The Mule

"He calls himself the Mule. He's the source of the coming darkness. He's like us. A telepath. Only more powerful."

—Gaal Dornick^[src]

The Mule, also known as the Warlord of Kalgan, is a recurring character in the Apple TV+ series, Foundation. He appears in a vision to Gaal Dornick as bringing destruction to the Foundation and killing Salvor Hardin. The Mule is portrayed in Season Two by Mikael Persbrandt, first appearing in "A Glimpse of Darkness." The role was recast for Season Three, with Pilou Asbæk taking over the role.

Biography[]

A monster of a man and powerful Mentalic, the Mule rises to power one hundred and fifty-two years in the future with the intention of conquering the galaxy. The Mule senses the arrival of Gaal Dornick in his time, and resolves to find her before she finds him, even if he has to burn the galaxy to do it.^[2]

The Mule strives to destroy the last things standing in his way; Hari Seldon, Gaal Dornick, and the Second Foundation. Gaal Dornick projects her consciousness into this future, and during a confrontation with her, the Mule realises that a younger version of Gaal is present in her mind.^[1]

Behind the Scenes[]

The Mule was mentioned in the first episode of Foundation, "The Emperor's Peace". He would not appear until the second episode of the second season, "A Glimpse of Darkness".