10 Dungeons & Dragons Drow We Want To See In A Drizzt TV Show

There are at least 10 drow that deserve a spot on a Legend of Drizzt TV show. Invented by Gary Gygax for Dungeons & Dragons, the drow are a race of elves with ebony skin and white hair. They have been around since 1977, however, they didn’t become widely known until R.A. Salvatore published The Crystal Shard in 1988. This was the first book published in a series that would become known as The Legend of Drizzt, and it was the world’s introduction to Salvatore’s character, the dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden. He is probably the most famous fictional drow around.

Drizzt wasn’t the main character in The Crystal Shard or its two follow-ups. However, Salvatore realized Drizzt’s popularity and made his next trilogy a prequel series focused on Drizzt. The Crystal Shard was Salvatore’s first book for Dungeons & Dragons and his first book in general, and it launched Salvatore’s D&D writing career. Salvatore’s Drizzt books span 39 novels to date, not including the YA novels co-authored with Salvatore’s son, the anthologies, and the graphic novels. As such, it is about time that Drizzt Do’Urden and his scimitars, plus his fellow drow, got their own TV show.

10 Quenthel Baenre

Drow Priestess

Quenthel Baenre is one of the most interesting drow priestesses in The Legend of Drizzt, embodying the extreme end of an extreme religion. Quenthel exemplifies the extent of Salvatore’s deep worldbuilding, proving that a set of movies would work for The Legend of Drizzt, but that it is really ideal source material for a multi-season TV series. Streaming giants would do well to note the abundance of content and diversity of characters in the series.

Quenthel Baenre is a member of House Baenre, which wars with House Do’Urden in The Dark Elf Trilogy. Out of all the book series about Drizzt Do’Urden, this is the first, chronologically. The Dark Elf Trilogy is a prequel series to The Icewind Dale Trilogy, which was started by The Crystal Shard. Quenthel represents the evolving enmity between the two houses, which grows and becomes more and more layered.

9 Briza Do’Urden

High Priestess Of Lolth

Briza Do’Urden is an impressively nasty drow, demonstrating the race at its worst. She serves Lolth, the Spider Queen, proving her loyalty on numerous occasions. Briza would be a great addition to a Legend of Drizzt TV show, personifying Salvatore’s original conception of drow as a cruel and hard-hearted race. Later shifts in Salvatore’s writing of the drow, whereby they weren’t all cruel, should be maintained in a TV show.

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However, Briza would be a good way to prove how vicious drow can be when they want to be. Paramount dropped their D&D TV show, but it is being shopped around. The distinct possibility of a Legend of Drizzt TV show remains strong, despite rights difficulties and the challenge of screenwriting for a hugely varied book series. Briza is a bona fide villain that would be the crowning glory of a Drizzt Do’Urden show, and should present a pull for potential showrunners.

8 Matron Malice

Matron Mother Of House Do’Urden

Malice Do’Urden, otherwise known as Matron Malice, is a totally awful drow, along with Briza. As Drizzt’s mother, she is a key figure in The Legend of Drizzt. Her inclusion in a Drizzt TV show is essential. Opening The Legend of Drizzt on-screen with The Icewind Dale Trilogy, the way The Legend of Drizzt began, may not be such a bad idea. Then, Matron Malice and the other foul Do’Urdens could be introduced in season 2, or halfway through season 1.

However, a Drizzt TV show or movie series would be blessed with the hindsight that The Legend of Drizzt was not blessed with. It would actually be able to start at the start, with The Dark Elf Trilogy. Like other totally epic stories that follow a character from their birth onward, this version of a Drizzt TV show may have the most potential. In this case, Malice would be a main character in season 1, and a delightfully despicable one at that.

7 Alton De’Vir

The Faceless One

Alton De’Vir, the Faceless One, is a character restricted to the earlier books in The Legend of Drizzt, but he makes a big impact nonetheless. This character is unique in offering a face melted by acid in order to go deep undercover in a ruse to topple a rival drow house. The depths Alton goes to in order to achieve his vengeful, malevolent goals are perfectly symbolized by his deformities.

Drizzt was cut from the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves movie, tragically, but in interviews, the crew said they were considering him for the future. This proves that characters like Alton could see the screen soon. Alton was a key villain in Homeland and certainly has a place in a Drizzt show. Honor Among Thieves struggled with the complex rights to the Drizzt character, but resolving this would be a small price to pay for the long-term ROI of a successful Legend of Drizzt show.

6 Vierna Do’Urden

High Priestess

The drow Drizzt Do’Urden must fight his sister, Vierna, a few times before their relationship comes to its inevitable end. She raises Drizzt from birth, making her just as key as Matron Malice in his origin story, if not more key. Although drow look a similar age after a certain point, it must be made clear how creepy Vierna’s arc with Drizzt is in places. That said, it shouldn’t be sanitized out of a TV show, as it has huge horror and drama potential.

Worshiping the Spider Queen, Lolth, like her priestess sisters, Vierna is just the kind of drow to sacrifice her brother’s personal space, safety, and ultimately, life. Lolth demands sacrifice, making Vierna a suitable servant. However, Vierna’s real interest as a character comes in her moments of humanity. Though few and far between, they set her apart, to a small degree, from her sisters.

5 Zaknafein Do’Urden

Weapons Master

Throughout The Legend of Drizzt, Zaknafein stubbornly persists. This excellent recurring character is no less than the father of the legendary Drizzt Do’Urden, try as he might to destroy him at first. A complex antihero, Zaknefein shifts throughout the series, sometimes enacting villainous deeds and sometimes playing a heroic role. This makes him a versatile and totally essential character for any Drizzt adaptation.

Zaknafein, the Weapons Master, would be hugely popular on TV. He has a strange liaison with Matron Malice and a chip on his shoulder. If studios or streamers are looking for another reason to pick up The Legend of Drizzt, they should look no further than Zaknafein and the dysfunctional family surrounding him. The success of Dungeons & Dragons TV show The Legend of Vox Machina underlines the incredible viability of a Drizzt project.

4 Yvonnel Baenre II

Powerful Mage

Yvonnel Baenre II is a key player in Homecoming, an excellent series in The Legend of Drizzt. Yvonnel’s inclusion in a Drizzt Do’Urden TV show or movie would provide a unique counterpoint to the numerous violent drow that Drizzt knows. While Yvonnel Baenre may start life aggressively, she soon exhibits her potential for good and kindness. In this sense, Yvonnel’s appearance in a Drizzt show will be crucial for balancing out drow representation.

Yvonnel nurses a crush on Drizzt throughout The Legend of Drizzt, growing from hatred into infatuation. The intimate, revealing dynamic created between the two provides moments of levity and positivity in what can be a cruel world. Yvonnel’s story also tackles a strange instance of magical drow aging – Yvonnel grows up very quickly. This could be a challenge to represent on-screen while acknowledging Yvonnel’s true age, but if done right, it could be intriguing.

3 Tiago Baenre

Grandson Of Dantrag Baenre

Tiago Baenre gives Drizzt some of the best sword fights in The Legend of Drizzt. As a member of the fabled House Baenre, Tiago truly amounts to one of Drizzt’s most epic foes in the books. Although Drizzt faces monsters as powerful as Demogorgon, some of his most impressive wins and run-ins have been with Tiago. Like Quenthel, Tiago demonstrates the depth of drow rivalry and, resultantly, the extent of Drizzt’s isolation from drow culture.

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Tiago is a major antagonist in the Neverwinter Saga. This is one of the grittiest of R.A. Salvatore’s series about Drizzt, and also one of the longest. It is a thoroughly enjoyable descent into the grimy complexities of the Spellplague and its impact on the Forgotten Realms. Tiago is one of Drizzt’s more important recurring enemies, and he carries the plot of the overarching series through some important moments, making him an indispensable part of any Legend of Drizzt adaptation.

2 Jarlaxle Baenre

Leader Of Bregan D’Aerthe

Along with Drizzt and Artemis, Jarlaxle is definitely one of the best characters in The Legend of Drizzt. Probably the most flamboyant drow of them all, his iconic features include an unnecessary eye patch that he moves around at will and a wide-brimmed hat with a feather in it. This talented fighter and mercenary is refreshing among the drow. Although aggressive and tough, he rejects the internal politics of Menzoberranzan.

Choosing instead his own path and leading the Bregan D’aerthe mercenaries, Jarlaxle is often an important contrast to others of his species. Jarlaxle’s team-ups with Drizzt and Artemis Entreri are highlights of the books and constitute some of the most nuanced writing across the series. Without a doubt, no Drizzt TV show would be possible without Jarlaxle, the cunning professional soldier.

1 Drizzt Do’Urden

The Hunter

The one and only Drizzt Do’Urden is the reason why Salvatore’s The Icewind Dale Trilogy took off and the reason why so many thousands of people stuck around to find out more about the Forgotten Realms. Evolving into a legend beyond the page, Drizzt defined rangers and drow for many D&D players, and remains an iconic character in high fantasy fiction across multiple formats.

Drizzt’s exploits in Menzoberranzan, the Underdark, Icewind Dale, and the wider Forgotten Realms show the D&D world at its most creative. The character’s core relationships are strong indicators of his good soul and complex nature. Alone, Drizzt is strong, but with the Companions of the Hall, he is unleashed to a whole new level. He falls in love with Catti-brie slowly and does his best to protect her through thick and thin, while developing miraculous friendships with those who were once enemies in Dungeons & Dragons.

Dungeons & Dragons

The Dungeons & Dragons franchise is a fantasy adventure series based on the iconic tabletop role-playing game. The franchise includes both live-action and animated adaptations, with the most notable being the recent film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), which brought the fantasy world of D&D to a broader audience with its blend of humor, action, and classic D&D elements. The franchise explores themes of heroism, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of adventuring in a magical world filled with dragons, wizards, and mythical creatures.

Created by

E. Gary Gygax , Dave Arneson , Jonathan Goldstein , John Francis Daley

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