Donovan is a fictional character created by H. P. Lovecraft, who makes his only appearance in the 1928 short story "The Call of Cthulhu". He is a member of the Emma of Auburn, although his role is uncertain. When the crew discovers Cthulhu's vault in R'lyeh, William Briden fails to find its opening. Donovan proceeds to feel "over it delicately around the edge," press "each point separately as he went," and is the one who successfully opens the immense door, after climbing atop the structure and finding it to give inward. However once the door has been opened, Cthulhu emerges, killing Donovan, Guerrera and Angstrom.
Trivia
- Donovan is one of only three known characters in Lovecraft's fiction to be slain by Cthulhu itself. The Cthulhi, an extraterrestrial race who follow the deity and bear its image, were once at war with the Elder Things, but it is uncertain if Cthulhu was personally involved in the battle.