Frater Imperator

Frater Imperator
Papa Emeritus IV
Cardinal Copia

Aliases

"Cardinal Copia"
"Papa Emeritus IV"
"Cardi C"
"Cardi"
"C"
”Popia”
"Copia"
"The Anointed One"

Relatives

Papa Nihil (Father)
Sister Imperator (Mother)
Papa Emeritus, Papa Emeritus II, Papa Emeritus III (Half-Brothers)
Unnamed (Twin-Brother (Unconfirmed))

Affiliation

The Clergy

Biographical information

Date of birth

Circa 1970

Physical description

Species

Human

Gender

Male

Eye color

Green (Right) White (Left)

Frater Imperator (formerly Papa Emeritus IV and Cardinal Copia) was the fourth frontman of Ghost, his cycle lasting from April 6, 2018 to October 11, 2023. He is stated to be the first frontman to not be a part of the Emeritus bloodline, though it is heavily implied he is the bastard son of Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator and is later confirmed in the band's debut film "Rite Here Rite Now". He was the frontman for three albums. Prequelle, IMPERA, and one EP, Phantomime. Currently, his role is as the head of the Clergy.

Appearance

Frater Imperator is notable for being the first (and currently only) Papa to be frontman for more than one studio album, starting with Prequelle and currently with IMPERA. As such, his appearances have changed a considerable amount between the two cycles.

Prequelle Cycle (2018 - 2020)

Like the Papas before him, Cardinal Copia is played by Tobias Forge wearing a custom-made mask by Jerry Constantine. Some fans have speculated that his mask in particular is inspired by the face of late American actor Vincent Price due to their similarities, although Tobias himself has said Copia is a "mix of Dracula and Jacques Clouseau"^[1]^[2]^[3].

Cardinal Copia Sideswept Hair — Copia's formerly side-swept hair

His mask has medium-length dark brown hair, usually combed back (although initially combed to the side) and prominent sideburns, alongside a pencil mustache. His first official appearance featured him in a black Cardinal outfit with an accompanying hat. His face paint, unlike previous frontmen of the band, was minimal, only covering his eyes. This denoted his junior status and that he was yet to "deserve his skull paint"^[4]. He has also been stated as being "the more limber of all of [the Papas]"^[5].

Copia has several outfits: He has a cassock and accompanying biretta that comes in both black and red variants, a black and red dressed down outfit, and a similar white tuxedo that comes with a hat. Occasionally, he wears a cape alongside his black dressed down outfit. Once anointed Papa Emeritus IV, his appearance changed yet again. His minimal facepaint is now gone in place of the more extensive and "traditional" skull facepaint of the Papas before him, and he has now earned a new blue chasuble and mitre, along with a black cope (an ornamented liturgical cape). All his outfits so far have been designed by B. Åkerlund and produced by Majesty Black.

IMPERA Cycle (2020 - 2023)

Horrible botox disaster — Papa post surgery

In the chapter Tomb It May Concern, Papa Emeritus IV is presented with a brand new mask made by Andrew Freeman, alongside with Sister Imperator who is played by a new actor. This drastic change in appearance for both characters is explained in-universe as a "two-for-one" plastic surgery. Amongst the changes in facial structure, Papa's mustache and sideburns are noticeably gone, and his temples have grayed.

During the Pre-Imperatour, he revealed a brand new set of clothes including but not limited to: rat-bitten pants, a blue sequin jacket with a prominent "Fuck You" patch, a Victorian and steampunk inspired military outfit, a ceremonial gown and cornette, and a vest adorned with the new Grucifix logo. In the Imperatour, he continues using the aforementioned clothing alongside his blue chasuble.

Personality

As of current, Papa Emeritus IV is the most fleshed out Papa in the Ghost universe with the most comprehensive observable personality, which itself might be due to him being a part of a bigger, more defined storyline within the band's lore. While previous Papas had personalities and backstories only hinted at in interviews and as throw-away lines during live shows, Papa IV's character is shown front and center in both live shows and in the mini webseries that the band first released at the beginning of the Prequelle cycle.

History

Cardinal Copia was first teased in January 2018, when Ghost's official Instagram page uploaded a video of an unseen man (now known to be Cardinal Copia) playing an 8-track of Ceremony and Devotion. ^[6]He was officially introduced in April that same year in the second Prequelle chapter, The Cardinal, in which he is anointed the new frontman of the band by Papa Nihil.^[7] His first live performance was a private acoustic show the same evening in Chicago. ^[8]

On March 3, 2020, in the last show of the Pale Tour Named Death, Cardinal Copia was anointed Papa Emeritus IV.^[9]

He recently went on tour alongside Volbeat, from January 25 to March 3, across the U.S. Currently, he is touring with the rest of the band in the Imperatour, supporting their new album IMPERA that was released on March 11, 2022.

On June 20th, 2024, the highly anticipated film "Rite Here Rite Now" was released in cinemas worldwide. It was revealed then that Papa Emeritus IV was promoted to head of the clergy after the sudden death of his mother, Sister Imperator. From this point forward, his official title is Frater (lat. “brother”) Imperator. It is currently uncertain as to who his successor as frontman will be, however it is confirmed at this time that he will be taking over the duties of his late mother and managing the remainder of the clergy.

Trivia

Square Hammer Cardinal — A sign of what to come...

Frater Imperator has the most extensive wardrobe of any Papa to date.
Evaporated milk is currently Frater Imperator's best-loved drink at this moment in time.
Tobias has stated that he was initially not fond of Copia's character^[10]^[11], but grew to like him over time^[12]^[13].
Frater Imperator prefers that the socks stay on^[14].

According to Sister Imperator, Frater Imperator had the second most Employee of the Month awards when he was a Cardinal.
The character of Cardinal Copia has been foreshadowed as far back as 2016. In the music video for Square Hammer, there is a brief shot of a Northern Cardinal perching atop a tombstone--the red bird, of course, symbolizing the Cardinal.
The song that played during Papa IV's coronation is "Arrival" by ABBA.
He is the first character Tobias Forge has played since his identity was revealed.
Frater is Latin for "brother".