Kevin Thorn

Kevin Thorn is the literal personification of storytelling, and responsible for the creation of all the Fables. Introduced in Fables as a reporter with the strange ability to see the fable community and its residents for who they really are. He is eventually revealed to be the amnesiac personification of storytelling itself, as well as the creator of all fables. As his memories and powers return, the once mild-mannered reporter begins showing a much more sinister side.

Creating the Fables
Many centuries before the present storyline, Kevin Thorn had created the Fables. Both of his sons were against the nature of magic in the mundy world, but had completely different methods of dealing with it: Revise planned to deprive the Fables of their powers and make their stories forgotten, while Bookburner planned to outright destroy the Fables. Seeing Revise as the lesser of two evils, Kevin gave in to Revise, permitting him to not only build the Golden Boughs (a prison for Fables running loose), but also to put him in the memory hole, providing he could at least live near his creations in New York City.

Life in New York City
During his period of amnesia, Kevin Thorn landed a job as a journalist in New York City. Shortly after the Battle of Fabletown, led by Baba Yaga and the Wooden Soldiers, Kevin Thorn was skeptical about the news reports covering the subsequent damage, but when suggesting the sighting of a girl on a flying carpet (which was actually Baba Yaga), he was fired for "going all X-files". Since then, he had become a household superintendent (some of the tenants included Hansel and his subordinates) and independently researched the Fables community. When learning of the disappearance of several Fables (with Bigby Wolf, Snow White, and Boy Blue among others), he comes to the conclusion that they were sent to the Farm, which he believes is the Fables form of execution. Recalling another journalist, Tommy Sharp, being executed for researching the secret community (unknown to him, by Bluebeard), Kevin grew increasingly cautious about making his presence known to the Fables.

Kevin later brought a publisher to his apartment to show him his research on Fables, including the original stories (or at least the Mundy versions), only to have the publisher point out that they are all in Kevin's handwriting. Questioning himself, Kevin leaves to be alone, at which point his dog (who is actually a non-human spy for the Golden Boughs) calls Revise to inform him that Kevin is regaining his memory. A retrieval team is sent to bring Kevin to the Golden Boughs. When Kevin awakes from the ordeal, he faces Revise, revealing to the reader why he can see past the illusions of Fables magic...he is actually a Literal, a species very similar to Fables, but represent literary devices rather than characters.

Golden Boughs
Now a "guest" at the Golden Boughs, the Page sisters learn that Kevin is actually Revise's father and Gary's son. He stayed their for some time until a mass panic broke out amongst the news that Bookburner was leading an army to the Golden Boughs to deal with the Fables once and for all. Speaking with Priscilla Page in private, having gained her confidence, Kevin warns her that many people (Fables and mundies alike) will die if Revise and Bookburner clash; he also reveals that Bookburner is actually Robin and Priscilla's father, with Revise being Hillary's father. Kevin states he has a way to end the conflict, but will require transportation to his old apartment in New York City. Priscilla smuggles him out of the community, driving halfway across the country to his old apartment. They break in and Kevin reveals what he had gone there for his pen. Priscilla asked how it would help stop Bookburner, and Kevin reveals that it won't, betraying her by writing that a pack of jackals would chase "the very gullible Priscilla Page" outside (which came true once it was written on his notepad).

Rewriting the Story
Now free of the Golden Boughs and his experiences in the memory hole, Kevin Thorn's ultimate nature is revealed...he is the embodiment of storytelling, and the true creator of the Fables. His ultimate goal is now revealed to uncreate the Fables and rewrite existence to the way he wanted it before (openly showing contempt and disgust for the recent changes such as Bigby Wolf being a sheriff and Geppetto being a bloodthirsty conqueror). He recruits the Genres as his bodyguards, as well as Old Sam and Hansel for advisors. Time and time again, Kevin attempts to end the story, but ends up failing. He learns this is because he is now haunted by his twin brother, Writer's Block. Kevin now contemplates on how to get rid of him for good (he has dealt with his twin brother in the past), with Old Sam trying to persuade Kevin not to destroy existence. Hansel argues that Kevin does not need to kill his brother for good, just for now (as Literals are immortal, much like many Fables). Kevin agrees, and finally manages to kill his brother (for now).

Sam's last attempt to stop Kevin was convincing him to wash off his brother's blood in the shower while Sam attempted to steal the pen. However, when he grabbed the pen, it literally fried his brain, overloading it with information contained within the pen. As punishment, Kevin rewrites Sam to live in complete isolation, unable to be seen or heard by anyone (though he seems to have escaped that fate during the 30-year gap between the penultimate and final Jack of Fables story arc). Kevin finally manages to start writing, but is halted by his own furniture, having come to life by his father, Gary the Pathetic Fallacy. Kevin quickly stops it, however, when he reveals he had taken the advice of Science Fiction and written a force field for himself. Bigby Wolf and Snow White arrive with Revise, Jack Frost, and the Page Sisters, but cannot break through the force field. Kevin triumphantly begin to write the last sentence of the Fables' story, with all but Jack Frost giving up. Jack Frost was able to break through the force field by freezing Kevin Thorn before he could write the very last word. After his defeat, Dex, the embodiment of deux ex machina, creates an alternate universe for the Literals to live inhabit as they please. Gary and the Page Sisters stay behind, but throw in Kevin before permanently sealing the door. Revise asked his father what bothered him, since he now had a chance to create a world to his satisfaction. Kevin answered that this new world was a "blank page", and had no idea where to begin writing.

Personality
Kevin Thorn was a meek, polite and friendly individual. When his memories return, however, he simply keeps it up as a facade. Upon regaining his powers, he drops the act altogether. He is exclusively committed to creating the best story he can muster, and would go to great extents to protect them, even allow himself to be diminished if that would save them. However, he wouldn't abide for the changes made to his stories and would rather start from scratch than rewrite them again.

He views Fables and Mundanes as nothing more than characters in a story to do with as he wishes and barely has more respect for his fellow Literals. When he first gets his powers he turned a park into a nightmare to test them out and casually writers horrible fates for several people who annoyed him. He is not hesitant in the least to destroying everything because he doesn't like how it turned out.

Physical Appearance
Kevin Thorn is a Caucasian man of average height with brown eyes and hair. He is seen wearing glasses and dresses quite causally, for a writer.

Powers and Abilities

 * Immortality: Like a Literals, Kevin Thorn is immortal in a similar, yet superior, capacity to the most renowned Fables. According to Kevin himself, Literals cannot be killed permanently. No Literal can be killed for more than a few years.


 * Reality Warping: Kevin Thorn was the single most powerful entity of the Fables universe. In his pen the whole of the universe is inscribed and whatever he writes with it becomes reality. His power is not limited to just creating or destroying, he can make it so everything never even existed in the first place, which is his ultimate goal in The Great Fable Crossover.

Weaknesses

 * Favorite Pen: Depriving Kevin of his pen renders him harmless, as it takes him centuries to "break in" a new pen enough to inscribe reality.
 * Writer's Block: Kevin's only natural foil is his brother, in his vicinity he loses his ability to concentrate and become frustrated with his own work.

Equipment

 * Favorite Pen: Kevin's pen, which allows him to rewrite reality. Touching it causes anyone other than him to die horribly as their minds are subjected to the entirety of human history at once.

The Literals

 * The Literals 1
 * The Literals 2
 * The Literals 3

Other Appearances

 * Vertigo Encyclopedia
 * Fables Encyclopedia

Trivia

 * It was theorized that his death would wipe all Fables out of existence, and possibly everything else - Mundys included.