Henry Ravenswood

Henry Ravenswood, also known as the Phantom, is the antagonist of Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris. He was one of the owners of the Big Thunder Mining Company, and the owner of the mines in the town of Thunder Mesa.

Mortal Life
Henry Ravenswood discovered gold in the late-1840s/early-1850s, and helped establish the Big Thunder Mining Company. Despite the warnings of the Thunderbird’s wrath by the indigenous people, he helped build the mines and the town of Thunder Mesa. He moved into a grand manor in the highest hill in the town, alongside his wife, Martha, and his daughter, Melanie.

Ravenswood was, by all accounts, a volatile man. He killed a man in a duel, shooting him while his back was turned. His marriage to Martha was an unhappy one, and they quarreled for much of their union. He had an affair with one of the chambermaids. But none suffered more under his hand than his only daughter, Melanie.

As time went on, Ravenswood became overly protective of her. A string of men vied for Melanie’s hand, when she became a young woman, and they all perished. Some believed that Ravenswood had something to do with it, believing that no man was good enough for his daughter. When she became married to a foreman who promised to take her away from the manor, he vowed he would stop the wedding, no matter the cost. Those plans came to an abrupt halt, when he perished in the 1860 earthquake.

Afterlife
Legends say that when Ravenswood passed, he was reborn as the malevolent Phantom - a skeletal figure who haunted the old manor. The day of Melanie’s wedding, he lured her groom into the attic and hung him. She remained in her wedding gown, waiting for him to return. The Phantom tormented her for the rest of her days, mocking her for her devotion. Any unlucky guests who wandered into the manor since were forced to confront him.

Phantom Manor
Please Note: These are based on the current version of the attraction

As Henry Ravenswood
Ravenswood can be seen in the foyer of the attraction, in a portrait of him and his daughter, Melanie. At first, he is clutching onto his daughter’s shoulders tightly with a stern expression on his face. Then, the portrait changes to the manor during happier times, and Ravenswood only has one hand on her shoulder and a pleasant look on his face. In the gallery of changing portraits, Ravenswood can be seen on the right side, with his arms crossed. When lightning flashes, his face changes to one of a skeleton with glowing red eyes, becoming the mysterious Phantom.

Ravenswood’s grave is in the Boot Hill, right after guests exit the attraction. His grave sits next to his wife, Martha. The epitath reads - “Quarreled and fought as man and wife, now silent together beyond this life”.

As the Phantom
The Phantom is first heard in the foyer, welcoming guests into his home. He says that the manor was once a happy place, but that is no more. In the stretching portrait, he says that everyone is doomed at Phantom Manor, even them. Lightning flashes, and he appears in the cupola, holding onto the end of a noose and laughing. He tells them to look alive, as they leave the stretching room and enter the portrait gallery.

Once guests board their doom buggy, he is seen in the endless hallway, standing behind Melanie holding a candelabra, as they reappear and disappear. He is standing behind her in the ballroom, while she looks down at the ghostly guests below. His face is in the mirror of her boudoir, where she is crying in front of it.

When guests leave the boudoir, he is laughing at them, holding onto a shovel as they fall into a freshly dug grave. At the end of Phantom Canyon, he gestures to an empty coffin and a noose hanging from a tree, still laughing at them.

Once guests leave the manor, if they look back, they can see him staring out of the window.