Xibalba is the overarching antagonist of the 2014 fantasy film The Book of Life. He is the ruthless, deceptive, and manipulative ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, who in an attempt to escape his position and become the ruler of the Land of the Remembered, forges a wager with his estranged wife and fellow deity La Muerte over which of María Posada's childhood friends will be the one to win her heart in the end.
He was voiced by Ron Perlman, who also voiced Sinestro in Green Lantern: The Animated Series.
What Makes Him Magnificent?[]
- Because of him growing bored of his reign over the Land of the Forgotten and wanting to escape it, he made a bet with La Muerte over whether Manolo or Joaquin would be the one to win the heart of their childhood friend Maria (with Xibalba himself betting on Joaquin while La Muerte betted on Manolo).
- Giving Joaquin the Medal of Everlasting Life, a medal that granted it's wearer immortality while disguised as a beggar.
- Causing Maria to fall into a coma in the middle of Manolo's attempt to confess his love for her by sending a two-headed snake to bite her right in front of him (which she could only wake up from when she was with Joaquin).
- Killing Manolo himself by tricking him using the same beggar disguise he previously used to trick Joaquin and taking advantage of his grief over believing Maria was dead by telling him he'd help "find" Maria only to instead send the same snake that attacked Maria to bite him twice.
- When he was eventually outed for cheating, he resolved to create a new bet with Manolo by having the latter battle all the bulls his bull fighting family has fought against before, even gracefully accepts his defeat after having lost.
- Following his loss to Manolo, he honored his deal and mended his strained relationship with La Muerte, acknowledging his own wrongdoings to make things right with his wife.
What Makes Him A Baddie?[]
- In an attempt to win the bet he made with La Muerte, he left Maria in a comatose-like state and temporarily killed Manolo himself.
- He's regularly resorts to cheating to ensure his own victory, something that led to his and La Muerte's relationship becoming strained in the first place.