Puppetman
Encyclopedia
Puppetman, the alias of Gregg Hartmann, a U.S. Senator (D-NY) and Candidate for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, is a fictional character from the Wild Cards
series of books. He first appeared in the story "Strings" by Stephen Leigh
in the first book in the series
, and plays an important role in events throughout the series. Gregg Hartman shows the world the face of a crusading, man-of-the-people politician, who fights for the rights of the downtrodden, particularly Jokers. However, Hartmann is secretly an Ace possessed of mind control powers. Hartmann refers to these powers, and the desire he gets to use them, as "Puppetman" and sees them as almost a separate entity.
This incident fractured the boy's fragile psyche, with pleasure, hate, guilt, shame, fear, and sex all jumbled together in his already twisted mind. He could not bear to think of these horrific actions as his own doing, so he created the Puppetman: another person in his mind, and the one he blamed for all the things he'd done... and all he would continue to do.
Hartmann became overconfident of his control over others, when in fact he could not even control himself. Puppetman was becoming an independent, and demanding, force in his mind, constantly hungering for more. At times things spiralled out of his hands; in one case, he touched off a riot
, and the resulting overwhelming emotional feedback caused him to have an embarrassing public breakdown which cost him the Presidency.
is hired to kill Sen. Hartmann. Demise's own ace abilities allow him to kill by locking eyes with his intended victim and telepathically projecting the memory of his death into their mind. Amid the chaos generated by Hartmann's manipulation of the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Demise got close enough to his target to initiate, but not complete, his death-stare. The result was that Puppetman, who was dominant at the time, was destroyed, leaving behind only the normal half of Hartmann's personality. Hartmann resolved to undo the damage caused by Puppetman, but before he could begin Dr. Tachyon
telepathically coerced Hartmann into the embarrassing breakdown which cost him the Democratic nomination.
Afterwards, Hartmann is jumped
into the body of a caterpillar-like joker. He swings from villain to victim to hero, trying to redeem himself of the horrible deeds he has committed.
Wild Cards
Wild Cards is a science fiction and superhero anthology series set in a shared universe. The series was created by a group of New Mexico science fiction authors, but it is mostly pulled together and edited by best-selling author George R. R. Martin with assistance by Melinda Snodgrass, also a...
series of books. He first appeared in the story "Strings" by Stephen Leigh
Stephen Leigh
Stephen W. Leigh is an American science fiction and fantasy writer, artist, and musician. He also works as a lecturer at Northern Kentucky University, teaching creative writing.Steve Leigh lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.- Works :...
in the first book in the series
Wild Cards (book)
The first volume in the Wild Cards shared universe fiction series edited by George R. R. Martin. It was first published in 1987 and contained a dozen short stories establishing the Wild Cards universe, introducing the main characters and setting up plot threads that still continue to play out over...
, and plays an important role in events throughout the series. Gregg Hartman shows the world the face of a crusading, man-of-the-people politician, who fights for the rights of the downtrodden, particularly Jokers. However, Hartmann is secretly an Ace possessed of mind control powers. Hartmann refers to these powers, and the desire he gets to use them, as "Puppetman" and sees them as almost a separate entity.
Origin
Hartmann himself is a victim of the wild card, an Ace with the ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of others. He first discovered this power when he was eleven years old; he had a crush on a teenage girl named Andrea Whitman, and wanted to find a way to hurt her for ignoring him. He took his first puppet that day, Roger Pellman, a mentally deficient fourteen year old, and began stoking Pellman's anger, lust and rage until Pellman raped and murdered Andrea, with Gregg feeling everything his puppet felt.This incident fractured the boy's fragile psyche, with pleasure, hate, guilt, shame, fear, and sex all jumbled together in his already twisted mind. He could not bear to think of these horrific actions as his own doing, so he created the Puppetman: another person in his mind, and the one he blamed for all the things he'd done... and all he would continue to do.
Loss of control
Hartman became addicted to "feeding" on the negative emotions and psychic pain of others. For years, he both reveled in, and was repulsed by, the many violent crimes and atrocities he committed by proxy. He used his power of emotional influence to become a successful politician; he could make anyone his "puppet" simply through brief physical contact, and a politician shakes a lot of hands.Hartmann became overconfident of his control over others, when in fact he could not even control himself. Puppetman was becoming an independent, and demanding, force in his mind, constantly hungering for more. At times things spiralled out of his hands; in one case, he touched off a riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
, and the resulting overwhelming emotional feedback caused him to have an embarrassing public breakdown which cost him the Presidency.
Cured
In the sixth volume of the Wild Cards series, Ace in the Hole (1990), the assassin DemiseDemise (Wild Cards)
Demise is a fictional character from the Wild Cards book series. He was created by Walton Simons, and first appeared in the story "If Looks Could Kill" in Wild Cards II: Aces High....
is hired to kill Sen. Hartmann. Demise's own ace abilities allow him to kill by locking eyes with his intended victim and telepathically projecting the memory of his death into their mind. Amid the chaos generated by Hartmann's manipulation of the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Demise got close enough to his target to initiate, but not complete, his death-stare. The result was that Puppetman, who was dominant at the time, was destroyed, leaving behind only the normal half of Hartmann's personality. Hartmann resolved to undo the damage caused by Puppetman, but before he could begin Dr. Tachyon
Dr. Tachyon
Dr. Tachyon is a character from the Wild Cards series of books. He was created for the books by Melinda M. Snodgrass. Tachyon is a geneticist from the planet Takis, whose people naturally developed various telepathic powers...
telepathically coerced Hartmann into the embarrassing breakdown which cost him the Democratic nomination.
Afterwards, Hartmann is jumped
Jumpers (Wild Cards)
The Jumpers are a fictional criminal gang in the Wild Cards anthology series, first appearing in One-Eyed Jacks, the eighth book of the series. Various jumpers continue to play a major role in the next three volumes of the series, Jokertown Shuffle, Double Solitaire, and Dealer's Choice...
into the body of a caterpillar-like joker. He swings from villain to victim to hero, trying to redeem himself of the horrible deeds he has committed.
Puppets
Over the course of his career Puppetman has manipulated literally hundreds of individuals, some to a greater extent than others. The following is a brief list of his many puppets:- CarnifexCarnifex (Wild Cards)Carnifex is a fictional character in the Wild Cards anthology series. Carnifex is Billy Ray's nickname given to him for his love of violence. Infection with the Wild Card Virus has given him superhuman levels of strength, speed and stamina, along with a rapid regenerative healing factor and a...
- Hartmann's bodyguard - Gimli - militiant joker's rights activist
- Kahina - clairvoyant sister of the radical Islamic ace Nur al Allah, who later discovers Hartmann's secret
- Mackie Messer - German ace
- Molniya - Soviet ace
- The Oddity - Joker vigilante
- Peanut - Joker
- Black Shadow - Ace vigilante
- Hiram WorchesterHiram WorchesterHiram Worchester is a fictional character from the Wild Cards book series, who was created by George R. R. Martin. His first appearance was a brief cameo in "Wild Card Chic," a short in-story document in the first book of the series, Wild Cards. Hiram is an ace, one of the forunate few gifted with...
- popular restaurateur and Ace