| “ | You put the rest of us to shame with your generosity, Loxley. | „ |
| ~ The Sheriff complimenting Robin after he provided a large gift of tithes to the war effort during a mass. |
| “ | You want to see fear? I'll send my men to raid the mines, tonight. When that's done I'll take the commoners for everything they've got from their piss pots to their pock coins! And when that is done... I WILL BURN THEIR SHIT SLUMS TO THE GROUND! Just to remind them they're not the people, THEY'RE MY SUBJECTS! Will that satisfy you priest? | „ |
| ~ The Sheriff to the Cardinal as he prepares to raid the coal mines to extract money for the war effort. |
| “ | YOU BASTARDS, I'M THE SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM! | „ |
| ~ The Sheriff's last words. |
The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist of the 2018 film Robin Hood. He is the tyrannical ruler of Nottingham who secretly plots to fund the Saracen army during the Third Crusade to defeat the English army and seize power from the King.
He was portrayed by Ben Mendelsohn who also portrayed John Daggett in The Dark Knight, Talos in Captain Marvel, Danny Rayburn in the Netflix series Bloodline, Orson Krennic in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Nolan Sorrento in Ready Player One, Killian in Spies in Disguise, and Special Agent Mace in Infinity Train.
Biography[]
The Sheriff first appears in the film handing military draft notices to be delivered for those to serve in the Third Crusade with one such person being Robin of Loxley, the wealthy young owner of Loxley Manor whose property he seized after he departed for the war effort. Following Robin's departure to the Kebrit Peninsula in Arabia, he leaves his manor to Marian, his love interest. However not long after Robin's departure, the Sheriff declared Robin deceased after reading his name out in the list of fallen soldiers to seize Loxley Manor as collateral for the war tax.
He was unaware however that 2 years after declaring Robin to be dead, Robin who was in fact still alive had returned from the Crusades after committing treason and being wounded by his commanding officer, Gisborne who did not disclose the events of Robin's treachery and had him sent back to England on a hospital boat. Marian, who was now with Will Tillman, a politician, as she was unaware that Robin was alive, now lived in the coal mines, tending to the needs of people, most of whom were poor and driven out of Nottingham by the Sheriff due to his war taxes.
John, a veteran of the Crusades and an Arabian, teams up with Robin to bring down the Sheriff and end the Crusades in which they attend one of his city addresses. He states that Nottingham is the bank and beating heart of the Crusades and the Catholic Church as well as prepares to send forward his new tax bill to the vote however he is rebuffed by both Will and Marian who both state that the people of Nottingham are dying and already beyond the breaking point. The Sheriff counters her however claiming that she does not know what a breaking point is until "she has seen combat" but he is rebuked by her when she states how he would know.
Just as the new tax bill is prepared to go forward, Tuck, a childhood friend of Robin who Robin came to seeking out Marian intervenes while claiming that the Loxley vote has not been counted. The Sheriff is unconcerned until Tuck reveals that he's alive, when asked who saw him by the Sheriff, Tuck accidentally reveals it was him and as a result the vote is delayed due to the Loxley vote having not been counted.
As Robin is trained by John, he begins to steal money from the Sheriff's war effort in order to impersonate a wealthy supporter of the Sheriff and his war effort. Robin arranges to meet with the Sheriff in which they both finally meet in person with the Sheriff purporting that all of Nottingham rejoices of his apparent rumors of his death being unfounded and thanks him personally for his service to which Robin replies that he had sent him off for a just cause. Robin then provides him with a small payment for the war effort to which the Sheriff claims that he has already given so much but Robin insists he take it to which he eagerly accepts the gift.
During a mass, Robin donates a large payment of tithes to the war effort for which the Sheriff thanks him for his generosity, Robin requests an invitation to the next lords meeting, something that the Sheriff happily agrees to. However unbeknownst to him, it is Robin who is sabotaging his taxes for the war effort as he constantly steals collection boxes intended for the war effort. As Tuck reports this to him, the Sheriff demands to know who else he told but Tuck says that he came straight to him but believes the Archdeacon should be informed. However the Sheriff informs him to keep the information confidential and to strictly report any matters to him so as to keep the Archdeacon from gossiping to the Cardinal, he then orders the guard to be doubled and for all collection boxes to go directly to the count room for immediate processing. When Tuck entreats that if he would like to unburden himself in a confession, the Sheriff simply desists him and claims that his "conscience is clear" while asking if Tuck's is. Tuck affirms that the seal of the confessional is sacred but the Sheriff brushes it off and claims that "nothing is sacred until I've found that thief and drowned him in a cage."
At the next lord meeting, Lord Pembroke "with respect" insults him stating that Robin's robberies (now being called the Hood) are making him look like a damn fool, Robin offers to put a bounty on the Hoods head and that he will double it until he is caught or killed. The Sheriff requests for the other lords to leave both him and Robin, Pembroke who believed he was permitted to stay with them eventually leaves when the Sheriff angrily demands him to leave. The Sheriff expresses his annoyance by the lords and that he would like to "stick my thumbs into their wind pipes", Robin claims that he really hates them, the Sheriff then explains that their "daddies" were the guardians of the founding house where he spent his childhood youth and that they would come around to discipline the children there with the Archdeacon and his clergy who would usually be drunk and breath-stinking of "boiled beef".
They would then make the children go out to buy the brooms which they would use to beat the children with, the Sheriff claims the boys would scream when they used the broomsticks and then pour brandy down their throats as a mercy while he avers that he never screamed but that he hated the taste of brandy. He proposes to Robin if they should hang a few of the lords just to see them "shit their soaks" but Robin instead proposes hanging one of them as he believes the rest will fall in line however he demands to have a seat at "the big table" to which the Sheriff states that he will keep his faith.
People now begin to see Robin as a symbol of hope and begin hanging up hoods around the city as a symbol of hope, the Sheriff is later summoned by the Archdeacon who gains knowledge of Robin's robberies from Tuck who defied the Sheriff's order to keep the information confidential. The Archdeacon shares this knowledge to the Cardinal who asks him to convey his displeasure to the Sheriff and that he will be traveling from Rome to personally speak to the Sheriff on the robberies. The Sheriff rebutters him and asserts that he got away with nothing however the Archdeacon utters no concern of this and professes his concern of rumors of a revolt and that Robin has their people looking up with hope, something which he views as a threat to their plans as they demand their backs bent and heads bowed. He discloses the rumors of a revolt to the Sheriff who rebuttals him and states that it is treason and punishable by death, Tuck expresses his view on treason, believing it a very strong word while claiming "isn't there a christian thing to turn the other cheek", the trio laugh until the Archdeacon wails at the Sheriff and demands Robin to be caught and his rhetoric to be suffocated. As he leaves he requests the Sheriff to make the Cardinal feel welcome.
The Archdeacon reminds him that the church can make a man or break him and that while they offer him gifts for his allegiance, they may also revoke them in failure, the Sheriff silently winces. After the Archdeacon leaves, the Sheriff threatens Tuck if he ever disobeyed him again in front of the church but Tuck attempts to justify his actions, claiming he was only speaking for the gospels but the Sheriff mocks his attempt. Commander Gisborne who has been recalled from the Crusade by the Sheriff then arrives to the church to receive the Archdeacon's blessing and to hunt down Robin. Invitations are then sent out to the rich for an extravagant party to be hosted in the Cardinals honor, Robin attends this in order to gain information on the Sheriff and the Cardinals plans.
At the party, Marian also receives an invite as both she and Tuck have other plans of their own, during a table game, Pembroke who is slightly drunk is bumped into by Tuck as a distraction to steal his keys which Robin witnesses. He then provides the keys to Marian who uses it to gain access to information in the party, as the Cardinal arrives, the Sheriff greets him as the two meet in a private room to discuss Robin's robberies and the plans for the Crusades. Robin ,who requires access to gain info, uses Tuck's robbery of Pembrokes keys.
He barges in and throws Tuck on the floor as he claims he stole Pembroke's keys and pretends to scold him, Tuck denies this until the Cardinal orders him killed, Robin intervenes and requests the knife and instead demands him to be defrocked so as to spare him. Robin then pretends to glorify the Cardinal, when he asks who Robin is, the Sheriff states that he is Robin of Loxley and a trustworthy ally of his. The Cardinal allows Robin to stay and then reveals that they also secretly funding the Saracen army to defeat the English army and take control from the King, the Sheriff requests more time to raise the money but the Cardinal demands him to have the money within the remaining 4 days before it is to set sail. The Sheriff then intimidates the Cardinal and expresses his intention to raid the coal mines and extract every thing from the commoners for the war effort and then asks if that will satisfy the Cardinal to which he simply replies for the Sheriff to "Go with God".
The Sheriff's men raid the coal mines, extorting every thing from the people for the war effort and beating those who refuse. John is captured as Robin and John recuse Marian, after capturing John, he is tortured by the Sheriff to reveal the Hood’s identity, but he refuses, the Sheriff begins taunting him about his son who was executed by his men. As a result of Gisborne's failure to capture Robin, he reprimands him as he is persistently annoyed by Robin's robberies and erratically demands him to kill Robin.
As the money for the war effort is being delivered to the church they are ambushed by a crowd who impersonate Robin's identity, having chose to make a stand with Robin and Marian, the Sheriff offers 1,000 pounds for the man who brings him Robin's head. Secretly Robin and Marian steal the money from the carriage and so Gisborne chases after them, Gisborne and Robin engage in a brief struggle with Gisborne initially having the upper-hand, but he is eventually overpowered and then demands Robin to kill him, but he refuses as he saved his life in the desert. As he continues to demand Robin to kill him, Marian smacks him in the face with a pickaxe stating that he had it coming (as payback for an earlier confrontation in which he punched Marian in the face and threatened to rape her). Will who saw Robin and Marian kiss is wounded due to being shocked from what he saw with part of his face being burned after he drops and falls onto a molotov cocktail, he exclaims that he can have her and that he does not want to see her again.
Meanwhile, the Sheriff takes refuge in the church while Robin who is captured after deliberately revealing himself due to being overwhelmed by the fighting between the people and the Sheriff's men is taken to him. The Sheriff expresses the trouble he put him through with Robin simply claiming that his troubles have only begun and stating what he thinks will happen to him when the crown finds out he is a traitor, he taunts him with saying if they'll take off his head or "give him the broomstick first". The Sheriff simply laughs it off before angrily assaulting him and claiming that he will boil him in his own piss and send Marian to be bred by Arabians, unbeknownst to him, John had secretly escaped and infiltrated the church dressed as one of his soldiers, he then saves Robin and the two overpower his guards. Having recently stated during his captivity that his face will be the last thing the Sheriff sees. He demands him to look him in the eyes as the Sheriff begs to God for his life, but he states that God isn't it here and it is just them. He then wraps a rope around his neck tied to a cross before shouting that he is the Sheriff of Nottingham but Robin rebukes him by stating that he no longer is before cutting the rope and hanging him, thus bringing an end to his tyrannical rule in Nottingham. Following his death, the Cardinal seeks out a vengeful Will and offers him an appointment to the office of the Sheriff to which Will accepts.
Trivia[]
- Robin Hood and Ready Player One came out on the same year where Mendelsohn played the main villains.
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 Villains
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