Crown Killer

Grim Alex, better known as the Crown Killer, is a villain and the second assassination target in the 2016 video game Dishonored 2. She is encountered in the third mission, The Good Doctor.

Grim Alex is the split personality of benevolent Doctor Alexandria Hypatia, the Chief Alchemist of the Addermire Institute of Infectious Disease. Although Hypatia is a generous and altruistic person, her mind and body is at some times taken over by Grim Alex who forces her to kill. Grim Alex is used as a pawn by Delilah Copperspoon and Duke Luka Abele who force her to kill political enemies of Empress Emily Kaldwin in Dunwall to make it seem like Emily is responsible.

Life
Doctor Alexandria Hypatia is a skilled alchemist and physician. She has made it her life goal to help the poor working in the silver mines of Karnaca, helping them with injuries and developing a cure for the sicknesses contracted in the mines. Recently, Hypatia had also been tasked with creating a cure for the fever that is spread through the bloodflies in Karnaca. Hypatia was a friend of the old Duke of Serkonos, Theodanis Abele.

Hypatia is the Chief Alchemist of the Addermire Institute of Infectious Disease. Due to her medical skill she became so popular that people whose sickness was not a priority or emergency have to wait for two months to see her. During her time at the Institute she also developed the Addermire Solution.

In her attempt to find a cure for a sickness of the silver mine workers, whose lungs were often clogged by the fine dust of the mines, Hypatia created a serum. As usual at the institute, she and her assistant Vasco tested the serum on themselves. Although both felt their lungs clearing, it also changed their personality. Vasco felt that he seemed to lose all empathy and developed a craving for human flesh but Hypatia was hit worse. Her psyche shattered, resulting in the birth of a split personality, Grim Alex. In contrast to Hypatia, Grim Alex was a psychopatic murderer and cannibal. Both Hypatia and Vasco suffered from the effects but whereas Vasco recovered afterwards, Grim Alex remained a part of Hypatia. Grim Alex had the power to put Hypatia 'to sleep', taking over her body and murdering people, eating their flesh afterwards. While Hypatia herself was not aware of Grim Alex or her actions, Alex was constantly awake, able to see through Hypatia's eyes.

When Duke Luca Abele, son of Theodanis, found out about Hypatia's condition he decided to use her as a pawn in his plan to usurp the throne from Emily Kaldwin. Abele contacted Grim Alex and made a deal with her, promising her human flesh for her service. Hypatia was confined to the Addermire Institute, while the public was told that Hypatia remained there to create a new serum against the bloodfly fever, she was in truth not allowed to leave the island. Grand Serkonan Guard members were posted at the island to protect Hypatia and her work but also to prevent anyone from reaching her. From time to time, Hypatia was sent to Dunwall. While she believed that she visited Dunwall to study a sickness common on the whaling ships, she was in truth sent to eliminate political enemies of Empress Emily Kaldwin. In Dunwall, Grim Alex took over and murdered political targets of Emily in a gruesome fashion, displaying their corpses for the City Watch to find. As political enemies of Emily were targeted, this raised the suspicion that Emily or her father Corvo Attano were responsible for the murders. The murderer was dubbed the 'Crown Killer' by the media.

When Anton Sokolov began to unravel the conspiracy against Emily, Abele sent Grim Alex to kidnap him from the ship Dreadful Wale, where Sokolov lived. Grim Alex entered Sokolov's cabin through a hatch and kidnapped him. She was followed by the ship captain Meagan Foster who followed Alex and Sokolov to the Addermire Institute but lost their tract there. Grim Alex kept Sokolov at the Institute for a while until she handed him over to one of the Duke's allies, Kirin Jindosh.

During the coup at Dunwall Tower, Delilah and Duke Abele usurp the throne by publically calling out Emily and Corvo as the mastermind behind the Crown Killer murders.

Dishonored 2
After Emily or Corvo have fled to Karnaca with Meagan Foster, Foster implores them to save Sokolov. The protagonist is sent to Addermire Institute where Foster lost trace of Sokolov. Foster also claims that Hypatia might know something and tells Emily or Corvo that Hypatia is a good person and will surely help them.

At Addermire, Hypatia can be found in a laboratory in the Recuperation Area where she is dissecting a blood fly. If she is approached by Emily or Corvo, she seems genuinely worried, asking whether her conversation partner is sick. However, when she is asked about the Crown Killer and whether the Killer is one of her patients, Hypatia displays odd behaviour, hearing a voice the protagonist cannot hear and wondering who is calling her. Emily or Corvo can search the institute, finding messages from the Duke to Hypatia and also a message to the Crown Killer, telling him who the next target is.

From a diary in Hypatia's office, Emily or Corvo deduce the name of several workers or scientists at the Institute who could be the killer. However, investigating them proves that none of them is the Crown Killer. When the last suspect, Hypatia's assistent Vasco is confronted in a seperate area near Hypatia's lab, Vasco is found bleeding and mortally wounded. When he is spoken to, Vasco confirms that Hypatia is the Crown Killer but that she cannot be held responsible for the killings. Vasco claims that he has started to work on a cure for Hypatia but before he can reveal more, a shelf is thrown through the window of the room, burying the protagonist underneath it. Hypatia, now in her Grim Alex form jumps through the window, looks around and grabs Vasco, dragging him back through the window and murdering him.

Elimination
Even before talking to Vasco, Hypatia can be turned into Grim Alex. Listening to a nearby audiograph recorded by Grim Alex. Additionally, attacking Hypatia does not kill her at first try but turns her into Grim Alex as well. After she has been turned into Grim Alex, Hypatia attacks on sight, displaying great strength and agility. During the fight, she can be killed by any weapon or power at the protagonist's disposal. Killing Grim Alex kills Hypatia as well.

If Hypatia is killed, the Grand Palace releases a statement painting her as the Crown Killer's latest victim.

Creating a cure
Additionally, Grim Alex can be destroyed by crafting the cure Vasco talked about. To do so, Emily or Corvo have to get past Grim Alex, who is stalking through the Recuperation Area, and reach Vasco's lab. After the cure is finished, they have to get back to Recuperation Area where they have to inject Grim Alex with the cure. Doing so causes Hypatia to fall to the ground in pain. As the twitches on the floor, she turns back into Alexandria Hypatia, the Crown Killer being eliminated with the 'death' of Grim Alex. Emily or Corvo then help Hypatia back up, who seems weak and does not remember anything she did under Grim Alex' influence. Emily or Corvo invite her to the Dreadful Wale should she have enough of being confined to the Institute.

Hypatia accepts the offer and can later be found aboard the Dreadful Wale. There, she thanks Emily or Corvo for saving her and sends letters to a representative of the labor union of the silver mine workers, offering her assistance to those in need.

Trivia

 * Hypatia has an appartment near Addermire Station which she gave up as she spent all her time at the Institute anyways. The empty apartment can be visited during the second mission, The Edge of the World.
 * Grim Alex can be seen during Emily's or Corvo's first visit to the Void, leaning on Delilah's throne.
 * After being unleashed, Grim Alex can be heard saying that she was promised "another gardener from the Grand Palace", implying that the Duke is paying her with human flesh for her services.
 * A Sokolov painting of Grim Alex can be found in the Clockwork Mansion's assessment chamber.
 * Her name, and to an extent, occupation, are clear references to Hypatia of Alexandria; a Greek mathematician, astronomer and philosopher who lived in Alexandria, Egypt during the late fourth and early fifth centuries A.D where she headed the Neoplatonic school. She is widely regarded as one of the earliest great women of science.