John Fitzgerald (The Revenant)

''This article is about the villain of the 2015 movie The Revenant. If you're searching for the villain in the action movie Knight and Day, go to John Fitzgerald (Knight and Day)''"Life? What life you talkin' about? I aint got no life, I just got a living and the only way I get to do that is through these pelts. Fuck!"

- Fitzgerald expresses his anger about the situation

John Fitzgerald is the main antagonist in the 2015 movie The Revenant. After he murdered the son of Hugh Glass and leaving Glass to die in the wilderness, Glass plans to get his revenge on the man.

He is portrayed by Tom Hardy, who also portrayed Batman villain Bane in the 2013 movie The Dark Knight Rises.

History
He is a member of a group of trappers and hunters hunting for pelts in the unsettled wilderness in 1823. Their group is attacked by Arikara Indians, with many casualties.

During the retreat, he saves the life of the young Jim Bridger who is almost drowned by an Arikara. Fitzgerald and a handful trappers escape by raft, though their leader Henry expects that they are still pursued by the Arikara. Despite Fitzgerald's urge to stay on the river, The group continues the journey inland as advised by experienced hunter Hugh Glass. After the people got on the shore, Fitzgerald continously expresses his discontent with the current situation. He then tries to provoke Glass, refering to the indian heritage of his son. However, Fitzgerald is ordered to stand down by Henry. When Glass is severely injured after having been mauled by a grizzly bear while hunting for food, he is found by his group soon after. While most worry and try to save Glass, Fitzgerald instead remarks that he shouldn't have shot at the bear as now the forest is crawling with bears who got drawn to the place by the noise. Fitzgerald is almost beaten by the other trappers and leaves the others to tend to Glass's wounds. Talking to the men who share his concerns, Fitzgerald states that the proper thing to do would be putting Glass out of his misery.

While the trappers make camp, the leader of the Arikara meets with french trappers, whith whom his tribe frequently trades. He demands and gets horses to pursue his hunt, telling the french that they are following Glass's group because the white men stole his daughter.

With Glass to weak to walk, the trappers are forced to carry him on a makeshift litter. When they have to cross a mountain, they are unable to lift Glass. There, Fitzgerald finally persuades Henry into mercy-kill Glass. However, Henry is unable to kill him and instead offers a reward out of the company's coffers to the two men who will remain behind with Glass to see it through. Glass' son volunteers, as do Jim and Fitzgerald, who claims that as his pelts were lost, he has to find a way to make up for the lost money. Before leaving, Henry tells Fitzgerald to take good care of Henry and to give him a proper burial when time, as Glass has earned it. Fitzgerald promises it and the trapper group leave, leaving Fitzgerald behind with Glass and his son.

Crossing the line
"So shoot him..."

- Fitzgerald when Jim tells him that he can't bury Glass as he is still alive

The next day, Fitzgerald digs a hole into the frozen ground to bury Glass in. While waiting for Glass to die, he talks to him, wondering why Glass is still clinging to life. He then tells Glass that he will kill him if he wishes and tells him to express this desire by blinking. When Glass, eventually forced to do so, blinks, Fitzgerald begins suffocating him, but is grabbed and pushed away by Glass's son. The boy aims his rifle at Fitzgerald while calling for Jim, who is at the river and cannot hear him. Fitzgerald disarms him and tells him to stay quiet, as the indians could be close and hear them. Glass' son keeps screaming, calling Jim for aid and also telling Fitzgerald that he will be hanged for what he did to his father. In his panic, Fitzgerald stabs the boy. Realising what he did, he drags the body away before Jim's return. When Jim finally returns and asks where the boy is, Fitzgerald says that he thought that he was with Jim.

At night, Fitzgerald wakes up Jim, telling him the indians are closing up to them and tells him to pack his things. Not intending to leave Glass behind, Jim tells Fitzgerald that they have to take him with them. Fitzgerald then drags Glass to the hole he digged previously and starts covering him with dirt. When Jim tells Fitzgerald that he can't bury Glass because he is still alive, Fitzgerald advises Jim in that case to shoot him before running away. Panicking, Jim tells Glass that he is sorry, leaving him his water bottle before running after Fitzgerald.

While camping on their way back to the group, Fitzgerald tells Jim to get going as a dozen indians are after them. Jim gets suspicious, as Fitzgerald talked about 20 indians before. When Fitzgerald tells him that he did not take the time to count them all when he encountered them at the creek, Jim asks him what he was doing at the creek, because Jim already brought up plenty of water. Realising that Fitzgerald lied to him about the indians, Jim holds his rifle at Fitzgerald head. After admitting that he did not see a single indian, he disarms Jim and pins him on the found in one swift move. He tells Jim that if it wasn't for him, Jim would have died at the attack on their camp and holsters the weapon and initiates their departure.

Unbeknownst to them, Glass survived and, while still weak, intends to get revenge for his sons murder.

Return
Fitzgerald and Jim arrive at a village, where the indian inhabitants are all dead. When Jim sees a woman still alive in one of the huts he doesn't tell Fitzgerald, who previously spoke about his hate for indians, instead leaving a bit of food behind for her. Eventually, Fitzgerald and Jim make their way back to civilization. Fitzgerald tells Jim to be proud of himself. At the company's office Fitzgerald is paid his 300 dollars by Henry. Jim, who is absolutely unhappy, leaves the office without accepting the money Henry offers him. Fitzgerald states that they have been through a lot, but also praises Jim's bravery during their travel.

At the settlement, Fitzgerald talks to Henry while they are at the saloon, asking him when they are getting paid for the pelts they hunted before they were ambushed by the indians, given that they hunted these pelts and it wasn't their fault they had to leave them behind. Henry tells him that he is waiting for the captain and his army to arrive to return upstream and shoot "some civilisation" into the indians and to get back the pelts and that no one will be payed until then. Fitzgerald responds by saying that Henry has a safe that is probably full of cash, implying that Henry could pay him here and now. Henry reminds him that he signed a contract and that the safe isn't full of cash anymore, as it is short about 300 dollars. Inebriated and angy Fitzgerald leaves the saloon.

After a survivor from the french camp, where Glass killed many men and stole a horse, arrives at the settlement, carrying the water pouch Jim gave Glass before leaving, Fitzgerald finds out that Glass might still be alive. When some settlers led by Henry ride out to investigate, they find Glass, weak but alive. Knowing that Fitzgerald lied to him Henry rides back to the settlement, searching for Fitzgerald. However, he comes to late, Fitzgerald has already fled from the settlement, having emptied Henry's safe. When the rest of the men return, Henry severly beats Jim for lying and treason and then has him imprisoned. However, Henry later speaks for Jim, telling Henry that Fitzgerald lied to the boy as well. Glass then asks for a horse and a gun, intending to pursue Fitzgerald. Henry tells him that he needs food and rest and says that he will pursue Fitzgerald instead. Claiming that they would never Fitzgerald without him as he now is afraid and would have made for the woods, Glass persuades Henry into taking him with him.

Hunted down
"Hey! I wouldn't expect upon a man of your statue so far away from his stove on a morning as cold as this cap'n, you, er, you lost?"

- Fitzgerald while ambushing Henry

The next day, Glass and Henry ride out to hunt down Fitzgerald. However, while Glass is scouting the area, Fitzgerald ambushes Henry, coming out from behind a rock, his rifle aimed at Henry. Henry tells him that he will be brought back to the fort and be tried for murder, to which Fitzgerald replies that he is not too keen about that. Henry then draws his gun. While in the forest, Glass is alarmed when he hears a gunshot and returns for Henry, only to find the captain lying dead in the snow scalped. Waiting for his other enemy, Fitzgerald eventually sees Glass' horse riding through the plain below him, with Henry's horse ties to his, the captain's body hanging over it. Fitzgerald takes a shot at the rider, who slumps to the ground, but when he rides down to check whether Glass is really dead he sees that the rider was in truth the corpse of Henry, held up by the aid of a branch. Glass however was posing as the deceased captain and shoots Fitzgerald in the shoulder.

Wounded, Fitzgerald makes a run for the woods, pursued by Glass. When eventually both men lose their weapons and catch up to each other, both are too weak to run anymore. Fitzgerald tries to reason with Glass, telling him that he only killed his son because his screams would have gotten everybody killed. The two men engage in a fight, Fitzgerald armed with his knife and Glass armed with an axe. Though Fitzgerald manages to stab Glass in the knee and bites off part of his ear, he is eventually stabbed in the stomach with his own knife. He pulls it out and uses it to pin down Glass' hand, but Glass burries his axe in Fitzgerald's stomach and proceeds to throttle him. However, when a group of indians arrives at the other side of the river, Glass remembers what an indian, with whom he travelled together, told him - that revenge lies in gods hands. He then throws Fitzgerald into the river, where he is towards the indians, who fish him out of the water and driven towards the indians, who kill him.

His corpse is later washed away by the river.

Trivia

 * Fitzgerald was based on the historical figure of the same name