History Characters / WolfensteinBJBlazkowicz

Following a traumatic brain injury in one of the final battles of the war, he fell into a coma for 14 years, awakening to a world conquered by the Nazis, joining the Kreisau Circle to continue the fight.

The hero of the hour and gaming's #1 Nazi-slayer. Details of B.J.'s appearance and personality have varied over the course of the series, but most important details remain consistent.

!! William "B.J." Blazkowicz

An OSA agent, Blazkowicz is the main protagonist of the saga. He differs in appearance through various continuities (original ''3D'' universe, ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'', ''Wolfenstein RPG'', and the timeline of the 2009 game, ''The New Order\The Old Blood'' and ''The New Colossus''), but the majority of his traits remain the same.

* AmbiguouslyJewish: Averted as of ''The New Colossus'' - B.J.'s Jewishness was speculated at for most of the Wolfenstein games, but it was finally confirmed (ethnically at least, his actual religious beliefs, if any, are still up in the air).

* AnAxeToGrind: In ''The New Colossus'' he trades his knives for hatchets. He puts it to good use, saying "there's a lot of things you can do with an axe and a Nazi."

* RedEyesTakeWarning[=/=]GlowingEyesOfDoom: In ''Wolfenstein 3D'', his mug in "I Am Death Incarnate" on the Difficulty Select screen displays red eyes to show that he's tough and dangerous to the Nazis. This is even more so in the GameWithinAGame parody ''Wolfstone 3D'' (in ''The New Colossus''), when Hitler's real-face portrait is replaced with a portrait of B.J. holding a gun in a stage victory pose, but with the "I Am Death Incarnate" face and glowing red eyes.

* UncannyValley: [[spoiler:B.J.'s transplanted ubersoldat body just... does ''not'' look right whenever you see it on-screen. Given that it's his head attached to a synthetic body with a metal collar, it's justified. And considering that even before his decapitation, his old body was at death's door, he probably doesn't mind.]]

* PerpetualSmiler: In ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'', BJ has a persistent SmugSmirk on his face that never changes.

* AwesomeMcCoolName: William ''Blazkowicz''. Ironically, his RedBaron nickname is considerably lamer...

* KnifeNut:
** Throughout the franchise always kept one in hand in the event he's out of bullets (except in ''Wolfenstein''), but this really shines in ''The New Order'' where he has some pretty ''creative'' ways in stabbing Nazis in the back (and the front). Not to mention he has access to throwing knives as well.
** He also believes shooting Deathshead would be too good a death for the Nazi - not wanting to rest until he's forced a surrender at knifepoint!

* ShoutOut: He's like a mashup of ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' and ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'', wielding SuperStrength that enables him to dual-wield even heavy machine guns. The similarities really stand out if you think of Deathshead as an equivalent to Red Skull. The box art of the Super Nintendo release of ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3d'' even has a rendition of BJ that resembles Rambo. The Thule Medallion that BJ gains in ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein2009'' also has parallels to ''[[ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet]]'', gaining powerful reality-warping powers as BJ finds more gemstones for the artifact. BJ also has features of ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' in his character, battling Nazis and exploring ancient archeological sites for powerful artifacts.

* ShoutOut: He's like a mashup of ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' and ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'', wielding SuperStrength that enables him to dual-wield even heavy machine guns. The similarities really stand out if you think of Deathshead as an equivalent to Red Skull. The box art of the Super Nintendo release of ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3d'' even has a rendition of BJ that resembles Rambo.

* ShoutOut: He's like a mashup of ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' and ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'', wielding SuperStrength that enables him to dual-wield even heavy machine guns. The similarities really stand out if you think of DeathsHead as an equivalent to Red Skull. The box art of the Super Nintendo release of ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3d'' even has a rendition of BJ that resembles Rambo.

* ShoutOut: He's like a mashup of ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' and ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'', wielding SuperStrength that enables him to dual-wield even heavy machine guns. The similarities really stand out if you think of Death's Head as an equivalent to Red Skull. The box art of the Super Nintendo release of ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3d'' even has a rendition of BJ that resembles Rambo.

* ShoutOut: He's like a mashup of ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' and ''Franchise/Rambo'' wielding SuperStrength that enables him to dual-wield heavy machine guns. The similarities really stand out if you think of Death's Head as an equivalent to Red Skull. The box art of the Super Nintendo release of ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3d'' even has a rendition of BJ that resembles Rambo.

* HorrifyingTheHorror: Has become feared by even high ranking members of the Third Reich and any nazis who do make the mistake of [[BullyingADragon taunting him or getting in his way]] end up dying horribly.

* EnfanteTerrible: He was a nice enough kid, but the fascination he shows over the drowning rat is a disturbing predictor of the brutality he shows the Nazis as an adult-
* FromNobodyToNightmare: According to flashbacks in New Colossus, B.J. goes from abused farm boy in Texas who couldn't even fight back to becoming a one man army that leaves Nazis soiling themselves in fear. After acquiring a new super soldier body, he becomes even more feared than before that even hulking Nazi super soldiers became afraid of him.

* KnightInSourArmor: Under the tough, masculine exterior is a broken, traumatized, incredibly tired man who just wants to be able to stop fighting.

* MommasBoy: In the most understandable and heartbreaking way, he is devoted to the memory of his mother in ''The New Colossus''. [[spoiler:[[GoodParents She]] was one of the few bright spots in his childhood and he remembers her and her teachings in tense moments. He even [[ImagineSpot imagines]] finding her again and putting his head in her lap for comfort just before his (temporary) execution.]]

* NaziHunter: The TropeCodifier. As of ''The New Order'', there no shortage of them to hunt down. Even so, BJ has made it is life's mission to destroy the Nazis, saying that he'll be damned if he raises his kids in a world "run by Nazi assholes".

** The later games give him an actual voice and personality. However, ''The New Order'' and beyond have him give just internal monologues during gameplay, while saving his actual speaking parts for the cutscenes.

* PapaWolf: On his way to becoming one in ''The New Colossus''. Anya's pregnant with two twin girls, and it becomes B.J's motivation to keep going in spite of how bad things have gotten. B.J. is very much DentedIron in the game, knowing that he'll be dead soon and that he can barely keep going. But the thing that keeps him going is wanting to make sure Anya and his kids will have a future without the Nazis in them, even though his kids haven't been born yet. While trying to motivate Horton into joining the resistance, part of what B.J. says during his DareToBeBadass speech is that his kids are his motivation.
-->'''B.J.:''' You tired? Man, fuck you! ''[knocks over a chair]'' I got kids on the way! And I'll be damned if I'm gonna raise them in a world run by these Nazi assholes! So what's it gonna be?

* DeepSouth: Sports a thick Texas accent in ''New Order''.

* {{Determinator}}: It seems that any attempt the Nazis make at throwing everything they have at him only make him ''more'' determined to wipe them all out. In ''The New Colossus'', he forces his crippled self out of bed and continues fighting in a wheelchair.[[spoiler:Hell, not even the [[OffWithHisHead loss of his own head]] stops him for long.]]

* GoodIsNotSoft: He's definitely TheHero, but his methods are extremely visceral.

** His experiences are starting to take their toll on his mind in ''The New Order''.

* SilentProtagonist: In ''Wolfenstein 3D'' [[note]]He does shout "Yeah!" after completing certain levels, though.[[/note]] and ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'' [[note]]Only in the PC version; in the console ports, he speaks in some cutscenes.[[/note]]. The later games give him an actual voice and personality.

* SuddenlySpeaking: The console version of ''RtCW'' gives him speaking lines, albeit only in cutscenes. ''Wolfenstein'' continues this approach. ''The New Order'' and ''The New Colossus'' finally gives him a voice in both cutscenes and gameplay, though most of his dialogue during gameplay consists of whispered monologues.

* UncannyValley: B.J.'s [[spoiler:transplanted ubersoldat body]] just... does ''not'' look right whenever you see it on-screen. Given that [[spoiler:it's his head attached to a synthetic body with a metal collar]], it's justified. And considering that [[spoiler:even before his decapitation, his old body was at death's door]], he probably doesn't mind.
* WarriorPoet: In ''The New Order''. You'd never guess B.J. can be quite eloquent when he wants to.

* {{Determinator}}: It seems that any attempt the Nazis make at throwing everything they have at him only make him ''more'' determined to wipe them all out. Taken UpToEleven in ''The New Colossus'' where he forces his crippled self out of bed and continues fighting in a wheelchair.[[spoiler:Hell, not even the [[OffWithHisHead loss of his own head]] stops him for long.]]

* AnAxeToGrind: In ''The New Colossus'' he trades his knives for hatchets. He puts it to good use, saying "there's a lot of things you can do with an axe and a Nazi."

* AwesomeMcCoolName: William ''Blazkowicz''. Ironically, his RedBaron nickname is considerably lamer...

* AbusiveDad: His father, Rip, was a racist, bigoted, sadistic and all-around repulsive asshole of a human being who only married B.J.'s mother, a Jewish woman, for her business connections. Rip's introduction during a flashback in the ''New Colossus'' sees him getting downright furious at a young B.J. for being friends with an African-American girl, knocking his wife out cold for trying to protect their son from his wrath, choking his son almost to unconsciousness, before forcing him to shoot the family dog, Bessie, to teach him to be "strong". [[spoiler:When the two reunite years-on, Rip reveals that [[MoralEventHorizon he sent his wife to an extermination camp]]. Long story short: [[{{Patricide}} the Blazkowicz family tree had a rotten branch that needed hacking.]]]]

* AbusiveDad: His father, Rip, was a racist, bigoted, sadistic and all-around repulsive asshole of a human being who only married B.J.'s mother, a Jewish woman, for her business connections. Rip's introduction during a flashback in the ''New Colossus'' sees him getting downright furious at a young B.J. for being friends with an African-American girl, knocking his wife out cold for trying to protect their son from his wrath, choking his son almost to unconsciousness, before forcing him to shoot the family dog, Bessie, to teach him to be "strong". [[spoiler:When the two reunite years-on, Rip reveals that [[MoralEventHorizon he sent his wife to an extermination camp]]. Long story short: [[SelfMadeOrphan the Blazkowicz family tree had a rotten branch that needed hacking.]]]]

* {{Omniglot}}: If ''The New Order'' is any indication, thought it's also subverted - he fluently speaks English, can speak and comprehend Polish (though he admits his Polish is not very good), is fluent in German, can read Hebrew, and is evidently able to read French, Japanese and Chinese. That said, as of ''The Old Blood'', he's terrible at speaking German with a convincing accent.

* ByronicHero: Blazkowicz has shades of these in ''The New Order''. Though charismatic, handsome, and [[WarriorPoet eloquent in his monologues]], he's clearly damaged goods by all of the sufferings he's endured throughout the war, whether it'd be all of the horrors committed by the Nazis or the deaths of those under his command. He even fears that once his fight with the Nazis will be over, he may never be fit to live a normal life ever again. [[spoiler:''The New Colossus'' gives him a new purpose: Anya is pregnant with his twins, and B.J. is gonna make damn sure he'll kill every last Nazi so that his kids won't be born into a living hellhole run by goose-stepping, jackass fascists and [[DirtyCoward spineless]] greedy [[TheQuisling Quislings]]. He also promised himself to be a far better father than his own piss-poor, waste-of-space, sorry-ass excuse of a father Rip ever was; when confronting his dad, B.J. notes he expects to be dead soon, and he'd still be a better father than Rip was. Unfortunately, despite killing Dethshead, Engel, ''and Hitler'', and liberating America, he and Anya had to raise their daughters with the knowledge that they'd need to fight when needed. While those Nazi jackasses are very much a VestigialEmpire, they still control parts of Europe in the 1980s, and Hitler secretly started a climate-destroying doomsday machine before his death as a TakingYouWithMe act on the world. Only a literal ResetButton will make things right for B.J. and his family.]]

--> '''Voiced in English by''': Matthew Kaminski (Return to Castle Wolfenstein - console versions), Peter Jessop (Wolfenstein 2009), Creator/BrianBloom (The New Order, The Old Blood, The New Colossus, Youngblood), Debi Derryberry (Young B.J., The New Colossus)
--> '''Voiced in Japanese by''': Creator/JojiNakata (The New Order and The New Colossus), Yui Kondo (Young B.J., The New Colossus)
--> '''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by''': Gerardo Garcia (The New Colossus, Youngblood)
--> '''Voiced in Russian by''': Boris Shuvalov (Wolfenstein 2009), Maxim Dakhnenko (The New Colossus, Youngblood), Daniel Bledny (Young B.J., The New Colossus)

** That said, in ''The New Order'' he's not always the best with long-term strategy. After [[spoiler:giving Wyatt/Fergus a MercyKill]] and defeating Deathshead's mech, the general retreats from the roof into a factory. Instead of hitching a ride on the helicopter that's rescuing the prisoners on the ground and letting a nuclear bomb just eradicate the entire fortress as planned, he opts to finish Deathshead personally with his knife. [[spoiler:Deathshead anticipates this and nearly pulls off a TakingYouWithMe with a primed grenade he's holding in his hand]]. The decisions he made [[spoiler:during his inflitration of the moon base]] are also very dumb. [[spoiler: He enters the base with a nazi disguise and a cover identity, but the first thing he does is to ditch the disguise and shoot anything that moves; he eventually leaves the base by hijacking a shuttle ''while the pilot was already putting in a distress call''.]]

-->'''Frau Engel:''' ''[Over the radio]'' (Send in the troops!)\\

'''Commandant:''' (Oh... I see, General.) ''[Long beat]'' (...Hhhhow?)\\

-->'''B.J.:''' You tired? Man, fuck you! ''(knocks over a chair)'' I got kids on the way! And I'll be damned if I'm gonna raise them in a world run by these Nazi assholes! So what's it gonna be?