History Characters / WestworldWilliam

* KickTheSonOfABitch: His treatment of Logan in "The Bicameral Mind" would be reprehensible... [[AssholeVictim if it were any other character]]. In "The Riddle of the Sphinx", he also very ably dispenses with the utterly vile Craddock and his Confederados.

* CoolGun: He carries a modified [=LeMat=] revolver that uses cartridges (the original version had to be hand-loaded with black powder and ball) with a single shotgun cartridge at the center of the cylinder. The second episode shows him taking the gun apart and reloading it with GunPorn levels of detailed closeups.

-->'''Man in Black:''' You think you know Death, but you don't.
-->'''Craddock:''' Is that so?
-->'''Man in Black:''' You didn't recognize him sittin' across from you this whole time.

** His personal journey towards villainous behavior and a pessimistic worldview also mirrors some Western archetypes and tropes. He starts out as a hopeful, optimistic and very gentlemanly white hat, in the vein of ComicBook/LuckyLuke. By the time he and Dolores are adventuring near Pariah and teaming up with El Lazo, and especially later when Logan [[TheDogBitesBack angers him for the last time]], he takes on decidedly [[AntiHero anti-heroic traits]] and seems closer to the [[Film/TheDollarsTrilogy Man with No Name]], even in terms of attire and mannerisms. After he humiliates Logan and then finds out the heartbreaking truth about what happened to Dolores, he experiences a HeroicBSOD and [[EvilWearsBlack goes full-on black hat]].

* TheBadGuyWins: In Season 1. Despite the "center of the Maze" being a bust, his actions directly led to him getting exactly what he wanted all along: the hosts becoming truly able to fight back.

* CoolGun: Along with RareGuns. He carries a modified [=LeMat=] revolver that uses cartridges (the original version had to be hand-loaded with black powder and ball) with a single shotgun cartridge at the center of the cylinder. The second episode shows him taking the gun apart and reloading it with GunPorn levels of detailed closeups.

* RareGuns: Carries a [=LeMat=] revolver, which has [[MoreDakka nine rounds in the cylinder]] and a [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter single-shot shotgun]] in a secondary barrel, though it has been modified from its original cap-and-ball design to use center-fire cartridges. This is a real weapon made for the Confederate military, but few entered service due to the Union's blockade, though given that all the guns in the park were specially made for use there, rarity was no object. The fact that he's been coming to the park for thirty years, and has learned all of its ins and outs and knows how to shoot pretty damn well at this point, also suggests that he'd go for a unique, stylish gun as his WeaponOfChoice. It's also revealed that he's been using it for 30 years, ever since he went full "black hat" during his first visit to Westworld with Logan.

** He also has this dynamic going with Lawrence, his on-and-off partner in crime or sidekick (depending on the period). William, the good-hearted guest, was both his ally and friend and spent a lot of time with him. In the modern day, Lawrence is one of the Man in Black's favored [[TheChewToy chew toys]]. Subverted on Season 2, as William [[HereWeGoAgain recruits him again after saving him from being hanged]] but on much more equal terms than in the past, because this time hosts can actually kill humans, [[SequelDifficultySpike forcing them to truly cooperate in order to escape]].

* BastardUnderstudy: At the end of season 4, the Man in Black is dismayed with Hale's transcendence plan, [[spoiler:kills her and takes over the world by reprogramming everybody [[HatePlague into a deathmatch]] which he calls "survival of the fittest".]]

* OmnicidalManiac: His host form becomes this by the end of season 4. Not only does he [[spoiler:engineer the total destruction of the human world, but he also tries to destroy the Sublime because he can't conceive of them being any less destructive than humans.]]

--> [[spoiler:'''William''': I tried to do right. I was faithful, generous, kind... at least in this world. That has to count for something, right? I built a wall, and I tried to protect you, and Emily. But you saw right through it, didn’t you? You’re the only one. And for that, I am truly sorry. Because... everything you feel is true. I don’t belong to you. Or this world. I belong to another world. I always have.]]

** In "Vanishing Point," his [[TheParanoiac paranoia]] reaches a boiling point, leading him to [[spoiler:murder the evac team sent to rescue him, believing them to be hosts]]. He doesn’t quite recover, but rather calms down and recognizes his actions, when [[spoiler:he realizes that the Emily he gunned down was not a host, but his own, flesh and blood, daughter]].

* NiceHat: Sure, he might be a sadistic monster, but his choice of hat is spot-on. Armistice even says she plans to steal it after killing him. When masquerading as a Union soldier, he chooses to forego the uniform's hat and keep his stetson.

** [[spoiler:Subverted in season 4 when it's revealed Host-Charlotte is actually keeping the real William alive while his host duplicate continues to act on her behalf.]]