LogFAQs > #967927028

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29. Fiddler (Isaac Bowin)

Weve had a lot of named characters die in the campaign thus far, either by our own hands in combat, or just running afoul of the forces of evil that reign supreme across planet Earth. And while some have certainly made an impression (Standing Bear, Joe Hollywood, Star Sapphire, Xlex), theres really only one for me that had such a strong showing that I cant help but include him on this list. Fiddler isnt the most impactful death for me, mind you (those would be Peter Robinson and our lost PC, Taliesin), but in terms of just a beautiful character arc and scene, I cant not include him on this list in some fashion. Yes, he was lost so early on in the campaign, but his presence will forever be felt by all of us in Zonn Zorr.

Fiddler was one of the original six in the aptly-named Secret Six. Im not entirely sure on the timeline, but I know one mission ended with the party finding the Secret Six, then there was a second mission to work with them in Canada, and then Pepper was only on the third and final Secret Six mission, which was originally intended to be just another field mission that sent us to a nursing home for old and infirm supervillains. It says a lot, in my opinion, that Pepper only really got to interact with Fiddler the one time, and he still managed to leave his mark on her soul all the same. I cant really comment on the Port-A-Demon mission, so Im going to unfortunately have to leave that out for the time being, and instead Ill focus solely on the parts of Fiddlers story that I was privy to.

The Secret Six (and Ill keep this brief, since several of them will be making appearances higher on this list) was a group of six supervillains who did not throw in with the Society (or perhaps left the Society when they realized it wasnt the greatest organization), and instead came under the employ of a mysterious benefactor named Mockingbird. Mockingbird made each of them an offer they couldnt refuse, so they worked for him or her as a sort of covert ops mercenary group. Now, for most of the group, you have dark, gritty personalities that come across as total badasses in one way or another (or theyre murderous psychopaths). But with Fiddler, he just felt different. Yes, he was still a supervillain, but he was an old-school villain. He wasnt some master marksman or knife-happy maniache was a kindly old grandpa villain, if anything.

Both Brennus and Pepper had friendly conversations with him about how he wanted to repair his legacy and just generally go out more heroic than his past might imply. It was a nice dream, and even though it was just as personal as the rest of the team, it just felt a little more positive than the drive for revenge, or even the desire to protect their children. Of course, redemption came a bit sooner than Fiddler anticipated, as Cheshire betrayed the team and sold out their location to the Society. After being overwhelmed by enemy forces yet again (seriously, in the first ten weeks of the campaign, it became almost a running theme of missions ending with swarms of Society, OMACs, Equated, or just the Spectre ending Peppers sessions in a definitive manner), it seemed like all hope was lost, and there was little we could do to escape the Secret Sixs hideout, unscathed.

Making true to his word however, Fiddler stayed behind, offering up his personal vehicle, the Fiddlermobile, as a means of escape. And as we drove off into the night, we were soothed by the melodic sounds of fiddle music, his musical powers holding the Society at bay long enough for us to flee. He played and played and played, and then the music fell silent, and we knew that our friend and ally had fallen to the might of the Society. Prior to that point, wed had instances of OMACs wrecking us in Mesa Verde, or the Society wrecking us in Quad Citiesbut this one hit home a bit harder.

This was a case of a villain defying his stereotype to stand up and sacrifice himself for the good of the group. Weve only really gotten that one time since (that I can remember off the top of my head), and Clayface/Lady Clayface just didnt have as much time to leave a positive impression as Fiddler did. Call me a sap, but if theres something in fiction that will always get me to cry, its a father/child relationship where a dad who had a hard life finds common ground in a child he gets to mentor. But after THAT archetype (which has nothing to do with Fiddler and was more a fun non sequitur about me), I love seeing a scenario where the chips are down, and even the baddest dudes realize where their loyalties lie. A villain having a change of heart to save the day will always be better than the heroes just powering out. Granted, Fiddler was straddling the line between hero and villain by this point, but still, he made for the noblest of sacrifices, and for that, he gets the twenty-nine spot on my list.

Hint for #28: A participant in the Las Vegas storyline.