Rudi Jäger

Sturmbannführer Rudi Jäger is the secondary antagonist of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. He is the warden and kennel master of Castle Wolfenstein and is Helga von Schabbs' right-hand man.
==History==
Rudi was born in the Ruhr Valley in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, to Ingrid Jäger and an unnamed father in 1901. As a boy, Rudi was abused by his father, who would constantly beat him with a belt. His mother would nurse his wounds to stave off infection, but Rudi also blamed her for the abuse, likely because Ingrid appeared to do nothing to stop her husband and actually defended the maltreatment of their son as a correction measure for his recurring "dark mood". When Rudi's father died in a workplace accident at the coal fields after being electrocuted while standing in water, he learned from his uncle that not only is water inside humans, but it is also a conduit for electricity. After his father's death, the family fell into poverty, leading Ingrid to send Rudi to Frankfurt to live with his cousins. Rudi's relationship with Ingrid remains strained even decades later, showcased in a recent letter from Ingrid, in which she maintains her position on the abuse and passes the blame onto Rudi while guilt-tripping her son for not visiting his ailing mother and begging him for money.
Around the 1920s-30s, Rudi joined the Nazi Party and became a personal dog trainer for General Wilhelm Strasse until he was assigned to Helga von Schabbs, who made him her second-in-command at Castle Wolfenstein. Rudi was awarded a dog named Greta, who is an albino Kampfhund and always had her at his side. One of Jäger's favorite pastime activities is to feed his dogs with prisoners from the castle's dungeons. As the warden, he was cruel and sadistic, but effective. He was noted to put fear into the hearts of his subordinates when in his presence; two guards can be heard in awe at Wesley's resilience to Jäger's torture, saying that for his own sake he should just "make something up".
On January 6, 1946, his mother, who has since moved to Dortmund, sent him a letter in which she wonders why he didn't visit her for Christmas and claims to still love Rudi as a son, stating that she regrets not telling him that she felt blessed to have had him in her life. She goes on to justify the behavior of Rudi's cruel father, dismisses the beatings he had to endure as being for his own good and tells him to let the past go. Ingrid then half-heartedly asks Rudi for financial support, however small it may be, citing his successful career in the Nazi government, to help "ease the pain that comes with growing old alone".Letters (The Old Blood)
== The Old Blood ==
Rudi Jäger is first seen at a cable car checkpoint along with his Kampfhund, Greta. As Blazkowicz, posing as "Commander Franz", hands over his forged ID papers to the guard manning the checkpoint, Rudi grabs B.J.'s hand and personally examines the passport. Upon seeing the issuing city, he curiously asks "Franz" if he's a Frankfurter, as in, if he's a native of Frankfurt, presumably because Rudi grew up there. Stammering due to his poor grasp of German, B.J. unsurely replies to Rudi by saying that he's indeed a "hot dog", mistakenly believing Rudi to have meant the type of sausage. After a short pause, Rudi starts to laugh obnoxiously, automatically assuming that he is making a mocking impression of a stereotypical American, with B.J. and the equally nervous guard joining in out of fear before B.J. is allowed to proceed. After discovering the safe containing the coordinates to Deathshead's Compound is empty, B.J. and Agent One escape - right into a room where Jäger and a Supersoldat are waiting. The Supersoldat knocks B.J. out with a single punch, and Jäger has him and Agent One taken to the dungeons.
Rudi is encountered several times in the prison releasing his dogs on prisoners and dragging Agent One away for interrogation, although he is not encountered face-to-face again until Chapter 3, where B.J. attempts to rescue Agent One. While attempting to free Agent One, B.J. is knocked out from behind by Rudi and placed in the electric chair that Rudi was using to interrogate Agent One. B.J. wakes up to discover Greta feeding on Agent One's corpse and Rudi standing above him. Rudi unsuccessfully attempts to interrogate a stoic B.J., who threatens to break free and kill him and Greta. B.J. manages to break free while being electrocuted, throws Rudi into the chair, and electrocutes him. However, B.J. becomes distracted by Greta attacking him, he then kills the Kampfhund, allowing Rudi to slip away while guards storm the room.
Later, in Paderborn, B.J. is preparing to travel to Wulfburg along with Kessler and Annette when the Nazi garrison attacks the fortified tavern where the three of them are hiding. After holding off several waves of Nazi infantry, B.J. is confronted by an apoplectic Rudi in a suit of customised power armor. Rudi fires at B.J. with dual chainguns while swearing vengeance for Greta, "the happiest dog in Germany". Although Rudi's armor is initially bulletproof, B.J. destroys the power conduits on Rudi's armor and peels off the armor plates on Rudi's suit, making him vulnerable to gunfire. After a short battle, Rudi is defeated by B.J. and collapses in defeat, saying that he'll be reunited with Greta in the afterlife. B.J. removes Rudi's helmet and stabs him twice, killing the monstrous warden but has to escape quickly due to the suit preparing to self destruct.
== Appearance ==
Rudi was a tall, muscular middle-aged German man with graying platinum-blonde hair and blue eyes. Throughout the events of The Old Blood, he was dressed in a green button-up shirt with suspenders, gray jeans, a belt, and large black boots.
== Personality ==
Rudi Jäger represented the paragon of the Nazi ideal; an efficient, ruthless SS officer who was feared by enemies and even fellow soldiers. Rudi had a reputation among the SS Paranormal Division for feeding prisoners to his beloved pack of dogs and was rumoured to threaten his subordinates with the same fate if they didn't stay in line. Although it is not said to his face, he's considered by at least some of his own men to be "a little bit crazy".
His cruel personality was likely a product of his childhood, having been raised by an abusive father and an apparently apathetic mother. Rudi greatly cared for his dogs to the point of obsession (particularly Greta) and became enraged and vengeful when B.J. killed Greta in self-defense. During battle, he exhibited boastful supremacist tendencies typical of B.J.'s future opponents, gloating that his armor was bulletproof. In his final moments, Rudi expressed his love for Greta by telling her they will reunite after death, right before being stabbed. 
== Quotes ==
== Trivia ==
* Rudi is quite similar to Hans Grösse, especially his Wolfenstein (2009) incarnation, both being broadly-build, muscle-bound SS soldiers, having at one point served directly under Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse and serving as the secondary antagonists, as well as bosses, in their respective games.
**Both also encountered B.J. Blazkowicz twice, once in a neutral setting while undercover and once under hostile conditions while attempting to escape captivity, before they were fought and killed by B.J. in a final showdown.
**Additionally, Rudi wears an outfit similar in color and functionality as that of Hans Grosse in Wolfenstein (2009).
**Rudi's power armor and dual chainguns are similar to Hans Grösse's appearance in Wolfenstein 3D and Wolfenstein (2009).
* If replaying the game, it is possible that B.J. will have access to an MG-46 taken off a Super-soldier when he sees him patrolling the dungeons. While he cannot shoot Rudi, he can shoot the dogs next to him and Rudi will not react - this is likely an oversight.
*His weak points are also very similiar to the Heavy Veil trooper.
* When Rudi is defeated, he exclaims "Mein Leben!", a throwback to Wolfenstein 3D when killing an SS Soldier.
* A letter found in his room reveals that Rudi suffered frequent physical abuse from his father as a child.
* In real life, Lagerkommandant Phillip Schmitt at Fort Breendonk was notable for siccing his German Shepherd dog on inmates during the Nazi occupation of Belgium in WWII.
* His father was killed by electrocution from a mine accident when he was standing in a wet area in which Rudi takes this inspiration for his electric chair to torture prisoners.
* His method of feeding his dogs with prisoners make the guards and other staff very scared of him to the point where an officer warns his nephew not to loiter around or else he will be fed to the dogs.
*Rudi also bears a striking resemblance - in looks and build - to T.V. personality and professional chef Robert Irvine.
*Picture An der Front (below) is inspired by famous photo of German general Erwin Rommel inspecting the Atlantic Wall.
*His last name means "hunter" in German.
== Gallery ==
Jager.bmp
Jager.jpg
Old Blood 04.jpg|Herr Jager's power armor concept
Armored Rudi.jpg|Heavily armored Rudi Jäger
tumblr_nu248fyjnY1tb8cbpo1_1280.jpg
JagerAnDerFront.jpg|Photo of Rudi Jäger and his Greta.
JagerandGreta.jpg|Photo of Rudi Jäger hugging Greta with his own signature mark.
Rudi-Torture-Concept-Art.jpg|Concept art of Rudi's interrogation.
Rudi-first-scene.jpg|Rudi's first scene, inspecting B.J.
Rudi-Torture.jpg|Rudi interrogating B.J.
BJ-vs-Rudi.png|An armored Rudi fighting B.J.
Rudi-Death-By-Pipe.jpg|B.J. stabbing Rudi in the head.
==References==
----
pl:Rudi Jäger
Category:Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
Category:Nazis
Category:Bosses
Category:The Old Blood bosses
Category:The Old Blood characters
Category:Characters
Category:Germans
Category:Males
Category:Axis
Category:Schutzstaffel (SS)
Category:Deceased