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B.J. Blazkowicz

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"B.J." Blazkowicz
'Wolfenstein' character
File:BJ Wolfenstein 2009.jpg
"B.J." Blazkowicz as seen in Wolfenstein (2009)
First gameWolfenstein 3D (1992)[1]

William Joseph "B.J." Blazkowicz (Polish pronunciation: [blasˈkɔvitʂ], in English pronounced BLAZ-ko-vitch) is the fictional protagonist of the Wolfenstein series of video games, first introduced in the action-adventure game Castle Wolfenstein in 1981.[2] He starred in the 1992 first-person shooter Wolfenstein 3D[3] and in most of the following games in the series, except for the multiplayer Enemy Territory.

Fictional biography

William Joseph Blazkowicz was born in the United States on August 15, 1911, to a family of Polish immigrants, and was nicknamed "B.J." by his friends.[citation needed] His mother was Jewish and tried hide it unsuccessfully.[4] During World War II, B.J. became a sergeant in the U.S. Army Rangers, before being recruited as the top agent for the United States Office of Secret Actions (OSA), a fictional version of the Office of Strategic Services, who dispatched him to investigate rumors of occult activity by the Third Reich. During his service he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military honor in the United States, and other military decorations.

Blazkowicz got married after the war, at age 40, to Julia Marie Peterson. Their son, Arthur Kenneth Blazkowicz became a television host in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Being a TV host, Arthur changed his last name to Blaze. Then, he married Susan Elizabeth McMichaels. They had one son, which was named after Arthur's father, William Joseph Blazkowicz II, or as he signed his grade school homework, Billy Blaze. His descendant, Stan Blazkowicz, is one of the heroes of Doom II RPG.

The New Order diverges Blazkowicz's story into an alternate direction, where he suffers from amnesia during a mission. WWII would be won by the Nazis, and B.J. remains in an asylum for over a decade into the 1960s.

Appearances

In the Wolfenstein games

Other appearances

In the 2005 German film Der Goldene Nazivampir von Absam 2 – Das Geheimnis von Schloß Kottlitz,[5] William "B.J." Blazkowicz, portrayed by Daniel Krauss, tracks down Nazi scientists in secret laboratories located in the Austrian Alps in order to disclose the secret of "miracle weapons" and Dracula's bones and to find that events occurring in the Kottlitz Castle are beyond imagination.[6]

In May 2012, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Wolfenstein 3-D, Bethesda Softworks released a free B.J. Xbox Live Avatar masks over on the series' Facebook page.[7] Classic B.J. Blazkowicz Mask is a purchasable item for Doom at Xbox Marketplace.[8]

Reception

In 2008, IGN included him on the list of characters they would like to see in an ultimate fighting game, calling him "the soldier who fired the first shot in the first-person-shooter wars",[2] as well as in an ultimate "zombie strike team" of the best zombie fighters in entertainment.[9] IGN also listed him as first on a list of top commandos in video games, adding: "Really, there's no greater victory for a commando than killing Hitler. Kudos, Blazkowicz."[10] In 2012, GamesRadar ranked him as 93rd "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in video games.[11]

UGO.com included William B.J. Blazkowicz on the 2007 list of the greatest soldiers in fantasy entertainment history, calling him "a true American hero",[12] and in 2007 - prior to Tom Hall's confirmation that Blazkowics is half-Jewish - featured him on the list of the greatest Jews in gaming: "Being the Nazi-hating son of Polish immigrants does make B.J. a candidate, but his Judaism remains woefully unconfirmed. For all the Nazis he's chain-gunned through, B.J. deserves a framed honorary Jew certificate."[13] (The website Jew or Not Jew wrote that "he's probably just a Nazi-killing Pole."[14])

See also

References

  1. ^ "William "B.J." Blazkowicz- IGN". Uk.ign.com. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  2. ^ a b "Players Wanted: Ultimate Fighting Game - IGN". Uk.ign.com. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  3. ^ "The best violent video games of all time". Telegraph. 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  4. ^ https://twitter.com/ThatTomHall/status/440012925067988992
  5. ^ Der Goldene Nazivampir von Absam 2 Template:De icon
  6. ^ Browning, John Edgar (2010). Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921-2010.
  7. ^ "Look like Wolfenstein's William "B.J." Blazkowicz with a free Xbox LIVE avatar mask". Xboxer360.com. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  8. ^ "Classic B.J. Blazkowicz Mask - Xbox.com". Marketplace.xbox.com. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  9. ^ "Ultimate Zombie Strike Team - IGN". Uk.ign.com. 2009-09-28. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  10. ^ "Top 15 Videogame Commandos: Day 1 - IGN". Uk.ign.com. 2008-11-05. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  11. ^ 100 best heroes in video games, GamesRadar, October 19, 2012
  12. ^ "Sgt. William B.J. Blazkowicz - Wolfenstein 3D". UGO.com. 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  13. ^ Meli, Marissa (2010-08-09). "The Greatest Jews in Video Games". UGO.com. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  14. ^ "B. J. Blazkowicz". Jew or Not Jew. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
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