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“ | Are the fireworks not to your liking, Mr. Fly? | „ |
~ Walter Sheridan after XIII remembers who Number I is. (The last words of the game, ending in a cliffhanger.) |
“ | (XIII punches Wally) Wally: Do... Do you know who you just struck, you poor fool?!? (beat) I AM THE MOST POWERFUL MAN ON THIS PLANET, GODDAMIT! ONCE YOU LEAVE THIS ROOM, NO MATTER WHERE YOU HIDE, YOU'LL BE NOTHING BUT A DEAD MAN WALKING, MACLANE! XIII/Jason MacLane: We're all dead men walking. You included. Good night, Number I. |
„ |
~ Walter Sheridan raging at XIII after being punched at the end of Issue 8. |
Walter "Wally" Sheridan is a major antagonist in the XIII graphic novel series and its adaptations, being the main villain of the Volumes 1 thru 12, the video game adaptations and the 2008/2011 TV film/series.
He is introduced as a United States senator and the younger brother of William Sheridan, the United States president who was assassinated by Steve Rowland aka Number XIII (whose identity would be taken by the amnesiac protagonist of the series).
But in reality, he is Number I, the leader of "The Conspiracy of the XX". Together with his co-conspirators within United States military, financial and political elite, the group intends to turn United States into a totalitarian regime.
Ultimately "The Conspiracy of the XX" fails at its master plan, yet Wally still runs successfully to become the President of the United States, with the protagonist XIII and his compatriots realizing Wally's involvement with the XX later.
Although Mongoose is the best known of XIII's antagonists (due to Wally's role kept a secret), Wally is probably the best known "big" villain of the IP. Although there are other villains after Wally in the graphic novel series, it is not uncommon for him to be misattributed as the main villain of the entire IP. It is further expounded as most of the adaptations only focus on the Conspiracy of XX arc, in which he is in fact the mastermind.
Potrayals[]
- In the English version of the XIII video game, he is voiced by Eddie Crew, who also voiced Steve Rowland in the same game, as well as Aratrok from Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.
- In French version of the game, he is voiced by Bruno Magne, the French voice actor of Beerus from Dragon Ball, Captain Gutt from Ice Age: Continental Drift and Bengel Morr from Star Wars: The Old Republic.
- In Spanish version of the game, he is voiced by Luis Bajo, the Spanish voice actor of the DCAU Joker, Gendo Ikari, Mewtwo, Grings Kodai, Alister Azimuth, Dr. Challus Mercer and Octavian de Valois.
- In the 2008 two-part TV film and its 2011 TV continuation series, he is portrayed by Ted Atherton.
Graphic novel biography[]
Walter Sheridan was born August 26, 1954. His elder brother is William, who is 12 years older than Walter. He studied at the same schools as his elder brother; going to Boston College, then at Harvard in law school, after having repeated his first year. Registered with the Delaware bar, he supported the political career of his brother, taking over his seat as senator after William's election to the presidency.
At some point, he and other like-minded individuals formed into a 20-people conspiracy, known as "The Conspiracy of the XX". Their goal is to start a revolution against the United States government and to push for a authoritarian regime.
To achieve this, they mastermind operation "Total Red". The first step is to have Number XIII (Steve Rowland) to assassinate his brother William. To cover up for the assassination, they employ the master assassin "Mongoose", to eliminate Rowland. Rowland succeeds in killing William, and the Mongoose eliminates Rowland afterwards.
After William's death, Wally led his own campaign against Joseph Galbrain, former vice-president and his brother's successor in the White House.
However, the operation is hit with a curveball when Steve Rowland appears alive, despite having been killed. Unbeknownst to them, this was actually a operation by General Benjamin Carrington, by having "the protagonist" to undergo facial reconstruction to become Rowland, and to try smoke out the members of the XX Conspiracy.
When he realized that operation Total Red was going sour, he throws his co-conspirators under the bus to cover his part in the conspiracy.
Following the failure of the Total Red at SSH1, Wally continues his presidential campaign and becomes the party candidate, after Galbrain withdrew a few days before the election.
On November 5, 1996, Wally is elected the 44th President of the United States.
TBA
Video game biography[]
“ | Yes -- I will continue the work that my brother William started! (beat) And yes -- there will once again be a Sheridan in the white house! | „ |
~ Walter Sheridan announcing his run for the United States president following his brother's death. |
After having planned it with his co-conspirators, Wally has his brother, President William Sheridan, to be assassinated by Steve Rowland (original Number XIII). After Rowland is successful, they have the Mongoose to kill Rowland. Afterwards, Wally goes to a intercom to announces to his co-conspirators that they are "ready to launch operations".
Sometime after, General Carrington and Kim Rowland have Jason Fly turned into Rowland's doppelganger and he infiltrates the XX operations.
Jason/XIII gets to Wally's yacht, where he catches Wally off-guard, causing him to declare alert on the boat and henchmen, lead by Mongoose, to try kill XIII. They manage to shoot hit, with XIII's body falling of the yacht and washed in the waters. Wally/his proxy has Mongoose to go search and confirm Jason/XIII's death. Not only do they find XIII alive, but he escapes them.
Wally remains behind the scenes for most of the game. With as early as during the Brooklyn rooftop level, do XIII and Major Jones find posters and billboards for Wally's presidential run. In the same stage, they can hear a radio broadcast, in which the arrest of the XIII prompts the federal authorities to boost security on Wally.
TBA
Appearance and personality[]
“ | XIII: Wow. You have been an rat bastard right to the end, Sheridan. Wally: You seem to forget who you are are talking to, MacLane. And don't think that you, that old geezer Amos, or the little Jones can be a threat to me in any way. You know nobody will believe you without proof. And you had that proof... But when my yacht sank, you chose to save that irrelevant woman rather than poor Kim. I must confess, it baffles me. XIII: It's just one more thing a scumbag like you can never hope to understand, Sheridan. |
„ |
~ XIII and Walter Sheridan talking at the oval office (Issue 8) |
Walter's persona has been largely shaped by the large shadow cast on him by his elder brother William -- the latter whom all the hopes and ambitions of the Sheridan clan were placed upon.
Despite publicly conveying a sunny disposition like that of his elder brother, deep down Wally is anything but. In private, Wally can be very impulsive and easily angered. His behavior indicates that he likely has manic depression.
Additionally, unlike his brother, Wally would have had numerous affairs with women, before and after his marriage. Not only has he acted inappropriately with the younger women of his governmental staff, he has allegedly mingled with various female celebrities -- including Julia Roberts, Geena Davis, Sharon Stone and Brigitte Nielsen. Despite the extra-martial affairs, these factors have not affected his following amongst the his right-wing following.
While not outright stated, it is strongly implied that Walter is a white supremacist. He has the members of XX use Ku Klux Klan hoods/robes during their secret meetings, a decision that, as the leader of the group, is likely his. Also Walter uses derogatory words to refer to Jones, XIII's African-American female compatriot.
Abilities[]
As Number I of the XX Conspiracy, Wally has significant input in their planning. During the video game, many of XX conspirators keep Number I up to date on the events, with Number I having well laid out plans to keep the members' actions and identities hidden.
TBA
Trivia[]
- Because William Sheridan and Steve Rowland are compared to John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald respectively, Walter is often considered an evil counterpart of Robert F. Kennedy.
- Walter's political party is never stated. However, because the Sheridan family considered analogous to the Kennedy dynasty, it can be assumed that Walter is a Democrat. However, unlike his elder brother or his real life inspiration(s), Walter seems to be more of an old school "Southern Democrat" or a "Dixiecrat", advocating for more reactionary social values and supporting white supremacy.