Within minutes of Bill feasting on werewolves in the jungle of Mississippi last Sunday, True Blood viewers were introduced to Russell Edgington, that state's vampire king.

Played with relaxed intensity by Denis O'Hare, the King is a mysterious figure, one who offered Bill the job of area sheriff - and then threatened Sookie when he refused.

What, exactly, is Edgington after? O'Hare gives us a clearer idea in a new TV Guide interview. Excerpts are below:

What can he tell us about King of Mississippi? Russell is the oldest vampire we've yet to meet, and is therefore the most powerful. His physical power is kind of staggering. At one point, a vampire attacks him and Russell twitches his shoulder and the vampire flies off him and hits the ceiling. He is beyond morality, an ancient Celt, 2,800 years old, a pagan.

Certainly he's assimilated and evolved, but at heart he's a pagan druid creature, an earth-worshipper who's incredibly concerned with nature. Eventually, we'll hear his vision for the world, which is that humans need to step aside and let vampires rule because humans are squandering the earth and ruining their habitat.

What does Russell want? All Russell knows now is that the Queen wants Sookie; Russell wants to find out why. His eventual goal is to take over every state and become the first vampire president of the United States, and his first target is Louisiana.

Russell wants to use Bill as a spy to gain insight into Sophie-Anne so he can blackmail her into marrying him. Along the way, he realizes that Sookie is actually the prize, and then he becomes obsessed with her.

What is Russell's connection to werewolves? They work for him. He keeps them addicted to his blood, and they become addicts. He's done this for 1,000 or more years. Two things: You don't have to demand their loyalty; you have it. They're addicted to your blood. It's like mind control. The second thing is that you have a daylight set of eyes. These guys are able to be awake during the day.

True Blood airs a new episode on June 27. Watch a preview for it NOW.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.