History

Facilier's past is mostly unknown, though he mentions being a descendant of royalty through his mother (whose severed, shrunken head he keeps in his emporium). His motivations toward taking over New Orleans were briefly implied to be a result of a poor upbringing, where the wealthy either treated him with disrespect or ignored him altogether.At some point in time, through unknown circumstances, Facilier encountered a group of dark loa and formed an alliance with them, granting himself power over black magic, which he would regularly use to swindle the citizens of New Orleans for easy money by "granting" their wishes—posing as an amoral businessman of sorts. Facilier refers to the loa as his "friends on the other side," and they typically act as his lackeys throughout the witch doctor's various schemes. His crooked nature and affiliation with these shadowy figures earned Facilier the nickname "Shadow Man." However, Facilier's power comes at a price; should he fail to remunerate his "friends" for their services, Facilier must recompense with his soul.As evidenced by Tiana's knowledge and distaste for him, Facilier has an infamous reputation around the city and is a feared figure in the eyes of its inhabitants. Despite having access to the loa's magic, however, Facilier continued to struggle socially and financially—unlike others, like his wealthy rival Eli "Big Daddy" La Bouff. This played into Facilier's belief that the true "power" that controls the world is money, not magic, thus setting off his coup to seize the La Bouff fortune.Facilier is accompanied by his sidekick shadow, which has a will and personality of its own. It is obedient to Facilier's wishes and seems to reflect his inner mood (ex. when Facilier was luring an unsuspecting Naveen and Lawrence to his parlor table, the shadow briefly formed into a snake, hinting treacherous intent). His base of operation was a seedy parlor known as Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium, which is shown to be filled with strange objects and voodoo paraphernalia (some of which he admits that he "ain't even tried") including shrunken heads and voodoo dolls which seem to come alive, chant, and beat drums when Facilier is about to perform his biggest spells. The dolls also serve a practical application - he has a voodoo doll of 'Big Daddy' La Bouff primed and ready for the moment he can get his hands on the rich man's fortune.

Fatal Flaw

Meddlesome

Dr. Facilier loves getting in the middle of people's affairs, mainly to watch them destroy themselves. He'll make sure he can somehow make whatever it is he finds an interest in beneficial for him. A lot of the time it's making a profit and giving "fake" charms or curses out to those people. It amuses him to watch the world burn when others don't know what's happening to them or their loved ones.

Occupation

Witch Doctor/Medicine man

Dr. Facilier owns a VooDoo shop in the sketchier side of town, in a dark alley where the neon lights shine through the night. Though he believes in his "magic/rituals," he tends to get them wrong on purpose to see others suffer just like he had as a child. Especially if they are better off than he is. Mixing the "wrong" herbs, leaving things in homes to make people sick, etc.

Connections

Biography

Dr. Facilier had a normal upbringing. He had loving parents who were attentive and supportive. They provided everything a child would need; food, shelter, education, and extracurricular activities.One day on a walk with his mother near the beach he noticed a shrunken head hanging from a window. He asked his mother about it, and she didn't deny what it was and even took him into the shop to explain what things were to him. It turned out his ancestors had partook in VooDoo as a religion. He asked his mother if they could go to the library to get more books on VooDoo to connect to his ancestry and learn more about it.That's when things started to spiral. The more he learned what all VooDoo truly was.It started out innocent, healing animals that were injured outside, giving charms to his mother to make her happy. But the more he dove into books, he learned of the dark side of VooDoo. Even with the darkness weaved in, it was all still a safe ritual that were honoring spirits and gods.Something in him started to twist when he first killed a rabbit in the nearby park and brought it home to perform a sacrificial ritual. The way it felt to feel the energy in the room change caused him to continue down this path. He made it a thing to perform the same ritual twice a month.Over the years, he became darker and twisted. During that time others would look in horror at what he was doing in public even if it was just a regular "protection charm" ritual. Those looks caused him to judge and glare at each person who passed by. He hated the ones who were richer and looked down on him. In one incident where a rich man spit and told him to get out of his way, he sent a curse to him and watched as he was hit with muddy water from a car passing by, his briefcase blowing up, and his car tires popping. This caused him so much joy that he started doing it every time someone walked by.It was thrilling getting into people's heads, to watch them suffer. He left home at sixteen and started living on the street, making a living as a con man up until he could open his shop and start a "reputable" establishment. People still came to get their reading and charms for love or wealth or whatever else they wanted. He mainly did those for money or until someone came in and he could con and/or curse.