Netflix’s hit series Locke & Key is coming to a close with its final season. The Locke family has been fighting demons and trying to keep the magic alive in their lives after the discovery of magical keys around their family home. Bode, Kinsie, & Tyler use the powers of the keys to help them survive the trials brought forth by the evil entity known as Dodge and other demons that step forward. This Netflix original has introduced many keen concepts with the keys and their powers.
Here we are going to go over some of the coolest keys, detailing their powers and how they were used throughout the series. We’ll be ranking them based on their abilities and how they could be applied both in the show and in an everyday setting, and in some cases musing on whether such a key should be used on an ethical standard. We’ll be using examples from the horrifying adventures the siblings went on throughout the series.
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8 The Musicbox Key
Netflix
Speaking of ethical questions, this key brings forth many moral dilemmas regarding its use. The Musicbox key, as its name suggests, goes to a music box, where upon using it and aiming your intentions at a specific person, the user can whisper commands into the box, and their target is forced to act out the commands against their will. Kinsey would attempt to use this as a form of retribution against her high school bully, forcing her to embarrass herself. Dodge would use it for more nefarious purposes, having taken the key, and used it to sow discord among the Locke’s and their friends.
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7 The Memory Key
It is established early on in the show that adults can not comprehend the magic of the keys and, if exposed to their magic, will begin to forget anything associated with them or simply believe the event to be a vivid dream. The Lockes grow concerned when they realize that once they and their friends turn 18, they too, will begin to lose their memories. It appears the generation before they grew weary of this as well, as they had crafted a new key called the Memory Key. When this key is used on a human being who witnessed magic, they will regain their memories and fully understand all that has happened to them. This key was used on Duncan so he could remember all the events that he had witnessed when he was a child.
6 The Alpha Key
The Alpha Key is one of the most extraordinary keys the Lockes create. While the Omega Key is designed to open the Black Door, a portal that allows demons to escape and attach themselves to human beings, the Alpha Key was created to expunge the demons from their hosts, effectively killing them. The moral dilemma created by this key is that the Lockes would discover that without the demon, the host also dies, with a medical examination declaring they suffered from an aneurysm. This key would be used to give the Lockes some temporary peace, as they would use it to finally rid themselves of Dodge.
5 The Hercules Key and Belt
The Hercules Key and Belt are tools that the Lockes found sometime between seasons one and two. We first see the effectiveness of the tool when Bode uses them to lift heavy furniture. The combat capabilities of this tool would prove effective, seeing as it gives a child the strength of two adults. The Belt does have a limit to the strength it gives the wearer, as Kinsey was initially capable of fighting a demon off while wearing the Belt but was beginning to become overwhelmed when more demons joined the fight. That said, in a one-on-one scenario, the Belt proves effective, as Scott is capable of grappling a demon by himself when wearing the Belt.
4 The Ghost Key
Sometimes the Lockes need answers that they can’t discover with their own resources, but with the discovery of the Ghost Key, they learn they can converse with the dead. The Ghost Key works on a specific door in the Locke house, and when the user walks through the door, their spirit leaves their body. While the spirit leaves their body, the user can then travel a certain distance, speaking to other spirits that are around the house. The main danger with this key is that the user can die. If the door closes before they return to their body, the anchor is severed, and the spirit is forever detached from their physical form.
3 The Head Key
One of the most intriguing keys to be introduced in the franchise, the Head Key, allows users to enter their own minds. After inserting the key inside the back of their neck, the user begins an out-of-body experience where they see a door that leads to a representation of their mind, complete with passions, fears, memories, and insecurities.
The key seems to have a significant drawback, as while it is in use, anyone can discover the person’s physical body and (if they are susceptible to magic) the door that leads to the person’s mind. This has led to terrible consequences, such as when Erin Voss was trapped inside her own mind after the Head Key was accidentally pushed out of her neck. Due to adults not being susceptible to magic, when she was discovered unresponsive but alive, they declared her catatonic with grief, and she was trapped for over twenty years.
2 The Identity Key
While this key initially didn’t exist as in the comics, the Netflix adaptation combined two keys to make this one even more useful and cool. When using the key, placing it under the user’s chin, and having an intention in mind, the user can change their (or someone else’s) appearance. This key goes fully in-depth, allowing the user to change their gender, skin tone, and voice so that no one would recognize them. The person to use this key the most is Dodge, effectively altering their appearance so as to manipulate the Lockes and their friends, acting as an inside agent among their ranks and, when needed, attempting to seduce them.
1 The Anywhere Key
The best key of them all would have to be the first key ever to be discovered by Bode Locke. This key can be used in any door at all, and when there is an intention in place, it can transport the user to any location in the world. While this would imply the user would have to have visited the location before, this is not the case.
Tyler Locke once borrowed the key to bring Jackie Veda to Bath for a special moment. Tyler had never been here before, but because he had seen pictures and was able to put his intention into the action, he was able to bring her with him to this place for the first time ever. The key is also often used as a quick means of escape, with multiple characters using the key to reach safety from someone else’s pursuit.
