Skulduggery Pleasant is an Elemental Magician and a "living" skeleton. He fought in the secret magic War as part of a group called the Dead Men. However, the death of his family caused him to go mad and he was killed in battle against Nefarian Serpine. 150 years later, he was resurrected and consumed by his rage to become Lord Vile, the most powerful Necromancer in existence. Five years later, his rage subsided and he reclaimed his morality, after which he hid his armour which contained the powers and personality of Lord Vile and became Skulduggery Pleasant again.