All 5 Highlander Film Series By Their Release Year

Highlander is a fantasy tv and movie series created by Gregory Widen. Starring Christoper Lambert, the movie series shows the adventures of Connor MacLeod of Glenfinnan, born in the 16th century, one of the earth’s immortals. Connor MacLeod has to survive the other immortals and fight through to the Gathering. The immortals are granted the power called Quickening and cannot be killed by traditional means. They need to be beheaded. McLeod lives his way throughout history with multiple aliases.

The television series aired from 1992 to 1998, starring Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod, a kinsman of Connor McLeod. Apart from the movie series, the franchise has filmed two live-actioned television series, an animated television series, an animated film, and a flash animation series.

Also Check: Candyman Movies In Order

In What Order Should I watch Highlander Movies

The Highlander movie franchise’s timeline does not line up with the release order of the movies, and the release order is preferred more for the complex mythologies and backstories connected to the plot.

Highlander Movies In Release Order:

• Highlander (1986)
• Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
• Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1995)
• Highlander: Endgame (2000)
• Highlander: The Source (2007) – made-for-TV movie

All 5 Highlander Movies In Order: Watch Highlander Movies By Their Release Year

1. Highlander (1986)

   Writers: Gregory Widen, Peter Bellwood, Larry Ferguson

   Director: Russell Mulcahy

   Stars: Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown

   Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

   Release date: 7 March 1986

   

   In 1985, an immortal, Connor McLeod, is confronted by an old advisor, Iman Fasil, in a parking garage. They both end up in a sword duel. At the end of the duel, Connor beheads Iman Fasil, which results in the Quickening. This significant energy surge destroys the surroundings. Connor hides his katana in the garage ceiling before getting arrested for collateral destruction and the murder of Iman Fasil.

   He is later released due to the lack of evidence. In a series of flashbacks, Connor was living in the Scottish Highlands in 1536. A war struck between the MacLeod clan and the Fraser clan. The Fraser Clan was aided by an outlander warrior, the Kurgan, in exchange for killing Connor with his own hands. The Kurgan manages to wound Connor on the battlefield fatally but gets driven off at the last minute.

   After the battle, Connor’s immortal ability helped him recover quickly, making his lover Kate and cousin Dougal suspect him of witchcraft. They accuse him, and the clan wishes to kill him, but the chieftain, Angus, shows mercy and sends him into exile. During his exile, Connor roams the highlands of Glenfinnan. He adopts the profession of a blacksmith before falling in love and marrying a woman named Heather MacDonald.

   A while later, Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, a fellow immortal and swordsman from Egypt, finds Connor while tracking down the Kurgan, his old enemy. He explains to Connor that they are immortal and destined to fight each other till death. After their destined death battles leave only one immortal as the victor, he shall be called to the faraway land for the Gathering to fight their final battle and claim the Prize, the power of all immortals through time.

   Ramirez also says that Immortals cannot reproduce, and to give up the Prize to the likes of Kurgan would only lead to humanity’s suffering in the darkness. MacLeod becomes Ramirez’s apprentice and trains under him. One night, while Connor is away, Kurgan finds Ramirez’s whereabouts and challenges him to a duel. Kurgan kills Ramirez and rapes Heather, which she does not tell Connor about.

   Years pass by, and Heather dies out of old age. Connor leaves with Ramirez’s katana after marking Ramirez’s burial with his. Forward to the present, in 1985, the event of the Gathering closens. Kurgan is compelled to visit New York, where Connor works as an antique dealer under the alias Rusell Nash, working with his adopted daughter Rachel Ellenstein. Brenda Wyatt, a metallurgist involved in the investigation and murder of Iman Fasil, discovers shards of Connor’s sword at the murder site.

   The age of the sword confuses Brenda. She also witnesses Kurgan attacking Connor and escaping before the police’s arrival. Brenda pursues and encounters Connor twice. She asks him about the puzzling sword and its history. Connor takes a liking to her and asks her to leave. Connor reunites with fellow immortal Sunda Kastagir, killed in a duel with the Kurgan.

   Brenda continues her investigation of Connor and discovers that he has lived for centuries, faking his death and changing his name but living at the same address. Connor burns a candle in the church every year on Heather’s birthday. The Kurgan arrives and tells Connor that both of them were the last immortals and that he had raped Heather. Disgusted but prohibited from fighting on holy grounds, Connor decides to walk away.

   Brenda confronts Connor with his secret and reveals everything about himself. Both spend the night together and part ways because of Connor’s immortality. The Kurgan finds out about Connor and Brenda’s intimate relationship and kidnaps her to lure out Connor. To save Brenda, Connor gives up his ‘Rusell Nash’ identity and says goodbye to his daughter Rachel.

   Connor confronts Kurgan and saves Brenda in the process. With the last two immortals engaging in a sword duel, Connor manages to decapitate and defeat Kurgan, absorbing all his power and winning the Prize. He returns to Scotland with his newly found partner Brenda and tells her he is no longer immortal.

   He can age like an ordinary man and have offspring living an every day happy life. Connor is also bestowed with the power to read the thoughts and feelings of people worldwide. Remembering the teachings of Ramirez, Connor decides to help the world and make it a better place.

2. Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)

   Writers: Gregory Widen, Brian Clemens, William N. Panzer

   Director: Russell Mulcahy

   Stars: Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Virginia Madsen

   Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller

   Release date: 1 November 1991

   

   Five hundred years before Connor’s final battle, a final meeting is held among the members of the rebellion against their cruel and corrupt leader General Katana on planet Zeist. The rebellion is guided by Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, a sage sorcerer, who chooses Connor MacLeod to lead them against Katana.

   With the help of a magical power known as the Quickening, Ramirez creates an unbreakable bond between himself and Connor that goes beyond death. Katana shows up with his troops vanquishing and crumbling the rebellious group. With a bunch of other criminals, Ramirez and MacLeod are banished to Earth by the priests of Zeist. They are punished for living as immortals and fighting each other till there is only one immortal survivor.

   The last immortal standing would win the Prize; he either chooses to stay and spend the rest of his life on Earth as a mortal man or return to Zeist with a clean criminal record. The sentence is executed, leaving General Katana unsatisfied with the decision. Ramirez and MacLeod are born on Earth in their respective human form. After the events of 1985, in which MacLeod defeats the Kurgan and becomes the last immortal on Earth, he wins the Prize and chooses to stay on Earth as a mortal.

   Now an average human, MacLeod marries his new lover, Brenda Wyatt. Global concern occurred by August of 1994. The ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere, which had been protecting humans from harmful rays, has started depleting and will ultimately be gone in months. Millions die due to the unfiltered rays of the sun, including Brenda Wyatt MacLeod. As her death wish, Brenda asks Connor to promise her that he will fix the ozone layer.

   By the end of 1999, Connor MacLeod became a supervisor of a scientific research team led by Dr. Allan Neyman. They successfully create an electromagnetic shield that can protect the Earth from radiation. Putting up the shield brought severe negative impacts on the Earth’s atmosphere. Life on Earth could no longer experience light from the sun or any other star, high rise in atmospheric temperature and humidity.

   Being cut off from one of the natural elements for decades, people face depression and other anxiety disorders. The loss of hope subsequently leads to an uprise in the crime rate, with violence and greed engulfing every street. Many start spiting Connor and blaming him for their current situation, completely ignoring the consequences they would have faced without the shield. Years pass by.

   By 2024, the shield’s administration and management will fall under The Shield Corporation’s (T.C.S.) control, with David Blake as its chief executive. Under Blake’s orders, the corporation starts imposing heavy taxes on countries that need the protective shield. Louis Marcus, a member of an activist group, believes that the ozone layer has completely healed and the T.C.S. is covering it up to earn profits.

   At present, MacLeod has aged, becoming a frail older man. He remembers his past life with Ramirez on planet Zeist while watching television. General Katana, still the ruler of Zeist, learns about Connor’s choice to live the rest of his life as a mortal on Earth. The cruel leader doubts Connor will change his mind and return to Zeist. Katana orders two of his henchman to go to Earth and kill Connor MacLeod.

   On Earth, Connor gets a small cut on his hand from a drunk man, but the wound instantly heals, alerting him to the presence of other immortals on the planet again. Marcus finds Connor and seeks his help to bring down the shield he had set up to protect humanity since the ozone layer has completely healed. Connor turns down Marcus, reasoning that it would be an attack of terrorism. Corda and Reno, the two henchmen sent by General Katana, track down and attack MacLeod, who desperately tries to escape.

   Corda loses his head in the process, and MacLeod absorbs Cord’s powers, regaining the youth and strength he possessed before winning the Prize. Connor kills Reno and instinctively uses his power to revive Ramirez. After witnessing the fight, Louise falls for Connor. In Scotland, Ramirez wakes up from his grave in the middle of the Shakespearean play Hamlet. Ramirez, drawn toward Connor, purchases a new sword and a set of clothes before leaving for New York.

   General Katana arrives on Earth from Zeist. He plans to kill Connor with his own hands. He wreaks havoc after taking control of a subway car and crashing it, killing everyone inside it. Katana, for a brief moment, confronts Connor on the holy ground. Restricted from fighting in the sacred place, Katana leaves after taunting Connor. Ramirez reunites with Connor and, together with Connor and Louis, devise a plan to take down the shield.

   He is assuming MacLeod’s intention of bringing down the shield; Katana allies with David Blake, explaining that the energy to destroy the shield could threaten Earth. Dr. Allan Neyman is brutally tortured on Blake’s orders after discovering that he told MacLeod that there was proof the ozone layer has healed.

   Ramirez, Connor, and Louis break into the T.S.C. Ramirez use his magic and sacrifices himself to save Connor from a death trap. Blake gets killed, and MacLeod uses his sword to decapitate Katana in a showdown. After killing Katana, Connor manages to deactivate and remove the shield by releasing his immortal energy and the newly acquired energy. Louis and millions of people on Earth witness the bright stars and the sky for the first time.

3. Highlander III: The Sorcerer

   Writers: Gregory Widen, Brad Mirman, William N. Panzer

   Director: Andrew Morahan

   Stars: Christopher Lambert, Mario Van Peebles, Deborah Kara Unger

   Genres: Action, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi

   Release date: 30 November 1994

   

   After the death of his wife Heather in the 16th century, Connor MacLeod makes a trip to Japan to train under another immortal sorcerer named Nakano. He is an old friend of Connor’s late teacher Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez. Nakano teaches Connor the art of sword fighting with the katana that once belonged to Ramirez. Nakano warns Connor about an evil immortal named Kane traveling across Asia with his two henchmen, Kabul Khan and Senghi Khan.

   After burning down a local village, the evil group of immortals reaches the cave where Nakano is tutoring Connor. Kane beheads Nakano, absorbing his immortal energy and sorcery of illusion through the Quickening. Connor manages to escape, and Nakano pulls off his final trick after telling Kane that he will not be able to make it to the Gathering to win the Prize. The release of the energy collapses the cave, trapping Kane and the henchmen inside it.

   Forward to 1788, Connor meets and falls in love with an English woman, Sarah Barrington, in France. During the French Revolution, Connor MacLeod was arrested for treason against King Louis XVI of France and sentenced to death. Connor’s immortal friend Pierre Bouchet takes his place instead, claiming that he is done with the life of an immortal. Presuming Connor is dead, Sarah marries another man.

   Connor finds Sarah only to discover that she now has a family and decides to let her believe that he is dead. In 1985, after defeating the Kurgan in the Gathering, it seemed as if Connor was the last immortal alive. Connor and his new love Brenda Wyatt move to Scotland and get married. In 1987, Brenda lost her life in a car accident, but Connor managed to survive it without sustaining any wounds, which proved that he retained his immortal attributes and may not have won the Prize.

   Visit: Tom Cruise movies

   Forward to the year 1994, Connor resides with his adopted son John. Subsequently, Dr. Alexandra Johnson, an archaeologist who looks similar to Sarah Barrington, is a member of an excavating team researching the legendary cave of Nakano. The excavation frees Kane from the cave, which beheads Senghi to gain power, while his other henchman, Khabul, sets out to find Connor. Connor senses the Quickening release of the death of Senghi and realizes that the Gathering did not end.

   He travels back to New York, leaving his adopted son in the care of his friend, Jack Donovan. Connor MacLeod arrives in New York as Russell Nash. He confronts Khabul and kills him. NYPD Lt. John Stenn deduces that the headhunter killer of 1985 was in action again after seeing Khabul’s headless body. He concludes that Russell Nash is the killer, who was the prime suspect in the 1985 investigation.

   Alex finds clues in the Nakano cave hinting at the presence of the exiled member from the MacLeod clan, i.e., Connor MacLeod. To continue her research, Alex meets Russell Nash, who claims to be a descendant of the MacLeod clan. Alexandra tracks him down and witnesses a duel between Connor and Kane. The fight ends with Connor’s blade shattering and Kane fleeing the site.

   Connor returns to Scotland to build another sword but is unsuccessful. Alex learns more about MacLeod and concludes that the exiled MacLeod clan member and Russell Nash are the same people. Alex tracks down Connor and gives him a bar of finely refined steel that she acquired from the cave. Connor forges a new katana from the bar of metal and reveals his identity as Connor MacLeod, and the two fall in love with each other.

   Connor later learns that Kane has abducted his adopted son John. MacLeod travels to an old church mission to save his son and kill Kane. After a brief battle with the evil immortal, Connor successfully decapitates Kane. This time he wins the Prize and possesses the powers of every immortal who lives. He returns to Scotland with his son John and newfound love Alex to live out the rest of his mortal life.

4. Highlander: Endgame (2000)

   Writers: Gregory Widen, Eric Bernt, Gillian Horvath

   Director: Douglas Aarniokoski

   Stars: Christopher Lambert, Adrian Paul, Bruce Payne

   Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

   Release date: 1 September 2000

   

   In A.D. 1555, Connor returns to his village from exile to save his mother from a former friend and village priest, Jacob Kell. Kell executes Connor’s mother on account of practicing witchcraft. Learning of his mother’s death, in a feat of rage, Connor kills Kell and Kell’s adoptive father, Father Rainey, before leaving his mother’s dead body and setting his former hometown Glenfinnan, Scotland, ablaze.

   Kell is reborn as an immortal and vows to avenge his adoptive father’s death by seeking vengeance against Connor. Kell spends the next four centuries killing people Connor cares about. Ignoring the rule of the Game, Kell recruits several weaker Immortals as disciples. They work together for him and weaken other Immortals so that he can absorb their powers and grow stronger.

   Sometime after Kurgan’s death at the hands of Connor, Kell organizes the death of Connor’s adopted daughter Rachel Ellenstein. With his daughter’s demise, Connor, heartbroken, leaves for the Sanctuary. Under the surveillance of a subgroup of humans called the Watchers, who prevent any immortal from winning the Prize, Connor spends a decade peacefully in the Sanctuary until Kell shows up.

   Kell and his disciples attack the Sanctuary, making him assume that Connor is among the several slaughtered immortals. Duncan MacLeod witnesses the attack on the Sanctuary in his visions. Haunted by the murders, Duncan starts investigating. Duncan goes to see Methos, who tells him about the Sanctuary. Duncan is surprised to learn that Connor is living at the Sanctuary.

   He departs from London and travels to New York. He goes to Connor’s loft in NYC, where Rachel died in a planned explosion. Duncan is approached by his 200-year-old immortal wife, Kate. Shortly, a group of Kell’s disciples arrives and start fighting Duncan, going against the rule of a one-on-one battle. Kell arrives, but one of Kell’s henchmen, Carlos, shoots Duncan, who falls on a spike making him unconscious.

   Furious with the action, Kell beheads Carlos. A van appears and drives away with Duncan. Duncan wakes up and realizes that the Watchers took him in to prevent Kell from winning the Prize. Methos and Watcher Joe Dawson later help Ducan to escape. Joe explains how powerful Kell has become after beheading and absorbing 661 immortals. He also says that Kell spared Connor to make his life miserable.

   Duncan’s death would further pain Connor, and it would not be tedious for Kell with the current power he possesses. As for Connor, the constant death of his loved ones made him guilt-ridden. For this reason, Connor is unwilling to fight Kell by himself. Duncan meets Faith, a.k.a. Kate, in a fashion shoot, asking her why she is on Kell’s side. Kate reasons with Duncan, saying she hates being unable to bear a child or grow old and die, and Kell understands her pain.

   Duncan can either earn her forgiveness or fight her as a member of Kell’s disciple. Later, Kate enters Duncan’s room in a hotel after a chat with Kell. They make love to each other, and Duncan thinks he has earned her forgiveness, but Kate tells him that she can never forgive him for turning her into an immortal. Duncan assures her that he will patiently wait, even for centuries, till Kate forgives him.

   Kell kills all of his followers, possibly including Kate and absorbs their power. Later, Connor confronts Duncan on a rooftop and intentionally starts to fight him. Connor tells Duncan that neither of them can take on Kell alone and that he needs to sacrifice himself for Duncan to absorb it.

   Then it could defeat Kell. With an emotional farewell, Duncan MacLeod honorably beheads his clansman, Connor MacLeod, absorbing his powers. In their final battle, Kell manages to overpower Duncan even after the latter uses a supposedly-invincible sword technique that he learned from Connor. Hale tries to interfere and take Duncan back to the Sanctuary, but instead, he gets shot dead by Joe.

   Kell is about to finish Ducna, but Connor’s spirit takes over Duncan’s body giving him the strength to fight again. Duncan jumps behind Kell and manages to decapitate him, avenging all of Connor and Connor’s loved ones. Duncan absorbs all of Kell’s powers, making him the most powerful Immortal in the universe. Ducan takes Connor’s dead body back to Scotland and buries Connor next to his late wife Heather and mentor Ramirez.

5. Highlander: The Source (2007)

   Writers: Stephen Kelvin Watkins, Mark Bradley, Gregory Widen

   Director: Brett Leonard

   Stars: Adrian Paul, Thekla Reuten, Cristian Solimeno

   Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi

   Release date: 13 September 2007

   

   In the future, humanity has fallen into violence and chaos. Gangs and warlords fight to control territories, whereas the commoners become homeless. They are barely able to survive, continuously searching for resources. Some still have access to advanced technology, including a group of immortals. The group includes Methos, the ancient immortal, a computer hacker Reggie, a warrior and scout Zai Jie, and Cardinal Giovanni, an immortal from the Vatican.

   The group is in search of the mysterious Source of Immortality. Zai Jie believes he has found the location of the Source but gets killed by the Guardian of the Source. Reggie discovers that the planets are aligning in an unnatural pattern. Methos seeks out Joe Dawson, a Watcher and old friend, to find Duncan MacLeod. Subsequently, Duncan has been roaming the wastelands after leaving his mortal wife, Anna Teshemka, when she decided that she could no longer be his wife if they did not have a biological offspring and start a family.

   Wandering, Duncan briefly encounters the Guardian of the Source and fights the creature before getting found and recruited by Joe. They meet the rest of the immortal team members at a monastery to meet with an ancient being known as the Elder and learn about the Source. At the monastery, the group meets Duncan’s mortal wife, Anna Teshemka, who tells them she has visions of the Source.

   They meet the Elder inside the monastery, who tells them that a long time ago, three immortals managed to find the Source. After slaying the Guardian, the two managed to survive. Still, they got cursed, with one of them becoming the new Guardian, the other suffering from continuous decaying, i.e., the Elder himself. The third was supposedly reborn as Anna. Anna’s visions imply that she knows the way to the Source.

   The Elder also warns them that the closer they get to the Source, the weaker they will be. The Guardian appears and attacks Reggie and Joe Dawson inside the monastery. In an attempt to save both of them, Dawson throws his katana at the Guardian. The Guardian removes the sword from his neck and breaks it. The Guardian fatally wounds Joe with the broken blade and escapes the holy ground. After burying Joe, the rest of the group leaves to find the Source.

   They reckon that the Source is on an island off Lithuania’s coast, inhabited by a tribe of cannibals. Ducan has a conversation with Anna and is surprised to learn that she did not start a family with another mortal man because she wanted a family with Duncan. Duncan and his team fight the locals and escape to a deserted house in a van. That night, Reggie is mortally attacked by the Guardian and succumbs to his death due to the close distance to the Source.

   After burying Reggie, the group continues the journey. On the road, Duncan and Methos conclude that the Prize is not obtained when one immortal is left. Still, only one immortal can obtain the Prize, the Source of Immortality. A group of cannibals ambushes the group. While the cannibals celebrate, the Guardian frees Anna to take her to the Source. Giovanni manages to escape and takes a sword leaving Ducna and Methos to their demise.

   Giovanni believes it is his destiny to be the one to obtain the Source. Duncan frees himself and Methos as well. Methos concludes that Ducan is the true one because of his incorruptible nature. Methos becomes the distraction and rides off on a horse while Duncan chases Anna. Giovanni gets killed by the Guardian. Duncan finds Anna lying by a sandpit that is illuminated like a constellation.

   The planetary alignment is happening right above them. The Guardian appears and challenges Duncan to a battle. Being so close to the Source, Duncan obtains speed and strength that matches the Guardian. Anna is supposedly able to communicate with the glowing Source of Immortality. Duncan tries to get to her but gets blocked by an energy barrier. MacLeod continues his fight with the Guardian.

   Duncan pins the Guardian to the ground. The Guardian asks for death, but Duncan denies delivering it, which would otherwise have transferred the curse to Duncan. Unable to free himself from the curse, the Guardian blasts and vanishes. This act proves the purity of Duncan’s heart which allows him to reunite with Anna and connect to the Source.

All Highlander Movies Box Office Collection

• Highlander – $12.8 million
• Highlander II: The Quickening – $15.6 million
• Highlander III: The Sorcerer – $36.7 million
• Highlander: Endgame – $15.8 million
• Highlander: The Source – $213,205

All Highlander Movies According To Highest To Lowest IMDb Ranking

• Highlander – 7.1 with 133K
• Highlander: Endgame – 4.6 with 20K
• Highlander III: The Sorcerer – 4.4 with 21K
• Highlander II: The Quickening – 4.1 with 46K
• Highlander: The Source – 3.0 with 9.5K

FAQs

Conclusion

The Highlander film series, without a doubt, can be considered a classic of the 90s. A rich storyline with a great environment to build up a sense of fantasy has been portrayed in the movies. The unique concept of having extra-terrestrial creatures reborn as humans on Earth, fighting for the ultimate Prize, is a masterpiece. The timeline can be off the track, but we cannot debate the straightforward yet subtle fact that this is an all-time exemplary movie series.

With a small yet loving and loyal fan base, this movie series is wished to be continued by many. There have been many producers and directors who have considered remaking or rebooting the original Highlander movies. In contrast, the fans diligently wait to get the old nostalgic sword fights and lightning course through their veins once again.