I recently got acquainted with the Saw universe)).
I especially liked one of the antagonists, Mark Hoffman. It's funny, but in his story, he is very similar to Hector Munday (Grantham Du'Met) from the game The Dark Pictures: The Devil in Me (although, given the chronology, Hector is more likely to look like him). Both worked for the FBI/police, being professionals in their field. Both committed their first murders for good reasons (Mark - killed an unjustly released murderer, Hector - euthanasia of an evil mother painfully dying of cancer). And both had someone who initiated them, so to speak. Mark has Kramer, Hector has Manny Sherman. But, unlike Mark, Hector did it much longer and more successfully… Although, again unlike Mark, Hector really liked it, even though he missed his days working in the FBI. For Mark, most of the murders were under pressure from Kramer or out of fear of exposure.
I would love a crossover with their collaboration))
Y’all wanna know why I love the scene where Mark and John meet is because John knows that Marks tough guy outer shell is a lot like his, there’s a shattered broken wreck of a man under there. Everything Mark said in that scene John has felt.
“You didn’t see the blood, you didn’t see what he fucking did to her”
(the delivery of this line scratches my brain)
I can imagine John in that moment remembering Jill’s miscarriage.
It’s also that line that shows how Hoffman truly feels , he starts off being aggressive with John “he was an ANIMAL” “HE DIDN’T DESERVE A CHANCE”— his defense mechanism is being the “tough guy” no one has ever questioned him before no one would dare go toe to toe with Mark Hoffmans attitude. John did though, because when John yelled right back it was then after that Mark broke down, he was on the verge of tears being reminded of his sisters death and being told that his way of handling it was inferior. Because Mark knew he enjoyed watching that man die, but it didn’t fix anything, it didn’t bring her back, it didn’t cure him.
This is also why I think John knew Mark was “too far gone” yes Mark and John’s lives have many mirroring moments the only difference is Marks vengeance crossed a line, it wasn’t about teaching lessons or fixing the world…it was about filling the void, no matter how much blood he helped spill Mark Hoffman could never truly understand what it meant to be “Jigsaw”
I am deeply pained by the sheer lack of Mark Hoffman getting freaky w/ me (the reader) fics on Ao3 & I may have to remedy this if it stays at 16 (some of those are just E bc of gore too)