The Phantom

Erik, the Phantom of the Opera Populaire, is a deformed musical genius who lives in the catacombs of the Paris opera house.

Early Life
Little is known about the Phantom's early years. The film goes into more depth than the musical.

According to the film, the young Phantom was raised in a circus, exploited as the Devil's Child because of a deformity that covered the right half of his face. A young Madame Giry rescues him and sends him to live below the opera house.

In the original novel, Erik has lived in Persia for a time and most of the information about his past is given by the Persian, or the Daroga.

In the Novel
In Gaston Leroux's original novel, the Phantom is explained to be a nameless figure. Leroux affirms his belief that the Phantom is a person instead of a supernatural entity. The Daroga (The Persian), a long-time companion to Phantom, is seen throughout the book to explain Phantom's past. The Persian states that 'Erik' was a name given to Phantom accidentally, and goes into depth about his life. Phantom lived originally as a dispriveleged child who eventually joined a roaming circus. From there, he became a successful architect, designing elaborate buildings filled with winding passages. After he was threatened with death twice, he returned to Paris. There he began building normal buildings until he was commissioned to build the Paris Opera House.

Relationships
The Phantom had never experienced any degree of affection before, so he had no idea how to treat people. He fell in love with Christine Daae, but grew possessive and threatened to kill Raoul, who Christine loved, if she did not stay with him. Christine, not wanting Raoul to come to harm, chose to stay with the Phantom - which she showed by kissing him. The Phantom, then realizing just how much she loved Raoul and was willing to sacrifice for him, allowed her to leave with Raoul.

At the end of the film, when it is revealed that Christine has died, there is a token from the Phantom on her grave: a red rose with a black ribbon, which tied the ring the Phantom had stolen from her neck(which Raoul gave her) to the rose's stem. This scene was not included in the original musical.

Madame Giry
As opposed to the novel, Erik is guarded by Giry instead of The Persian (she is also spared from her arrest after suspicions that she was stealing the money left for Erik). It is she, not The Persian (a non-existant character in the film), who goes on to explain a wildly varied edition of Erik's past.

Differences between film and musical
The main difference between the Phantom in the film and in the musical is his deformity. In the musical, the Phantom is nearly bald with a large scab on his head. The left side of his mouth is twisted down and the lips are swollen. In the film, the Phantom retains most of his hair and his face looks burned.

Portrayal of the Character
In the 2004 film, the Phantom is portrayed by Scottish actor Gerard Butler.