Erik is the central figure of the Universal Church of Erik and the title character in Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel Le fantôme de l'opéra. Erik's character has since been revived in stories such as Susan Kay's novel Phantom (recounting Erik's life and times and creating a background story for him, which many fans are prone to accepting as nearly canon), Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera, Yeston/Kopit's musical Phantom, and numerous other works of both professional and amateur ranking.

There are many facets to the story and character of Erik, and the Universal Church of Erik gladly embraces all versions, within reason, generally accepting of Leroux's story and character as the foundation for their own. You can read more about some of these versions (and others) under the Literature section.