Hudson
Hudson was a former leader of the Wyvern Clan, and is now the oldest member and mentor-figure of the Manhattan Clan. When he led the Wyvern Clan, he was known by the humans as Mentor.
Contents
History
Dark Ages
The gargoyle who would one day take the name Hudson was hatched in the year 878 in the rookery deep under Wyvern Hill. [1] "Verity" chose him as a mate in his youth, and they produced three eggs in 927, 947, and 967. By 967 – presumably long before then – he had risen to become the clan leader. At some point prior to this, he met Robbie for the first time, and made friends with him. ("The Reach", "The Promise")
In 971, as Rhydderch of the Wyvern Clan, he met Robbie and his companion, Prince Malcolm. He listened to the Prince's offer of an alliance between his clan and the humans that supported Kenneth's claim to the Scottish crown. After considering the counsel of both his second-in-command, "Lefty", and his mate, "Verity", he agreed to the pact. ("The Reach")
The gargoyle leader soon proved to be a mentor to the two princes, pointing out how his clan would be underutilized if they were marshalled in the same manner as the other ground forces in their initial war strategy. As for the rest of the clan, he commanded his oldest rookery children to remain at Wyvern Hill to protect their ancestral home and eggs. While a young Goliath could see the reasoning behind their Rhydderch's decision, others like "Hyppolyta" and Angel, defied orders the following night and joined the fight. ("The Reach")
During the battle against King Culen and his men, "Verity" was slain by Culen's retainer, Cawdor, while trying to save her rookery daughter, "Hyppolyta". In the clan's shock and grief, the gargoyles quickly turned the tide for Kenneth's forces. But just as victory was in sight for the newly-made alliance, Angel was captured by Culen in a desperate ploy to bargain the safe retreat for himself and his men. Silently directing "Lefty" to track Culen's army, the gargoyle leader assured his rookery son and his human allies to trust the promise they had made. ("The Draw")
The following night, "Lefty" returned from his reconnaissance on the whereabouts of Culen's Mountain Stronghold. The Wyvern leader enacted his plan to rescue Angel and, along with Goliath (and a magical distraction from the Archmage), Culen and his soldiers were all swiftly slain. Only one human survived: the infant Constantine, who the rookery father gave to Kenneth to raise. Several nights after participating in the Wyvern Clan's Wind Ceremony, Prince Malcolm bestowed the name Mentor upon the gargoyle leader, and the two agreed to continue their alliance, which led to the dream of a new strategic fortress on the cliffs of Wyvern Hill. ("The Oath")
Mentor and Malcolm oversaw the swift construction of the castle, with the local humans working during the day, and the gargoyles working throughout the night. Mentor and Malcolm's alliance was tested once more when Wyvern, the dragon the clan had ancestral ties to, attacked the construction site. Taking to the skies, Mentor ordered the clan's warriors to protect the castle and everyone on Wyvern Hill. Though he tried to reason with the dragon, Mentor could not agree with Wyvern's assessment that humanity itself was an inevitable enemy. Prince Malcolm, meanwhile, ordered his men to aid in the defense. When the dragon abandoned his attack after discovering his hoard, he cursed Mentor for the distraction and left the clan's fate tied with the humans. Afterwards, Mentor confided to the Prince that they fortunate to survive. Following the ordeal, the two considered one another friends. He joined the gargoyle and human inhabitants in listening to Shahrizad's nightly Tale of the Three Brothers. ("The Promise", "The Dream", "The Pledge")
Before 994
Between 971 and 984, Mentor continued to lead the Wyvern gargoyles as steadfast allies to Prince Malcolm and his people. In many ways, he was much more intelligent than Prince Malcolm was. He correctly saw the danger in Malcolm using gargoyles as threats to scare the young Princess Katharine into good behavior (the danger that was fulfilled by her attitude towards gargoyles up to the Wyvern Massacre, which even helped lead to it), and he also recognized the treasonous schemes of the Archmage long before Malcolm saw them – sensing them as early as 975, in fact. By 984, he had already recognized Goliath's worth, and appointed the young gargoyle warrior his second-in-command.
In 984, Mentor was blinded in one eye during a battle with the Archmage (the same battle that resulted in the evil sorcerer falling into a chasm to – so everyone thought at the time – his demise). Convinced that this condition and his age made him no longer able to lead, he stepped down as leader in favor of Goliath. Goliath insisted on keeping Hudson on, however, as an adviser, having always recognized that the older gargoyle’s experience and wisdom is what made him a good leader for so many years. ("Long Way to Morning")
Awakening in 1994
Mentor survived the Wyvern Massacre in 994 because Goliath took him on his pursuit of the Vikings, but was afterwards frozen in stone sleep by the Magus for the next thousand years. Like the other gargoyles, he was awakened from his stone sleep when Xanatos moved Castle Wyvern to the top of the Eyrie Building (and became the oldest living gargoyle in history), and soon took the name Hudson. ("Awakening: Part One", "Awakening: Part Two", "Awakening: Part Three")
While he and the clan adjusted to their new life in Manhattan, Hudson served unofficially as second-in-command of the survivors, but in 1995 he eventually insisted that not only would it not be proper for him to officially be second to his own former second, it would be more suitable for one of the younger Trio be promoted to that position. ("Upgrade")
Hudson is semi-retired now, thanks to his age and partial blindness. He feels that he's past his prime, and prefers to stay home (whether Castle Wyvern or the Clock Tower) while the rest of the clan is out on patrol, for the purpose of guarding it. (Bronx, with whom Hudson has a strong rapport, usually stays with him).
However, he can still be a formidable warrior when the occasion demands it, and once defended a wounded Goliath very effectively against Demona, holding her off long enough for the sun to rise and heal his leader. He also demonstrated his resourcefulness in rescuing himself from Xanatos when the latter captured him to use as a guinea pig for the Cauldron of Life. ("Long Way to Morning", "The Price")
Unlike the Trio, Hudson is not particularly enthusiastic about the modern world. He feels lost and confused in it, all too aware of the dramatic changes that have taken place in the last thousand years, particularly in the realm of technology, and knows in his heart that he's too old and set in his ways to be able to adjust well to it as the other clan members have. However, he does enjoy one modern-day invention: television. He likes to settle down in an easy chair and watch it while the rest of the clan is out on patrol.
Like Broadway, Hudson was originally illiterate upon his awakening in Manhattan and – unlike Broadway, ashamed of it – he covered it up as a result. He finally revealed this secret to the blind author Jeffrey Robbins, whom he met when he was washed along the shore near Robbins's house during the fight for the Scrolls of Merlin. Robbins assured him that it was not shameful to be illiterate, but only to stay that way, and offered to teach him how to read. He and Robbins also became good friends. After this, Hudson undertook reading lessons with Broadway, practicing with the newspaper. ("A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time", "High Noon")
Not the Last
In January 1996, a little more than a week after Goliath, Elisa Maza, and Bronx's sudden disappearance, Hudson began prompting Brooklyn to shoulder the responsibilities and burdens of leadership as Goliath's second-in-command. He and the Trio also took in Elisa's cat, Cagney. They eventually learned about a month later that the three were on a world tour from Matt Bluestone, after Halcyon Renard contacted him. [2] In May 1996, Hudson and the Trio met the gargoyle Griff and Once and Future King Arthur Pendragon when the two arrived in Manhattan in search of Excalibur. The significance of meeting an English gargoyle would not sink in for the old soldier until the World Travelers finally returned to Manhattan in July 1996, with Goliath's rookery daughter Angela alongside them. For the first time in a long time, Hudson saw hope for his kind when he and the Trio learned about the clans in Avalon, London, Japan, and Guatemala. ("Avalon" Part One, "Kingdom", "Pendragon", "The Gathering" Part One)
On Halloween 1996, Hudson finally revealed to Robbins the fact that he was a gargoyle, a fact that Robbins had already figured out. ("Bash")
A couple days later, Hudson got the rare opportunity to travel abroad himself when he and Lexington elected to aid Macbeth in protecting the Stone of Destiny during its transport from Westminster Abbey in London to Scotland. When first waking up in London, Hudson experienced the gargoyle version of jet-lag. While there, Hudson met Griff once again, along with two other members of the London Clan and stayed at the clan's home at Knight's Spur. Later, Hudson and the other gargoyles were attacked at Westminster Abbey by Coldsteel and Coyote 5.0, who were working under Xanatos's orders. Coldsteel nearly succeeded in ripping Hudson's arm off with his tentacles, but was thankfully stopped in time by Coldstone and Coldfire. ("The Rock", "Rock & Roll")
After the Stone of Destiny adventure, Hudson and Lexington remained at Knight's Spur for a while, returning to the Eyrie Building after convincing Coldstone and Coldfire to join them in early 1997 – just in time to meet Brooklyn, newly returned from his TimeDancing, and his family, Katana, Gnash, and the unhatched Egwardo. While the clan was delighted to see a gargoyle egg once more, Hudson claimed that he never fussed about in the rookery, preferring to watch Celebrity Hockey with Gnash. ("Rock of Ages", "Phoenix", "Idyll or Nightmare")
In due time, Hudson and Goliath noticed the Trio had begun to drift apart, prioritizing their own separate interests. While on patrol with Goliath in May 1997, Hudson dismissed Goliath's concerns that the Trio were only close because they had believed the Manhattan Clan was the last of their kind, reminding his rookery son the Trio were thick as thieves the moment they hatched. While they were currently taking each other for granted, he assured Goliath they would be reminded of their bond the next time a crisis presented itself. Such an opportunity arose in short order as the two witnessed the kidnapping of Peter Choy and Rosaria Sanchez in Central Park. While Goliath confronted a masked Dino Dracon, Hudson pursued the vehicle driving off with the teenaged captives. Landing on the roof of the car, Hudson was ready to fight the kidnappers when he saw helicopters approaching Goliath. Unfortunately, Hudson was too late; he was unable to stop the Gargoyle Taskforce from capturing Goliath. ("Tale Old as Time", "Render Unto Caesar")
Arriving back to the castle before dawn, he reported to Brooklyn that Goliath was captured. Without hesitating, Brooklyn ordered a rescue operation as soon as they awoke the following night. While he saw the wisdom in Brooklyn taking Coldstone and Coldfire for a surgical strike, he wondered if ordering Lexington, Broadway, and Angela to protect the castle was the best choice. Nevertheless, he savored the sight of his rookery children beginning to work together again, even partially, such as when Broadway and Lexington defied Brooklyn's orders to save the mobster, Izaak Slaughter. ("Render Unto Caesar", "Underwater", "Everywhere")
When Goliath's hearing began, he and the rest of the Manhattan Clan watched the proceedings unfold on WVRN. When the events of the first night had ended, Hudson felt that it went better than expected, but he appeared alone in that sentiment. The following night, the clan (minus Coldstone) watched as Elisa testified and professed her love for Goliath on live television. Despite the unprecedented circumstances, Hudson was elated when he heard that Goliath was entitled to the same legal rights as any human and free to go. ("Your Witness", "New Rules")
When Goliath returned the night following his release, Hudson was there to greet him with the others. He rejoiced seeing the Trio fully reconnect as Brooklyn shared his and Katana's intention for Broadway and Lexington to be Egwardo's rookery parents and Broadway's desire for Brooklyn and Lexington to be Seconds at his Commitment Ceremony with Angela. Additional celebrations were put on hold as the whole clan was needed to foil Dino Dracon's latest plot. Hudson and the others participated in safely detonating (over the East and Hudson Rivers) the many explosives targeting police precincts throughout the city. ("Cold Comfort")
Months later, on Halloween, Hudson watched Travis Marshall report Goliath's latest public appearance in Greenwich Village, joking that his rookery son would next appear on Celebrity Hockey. ("Trick-Or-Treat")
Future Tense
By the time Goliath arrived in Puck's "Future Tense" illusion, Hudson was already dead, and a life-sized bronze statue had been built as a memorial. He had perished years ago in single combat with Xanatos, although unbeknownst to all but Lexington, he managed to take Xanatos with him.
Characteristics
Hudson is a portly old gargoyle, with tan-colored skin, ruddy orange wings, and white hair and beard. His most distinguishing feature, beyond these, is his blind left eye. He has three small horns on each side of his forehead. He wears a tough leather jerkin and trousers in addition to the loincloth more typical of his clan, and carries a sword that he won during his attack on the Vikings' camp in 994. (Hudson uses the sword because he feels that, with his strength failing as he ages, he needs some sort of human weapon to help even things out for him.) Alone of the Manhattan Clan, he speaks with a Scottish accent, because he had the most contact of all the gargoyles with Scottish humans. [3]
Despite his clear gargoyle heritage and pride, Hudson does not enjoy gallivanting about on wild adventures, as he much prefers to remain home in an old recliner and watch television shows such as The Pack, Celebrity Hockey, and Nightwatch. As Greg Weisman put it, "Hudson hates spunk." ("The Thrill of the Hunt", "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time", "The Journey") [4]
Ironically, Hudson was the first member of the Wyvern Clan to take on a name in the 20th Century, although he considered the concept of names nothing more than a peculiar human custom. He named himself after the Hudson River, after Elisa cited it to him as an example of how even geographical features have names. Despite adopting the convention, he personally views it as having surrendered to the name. ("Awakening: Part Three", "Render Unto Caesar")
Hudson and his mate were the parents of three successive rookeries. They are Broadway's biological parents, although this is known to no one – and it wouldn't matter to any of the gargoyles even if they did know. [5] They also had two biological daughters, "Hyppolyta" and "True", who are now dead. "Hyppolyta" was as a casualty of the Wyvern Massacre, while "True" survived it by at least three years. A rookery father for many, he considers Goliath as the "Son of [his] Heart". ("Render Unto Caesar")
Appearances
Production Background
Voice Actor: Ed Asner
Hudson evolved from a character in the comedy development called "Ralph". [6] Ralph was often the oldest gargoyle in the cast and much preferred staying at home with the TV and other comforts of modern living to actually going out. [7] In the earliest character drafts, he was given the last name "Fullmoon" and described as " Al Bundy but with worse luck." He was set up as a contrast with Alice Fullmoon, an eternal optimist. [8] When he was moved into the action-drama pitch, other names considered for him included "Rolf" and "Rock". [9] Greg Weisman would ultimately model Hudson after Lou Grant in his character description, with Ed Asner already in mind as a voice actor. [10][11] In 1993, some last minute alternative names included "Rockefeller", "Roosevelt", "Bowery", and "Harlem". [12]
References/Parody
Hudson appears as Old Soldier in The AllSpark Almanac Volume Two, as a playable character in the fictitious video game, Ninja Gladiator.
