| “ | I've told you. You and I, we have the same religion: Gold! | „ |
| ~ Reverend Leland Drury to Henry Casey. |
| “ | Sad, isn't it? | „ |
| ~ Reverend Leland to Henry about the starving villagers, also foreshadowing his true nature. |
Reverend Leland Drury is the main antagonist of Disney's 1994 live-action film White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf, the original sequel to the 1991 film White Fang, based on Jack London's 1906 classic novel of the same name.
He is a malicious and greedy con artist in preacher's garb who wants to force Lily Joseph's tribe to move by starving them so he can mine for gold. He is the boss of Mr. Heath.
He was portrayed by Alfred Molina, who also played Satipo in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Snidely Whiplash in Dudley Do-Right, Johann Tetzel in Luther, Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Bishop Manuel Aringarosa in The Da Vinci Code, Professor Jeffries in Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!, Maxim Horvath in The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Ke-Pa in Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service radio drama adaptation, Rippen in Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero, Viggo Grimborn in Dragons: Race to the Edge, Destiny in Justice League Dark, Lasombra in Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, Mr. Freeze in Harley Quinn, The Duke in Solar Opposites and Mictlan in Maya and the Three.
Personality[]
| “ | Henry: Who are you? I sure as hell know you're not a preacher. Leland: No, I'm just another greedy American, just like yourself. Henry: I'm not like you. |
„ |
| ~ Reverend Leland Drury revealing his true nature to Henry Casey. |
At first, Reverend Leland seems to be a caring and helpful individual who wants to help the Haida tribe out with their problem of the caribou famine by giving Moses advice to move his people out before they all starve to death. However, this is all a facade to his true nature, as a greedy, egotistical, malevolent, hypocritical, and ruthless man who was responsible for the caribou famine by blocking their migrating path, so he could force the tribe off their land and mine for gold. Whenever the Haida hunters would go out in search for the caribou to bring them back, his miners would capture them and enslave them to mine for gold.
When Henry wanted to help the Haida tribe bring back the caribou, Leland didn't want him to discover their illegal mining operation and their plans to force the Haida off their land, so he orders Heath to assassinate Henry to prevent him from finding out, only for him to fail. He then tries to con Henry by offering to bring him gold, but after his plan failed, he ordered Heath to get the other miners ready to stop Henry and the other hunters from going to Devil's Thumb.
After Henry and Lily discovered the blockage and their mining operation, Reverend Leland offers Henry to mine with them, so they could make money, but Henry refuses and Leland threatens to shoot him until Henry shoots him instead. When he realizes Henry's plan to blow up the blockage, he kidnaps Lily and tries to distract him by leaving with her, to no avail. After his plan backfired, he tried to get his gold that fell off the wagon, only to discover the caribou chasing him and ends up getting trampled.
Biography[]
Starting the famine[]
When Leland Drury discovered a secret goldmine near a mountain called Devil's Thumb, he came up with a plan to force a local Haida tribe led by Chief Moses Joseph off their land by blocking the caribou's migrating path with the help of Heath and a group of miners, causing a famine. When the Haida hunters left the village in search for the caribou, Leland's miners would capture them and work them under oppressive conditions to mine for gold.
Reverend Leland is first seen at the Haida village, where he preaches in a hut during a potlatch. Leland leaves the house and thanks Moses for sharing his food before offering to return the favor, to which Moses declines. Leland is offered a totem pole by Moses' niece, Lily and refuses, but reluctantly takes it anyway after Lily tells him that it is considered an insult to decline an offer from her people. Leland talks to Moses about moving his starving people and Moses tells him a prophecy about how a wolf would restore the balance of nature, but Leland dismisses the prophecy and insists on him moving his villagers before they all starve to death. Moses thanks him for his concern and Leland leaves with his horse.
Meeting Henry Casey[]
The next night, Moses has a vision of White Fang leading Lily to find the caribou, so he sends Lily to find the wolf in accordance with the prophecy. The next day, Lily finds a boy named Henry Casey during her search, who washes up a river after getting separated from White Fang. Lily manages to heal Henry and brings him back to her tribe, where Moses demands him to help them find the caribou. However, Henry refuses and heads off to Dawson. On his way, Henry comes across Leland talking to his men and riding off with them to Devil's Thumb. Henry comes across Heath's store and tells him about the Haida's prophecy, while also mentioning the soldiers he saw earlier, to which Heath brushes it off.
The following night, Henry exits the store and notices the starving villagers. Henry then spots Leland walking out of his house and pointing out how tragic their suffering is before walking back into his house. When Henry falls asleep, he has the same dream Moses had about the prophecy of White Fang finding the caribou and informs Adam John Hale the next morning that he's heading back to help the tribe.
Later, when Leland walks into Heath's store, he receives a letter from Hale to give to Reverend Michael and Henry asks Heath if he has any food to give to the villagers. Leland overhears this and Heath initially refuses, but Leland insists him to give the food to Henry and he introduces himself to Henry. Leland tells him that he has some mules that know the way as he leaves the store.
Failed attempts to stop Henry[]
Later that night, Leland sends Heath to assassinate Henry to prevent him from helping the tribe. As Heath prepares to shoot Henry, he cannot bring himself to kill Henry and flees. Heath heads back to Leland's residence and Leland asks him if he's finished the job. Heath informs Leland that the job is finished, but Leland refuses to buy it. Heath reminds him that Henry is just a boy, but Leland tells him that Henry could ruin their plans and asks if he has to take care of everything himself.
Later, Leland breaks into Heath's store to retrieve a stack of bullets and orders Heath to get dressed as they head to the village. Leland arrives at the village and meets Moses and Henry. Leland tries to convince Henry to leave for gold, but Henry declines the deal and Moses tells Leland that Henry will lead the hunt to find the caribou at Devil's Thumb. Leland gets confrontational with Henry and warns him to not go to Devil's Thumb. Henry denounces Leland's treatment towards the Haida tribe and orders him to leave, but Leland grabs him and White Fang snarls at the reverend. Leland threatens to return and haunt Henry, but Henry pushes him away. Leland pulls out his bible and offers to pray for him, but Henry refuses to listen and leaves. Leland then heads back into the forest to warn Heath that Henry is coming to Devil's Thumb and orders him to get the miners ready to prevent Henry from reaching the mountain.
The hunting and freeing the caribou[]
When the time of the hunting came, Henry, White Fang and Peter head off into the forest. On the way, Henry and Peter notice several corpses of the hunters that didn't return, while dodging various traps set up by the miners. Peter tries to cut down the corpse of one hunter, but White Fang comes back to warn them as a miner shoots at Peter. Peter distracts the miner and a chase is ensued until the miner fatally shoots Peter. Henry falls into a snare trap and another miner tries to shoot at him, but Lily arrives in the nick of time and shoots a fire arrow at the miner's outpost, causing the cannon to explode.
When the three hunters arrive at their destination, Henry points out the blockade in the caribou's migrating path. As they leave to inform the Haida tribe, Henry and Lily fall into a hole and end up in the secret goldmine. They notice a miner guarding a stack of dynamite and knock him out before retrieving the dynamite to clear the blockade. They discover the hunters enslaved by the miners and that Leland is the mastermind behind the operation. Just as Reverend Leland is about to finish off one of the hunters, Henry stops him and holds him at gunpoint. Henry condemns Leland for his crimes against the Haida tribe and the greedy reverend explains his motives to drive the Haida away just so he could mine for gold. Henry is disgusted to hear his plan and Reverend Leland tries to manipulate Henry into joining him, but Henry refuses. Reverend Leland pulls out his gun as he threatens to kill him, but Henry shoots Leland in his arm. Reverend Leland then orders his miners to catch Henry and Lily and a chase is ensued. Henry follows the sound of White Fang's barks and spots an exit, but Lily stays behind and gets captured to give Henry time to escape.
When Leland finds out that Henry is about to explode the blockade, he orders to retrieve Lily to distract Henry from blowing up the wall. Henry sets the dynamite into the blockade, while White Fang defends him from the attacking miners. As Reverend Leland rides off with Lily, Henry and White Fang flee as the explosion clears the path, freeing the caribou.
Death[]
While Henry and White Fang are trying to follow Reverend Leland, Peter's spirit guides them and they arrive at a cliff, where they spot Leland riding down a path. White Fang jumps onto Leland and both of them fall off the wagon, while Henry manages to jump onto the wagon and untie Lily. The two of them manage to jump off in time as the wagon falls off a nearby cliff, causing the gold to fall off the wagon and scatter. Reverend Leland gets back up the cliff and realizes that his gold has fell off. Fearing that he might lose his gold, Leland heads out to retrieve it, only to notice the caribou following him. Leland tries to flee, but he trips over and screams as the animals trample over him, killing him.
Quotes[]
| “ | Leland: There is something of yours I want: Your soul, Moses. Your soul. Moses: Safe trip back. Leland: Do you wonder why God is punishing you? Moses: We've done nothing to anger your god. Leland: And yet, your people are starving. There must be a reason for that. Moses: My grandfather spoke often of the time when the caribou would disappear, a time when the thunder in the earth would be followed by the coming of the wolf. If we are patient, we will be instructed to restore the balance. Leland: These are stories, Moses. You cannot live your life by that. Moses: In your book, there are stories. Leland: If you care for your people, you'll take them to live with your relatives on the island. Moses: You wear the same collar as the one before you, but your words are hollow. Leland: Reverend Michael underestimated the situation. Why let this suffering continue? Move your people before it's too late. Moses: It is good you have a concern. Thank you. |
„ |
| ~ Reverend Leland trying to convince Moses to move his tribe out. |
| “ | Do you understand the problem? I want him out of the way. He's the problem now! Do it now! | „ |
| ~ Reverend Leland ordering Mr. Heath to assassinate Henry. |
| “ | Heath: He's just a boy, Leland. Leland: That boy could ruin everything! Do I have to do everything myself? |
„ |
| ~ Reverend Leland to Mr. Heath. |
| “ | Leland: A friend of mine is shipping a lot of gold to Fort Tongass. We need someone to help we can trust. It pays $1,000. That's enough to get you home and safe, but you have to leave today. Henry: I can't do that. I gave Moses my word.) Moses: Tomorrow, White Wolf leads a hunt to Devil's Thumb. Leland: White Wolf? Moses: Henry Casey. |
„ |
| ~ Reverend Leland trying to con Henry by selling him gold to dissuade him from going to Devil's Thumb. |
| “ | Leland: I'm losing my patience with you Henry. These people might think you're something special, but I know you're not. Now, I'm warning you. Don't go back up that mountain! Henry: Warning me? What kind of religion are you? Leland: Same as you, boy. Henry: I don't know who you are, or what you want with these people, but I know it ain't right. So, why don't you pack up your things and get out of here? [Leland grabs Henry as White Fang snarls at him.] Leland: Don't show off on my expense. I'll come back and haunt you. Henry: I said get outta here! [Henry pushes Leland away as White Fang continues to snarl and Leland pulls out his bible.] Leland: I'll pray for you. [Henry walks away and Leland leaves the scene.] |
„ |
| ~ Reverend Leland trying to forbid Henry from coming to Devil's Thumb. |
| “ | Get the men ready! The boy's going up the mountain. | „ |
| ~ Reverend Leland ordering Heath to arrange traps to prevent Henry from reaching Devil's Thumb. |
| “ | Henry: Stop, or I'll put a bullet between your eyes! Leland: Is that you, Henry? Congratulations. You're the first one to get through. Henry: Get back! Leland: You sound very sinister, Henry. I've told you, you and I, we have the same religion: Gold! Henry: Who are you? I sure as hell know you're not a preacher. Leland: No. I'm just another greedy American, just like yourself. Henry: I'm not like you! Leland: Oh, come on now, Henry. You, if anyone, should understand. All this gold. They aren't miners? They never came up here. Who would it hurt? Henry: Who? You starved these people. You stole from them at the same time! Leland: That's not the way I planned it. I thought they'd move. Henry: You're sick, mister. And you'll burn in hell. Leland: Harsh words, Henry. Very harsh words. But I'm not gonna let you turn on your own people. I'm prepared to offer a piece of everything we take out of this mine from here on in. What do you say? Henry: It's not yours to give. Leland: Oh, sure it is, Henry. Henry: Get back! Leland: Do we have a deal? [Henry shoots Leland in his arm and he falls to the ground as he clutches his arm in pain.] |
„ |
| ~ Reverend Leland explaining his motives to Henry before getting shot. |
| “ | That's my gold. That's my gold! | „ |
| ~ Reverend Leland's last words as he tries to retrieve his gold until he gets trampled to death by the caribou herd. |
Gallery[]
Images[]
1.jpg "White Fang 2 Myth of the White Wolf (1994)1.jpg (51 KB)")
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- The famine that Reverend Leland started to force the Haida off their lands was likely inspired by the Canadian caribou famine of 1950, in which half of the local Inuit population residing in the Kivalliq Region near Hudson Bay starved to death and were pressured by the Canadian government to move to settlements and abandon their culture.
- There was originally supposed to be a supporting antagonist named Adam John Hale, but the character ended up with a minor role. This is evidenced as the trailer briefly shows Henry pushing Hale against a wall.
- There are a few hints that foreshadow Reverend Leland is behind the caribou's disappearance:
- When Moses leaves after telling Leland about how the wolf would save his tribe, Leland gives out a suspicious stare as he leaves.
- When Henry comes out of Heath's store and sees the starving people, Reverend Leland comes out and looks at Henry while saying "Sad, isn't it?" as eerie music starts to play.
- After learning that Henry wants to help the Haida tribe, he orders Heath to assassinate Henry. This indicates that he doesn't want Henry to foil his plans and fears that he will discover the truth about the caribou's disappearance.
- When he tries to offer Henry gold, he warns him not to go up to Devil's Thumb, where the location of the caribou resides. This slowly reveals that he's hiding something from him and that he's the one who has been keeping the caribou away. He also orders Heath to get the other miners ready to prevent Henry from going up the mountain.
- Reverend Leland's death slightly resembles that of Mufasa's death in The Lion King, which was released the same year as White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf.
- Although Reverend Leland is the main antagonist, he has only around 18 minutes of screen-time.
