Illidan: World of Warcraft

Illidan Stormrage
Warcraft character
Illidan Stormrage in Heroes of the Storm
First appearance	Brothers in Blood, Chapter 5 of the night elf campaign Eternity's End in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
First game	Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Created by	Blizzard Entertainment
Voiced by	Matthew Yang King (Warcraft III) Liam O'Brien (World of Warcraft, Heroes of the Storm)

Illidan Stormrage is a fictional character who appears in the Warcraft series of video games by Blizzard Entertainment. Born a night elf and sorcerer, his pursuit of power led him to commit several horrific acts against his own people, which earned him the nickname "the Betrayer" and to become the first Demon Hunter. Self-proclaimed the Lord of Outland, he also defected to the Burning Legion and became a partial demon himself. The character is one of the most notable and popular in the Warcraft franchise and has received positive critical reception from video game players. Illidan was voiced by Matthew Yang King in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion The Frozen Throne, and by Liam O'Brien since World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.

In an interview with Warcraft developers Scott Mercer and Greg Street, Mercer mentioned that "we realized [...] Illidan had appeared many times in the concept art and the other material surrounding the expansion, but very few players ever actually saw him in the game itself. To most heroes, Illidan was a bit like Sauron from The Lord of the Rings; he was an omnipresent evil that they would hear about, but never actually meet in a face-to-face confrontation." This resulted in the developers putting in more effort to ensure that players experience "more personal connection[s]" with characters such as Illidan.

Illidan Stormrage is the first Demon Hunter and always carries the Twin Blades of Azzinoth, taken from a slain demon lord. The night elf was born before the War of the Ancients, a conflict that erupted over 10,000 years prior to the Third War, when the chaotic Burning Legion first invaded Azeroth. Driven by his thirst for power and his desire to impress Tyrande Whisperwind, Illidan made a pact with the Legion to secure the entrance of its leader, Sargeras, into Azeroth through the might of an artifact called the Demon Soul and the energy of the Well of Eternity. The efforts of Malfurion Stormrage, Illidan's twin brother, disrupted the Legion's plot, with Illidan himself turning to his side and assisting; the demons were defeated. After recreating the destroyed Well of Eternity, the powerful magic that attracted the attention of the Legion that led to the demonic invasion, Illidan was imprisoned for thousands of years. Illidan earned the title of 'Betrayer' during the War of the Ancients and throughout the millennia of his life he has deceived friends and foes alike for power.