Now that the end of the world has arrived on American Horror Story [1], you can bet that all hell will break loose over the course of the show's intense eighth season [2]. As we reconnect with all of our fave characters [3] on AHS: Apocalypse, there's one in particular who might have you digging back in the archives for a little refresher course: Michael Langdon. The proclaimed Antichrist [4] will clearly be one of the biggest parts of the season, but before we get any deeper, we thought it pertinent to remind you how he came to be. Let's review everything we've learned about Michael so far, from his parents, to the nature and consequences of his conception.
The Rape of Vivien Harmon
Michael Langdon is actually conceived in the pilot of the series, once the Harmons move into their house. During one of the first nights, Ben goes downstairs in a trance. Meanwhile, the Rubber Man enters the Harmon bedroom and has sex with Vivien. In the moment, Vivien believes it's Ben she's sleeping with; they discover the rubber suit earlier in the episode, and she assumes he put it on as a joke. It's not until later that she realises it was someone else entirely.
Later, we learn it's Tate behind the mask, which plants the major seed of concern: an evil spirit has conceived with a human. And that's bad news, especially in the AHS universe.
The Nature of the Antichrist
Shortly after the conception, it becomes quite clear that Vivien isn't experiencing a normal pregnancy. The most unsettling moment for the expectant mother is an encounter with an ultrasound technician, who faints when she checks in on the baby. She quits her job and devotes herself to the church. When Vivien seeks her out, she says that there's something evil inside Vivien, and she saw hooves on the ultrasound monitor.
There are other disturbing aspects of the pregnancy as well. The Harmons find out they're expecting twins, but the doctor says one is much stronger, and leaching resources from the other. The babies arrive early — only about six months in. The other baby is stillborn. It may be on the nose, but it's a clear representation of the battle between good and evil. And this time, evil wins.
The Grave Warning From Billie Dean Howard
Much later in the season, we get the full rundown from our resident psychic diva [6], Billie Dean Howard. When Constance asks what happens when a spirit impregnates a woman, Billie shares the story of the Antichrist.
"When a new Pope has been chosen, and the bells of St. Peter's chime, he is shown into a small chamber next to the Sistine Chapel. They call it 'The Room of Tears,' named for the sublime mixture of joy and sorrow that he must contemplate at this moment. He is brought a key to this box. It has been said that this box contains the ultimate secret. It holds the secret of the end of the world . . . This piece of paper reveals the precise nature of the Antichrist: a child born of human and spirit will usher in the End of Times. It is the essence of evil. A perversion of the Immaculate Conception."
In this moment, we have all the information we need to understand the nature of Murder House. It's not just about the unfortunate end of the Harmon family. It's about the beginning of the end of the world as we know it.
The End of the Beginning
If you've seen Murder House, you know how everything ends. Vivien dies giving birth to the Antichrist, and the evil spirits in the house kill Ben by hanging him from the house's chandelier. Constance takes Michael into her care. In the last scene, we see that he's murdered his nanny by slitting her throat. This is the son of the devil, all right. And now, we're set up to move on to the apocalypse.
So, as Michael reigns over the eighth season of AHS, just remember that his parents are Tate Langdon and Vivien Harmon. There's some poetry to the fact that this devastating end of the world was foreshadowed from the very first episode in the series.