Commander George Challenger is the secondary antagonist of Dame Agatha Christie's 1932 Hercule Poirot novel Peril of the End House, and its adaptations.
He was portrayed by William Senior in the 1940 stage play adaptation and by John Harding in Agatha Christie's Poirot, which adpated the novel in 1992.
Overview[]
Navy Commander George Challenger was a navy commander who was also a playboy and had a disgraced romance. He is a close friend of Nick Buckley and bears an one-sided romantic feelings towards her. However, in the epoligue, it was revealed that Commander Challenger was a drug dealer, and he was the source of coccaine under Nick's and Freddie Rice's possession.
As a result, when Nick was exposed as the true culprit, Challenger had became her own accomplice, albeit indirectly and unwittingly. However, he was far from being innocent all along. While investigating the coccaine case, Poirot discovered that Commander Challenger was close to Nick and Freddie at the same time, and he discovered that he supported both of them with coccaineand gained profits from Freddie's drug addiction caused by her abusive husband.
After expsoing Challenger, Poirot threatened him to choose between two options; either facing the police arrest, or leaving the house as soon as possible. Challenger immediately fled, much to the dismay of Hastings about his speed. His further fate remained unknown.
Trivia[]
- In Agatha Christie's Poirot, Challenger was arrested by Japp due to the crime of drug trafficking, instead of escaped from the house.
