified villagers were collected by the Men of Metal and transported to their hidden base. There, the statues were dragged through a vast portal and absorbed into the metal army, their life force extracted to sustain Metamorphis. When Sylvain and the Deformed defeat Metamorphis and escape through the portal, the remaining Gandaharians are rescued, breaking the cycle of petrification.

Foreshadowing: Sylvain and Airelle discover the base where frozen Gandaharians are transported through the portal.

• petrified
• statues
• portal
• captured
• life force

In the final battle, the Deformed fought the Men of Metal to create a distraction and buy Sylvain time. More crucially, they sabotage the reservoir that supplies Metamorphis with new cells, the very system that keeps him alive. This distraction gives Sylvain the opening he needs to approach and inject the fatal syringe, ending Metamorphis's threat.

Foreshadowing: The Deformed understand Metamorphis's weakness because they share the same experimental origin.

• deformed
• battle
• reservoir
• sabotage
• syringe

The portal is a massive gateway located at the Men of Metal's base that connects different time periods. Through it, the Men of Metal travel back from the future to attack Gandahar and harvest life force. It also serves as the means for Sylvain, the Gandaharians, and the Deformed to escape back to their own time after defeating Metamorphis, leaving the future's danger behind.

Foreshadowing: Sylvain first glimpses the portal when discovering the Men of Metal's base and sees captives being dragged through it.

• portal
• time travel
• future
• escape
• base

Gandahar's scientists conducted genetic experiments to explore and potentially enhance life, accidentally creating both the Deformed and Metamorphis. When these creations proved problematic, Metamorphis grew violent and the Deformed were deemed failures, they were abandoned. The story explores how Gandahar's pursuit of progress led to dangerous creations that later turned against their makers, reflecting themes of scientific responsibility.

Foreshadowing: The Meta Notes emphasize that the threat comes from 'echoes of their own making.'

• experiments
• genetic
• scientists
• creation
• responsibility