Tag: Visual edit |
Tag: Visual edit |
||
| Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
[[Cheyenne Jackson]] (TV series) |
[[Cheyenne Jackson]] (TV series) |
||
|first episode="[[Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship]]" |
|first episode="[[Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship]]" |
||
| ⚫ | |job = Vigilante|affiliations = [[Minutemen]]|spouse = [[Nelson Gardner]] (lover)}}'''Hooded Justice''', whose real identity is [[Will Reeves]], was the first-ever [[Masked Adventurer|masked adventurer]] and the lead influence for [[Hollis Mason|Nite Owl (Hollis Mason)]] and the rest of the early costumed heroes. He wore a hood and a noose, had the body of a wrestler, and was a charter member of the [[Minutemen]]. |
||
| − | |job = Vigilante|affiliations = [[Minutemen]]|spouse = [[Nelson Gardner]] (lover)}} |
||
| − | |||
| − | [[File:Hooded Justice - Watchmen (TV series).JPG|thumb|261x261px|Hooded Justice - TV series]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | '''Hooded Justice''', whose real identity is [[Will Reeves]], was the first-ever [[Masked Adventurer|masked adventurer]] and the lead influence for [[Hollis Mason|Nite Owl (Hollis Mason)]] and the rest of the early costumed heroes. He wore a hood and a noose, had the body of a wrestler, and was a charter member of the [[Minutemen]]. |
||
Although the press and many members of the public believed the Hooded Justice was in a relationship with fellow crime fighter [[Sally Jupiter|Silk Spectre (Sally Jupiter)]]<ref name=hood3>[[Under the Hood: Chapter III]]</ref> (to the extent that [[Laurie Juspeczyk]] believed that Hooded Justice was her father), in fact he was homosexual, who was involved with [[Captain Metropolis]]. He also had sadomasochistic tendencies (see [[#Sexuality|Sexuality]], below). |
Although the press and many members of the public believed the Hooded Justice was in a relationship with fellow crime fighter [[Sally Jupiter|Silk Spectre (Sally Jupiter)]]<ref name=hood3>[[Under the Hood: Chapter III]]</ref> (to the extent that [[Laurie Juspeczyk]] believed that Hooded Justice was her father), in fact he was homosexual, who was involved with [[Captain Metropolis]]. He also had sadomasochistic tendencies (see [[#Sexuality|Sexuality]], below). |
||
| Line 26: | Line 22: | ||
==Biography== |
==Biography== |
||
===Becoming Hooded Justice === |
===Becoming Hooded Justice === |
||
| − | + | On October 13th, [[Timeline#1938|1938]] a young couple were on their way home from the theater when they were ambushed by three criminals in a alleyway in Queens, New York. The couple were attacked by the armed robbers who stole all their valuables and physically assaulted the man, then threatened to assault his girlfriend. They were interrupted, however, by a masked figure in an executioner's hood with a noose around his neck who had disarmed them and then beat them with such severity that they were hospitalized. One of the assailants lost the use of his legs due to a spinal cord injury.<ref name="hood1">[[Under the Hood: Chapter I]]</ref> |
|
The news media sensationalized this story and it became the talk of the town, but there were no other sightings of the masked vigilante for seven days. The vigilante was again spotted disrupting what appeared to be a supermarket robbery. Gunfire disrupted the night, drawing onlookers who all reported seeing the masked vigilante sporting a red cape, noose, and an executioner's hood and was built like a wrestler. Before the cops arrived, a brave boy stepped in the vigilante's path as he attempted to flee. The boy asked the vigilante what he is. The vigilante replied "Justice". The name was spun into "Hooded Justice" by the papers the next morning.<ref name="hood1" /> |
The news media sensationalized this story and it became the talk of the town, but there were no other sightings of the masked vigilante for seven days. The vigilante was again spotted disrupting what appeared to be a supermarket robbery. Gunfire disrupted the night, drawing onlookers who all reported seeing the masked vigilante sporting a red cape, noose, and an executioner's hood and was built like a wrestler. Before the cops arrived, a brave boy stepped in the vigilante's path as he attempted to flee. The boy asked the vigilante what he is. The vigilante replied "Justice". The name was spun into "Hooded Justice" by the papers the next morning.<ref name="hood1" /> |
||
| − | Many more sightings sprung up over the next few months including an incident involving a triple homicide at a federal bank. Of the four criminals, H.J. hunted down [[Tony]] and Little Bob, the other two were inside a battery park factory. H.J. took off [[Monty]]. Nobody knows what happened, but the cops, and [[Hollis Mason]] who was present on duty heard their screams. Mason was the only one who saw a little of his red cape as he left.<ref name=min1>[[Before Watchmen: Minutemen]] 01</ref> The vigilante's violent tactics made him a target of a police manhunt, but he became a champion of the people - particularly the impoverished neighborhoods he seemed inclined to protect. After a number of failed attempts to capture Hooded Justice by the police, the NYPD hired a private consultant to aid in the apprehension of Hooded Justice and the copycat vigilantes which began popping up. |
+ | [[File:Hooded Justice - Watchmen (TV series).JPG|thumb|261x261px|Hooded Justice - TV series]]Many more sightings sprung up over the next few months including an incident involving a triple homicide at a federal bank. Of the four criminals, H.J. hunted down [[Tony]] and Little Bob, the other two were inside a battery park factory. H.J. took off [[Monty]]. Nobody knows what happened, but the cops, and [[Hollis Mason]] who was present on duty heard their screams. Mason was the only one who saw a little of his red cape as he left.<ref name="min1">[[Before Watchmen: Minutemen]] 01</ref> The vigilante's violent tactics made him a target of a police manhunt, but he became a champion of the people - particularly the impoverished neighborhoods he seemed inclined to protect. After a number of failed attempts to capture Hooded Justice by the police, the NYPD hired a private consultant to aid in the apprehension of Hooded Justice and the copycat vigilantes which began popping up. |
However, the consultant, [[Nelson Gardner]], went the other direction. Nelson secured political backing to endorse the costumed adventurer movement. Unbeknownst to the police, Nelson even became a costumed adventurer himself and formed his own team of adventurers. Nelson did make good on his promise of finding Hooded Justice, but instead of locking him up, Hooded Justice became a member of the new team of costumed heroes known as the [[Minutemen]]. |
However, the consultant, [[Nelson Gardner]], went the other direction. Nelson secured political backing to endorse the costumed adventurer movement. Unbeknownst to the police, Nelson even became a costumed adventurer himself and formed his own team of adventurers. Nelson did make good on his promise of finding Hooded Justice, but instead of locking him up, Hooded Justice became a member of the new team of costumed heroes known as the [[Minutemen]]. |
||
===Minutemen=== |
===Minutemen=== |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | In the autumn of [[Chronology |
+ | In the autumn of [[Chronology|1939]] there was an advertisement in the ''[[New York Gazette]]'' for all other masked adventurers to step forward that was submitted by [[Nelson Gardner]] with the help of [[Laurence Schexnayder]]. Like the rest, Hooded Justice joined the group and fought crime as a team. |
| − | His relationship with Gardner was soon known, and Larry Schexnayder tried to persuade him to be more cautious and suggested he tried to be closer to [[Sally Jupiter]] when in the public eye. He also tried to persuade Sally Jupiter to date him and revealed his identity.<ref name=min2>[[Before Watchmen: Minutemen]] 02</ref> |
+ | His relationship with Gardner was soon known, and Larry Schexnayder tried to persuade him to be more cautious and suggested he tried to be closer to [[Sally Jupiter]] when in the public eye. He also tried to persuade Sally Jupiter to date him and revealed his identity.<ref name="min2">[[Before Watchmen: Minutemen]] 02</ref> |
| − | At the ''Minutemen Christmas Party'' that year, it was noted that he and Sally Jupiter had 'sort of' started dating, but [[Hollis Mason]] speculates that even though she attached herself swiftly to him, he never seemed very interested in her. |
+ | At the ''Minutemen Christmas Party'' that year, it was noted that he and Sally Jupiter had 'sort of' started dating, but [[Hollis Mason]] speculates that even though she attached herself swiftly to him, he never seemed very interested in her.[[Image:Hooded Justice 001.png|thumb|Hooded Justice.]]In [[Chronology#1940|1940]], after the group's photo had been taken, Sally Jupiter stayed in the room to change, and the [[Comedian]] attempted to sexually assault her. Hooded Justice walked into the room realizing how long she was taking and caught Blake on the ground over her with his pants down, and she appeared to be almost unconscious. After Hooded Justice brutally attacked him, Blake coughed up blood and said, "This is what you like, huh? This is what gets you hot..." Hooded Justice replied, "Get out," and told Sally to put some clothes on. |
| − | |||
| − | In [[Chronology#1940|1940]], after the group's photo had been taken, Sally Jupiter stayed in the room to change, and the [[Comedian]] attempted to sexually assault her. Hooded Justice walked into the room realizing how long she was taking and caught Blake on the ground over her with his pants down, and she appeared to be almost unconscious. After Hooded Justice brutally attacked him, Blake coughed up blood and said, "This is what you like, huh? This is what gets you hot..." Hooded Justice replied, "Get out," and told Sally to put some clothes on. |
||
| − | |||
| ⚫ | |||
After the verdict to expel Blake was announced to him, HJ attempted to separate Blake and Mason, who argued. As he approached, Blake pulled HJ from his rope noose and threw him down. He pulled a gun on Gardner and then threatened that he will shoot HJ when he next sees him. |
After the verdict to expel Blake was announced to him, HJ attempted to separate Blake and Mason, who argued. As he approached, Blake pulled HJ from his rope noose and threw him down. He pulled a gun on Gardner and then threatened that he will shoot HJ when he next sees him. |
||
When [[Ursula Zandt]]'s lesbianism was outed by the press, and despite their homosexuality, C.M. and H.J. voted her out as the revelation would damage the team's image. She was soon murdered by the [[Liquidator]] and Sally held themselves responsible. While investigating the Liquidator's murders, C.M. and H.J. were after his traces in gay joints, before reaching his hideout. They found Sally, having already killed the Liquidator. After scolding them for their hypocrisy, she announced her wish to quit.<ref>[[Before Watchmen: Minutemen]] 04</ref> |
When [[Ursula Zandt]]'s lesbianism was outed by the press, and despite their homosexuality, C.M. and H.J. voted her out as the revelation would damage the team's image. She was soon murdered by the [[Liquidator]] and Sally held themselves responsible. While investigating the Liquidator's murders, C.M. and H.J. were after his traces in gay joints, before reaching his hideout. They found Sally, having already killed the Liquidator. After scolding them for their hypocrisy, she announced her wish to quit.<ref>[[Before Watchmen: Minutemen]] 04</ref> |
||
| + | |||
| ⚫ | |||
During the ''Senate Subcommittee'' hearings of the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Un-American_Activities_Committee House Un-American Activities Committee]'' sometime around [[Chronology#1955|1955]], each Minuteman was requested to reveal their identities to one representative of the committee. Even though his identity would not be released to the public, Hooded Justice refused to be exposed on the grounds that he was not prepared to reveal his true identity to ''anyone''. Due to America's strong campaign, they put a great deal of pressure on the vigilante, but he never did reveal his identity. Instead, he simply disappeared.<ref name=hood5>[[Under the Hood: Chapter V]]</ref> |
During the ''Senate Subcommittee'' hearings of the ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Un-American_Activities_Committee House Un-American Activities Committee]'' sometime around [[Chronology#1955|1955]], each Minuteman was requested to reveal their identities to one representative of the committee. Even though his identity would not be released to the public, Hooded Justice refused to be exposed on the grounds that he was not prepared to reveal his true identity to ''anyone''. Due to America's strong campaign, they put a great deal of pressure on the vigilante, but he never did reveal his identity. Instead, he simply disappeared.<ref name=hood5>[[Under the Hood: Chapter V]]</ref> |
||
===Final fate=== |
===Final fate=== |
||
| − | Due to his disappearance, there has been wide speculation concerning the identity of Hooded Justice. To the general public, there is no concrete evidence regarding Hooded Justice's fate after his disappearance. Even his reasons for disappearing are not known for certain, although [[Hollis Mason]] suggested in ''[[Under the Hood]]'' that Hooded Justice probably chose to retire rather than reveal his identity. An article from ''The New Frontiersman'', printed about a year after Hooded Justice's disappearance, mentions an East German circus strongman named Rolf Müller, who was believed to have been Hooded Justice since they both disappeared around the same time and shared a similar body type. The article takes this further, suggesting that Hooded Justice had been working for the communists. |
+ | Due to his disappearance, there has been wide speculation concerning the identity of Hooded Justice. To the general public, there is no concrete evidence regarding Hooded Justice's fate after his disappearance. Even his reasons for disappearing are not known for certain, although [[Hollis Mason]] suggested in ''[[Under the Hood]]'' that Hooded Justice probably chose to retire rather than reveal his identity. An article from ''[[The New Frontiersman]]'', printed about a year after Hooded Justice's disappearance, mentions an East German circus strongman named [[Rolf Müller]], who was believed to have been Hooded Justice since they both disappeared around the same time and shared a similar body type. The article takes this further, suggesting that Hooded Justice had been working for the communists. |
| − | Another article revealed that a body, tentatively identified as that of |
+ | Another article revealed that a body, tentatively identified as that of Müller, washed up on the coast of Boston a little over a year after his disappearance. The body was badly decomposed and had been shot through the head believing it to be a political assassination. The assassins were never identified, although the article from ''The New Frontiersman'' suggests that Müller may have been killed by his communist superiors.<ref>[[Under the Hood: Chapter V]]</ref> |
| − | It is later believed that Hooded Justice was killed by [[Nite Owl I|Nite Owl]] in 1955 after the latter believed he killed several children. Müller was later revealed not to be Hooded Justice, but instead, the real killer of those boys and was a Nazi criminal who raped and tortured young children including Silhouette's sister. The Comedian found Müller and killed him while finding a photo of him and a boy named [[Jacob]], and orchestrated a series of events to flush Hooded Justice out, only to have Nite Owl seemingly kill him.<ref>[[Before Watchmen: Minutemen]] 05</ref> |
+ | It is later believed that Hooded Justice was killed by [[Nite Owl I|Nite Owl]] in [[1955]] after the latter believed he killed several children. Müller was later revealed not to be Hooded Justice, but instead, the real killer of those boys and was a Nazi criminal who raped and tortured young children including [[Silhouette|Silhouette's]] sister. [[The Comedian]] found Müller and killed him while finding a photo of him and a boy named [[Jacob]], and orchestrated a series of events to flush Hooded Justice out, only to have Nite Owl seemingly kill him.<ref>[[Before Watchmen: Minutemen]] 05</ref> |
| − | Although believed to have died, the real Hooded Justice managed to survive that night and escaped; much to the dismay of the Comedian who would continue to track him him down until his death in 1985. In the fall of that year Hooded Justice met with Nelson Gardner, and informed him of his plans of early retirement and traveling abroad. HJ made it clear to him that he never wanted to see him again after almost ruining his life.<ref>https://www.hbo.com/content/dam/hbodata/series/watchmen/peteypedia/06/memo-the-will-of-nelson-gardner.pdf</ref> |
+ | Although believed to have died, the real Hooded Justice managed to survive that night and escaped; much to the dismay of the Comedian who would continue to track him him down until his death in [[1985]]. In the fall of that year Hooded Justice met with [[Nelson Gardner]], and informed him of his plans of early retirement and traveling abroad. HJ made it clear to him that he never wanted to see him again after almost ruining his life.<ref>https://www.hbo.com/content/dam/hbodata/series/watchmen/peteypedia/06/memo-the-will-of-nelson-gardner.pdf</ref> |
| − | [[Adrian Veidt]] looked into Hooded Justice's disappearance when researching his crimefighter predecessors. Veidt learned that the |
+ | [[Adrian Veidt]] looked into Hooded Justice's disappearance when researching his crimefighter predecessors. Veidt learned that the Comedian, while under the orders of [[J. Edgar Hoover]], attempted to unearth Hooded Justice shortly after his disappearance but reported failure. Veidt suspected that Blake had found and killed Hooded Justice, but reported failure to his superiors, although he admitted that he could not prove this.<ref>[[Chapter XI: Look On My Works, Ye Mighty]]</ref> With the exception of Captain Metropolis, Nite Owl I, [[Mothman]] and [[Silk Spectre I]] nobody knew of HJ's real identity. |
== Appearance == |
== Appearance == |
||
Revision as of 19:58, 17 April 2020
Hooded Justice, whose real identity is Will Reeves, was the first-ever masked adventurer and the lead influence for Nite Owl (Hollis Mason) and the rest of the early costumed heroes. He wore a hood and a noose, had the body of a wrestler, and was a charter member of the Minutemen.
Although the press and many members of the public believed the Hooded Justice was in a relationship with fellow crime fighter Silk Spectre (Sally Jupiter)[1] (to the extent that Laurie Juspeczyk believed that Hooded Justice was her father), in fact he was homosexual, who was involved with Captain Metropolis. He also had sadomasochistic tendencies (see Sexuality, below).
He is the only masked vigilante whose final fate is never fully resolved. It is suggested he may have been killed but never proven.
Biography
Becoming Hooded Justice
On October 13th, 1938 a young couple were on their way home from the theater when they were ambushed by three criminals in a alleyway in Queens, New York. The couple were attacked by the armed robbers who stole all their valuables and physically assaulted the man, then threatened to assault his girlfriend. They were interrupted, however, by a masked figure in an executioner's hood with a noose around his neck who had disarmed them and then beat them with such severity that they were hospitalized. One of the assailants lost the use of his legs due to a spinal cord injury.[2]
The news media sensationalized this story and it became the talk of the town, but there were no other sightings of the masked vigilante for seven days. The vigilante was again spotted disrupting what appeared to be a supermarket robbery. Gunfire disrupted the night, drawing onlookers who all reported seeing the masked vigilante sporting a red cape, noose, and an executioner's hood and was built like a wrestler. Before the cops arrived, a brave boy stepped in the vigilante's path as he attempted to flee. The boy asked the vigilante what he is. The vigilante replied "Justice". The name was spun into "Hooded Justice" by the papers the next morning.[2]
.JPG){kind=link}
Hooded Justice - TV series
Many more sightings sprung up over the next few months including an incident involving a triple homicide at a federal bank. Of the four criminals, H.J. hunted down Tony and Little Bob, the other two were inside a battery park factory. H.J. took off Monty. Nobody knows what happened, but the cops, and Hollis Mason who was present on duty heard their screams. Mason was the only one who saw a little of his red cape as he left.[3] The vigilante's violent tactics made him a target of a police manhunt, but he became a champion of the people - particularly the impoverished neighborhoods he seemed inclined to protect. After a number of failed attempts to capture Hooded Justice by the police, the NYPD hired a private consultant to aid in the apprehension of Hooded Justice and the copycat vigilantes which began popping up.
However, the consultant, Nelson Gardner, went the other direction. Nelson secured political backing to endorse the costumed adventurer movement. Unbeknownst to the police, Nelson even became a costumed adventurer himself and formed his own team of adventurers. Nelson did make good on his promise of finding Hooded Justice, but instead of locking him up, Hooded Justice became a member of the new team of costumed heroes known as the Minutemen.
Minutemen
.jpeg){kind=link}
In the autumn of 1939 there was an advertisement in the New York Gazette for all other masked adventurers to step forward that was submitted by Nelson Gardner with the help of Laurence Schexnayder. Like the rest, Hooded Justice joined the group and fought crime as a team.
His relationship with Gardner was soon known, and Larry Schexnayder tried to persuade him to be more cautious and suggested he tried to be closer to Sally Jupiter when in the public eye. He also tried to persuade Sally Jupiter to date him and revealed his identity.[4]
At the Minutemen Christmas Party that year, it was noted that he and Sally Jupiter had 'sort of' started dating, but Hollis Mason speculates that even though she attached herself swiftly to him, he never seemed very interested in her.
Hooded Justice.
In 1940, after the group's photo had been taken, Sally Jupiter stayed in the room to change, and the Comedian attempted to sexually assault her. Hooded Justice walked into the room realizing how long she was taking and caught Blake on the ground over her with his pants down, and she appeared to be almost unconscious. After Hooded Justice brutally attacked him, Blake coughed up blood and said, "This is what you like, huh? This is what gets you hot..." Hooded Justice replied, "Get out," and told Sally to put some clothes on.
After the verdict to expel Blake was announced to him, HJ attempted to separate Blake and Mason, who argued. As he approached, Blake pulled HJ from his rope noose and threw him down. He pulled a gun on Gardner and then threatened that he will shoot HJ when he next sees him.
When Ursula Zandt's lesbianism was outed by the press, and despite their homosexuality, C.M. and H.J. voted her out as the revelation would damage the team's image. She was soon murdered by the Liquidator and Sally held themselves responsible. While investigating the Liquidator's murders, C.M. and H.J. were after his traces in gay joints, before reaching his hideout. They found Sally, having already killed the Liquidator. After scolding them for their hypocrisy, she announced her wish to quit.[5]
During the Senate Subcommittee hearings of the House Un-American Activities Committee sometime around 1955, each Minuteman was requested to reveal their identities to one representative of the committee. Even though his identity would not be released to the public, Hooded Justice refused to be exposed on the grounds that he was not prepared to reveal his true identity to anyone. Due to America's strong campaign, they put a great deal of pressure on the vigilante, but he never did reveal his identity. Instead, he simply disappeared.[6]
Final fate
Due to his disappearance, there has been wide speculation concerning the identity of Hooded Justice. To the general public, there is no concrete evidence regarding Hooded Justice's fate after his disappearance. Even his reasons for disappearing are not known for certain, although Hollis Mason suggested in Under the Hood that Hooded Justice probably chose to retire rather than reveal his identity. An article from The New Frontiersman, printed about a year after Hooded Justice's disappearance, mentions an East German circus strongman named Rolf Müller, who was believed to have been Hooded Justice since they both disappeared around the same time and shared a similar body type. The article takes this further, suggesting that Hooded Justice had been working for the communists.
Another article revealed that a body, tentatively identified as that of Müller, washed up on the coast of Boston a little over a year after his disappearance. The body was badly decomposed and had been shot through the head believing it to be a political assassination. The assassins were never identified, although the article from The New Frontiersman suggests that Müller may have been killed by his communist superiors.[7]
It is later believed that Hooded Justice was killed by Nite Owl in 1955 after the latter believed he killed several children. Müller was later revealed not to be Hooded Justice, but instead, the real killer of those boys and was a Nazi criminal who raped and tortured young children including Silhouette's sister. The Comedian found Müller and killed him while finding a photo of him and a boy named Jacob, and orchestrated a series of events to flush Hooded Justice out, only to have Nite Owl seemingly kill him.[8]
Although believed to have died, the real Hooded Justice managed to survive that night and escaped; much to the dismay of the Comedian who would continue to track him him down until his death in 1985. In the fall of that year Hooded Justice met with Nelson Gardner, and informed him of his plans of early retirement and traveling abroad. HJ made it clear to him that he never wanted to see him again after almost ruining his life.[9]
Adrian Veidt looked into Hooded Justice's disappearance when researching his crimefighter predecessors. Veidt learned that the Comedian, while under the orders of J. Edgar Hoover, attempted to unearth Hooded Justice shortly after his disappearance but reported failure. Veidt suspected that Blake had found and killed Hooded Justice, but reported failure to his superiors, although he admitted that he could not prove this.[10] With the exception of Captain Metropolis, Nite Owl I, Mothman and Silk Spectre I nobody knew of HJ's real identity.
Appearance
On multiple occasions, Hooded Justice was described with the physique of a wrestler and has been noted as one of the biggest men most people had ever seen. Both tall and made up of erupting muscles, there is no question why he was such a worthy candidate for his title. In one view, it can be seen through the eye-holes of his hood the color of his blazing ember eyes, filled with fury and shock.
His costume was the least gaudy of the Minutemen, even with his bright red cape, his attire was simple and surprisingly symbolic. Along with his cape, which fell to his knees and opened upward from his neck, circling his face except for the front, was his similarly colored spandex trousers. The rest of his body was covered in the same material with a dark purple or possibly black color. Most notable and symbolic of all his attire, besides perhaps the simple hood over his head (resembling that of an executioner), is the hangman's noose wrapped around his neck, likely a symbol for the punishment of villains and law-breakers. He also wears the same rope around his waist, wrists, and ankles.
Personality
Linking Hooded Justice further to the circus strongman Rolf Müller, Hollis Mason mentioned that while Hooded Justice was part of the Minutemen, he had gone on record for expressing approval for Hitler's actions during the Third Reich, although this was before the attack on Pearl Harbor.[1]
Some of the few confirmed moments of Hooded Justice's actions as a crimefighter indicate that he was incredibly vicious and terse, as evidenced by the bodies of the villains he hunted down.[3] The crimefighting was possibly a way for him to express his vice in a somehow useful manner. As the Comedian taunted, beating him was what turned him on. While Larry tried to make some remarks about his public image, H.J. was seen browsing and caressing hardware tools like a saw and a hammer, possibly burying some anger caused by Larry's words.[4] In any case, his character was in stark contrast to the mostly gentle and timid Nelson Gardner.
Sexuality
In a letter from Sally Jupiter's scrapbook, Laurence Schexnayder discusses the dilemma between "Nelly" (Nelson Gardner) and "H.J." (Hooded Justice) and how Nelly was upset over another tiff with Hooded Justice. He describes their actions in public as those of an old married couple and how they are getting more difficult to cover for. Nelly claims that when he calls, Hooded Justice is 'out with boys' with a lot of 'rough stuff' going on.
The fact that Hooded Justice apparently relished rough sex is what allows Blake to goad him when he stops Blake's rape of Sally. "This is what you like, huh? This is what gets you hot?"[11]
Identity
Hooded Justice compared to Rolf Müller.
He is the only costumed vigilante whose real name or identity is never revealed in the series.[12]
Although his identity was never confirmed, there was speculation in an article in The New Frontiersman, a year after Hooded Justice disappeared, that mentioned the absence of a circus strongman named Rolf Müller who quit his job at approximately the same time as Hooded Justice had vanished. Only three months later his body had washed up on the coast of Boston that was shot through the head and badly decomposed.[6]
Rolf Muller, if that was indeed a name that Hooded Justice used, may also have been only an alias and his true identity was never discovered.[13] Muller and his family were East German and had been on the run from the Communist witch hunts, thus the paper claimed that he had been executed by his own Red superiors.[6]
A lot of his actions while Hooded Justice imply that he was a Nazi supporter rather than a communist,[1] but the strongman's immense size could easily have been described as the physique of a wrestler.
Considering Muller's family is from East Germany, this would only be further proof of their secrets. Seeing Muller as a Nazi would conclude that he is an authoritarian, but is hypocritical toward himself due to Hitler's eradication of homosexuals from Germany also.[14]
One could speculate that Muller if he was indeed Hooded Justice, was simply a very authoritarian person who wanted to see law and order prevail in his country, and would support whichever group promised this, Nazis in the 1930s, Communists after the war.
Adaptation
The sixth episode of the HBO series answered the largest unsolved mystery in Watchmen Canon: who is behind the Hooded Justice mask? The common presumption is that, like the rest of the Minutemen, Hooded Justice is white. It’s even depicted as such in the campy show-within-the-show, American Hero Story.
However, it turns out that the man behind Hooded Justice is Will Reeves, Angela Abar’s grandfather. Reeves joined the NYPD to fight for justice only to be met with racism immediately: the Chief refuses to shake his hand at the badge ceremony. After Officer Reeves tries to arrest a white man for throwing a Molotov cocktail into a Jewish deli, the other cops let the man go. Later, they follow Reeves down the road, asking him to go for a drink with them. When he refuses, they follow him, kidnap him and take him to a park where they put a hood over his head and a rope around his neck. His fellow cops lynch him, leaving Reeves within an inch of his life before cutting him down as a warning for “getting into white folk’s business.” While walking home, traumatized, Will Reeves sees a group of men attacking two people in an alleyway[2]. He dons the hood and rope used to lynch him and becomes Hooded Justice, the first vigilante in the Watchmen Canon.
True to legend, Will engages in a sexual relationship with Captain Metropolis. Metropolis says to HJ after an intimate moment that HJ will have to keep the mask on outside their relationship because "the others are not as tolerant as I am" about Will being Black. It is furthermore implied that the two don’t share the same vision for the Minutemen. Reeves asks Gardner for help taking down the Klan and foiling their plan to coerce violence out of black people through hypnotism. Gardner interrupts him at the press conference instead to talk about a more cartoonish villan and a recent advertising deal. Later, when Hooded Justice calls Captain Metropolis from a payphone to request the Minutemen as backup against Cyclops (a secret Klan-aligned white supremacist group), Captain Metropolis refuses, telling HJ "I’m afraid you’ll have to solve Black unrest all on your own."
Appearances
TV series
- "Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship" (AHS)
- "Little Fear of Lightning" (AHS)
- "This Extraordinary Being" (flashback)
Trivia
- The author's notes reveal that this costume was originally designed for a Minuteman called Brother Night who claimed to have occult powers.
- In the movie, Hooded Justice is only heard to speak one line, "You little bastard!" His inflection and accent are not American, they could perhaps be German, but they could also be upper-class British or even Irish, adding a further level of ambiguity.
- Rorschach's journal in Chapter I says that HJ had gone missing in '55, and Under the Hood: Chapter V says he disappeared during the HUAC hearings without giving a date, but suggesting the same. The prequels retcon the dates, and H.J. is seen missing earlier, in '52. He is killed in '55, but while officially still considered missing, and his death is kept secret; Rorschach (or anyone else) wouldn't know about the date '55.
Gallery
See also
References
|