Huntsman (American Dragon: Jake Long)
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The Huntsman, also known as The Huntsmaster, is a fictional character and the main villain of the Disney animated series American Dragon: Jake Long. He is voiced by Jeff Bennett.
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[edit] Overview
The Huntsman (occasionally referred to as the Huntsmaster by his subordinates) is the show's primary recurring villain, as well as the main enemy of the show's protagonist, Jake Long. The Dragon Council rates him as the #4 threat to the magical community. He is an extremely bitter man with a deep hatred towards all magical creatures, most especially dragons.
Extraordinarily ruthless, the Huntsman is obsessed with killing magical creatures, has no problems with killing any normal humans who get in the Huntsclan's way, and even with disposing of his own subordinates if they fail or betray the Huntsclan (in the episode "The Academy", he threatens a student with death in a stern warning never to betray the Huntsclan, and is also shown forcing failing students to fight an imposing monster known as the "Kraken").
The Huntsman's personality is normally menacing and level-headed, and he is seldom shown losing his temper or displaying strong emotions other than hatred. He has been described by the show's writers as a "serious" villain, as opposed to more comedic villains such as Kim Possible's frequently hysterical Dr. Drakken.[citation needed]
The Huntsman has an intimidating stature. His fighting skills are superb; he has impressive agility and acrobatic ability, as well as nearly superhuman strength and durability (in "Breakout", he is shown punching through a brick wall, and in "Homecoming" he is barely phased by being slammed headfirst through a metal elevator door, and even yanks the elevator pulley out with his bare hands in a fit of rage). Nonetheless, in most episodes he leaves most of the physical work to his apprentice Huntsgirl, and limits his role in a fight scene to firing energy blasts with his staff weapon.
In contrast to the Huntsman's generally serious behavior and performance, a running gag of the show is that he is often defeated in a comical way. An example is him being defeated with Jake's flaming flatulence (see "Old School Training"). In one episode, Jake goes back in time and embarrasses the Huntsman in front of his peers.
[edit] Character History
In the episode "Hero of the Hourglass", Jake travels to the past of 1986, where he meets a teenage Huntsman. As a teenager, the Huntsman was a Huntsclan apprentice with a scrawny physique and a high-pitched voice that earned him the derision of his Huntsclan peers. The Huntsman attempts to slay Jake several times. Jake finally drops him into a monster pit, where he is mauled by a large beast. When the Huntsman emerges from the pit, his voice has changed to his present, deep voice, and he vows to one day slay all dragons on the face of the Earth.
Much of the show's 2nd season is devoted to a story arc where the Huntsman is attempting to gather 13 mystical Aztec Crystal Skulls which have the power to destroy all magical beings if brought together. The 2nd season also shows a degree of tension and mistrust between the Huntsman and his apprentice Rose, due to Rose having (unknown to the Huntsman) fallen in love with Jake and started to act as a double agent against the Huntsclan.
In the Season 1 episode "Act 4, Scene 15", Rose referred to the Huntsman as her "uncle" (though it is not confirmed if they are related). In "Dreamscape" it is revealed that the Huntsman stole Rose from her parents after she was born, and raised her as his apprentice while leading her to believe her parents were dead. In "Homecoming", the Huntsman reveals that he knows the whereabouts of Rose's parents, and threatens to kill them if she does not bring him the 3 Aztec skulls held by Jake Long.
[edit] Death
At the end of the Season 2 episode "Homecoming", the Huntsman manages to gather all 13 Aztec skulls, after a major battle in which Jake and his allies are defeated by the Huntsclan. The Huntsman begins to use the skulls to wish for the destruction of all magical creatures, but Rose knocks him out with a shot from her staff weapon. Rose then uses the skulls to wish for the destruction of all Huntsclan (the show's dialogue refers to the Huntsclan members being sucked into a vortex, but the actual animation merely depicts them as being vaporized by the skulls' power. It is likely a vortex would have required additional effort to depict, and vaporization was simpler to animate). The Huntsman is then lifted into the air and is incinerated by the skulls. All that is left of the #4 threat to the magical world is his cape and pieces of his dragon skull helmet (which are last seen falling down the elevator shaft). Despite Jake's wish to save Rose, the writers of the show have confirmed that the Huntsman is gone for good.
[edit] The Huntsman's Appearance
For most of the series, the Huntsman's face is never shown. During Season 1, he was depicted as a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes underneath a black hood. In Season 2, after the show underwent a major change in production staff and art style, the Huntsman's character design was altered to a somewhat more human appearance; he now wears a ninja-like face mask, and has clearly visible human eyes.
In the Season 1 episode "Act 4, Scene 15", the back of the Huntsman's head is briefly revealed, as a mechanical arm lowers his helmet onto his head. The back of his head is shown as bald and slightly deformed, and heavily laiden with lines that are either large scars or extremely prominent veins. This is a homage to a similar scene in The Empire Strikes Back where the back of Darth Vader's head is likewise briefly revealed.
The Huntsman's face is finally revealed in the Season 2 episode "Homecoming", after his helmet is destroyed when Jake slams him through an elevator door. The Huntsman is revealed to be a bald but otherwise normal-looking human, with a large full-body dragon birthmark that partially covers the left side of his face (this contradicts a scene in the episode "Act 4, Scene 15", where the Huntsman's birthmark is shown to be a small dragon on the palm of his hand.)
The discrepancy between his true appearance as seen in "Homecoming" and what was revealed of his face in "Act 4, Scene 15" can be attributed to the change in art style between Season 1 and Season 2 of the show.
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