Adolf Hitler is the "Führer" (leader) of Nazi Germany during the second World War and an important figure in the Wolfenstein series. Hitler was the main antagonist of the main episodes of Wolfenstein 3D, and the Original Encounter (the Claw of Eisenfaust). However, he's also mentioned in almost every game of the series in some way as the head tyrant of the Nazi empire, and is tied to many of the operations or projects that Blazkowicz is sent to destroy.

For Hitler in the classic id series see Adolf Hitler (Classic).

For Hitler's appearance in the MachineGames universe see Adolf Hitler (MachineGames).

For the historical Hitler, see Wikipedia. This article focuses on his appearances in the context of the Wolfenstein series.

Disambiguation

	Disambiguation This disambiguation page lists articles that might otherwise share the same title. If an article link led you here, please change the link to point directly to the intended page.

• Adolf Hitler (Muse)
• Adolf Hitler (Classic)
• Adolf Hitler (Wolf3D)
• Adolf Hitler (Wolf 2)
• Adolf Hitler (MachineGames)
• Staatmeister (Adolf Trautmann)
• Axis Leader (Soulpatch Hitler, Painting)

Background

Hitler was the major villain of the original Wolfenstein 3D, where he, as "Mecha-Hitler", became a well remembered and iconic pop culture character. Since then, the series has seen reboots, partial-reboots, soft-reboots, and hard-reboots, and yet people have continued to ask for the fabled Mecha-Hitler's return.

According to id developers, Wolfenstein didn't have Hitler because it was a 'timeline thing', meaning Hitler had already been defeated. They said Return to Castle Wolfenstein took place before Wolfenstein 3D, while the 2009 game took place after Return to Castle Wolfenstein.^[1] This also is referenced in the official Strategy Guides for RTCW and later reflected in the released graphic novels for Wolfenstein (2009).

Even as far back as the the Strategy Guide for RTCW claimed that Wolfenstein 3D (or at least the Eisenfaust portion of the campaign) took place before Return to Castle Wolfenstein.

Even the developers for MachineGames reboot have claimed that Wolfenstein 3D is canon to their series and takes place before their game. Though obviously in most examples RTCW and MachineGames series, Hitler turns out to be very much alive and well after his encounters. He is extremely hard to kill or simply won't stay dead. Himmler returns to Berlin to speak to the Führer in Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and Hitler is very much alive in The New Colossus timeline. In The Old Blood, its even discussed that Hitler survived one of his encounters with Blazkowicz at Castle Wolfenstein.

However, both Tides of War and Wolfenstein 3D Classic place the events of Wolfenstein 3D after RTCW (and possibly Wolfenstein) at the 'end of the war'.

This is not entirely a problem if one considers even in the games related to original Wolfenstein and Spear of Destiny, as multiple villains routinely returned according to the stories upon having healed from their wounds somehow.

If all the versions, timelines, and references are taken into account, there are at least 2-3 'Encounters' between B.J. Blazkowicz and villains such as Hitler, Schabbs, and Grosse Family. 1-3 before 1943, and another at the end of the war. Similar encounters but the locations of the battles changed. Likewise the Spear of Destiny is stolen and recovered several times, with the same villains reprising their roles. Even Hans Grosse got a chance to return in Wolfenstein (2009).

There are at least two encounters for Hitler: First Encounter & 3rd Encounter. However, there is possibility of even the '2nd Encounter" at some point as well. However, how he returns each time is not explained... be it left for dead and 'surgery', 'resurrection', or 'cloning' or some other method. In general, he is left for dead (or B.J. removes his head to make sure of his death as he did at the end of the events of the original Wolfenstein 3D, set at the 'end of the war').

In the Wolfenstein series

Beyond Castle Wolfenstein

Adolf Hitler appears in Beyond Castle Wolfenstein as a main goal of an assassination attempt by the player inside his secret bunker (Wolf's Lair). This was based on a depiction of the real-life attempt on Hitler's life at Wolf's Lair on July 20, 1944.^[2]

The goal is to find a bomb and place it outside of the room where he is holding a meeting with officers. After that, the player has to escape, while the bunker is shown to be blown up. A "Wolfenstein Lore" section of the Return to Castle Wolfenstein manual refers to this, incorrectly attributing it to the previous installment in the series:

"Silas Warner's classic Apple II game, Castle Wolfenstein, was released in 1983. The game was far from a 3D shooter, requiring more stealth than gunplay. The player's mission was to infiltrate Nazi headquarters in disguise, plant a bomb outside the door to Hitler's bunker, and make it out before the bomb exploded."^[3]

The events of Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, and its predecessor, Castle Wolfenstein, have little or no relation to any events depicted in the Wolfenstein games by id Software later (although part of the same franchise^[4]). This is not entirely true, however, as the Spear of Destiny hint book indicates that Beyond Castle Wolfenstein is concerned with an actual historical event (one of several attempts on Hitler's life, and actually an ultimately failed attempt at that, which Hitler survived). Id Software gained the rights to the original Wolfenstein franchise and many of the ideas in Wolfenstein 3D were based off of the previous games, and consulted Silas Warner before making Wolfenstein 3D (Silas Warner had little part in the Beyond Castle Wolfenstein sequel). Wolfenstein 3D's name is actually a nod to it both being in '3D' and also being the third game in the series.

Wolfenstein 3D & Spear of Destiny

There are multiple versions of accounts of attempts and attacks on Hitler according Wolfenstein material, and via various game endings per the versions of the games. The official guides via backstories for the games even discuss his 'suicide' supposedly on April 28, 1945 (in reality he actually died April 30). So between all the variations, the versions are not necessarily 'consistent'. Some sources place Wolfenstein 3D in early 1942/43/44 as a representation of one of the early attempts on Hitler's life, while others place it as late as February, 1945 (still earlier than his actual death in the Führerbunker). Some versions have two campaigns in which Hitler is fought at the end of both campaigns (see Original Encounter and Third Encounter). The Old Blood/New Order timeline may even place the attempt as late as 1946.

In Spear of Destiny and its expansion packs, Hitler's involvement is more 'behind the scenes' as mentioned in the backstories in the manuals and handbooks. It concerns his involvement with the Spear of Destiny.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein

Hitler is briefly mentioned in Return to Castle Wolfenstein at the very end of the game: after B.J. defeats Heinrich I, Heinrich Himmler is urged by an officer to hurry to Berlin, as "The Führer is expecting [his] arrival."

He is also be seen on propaganda portraits throughout the game, as well as in Wolfenstein.

According to the strategy guide for these games, Wolfenstein 3D was placed chronologically before Return to Castle Wolfenstein (c. 1942), see Operation Return to Castle Wolfenstein/Welcome Back, Soldier and Original Encounter. At least the Escape from Wolfenstein portion of the game (Episode 1), takes place before RTCW (hence the game's name). However, Wolfenstein 3D and Tides of War appear to place the series after Return to Castle Wolfenstein.

Wolfenstein (2009): Operation Nachtsonne/Ubermensch/Fourth Reich

In this game's timeline which is set in 1945 or later (which in itself is a partial reboot). There is a date giving 44 in the past tense (according to blue prints B.J. finds, the Atomic Corps were formed back in 1944), and the date 1947 appears on a map (other documents appear to be signed 1945 or 1946).

The war ended perhaps around the same time it did in history (or as early as February 1945, as that is the date was given in Wolfenstein 3D, which contains some connections to the OSA series).

According to the connected graphic novels at the time of Wolfenstein, the Führer is dead (having been killed in Wolfenstein 3D, the exact date for that game unknown, but might relate to the February 1945 date given in Wolfenstein 3D Classic), but the Third Reich rises again under an organization calling itself the Fourth Reich (or at least would call itself the Fourth Reich following the events of the destruction of the Tirpitz or some point shortly before).

Shortly before B.J. destroyed the S.S. Tirpitz, during his attempt to stop Operation Eisenfaust, he had fought Hitler apparently at Schloss Hollenhammer, shooting him in the chest, wounding the Führer and leaving him for dead. The major defeat would seemingly be the beginning of the end of the war. Furthermore, the comics may suggest that Return to Castle Wolfenstein occurred after Wolfenstein 3D, in which the plans to resurrect Heinrich I was to create a new leader, as Hitler was thought to be dead at the time (another change from the previous timeline in which the Führer was still alive in RTCW).

Later, Anton Kriege learned of Hitler's plans, and the Spear of Destiny, after looking into B.J.'s past and learning of his missions with the Office of Secret Actions. Central Command still exists in Berlin, but it appears to have noticeably been weakened by the actions of the Allies and groups such as the Kreisau Circle, to the point that the Third Reich (or its successors the Fourth Reich) are forced to try to battle and reconquer sections of its own country in Germany. They had just captured Isenstadt a few months before the game.

While Hitler's paintings still occupy positions of prominence in offices, manors, and/or old propaganda posters, and newspaper/clippings, there is little mention of him, and never by any individuals. Himmler appears to be in charge (of at least the SS Paranormal Division) in Berlin, and Wilhelm Strasse appears to be both an individual in charge of "High Command/Central Command" (according to documents obtained during the Castle, Airfield, and off his Zeppelin) as well as the true mastermind behind Operation Nacht Sonne (which he oversaw from the Castle, and left Zetta to do most of the dirty work). With many believing Zetta was in charge, despite being Strasse's underling, there were rumors that Strasse was brought in by Central Command as Zetta's replacement. Strasse did not have a picture of Hitler in his castle, but rather an ostentatious painting of himself (he was at least very egotistical) along with documents possibly linking him higher up into Berlin's Central Command, to suggest he may have more or less taken over the Third Reich in Hitler's place with Heinrich Himmler.

Another difference in this timeline c. 1945 is that it appears that the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944 never happened, and Allies are struggling against the resurgent Nazi forces (London is left dangerously vulnerable to missiles with no apparent air defenses, leaving B.J. to have to take them out himself). It is also confirmed that B.J. thwarted the Nazi's Spear of Destiny plans (though its unclear if this was a direct reference to original Spear of Destiny game, or possibly even to Wolfenstein RPG that came out a year before).

Wolfenstein RPG

In Wolfenstein RPG, the paintings include Axis Leader with a goatee, a parody of Hitler where his mustache has been moved to his chin. The Fuhrer can be punched for some amusing animations. Other than that there are few, if any, direct references to Hitler or Nazis (as the game underwent censorship). However, the greater parts of the story, is part of the id Universe timeline which ties all or most of of id Software's major series together in a single timeline.

Titles and Nicknames

• Reichmeister
• Führer

Gallery

Hitler as he is depicted in Beyond Castle Wolfenstein.

Hitler's portrait in Return to Castle Wolfenstein.

A portrait of Hitler.

Hitler's death at the hands of B.J. Blazkowicz.

MechaHitler's battle with B.J. Blazkowicz, as depicted in the Wolfenstein comic adaptation

MachineGames timeline: Hitler making a speech outside the newly-conquered Capitol Building, Washington D.C., as depicted in promotional material for Wolfenstein: The New Order.

References