- "My queen, I have destroyed the castle of Galladoorn"
- —Kael to Bavmorda. General Kael is the commander of the Nockmaar army and the secondary antagonist of Willow. He is sent by Queen Bavmorda to find the baby of the prophecy, Elora Danan.
Biography
Kael tricked the high commander of the Nockmaar army, Harkenwell, into taking responsibility for a military blunder. Bavmorda sent him to the Northern Waste. Kael thus took his place.
Kael leads the Nockmaar army to Galladoorn, destroying the castle. Airk mounts his army for a counterattack but suffers another sore loss at the battle of Land's End.
Later on, Airk ambushes the Nockmaar army at Tir Asleen, marking the turning point of the war. However, General Kael still manages to kidnap Elora Danan and bring her back to Nockmaar Castle.
Airk leads the Galladoorn army to Nockmaar Castle where Queen Bavmorda transforms the entire army into pigs. Fin Raziel transforms them all back to their original forms in secret and Willow forms a plan for them to use subterfuge to mount a suprise attack on the castle. The battle is a success for Galladoorn, but General Kael ultimately kills Airk. Madmartigan, in turn, fights General Kael and manages to break a piece of his skull mask. Though wounded, Kael pursues Madmartigan up the stairs of Bavmorda's tower, and still appears to be winning, when Madmartigan stabs him in the belly with Airk's broken sword. Kael is shocked enough to drop his sword, but punches Madmartigan hard enough to disarm him, then tries to strangle him with his bare hands. Madmartigan jabs Kael's belly wound to break his grip, then props Kael's own sword upright with his foot and pulls Kael down onto it, impaling him through the belly, before finally throwing him off the stairway to the ground.
Novelization
In the novelization, Kael is portrayed slightly more sympathetically, a veteran soldier motivated by his loyalty to Queen Bavmorda and pride in his own martial skills, but nonetheless weary of the constant killing his duty requires him to perform. Madmartigan's blow to his mask shocks him into realizing that he is only human, not superhuman, and distracts him too much to manage a good defense against Madmartigan's attack. His last thought, as Madmartigan's sword pierces his heart, is to laugh inside, realizing how tired he is, and how relieved that the killing is finally over.
Trivia
According to IMDB, Kael is possibly named after film critic Pauline Kael.
Kael was portrayed by wrestler and actor Pat Roach, who portrayed several characters in the Indiana Jones franchise, another Lucasfilm production, such as the Giant Sherpa, the muscular German Mechanic, the huge Thuggee Chief Guard, and the black coated Gestapo Agent.