Is Past Devil’s Minion Real in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT?

Ah, “The old DM” as The Vampire Lestat showrunner, Rolin Jones, puts it. The question of whether Devil’s Minion is real and, if it is, how it will manifest, has been one that has been on fans’ minds from the very beginning of the series. In Anne Rice’s books, Devil’s Minion, the romance between Armand and Daniel Molloy, is very much real, but it takes a much different form than in the series. In Queen of the Damned, Armand and Daniel’s courtship and Armand’s eventual turning of Daniel into a vampire all happen while Daniel is young. But in The Vampire Lestat, Daniel makes it to old age before he’s made a vampire, changing the story. Still, we know from Interview with the Vampire that Daniel and Armand did encounter one another in 1973. And, although Daniel shows no signs of recollecting a relationship with Armand in his younger days, the possibility that, what fans call, “Past Devil’s Minion” could be a reality exists in the series. Now that Devil’s Minion has begun to be unpacked on The Vampire Lestat, is Past DM real? In short, it’s not yet fully real. But also, it could be. Let’s take a look at what we know.

Let’s Define Past Devil’s Minion

So far, The Vampire Lestat has established that Armand has been part of Daniel’s life since San Francisco in the ’70s, which we’ll discuss in a minute. But for me, that’s, as they say, only half the battle. Even given Armand’s love confessions and admissions that he’s been a party to Daniel’s existence for a long time, Daniel does not seem to offer any indication that he remembers Armand as a part of his life. And it’s not really a true relationship if both parties aren’t engaging in it. So, in order for Past Devil’s Minion to be real, I feel we need confirmation that Armand was there in Daniel’s life AND Daniel was there in Armand’s life. Present Devil’s Minion feels like it’s full steam ahead to me, but let’s take a closer look at whether it extends backward in time.

Past Devil’s Minion Exists for Armand 

Half the battle is still a large part of the battle. And in order for Past Devil’s Minion to become a reality, Armand does need to have been present in Daniel’s history. And… he has been!

In episode five of The Vampire Lestat, Daniel demands Armand prove to him that he’s been in love with him all this time, as Armand confesses to him in episode four. And Armand reveals, “I had a fang in his neck, but I was interrupted and had to let him go. I tracked him down, planned to finish the work, but as I followed him, I found him fascinating. I’d sit at the foot of his bed in derelict motel rooms as he slept off a fix. Gradually, over the next 52 years, I was interceding on his behalf. And when he blacked out under an overpass, a junkie about to roll over him in an RV, wife Alice at home, pregnant at the time…”

And then Armand picks up to offer a smattering of scenes throughout Daniel’s life that he’s been present for, “February 11, 1990. A reading at Amherst, Massachusetts. Four students attend, three are there for extra credit, one is there for you to use. Which you do. Agressively. In your rental car in the garage of your North Hampton hotel. I make sure the boy makes it home and forgets the event. May 15th, 2002. You sneak away from your book research to attend your daughter’s graduation at Rice University. She didn’t ask you to come. I mouth the words “Fuck off,” when she sees you approach. You respect her wishes and drive away in a daze. But I guide you to the Rothko Chapel, where, inside, you unburden yourself and weep uncontrollably. The attending guard asks you to step outside, but I create in him a coughing fit. And you mourn your daughter’s hatred for the next 30 minutes in peace. August 5, 2025. I don’t plan to say ‘love,’ until I make profound amends for the harm I’ve caused you. 52 years, I’ve watched you, where you went, what you did. Watching your sorrow. Your modulating sexuality…”

So, that feels pretty cut and dry. In The Vampire Lestat, Armand is in love with Daniel, past and present.

The Timing of Memories Armand DOES Mention Seems to Fit a Past Devil’s Minion Narrative

Armand does offer Daniel an extensive array of different memories in which Armand has been present for in Daniel’s life, ostensibly without his knowledge. But there’s a little bit of a gap in his story. Armand and Daniel’s earliest meeting occurred in 1973 in San Francisco. But the first detailed moment Armand offers Daniel takes place in 1990. Curiously, he has nothing to say about the 20ish-year stretch between 1973 and 1990. Also, curiously, in Queen of the Damned, the Devil’s Minion chapter just happens to take place over the course of twelve years, between 1973 and 1985. And that means Armand and Daniel can still have their full Past Devil’s Minion arc in The Vampire Lestat, inclusive of everything from their first meeting to Armand chasing Daniel across the world to settling in Night Island. But instead of culminating with Armand turning Daniel into a vampire, Past DM culminates with Armand leaving Daniel and erasing his memories, only to watch him from afar and “intercede on his behalf.” The story currently allows for it, and it feels very telling that the exact stretch of Devil’s Minion years is left open.

Assad Zaman Says Armand’s Fascination with Daniel Has Been with him Since San Francisco 

Not that we needed any more confirmation of Armand’s feelings for Daniel, but in an interview with Nerdist, Assad Zaman shares that Armand was always in the background of Daniel’s life, pulled toward him by his fascination for the other man. “There’s a long 50 years between San Francisco and where we are. There’s always that possibility. Armand, his elaborate lies are often always laced with some truth. If you sort of listen to him, there’s something honest kind of coming out there, shrouded in manipulation and lies. And then in San Francisco, his fascination is real. His fascination with Daniel Molloy is real and way stronger than Louis’ fascination.”

Armand Has a Penchant for Wiping Minds and Altering Memories Memories

Armand doesn’t say that he and Daniel ever interacted in those 50 years of watching, though. And Daniel clearly has no memory of it. That is a mark against Past Devil’s Minion being real in The Vampire Lestat. HOWEVER, Armand does have a PROVEN track record of wiping minds and altering memories. And that makes it a real possibility that The Vampire Lestat‘s Armand could have been an active part of Daniel’s past existence, and then Armand could have simply erased those memories from Daniel’s mind.

In Interview with the Vampire season two, we learn that Armand altered Louis’ memories of the Paris Trial and Claudia’s death. And he erased memories of San Francisco from Louis’ mind as well. Louis, being a vampire at both these times, would have an even harder mind to manipulate than Daniel, a human. So, the foundation for Armand to have simply removed parts of Daniel’s recollections is very much laid.

Additionally, in The Vampire Lestat, we also learn that Armand is presently manipulating the mind and feelings of Lestat’s band member Alex, reminding us that this is something Armand does not really hesitate to do.

Daniel Has Forgotten Armand in His Past Before

And, of course, Daniel Molloy has himself forgotten Armand’s existence in his past. As with Louis, Armand erased the events of San Francisco in 1973 from Daniel’s memory. When Daniel came to Dubai, hazy recollections of Armand and the time spent in his captivity floated back into his awareness. But it took an extended recording of the day Louis, Daniel, and Armand met and Louis’ shared experience of the time to really bring the memories back to Daniel.

If Daniel has forgotten interacting with Armand once, it feels truly possible that he could have forgotten it multiple times (with the help of Armand), keeping the Past Devil’s Minion options open.

Eric Bogosian Says Armand Has Been ‘Corrupting Daniel’s Mind’ for 50 Years

In an interview with Nerdist, Eric Bogosian, who plays Daniel, shares, “You get told things like ‘this guy has been part of your life for 50 years,’ and you go, ‘Okay.’ But then you start to think about it, and it’s something that kind of sinks in and causes a kind of deep corrosion in your personality. If you think about it too much, it can drive you crazy. So I think it’s something that just keeps moving along through the season.” And then Bogosian levels at Zaman, “You love the idea that you’re corroding my brain.”

Again, “a part of your life” doesn’t necessarily confirm or deny Armand’s active presence in a Past Devil’s Minion scenario. But it does confirm the intensity of Armand’s presence in Daniel’s existence.

Armand Tells Daniel: ‘I Want to Give You Half Your Life Back’

In addition to his confessions about being a part of Daniel’s life for 52 years, Armand tells Daniel, “I want to give you half your life back.” Now, it’s, again, not totally clear what Armand is indicating here. On the one hand, it could just be a kind of metaphorical statement. Daniel insists Armand ruined his entire life after San Francisco, and Armand wants to give it back to him now by being present for his vampiric existence, teaching him how to walk in the sun (a half of his life for certain values), and overall being his maker. But, given all of this other context, it could also be literal. If Armand has obscured half of Daniel’s life from him, namely the half where they were together in the past and loved one another, then if Armand returns these memories to Daniel, he will actually be returning half of his life to him. And wouldn’t that be nice for everyone?

Armand and Daniel’s “She Wanted to Say Yes,” Scene From Interview with the Vampire Season 2 

Okay, we’re in the thick of it now. There are many scenes that feel loaded to Devil’s Minion fans throughout Interview with the Vampire and Armand and Daniel’s time in Dubai. But the one that fans come back to the most is a scene where Armand and Louis are rifling through Daniel’s memories.

As they do, Louis comes to Daniel’s recollection of proposing to his wife, Alice, in Paris. “You felt freer to hold her hand in Paris, I wonder why that is…” Which is a bit of an odd thing to say to a straight couple who could probably hold hands anywhere. And then follows it up with, “And what did she say when you finally asked her to marry you?” And as the camera hovers intensely on Armand, “She said no,” Daniel admits. And then Armand, looking intensely thoughtful, offers, “She wanted to say ‘Yes,’ but she didn’t trust you. You hadn’t given her a reason to.”

Fans of Devil’s Minion will know that Daniel spends much of his time with Armand begging to be turned into a vampire in the Anne Rice books. And Armand doesn’t grant him that wish until he is literally dying. So it doesn’t feel like such a stretch to imagine that, in the memory, instead of a marriage proposal, Daniel is really asking Armand to turn him into a vampire. And Armand, “wanted to say ‘Yes,’ but, he didn’t trust him. He hadn’t given him a reason to.” While I don’t believe that Alice is Armand, I do think it would probably be simple for Armand to alter a few memories away from himself and Daniel and onto Alice. And there really is something about that scene…

Daniel’s Blue-Sky Ceiling NYC Apartment

This is the minutest of details, and yet, compelling. Daniel’s original NYC apartment is only shown briefly in Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat. And yet, Art Director, Nealy Orillion, who specializes in acrylic and watercolor, took the time to ensure that the ceiling of it had blue skies with clouds painted in a Renaissance-style fresco.

And in Queen of the Damned, we learn the following of Armand, who also happens to have a great attachment to Renaissance art: “Anything with blue skies enthralled him. Then he must watch news programs, prime time series, documentaries, and finally every film, regardless of merit, ever taped.” Additionally, in Anne Rice’s books, Past Devil’s Minion lived together in New York for a great deal of time.

Of course, Armand could have just manipulated Daniel into buying an apartment with skies painted on the ceilings… But it does seem a lot more logical for it to have happened because Daniel and Armand were living there together at some point.

The Blackout Years at “Knight Ridder”

In Daniel’s angry “amends” speech to Armand in The Vampire Lestat episode four, he mentions he holds Armand responsible for “the blackout years at Knight Ridder.” Interestingly enough, Knight Ridder was “an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing” that was headquartered in Miami from 1974 to 1998. Meanwhile, Armand and Daniel’s Night Island complex was also located in Miami from the early 1980s onward. Of course, Knight Ridder owned many publications, but Daniel specifically mentions the corporation by name.

This could indicate that he worked for Knight Ridder in Miami because he was already in the city, living on Night Island with Armand. Alternatively, “Knight Ridder” shares a word with “Night Island” if you say them both out loud. Could it be the blackout years were in “Night Island” instead of “Knight Ridder”? Well, if past Devil’s Minion is real in The Vampire Lestat… maybe. We love a homophone.

Rolin Jones Says Young Daniel Actor, Luke Brandon Field, Will Return in the Series

More practically, Rolin Jones recently shared of young Daniel’s actor, Luke Brandon Field, “He’s in our family, he will be there opening night in New York [at the June 2 concert]. We think about him often. He will probably come back.”

If Brandon Field does come back, it will most likely be for Past Devil’s Minion purposes. We suppose he could come back and be vaguely haunted by Armand without his knoweldge. But would that really be any fun?

The Existence of the Night Island Series

Speaking of Night Island, AMC has been developing a Night Island series for a long time. And recently, Nerdist exclusively learned that “We’re getting closer” to Night Island becoming a reality. Of course, Night Island is the island complex that Armand builds for himself and Daniel to live in, and much of their romance takes place there. It’s possible that a Night Island series could be done in the present of The Vampire Lestat, if Armand builds it for older Daniel instead of younger Daniel. But it also feels like it might hint at a history between the pair—and that would make Past Devil’s Minion a reality.

So, Is Past Devil’s Minion Real in The Vampire Lestat?

So, is Past Devil’s Minion real in The Vampire Lestat. The truth is, we just don’t know. All we know for sure is that Armand has been in Daniel’s past. Whether there was a two-sided romance between them that’s been erased remains a mystery. That said, I’d like to think PROBABLY?! Otherwise, the pair will have EVEN more to figure out than they already do. But, at the very least, we can’t rule Past Devil’s Minion out yet.

The Vampire Lestat airs at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to air.

Rotem Rusak is Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She is waiting for Armand and Daniel to finally get together so one of her canon ships can finally sail on The Vampire Lestat.

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