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This Article Contains Spoilers - WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all.

There is nothing a man cannot do once he accepts the fact that there is no God.
~ Norman Nordstrom.

"The Blind Man" (real name: Norman Nordstrom) is the main antagonist of the 2016 horror film Don't Breathe and the anti-heroic main protagonist of its 2021 sequel, Don't Breathe 2. A blind man who seemed to be an easy target at first, he is revealed to be far deadlier than initially thought.

He was portrayed by Stephen Lang, who also played the Party Crasher in The Hard Way, Miles Quaritch in the Avatar film series, Khalar Zym in the 2011 Conan the Barbarian remake, Percy "King" Dimplewade in The Nut Job, Increase Mather in Salem, Waldo in Into the Badlands and Shrike in Mortal Engines.

Biography[]

Don't Breathe[]

Norman Nordstrom is a blind Army veteran who received $300,000 as compensation after his daughter Emma Nordstrom was killed in a car accident by a wealthy young woman named Cindy Roberts. Grief stricken by her death, Norman kidnapped Cindy and impregnated her by injecting his own semen into her through a turkey baster-given she was the one who killed his daughter, he thought of it as fair that she give him one back.

After failing to save up enough money to escape to California with her younger sister Diddy, the film's protagonist, Rocky, is informed of Norman's situation and how much money he has by her cohorts, Alex and Money (her boyfriend). The three delinquents drug the elderly man's dog and they search around the house for an entrance; upon seeing that all of the entrances were locked, Rocky manages to slide through a small window. They quietly browse the house for the money, to no avail. Believing that the money had to be behind a locked door, Money shoots the lock, waking the Nordstrom as a result. Despite being blind, he effortlessly subdues Money. Money lies and says he's the only intruder, after which Nordstrom murders him with his own gun. Hiding in a closet, Rocky observes Nordstrom opening a safe to check on his money. Once he left, Alex and Rocky use the opportunity to collect the money. Unfortunately for them, Nordstrom discovers their shoes, realizing that there was more than one intruder in his house. He sealed the exits to make sure they did not escape and began a search throughout the house.

While escaping from the murderous Nordstrom the remaining delinquents head towards the basement. In his basement, they discover Cindy in a homemade padded cell, bounded and gagged. Reading that she was found not guilty for accidentally killing the Blind Man's daughter in a newspaper, they found out Nordstrom kidnapped her out of anger. They free the woman from her restraints and they attempt to escape the house through his cellar door, only to find the killer waiting on the other side. He attempts to shoot Rocky or Alex with Money's gun; however, in a mistake, he murders Cindy instead. Enraged at her death he shuts off the lights to make them unable to see. He shoots at the two burglars, but after a struggle, Alex was able to knock him out. Rocky attempts to escape through the ventilation system, while Alex is dragged into the utility room by Nordstrom after he recovers. He then stabs him with a pair of garden shears, seemingly killing him but completely misses when he actually stabbed at money's corpse.

Rocky discovers that the dog is awake and hostile, which pursues her in the air vent. She is eventually captured by Nordstrom. Waking up restrained in the basement, Nordstrom reveals he is a grief-stricken rapist (although he does not view his actions as actual rape). He explains that he impregnated Cindy in order to replace the daughter that he had lost to her. Because of her death, the Blind Man now plans to use Rocky as a replacement. After stating that he is not a rapist, he was about to artificially inseminate her with a turkey baster filled with his semen. When Alex knocks him out and handcuffs him, he is stopped.

Nordstrom manages to break himself out and finds the two cohorts as they are about leave, managing to shoot Alex in the shoulder and Alex falls unconscious, much to Rocky's horror. Rocky flees, but Nordstrom sends the dog after her. Rocky eventually managed to trap the dog in her car trunk, but before she could leave, Nordstrom catches up, knocks her out and drags her back to the house, intent on finishing the job. Before he could, however, Rocky was able to disorient Nordstrom by turning on his house's loud alarm system. She then hits him repeatedly with a crowbar and pushes him into the basement. The gun fires into his side as he falls. She then escapes before the police arrive to investigate.

Nordstrom is reported to have been admitted to a hospital and is under stable condition. However, it is shown that (for some reason) he did not report Rocky or the stolen money, implying that he indeed intends to buy her silence. This allows Rocky to succeed at acquiring the money, and she leaves to Los Angeles with Diddy.

Don't Breathe 2[]

Norman later rescued a little girl named Phoenix from a house fire, who has a little memory of her past. Eight years later, he raised her as his adopted daughter, teaching her survival skills as well as home schooling her. However, he has refused to have a normal childhood by not allowing her to attend public school. Hernandez, an old friend of Norman who had a previous connection to him, decides to take Phoenix for an errand around town.

Following this, a group of thugs led by Raylan began invading Norman's home in an attempt to kidnap Phoenix. After killing off Hernandez, they then killed Norman's pet dog, Shadow. Jim Bob, one of Raylan's henchmen, began to corner Phoenix, but was attacked by Norman who had known about his dogs death. Norman then told her to flee to the basement, where she was able to lock herself in. Going to his nearby garage, he tries to recover from one of his injuries when Jared, another thug of Raylan and Jim's brother, tries to kill him. However, Norman is able to suffocate him using a super glue. Unfortunately, he is rescued by Jim Bob, who had known about the Blind Man's actions. While Phoenix hides in a locker inside the house's basement, Duke, another thug of Raylan, tried drowning her. Norman later cornered him and fought, though Duke was able to put electricity in the water in an attempt to electrocute Phoenix. But Norman later kills him by throwing the wire to ignite a nearby gas tank that blasts him.

As they try to flee, Raylan reveals to Phoenix that Norman is not her biological father.

After Phoenix is abducted by Raylan, and Norman is incapacitated, Raylan attempts to burn down his house, but Norman survives and uses Raylan's abandoned dog to track down the thugs. As Norman begins killing many of Raylan's thugs, Raul, the most remorseful member, has a change of heart and flees, but not before reveal to him that Raylan is Phoenix's biological father but plans to transplant her heart (while she is alive AND awake) to save his paralyzed wife: Josephine (due to her requiring the heart of a "compatible donor").

Norman manages to intercept and battle Raylan, who accidentally shoots and kills his wife. After gouging out Raylan's eyes, Norman rescues Phoenix and admits to abducting her, as well as many crimes he committed in the past, including murder and rape. As she tells Phoenix to flee, Raylan attacks him and prepares to kill him, but Phoenix kills her biological father to save her false father. Phoenix attempts to save Norman, but the latter tells her that she already has and seemingly dies; however, a mid-credits scenes hints at his survival.

Personality and Traits[]

Considering how Nordstrom is completely sightless, he hardly speaks in the film. Rather, he has to rely on his other senses to get a visual idea of his surroundings. As such, he is surprisingly agile and stout. Additionally, he can take a beating pretty well, even when he suffers several blows to the back of the head by a crowbar, he only sustains a few minor injuries. This is noted that his only weakness is loud sounds.

When Nordstrom does speak, he has a notably gravelly voice. He reveals himself to be a nihilistic individual who was still greatly suffering from the loss of his daughter, scoffing at the idea of a loving God who would allow a rich woman to escape the legal repercussions for accidental manslaughter. Despite him artificially inseminating women with his semen, Nordstrom strangely does not consider himself a rapist; in his mind, he cannot possibly be one since he does not force himself on the women involved.

Quotes[]

Who... WHO'S THERE?
~ Nordstrom's first line.
Now you're gonna see what I see.
~ Nordstrom before turning off the lights.
You understand nothing. Only a parent can know the bond between a father and his child. She should have gone to prison but rich girls don't go to jail.[...] Cindy took my child away from me. I thought it's only fair that she give me a new one. She was pregnant with my baby. You killed them both. Or they would be alive if you hadn't broken into my home. You have to be held accountable...
~ Nordstrom to Rocky.
God? There is no god. It's a joke.
~ Nordstrom to Rocky.
I'm not a rapist, I never forced myself on her.
~ Nordstrom to Rocky.
Get out of my house!
~ Nordstrom to Rocky.
You mustn't come near me... everything he said is true, I am no father. I have killed... I have raped... I am nothing, nothing but a monster... and you cannot be around me ever, so go... now go, GO!
~ Nordstrom tells Pheonix the truth.
Failed. The gun is in my hand.
~ Norman fails Phoenix on survival.
You already have.
~ Norman lets Phoenix free.

Gallery[]

Images[]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

  • Stephen Lang only has thirteen lines of dialogue in the first film, though he does have more lines in the sequel.
  • Norman Nordstrom's role in the sequel is basically a role reversal, going from the main antagonist into the anti-heroic main protagonist. While it is debatable if he's a hero or not, due to his actions being rape and attempted murder, it is still stated by Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues that he isn't the real hero of the story.
  • Norman's abilities to kill intruders using his senses might have inspired the Death Angels from A Quiet Place.

See also[]

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