Van Pelt

"You miserable coward! Come back and face me like a man!"

- Van Pelt

Van Pelt is the main antagonist of the 1995 live action fantasy film Jumanji. He also appears in the animated series based on the film. In the 1995 film, Van Pelt is portrayed a cunning, murderous, destructive, and traitorous hunter who resides within the cursed board game, Jumanji. As a game hunter, he wears a hunter's uniform with a cape and pith helmet. He is also one of the game's main dangers and his face is carved on the top left corner of one of the lids of the game box. This incarnation of Van Pelt serves as the basis of his appearance in the animated series.

In the 1995 film, he was portrayed by Jonathan Hyde, who also played Alan's father, Sam Parrish in the film. In the animated series, he was voiced by Sherman Howard.

1995 Film
Van Pelt is first introduced after one of Alan's turns on Jumanji, which releases the hunter, who immediately begins chasing him. He tells Sarah that he did not shoot her because "You didn't roll the dice. Alan did" implying he is hunting down Alan because Alan released him from the game (as part of the rules). It can also be noted that part of the reason why Van Pelt is hunting him down because Alan is not man enough to face him, since Alan is always running away from him like a coward.

After he runs out of bullets, he switches his weapon at a gun shop with a sniper and silencer because his previous weapon's bullets had stopped being produced in 1903. He tries to shoot Alan from a distance when he is taken in by a police officer (his childhood friend), then chases after Sarah and the kids to steal the game so Alan will come to him for it, but his plan is once again foiled by Peter and later Alan. His next appearance is at the climax, when he holds both Alan and Sarah at gunpoint when he is about to throw the dice.

When Van Pelt tells him to drop the dice, he orders Alan to start running again so that he can chase him. However, Alan refuses to run off this time, admitting that even though he is still scared, he no longer finds it in his heart to run away from what he's afraid of and instead face it to get it over with like his father told him. Impressed, Van Pelt acknowledges Alan of acting like a real man, and ask for any last words before he pulls the trigger.

Before his death, it was then the dice gave in the right number that allows Alan to win the game, and once he says "Jumanji", all of the animals and dangers of the game are sucked back into it by powerful tornado-force winds, including Van Pelt himself, much to his dismay. This also sends Alan and Sarah back to their past with their memories of the future intact before they get rid of the game.

TV series
Van Pelt returns as a recurring antagonist in the animated series based on the film. He is revealed to be a part of the game, and when he actually dies in an episode, Peter starts to become him little by little, but is saved by Alan and Judy. His temporary death was in special circumstances and in general the animated version of Van Pelt is stated to be invulnerable to harm. Indeed he is shown suffering fatal injuries such as being impaled and surviving unharmed. His later appearances are usually about hunting the heroes and failing constantly. Unlike his movie version, who is extremely trustworthy and honorable, despite his ruthlessness, this version of the character is noticeably more certifiable, deranged, and cruel.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
In the 2017 sequel film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the Jumanji video game featured a version Van Pelt named Russel Van Pelt who is a corrupt explorer seeking to obtain a powerful gem called the Jaguar's Eye.

However, it is yet possible that the original version of Van Pelt could still be alive, as although the Jumanji cartridge game was destroyed by Spencer, Fridge, Bethany and Martha, the Jumanji board game box was left in Alex's house, possibly meaning that the game could restore itself into a board again once more as it did in the past, bringing back Van Pelt. Neverthless, it is highly suspectable that Alex destroyed, or at least, hid the game in order to avoid it of being played again.

Personality
In the 1995 film and the animated series, Van Pelt is truly merciless, traitorous, destructive, bloodthirsty, uncaring, and cruel, trying at all costs to hunt his prey to the very end. He is very murderous, sanguinary, treacherous, and manipulative, so he loves to hunts men and animals to display them on his wall. His constant attempts of hunting Alan might be associated to Alan's cowardice, or Van Pelt's tastes for human hunting. Despite this, he seems to have something of a more noble side, as when Sarah tries to recover the game at the store, which Van Pelt was using as a bait to lure Alan, he surprises her and tells her to stop cringing, because he could have shot her at any moment. Sarah asks him why, and he says Alan rolled the dice, implying he's only after Alan because he released him from the game. Prior to that, Van Pelt snatches the game away from Sarah, Judy and Peter and seemingly tries to work out a deal with them but is interrupted by an incoming animal stampede.

In the series, as he is part of the game and, unlike the movie, never leaves the jungle, his moral and role are even more twisted, therefore his more positive traits are non-existent. This personality is shared by his Welcome to the Jungle counterpart, although his professional background and objective differ; as an explorer, his goal is to possess the Jaguar's Eye at any cost.

As he is a vital part of the game's mechanic in the animated series, if he somehow dies (he can, indeed, die in the animated series, although it is very difficult to do so), the victor will immediately take his role (which almost happened to Peter). Also, later in the series, and not much unlike the movie, he begins to learn the game's mechanics. Although, in this case, since he never left the jungle, he understands it a little more, knowing exactly how to act according to the rules and even use it to his advantage. His most commonly used word is "Blast!", particularly when something goes wrong.

Quotes
"Not good enough Sonny Jim! Coming, ready or not!"

- Van Pelt

"Blast!"

- Van Pelt

"Blast it all!"

- Van Pelt

"Don't move or I'll blow your blinking brains out!"

- Van Pelt

"I can inflict more pain than you can possibly imagine."

- Van Pelt

"Good lad, you're finally acting like a man. Any last words?"

- Van Pelt's last words to Alan.

"If there's one thing I love, it's a good hunt."

- Van Pelt

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Van Pelt