We analyze the trajectory of the protagonist of the Wolfenstein saga, William Joseph "B.J." Blazkowicz, from his arrival in 1992 to the present.
Kill Nazis With just two words you can describe the Wolfenstein saga and the objective of its protagonist: William Joseph "B.J." Blazkowicz aka "Terror Billy". A middle-aged American man, the son of Polish immigrants, with hard features, light brown hair with a military cut and blue eyes. With this description I could go through German and fit perfectly into the prototype that the leader of the Nazi movement respected most, but still B.J. He will not hesitate for a moment to use a wide arsenal of weapons in order to clean the last of them from the face of the earth. We remember that in Youngblood, the last installment of the saga, it is the daughters of the protagonist who take over, so we will see how his story presents an important evolution.
Note: All reports marked as "Lore Hunters" can contenter spoilers about the games discussed
A long history of violence and strong convictions
The first game in which Blazkowicz appeared was Wolfenstein 3D, also known simply as Wolfenstein or as Wolf3D. From the hand of id Software, it originally saw the light in 1992 for DOS (Disk Operating System, PC), but later reached other systems such as Mac, Apple IIGS, Acorn Archimides, NEC PC-9801, SNES, Jaguar and GBA.
As for the name of the saga, Wolfenstein, comes from the castle where Blazkowicz was locked in the aforementioned title. He is an American spy and the plot unfolds during World War II, so as you can imagine, the place is full of Nazis and the duty of B.J. It is to kill them. His first murder is the guard who watches over him, passes by killing Adolf Hitler himself and finally puts an end to the war by ending the life of General Fettgesich, who is holding a dangerous Nazi chemical program.
Along the way, there are many who fall into his hands and at no time do we see him doubt or question the reason for his actions. They are Nazis, he is American. You must kill them all. In addition, the fact that with all those casualties he manages to end the war makes him a hero and with that medal hanging on his chest he no longer needs to turn the matter over.
Even so, at that time (1992) the video games had not yet reached a stage in which the narrative was an essential pillar to develop, if not that they focused much more on the scores, records and so on when marking our progress by the various levels of Wolf3D. Also, being a first person we could not get to empathize much with the killing machine that we controlled beyond following the change of its limited expressions in the lower center of the screen.
With these first games of the Wolfenstein saga it is clear to us that B.J. He is a tough guy. In fact, the game itself suggests us at the moment of choosing the level of difficulty, since we can see how the pixelated face of the protagonist transforms from a baby outfit at the level “Can I play, Daddy?” To show some diabolics Red eyes and a sinister smile at the highest level: "I am Death incarnate!".
A series of disparate classic adventures
A few years after Wolfenstein 3D came Spear of Destiny (late 1992), a prequel that tells one of the first missions of Blazkowicz in which he faces mutants, soldiers with heavy armor and, as you can already guess, many Nazis with the purpose of recovering the Spear of Destiny that Hitler got. When picked up, B.J. He is transported to hell itself, where the Angel of Death awaits him to challenge him and know if he is worthy of wielding the spear. Again, Blazkowicz's cold blood and his adaptation to any violent situation make him the best option to kill his enemies.
In Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001) Blazko obtains a 3D appearance thanks to the Id Tech 3 engine used by Gray Matter and Nerve Software when developing it. Initially the title was raised to be a face lift of the original, but finally it meant a restart of the franchise with online components and a dark setting. After that, seven years passed until the arrival of the next title of the saga: Wolfenstein RPG (2008) for mobile devices. In this installment we find a B.J. with more sense of humor, since the RPG role-like structure of the game invites the protagonist to have greater eloquence when speaking.
Wolfenstein (2009) still did not mean a great revolution in the saga, but it did add some elements of modern shooters such as the automatic health regeneration of B.J. instead of requiring health packages. In addition, his heroic facet is increased in various scenes in which he handles a situation full of action and danger without just disheveled.
A more human Blazkowicz in the modern Wolfenstein trilogy
It was in 2014 with the arrival of Wolfenstein: The New Order when things really changed and we were able to meet a different Blazkowicz. Human and with realistic feelings. In fact, the game's own introduction changes the unbridled action by a dream and longing for the protagonist. We see his face and we can access his thoughts:
“In my dream, I smell like barbecue. I hear the children and a dog. And I see someone. I think I see someone. None of that is for me. They are roaring engines. Be between wars. We come from the night. ”
Upon awakening, startled, Blazkowicz is located inside a military plane and the companion vehicles are being hit by anti-aircraft. "It's like being in a minefield," shouts his comrade aboard. There is no longer room for placid dreams. He is in the middle of the war and must fulfill his mission, what he was born for and better given: kill and survive.
Even so, to make it clear that we are not facing one of the classic adventures of the saga in which we control an unbeatable being, B.J. It ends up falling into the sea despite doing everything possible to avoid the enemy attack and save the plane. While sinking, he explains the situation of his side: the Germans take a lot of advantage thanks to their advanced war machine and the tactics they try to perform to bring us down fail.
“We don't reach them and nobody knows why. People get desperate. I do not. I come to see an old friend and settle accounts. To change this. ”
With these words and significant introduction, Blazkowicz demonstrates that surrender is not a term that appears in his dictionary. Despite all the despair that surrounds him, he manages to get out of any situation and tries to save as many comrades as possible. But it is not always possible and impotence ends up invading every cell of his body when he is immobilized and forced to choose between two fellow soldiers to decide who will die.
That impotence extends when it becomes invalid during a long stage, held in a Nazi-controlled asylum. Not everything there is despair, since he meets Anya Oliwa, responsible for the facilities until the moment when German troops come to dismantle the place. That is when Blazkowicz decides that he has been resting long enough and must return to battle.
After that, he joins the resistance with Anya and operation after operation they move towards their main mission: to end General Calavera and dismantle the Nazi machinery to reduce their forces until they disappear. Thanks to the collaboration he establishes with other characters we can see a change in the character, since until now he was a solitary soldier who could fulfill any mission only with the help of his muscles, brain and a lot of weapons.
Even so, one of the toughest enemies he faces is his own father, who mistreated him since he was a child with tortures of the caliber of forcing him to shoot his dog with a shotgun as a punishment. With that same shotgun he points at his head years later, when B.J. He visits his childhood home, with the purpose of fading away all the nightmares that still haunt him.
“There was a time when I was afraid of you. There was a time when I would have pissed in my pants by having a gun pointed at my head. Do you know what I feel right now? Not a damn thing ”- says B.J. to his father just before finally finishing him with a short ax.
Therefore, his persevering spirit is maintained in all deliveries of the saga, as it shows that not even death can stop him. Literally, since everyone who has played Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will remember the scene in which Frau Engel cuts his head and everything seems lost. But no. By counting on the help of his resistance companions, who pick up his head with a drone and hurry to join it to a robotic body prepared for battle, he can continue his fight against the Nazis.
In the aforementioned installment we also know the more human side of Blazkowicz, when his relationship with Anya intensifies to the point of forming a family with her. From that bond are born his two twins, Jess and Soph, who grow up in an environment in which their parents prepare them for war, despite being living in a peaceful environment.
"Is this real … or am I in heaven?" – Blazkowicz to Anya as he hugs her, at the end of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
Finally, and despite all the nightmares to which B.J. He has survived, manages to find peace and be happy. Together with the resistance, they manage to finish practically all the Nazis on the face of the earth and, thanks to this, they fulfill their lifelong mission and the time comes to rest. But, knowing him, we know he still has many battles to fight.
