The Bandit King

> "*We follow no law, accept no governance. They call me the Bandit King, but I’ve got as much right to that title as anyone here, any animal, avian, or man who follows the bandit code and creed.*"
> ― Brendan, to Alexandra on the front, in Wildwood, chapter 10, "Enter the Bandits, An Omnious Note"
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**Brendan,** better known as the **Bandit King of Wildwood**, is a Wildwood inhabitant who leads the Bandits.He aids Prue and Curtis throughout the series, and takes the latter under his wing for training. In the 2025 Laika Animation film, He will be voiced by Mahershala Ali.

## History

### Before the *Wildwood Chronicles*

Brendan took leadership of the Bandits as their sixteenth king. Their hideout as of *Wildwood* was a camp hidden in the forest on the north side of the Long Gap. He made it their cause to take down the Exiled Governess of the South Wood when she arrived in Wildwood.

### Book One: *Wildwood*

Brendan led the war efforts against Alexandra and her militia of coyotes. After her eagle chauffeur was shot down by coyotes, he tried to get Prue to safety with Alexandra in hot pursuit, but was overwhelmed and held prisoner in the Coyote Warren before being left to die, hanging from the ceiling. He was helped by Curtis and the other escaped prisoners. They returned to the Bandit Camp to rally their forces and stop Alexandra, in what would later be known as the Battle for the Plinth.

During the battle, Brendan was shot in the shoulder by a coyote, but managed to shoot down Alexandra with his bow. He gained control of the ivy, but just as quickly commanded it to sleep and relinquished his power. Brendan’s wounds were seen to by the rest of the Wildwood Irregulars.

   While not present himself during the Bicycle Coup, he was later seen at Pittock Manor, discussing the reconstruction of the South Wood government with Owl Rex. Before Prue goes home, he gifted her a coin with the followed etched message: “Get out of highway robbery free, by decree of the Bandit King.”

### Book Two: *Under Wildwood*

Brendan is only present in part 1 of *Under Wildwood*. Since the events of the previous book, he had moved the hideout to the Long Gap because its location was compromised by Alexandra's coyote forces. He had also taken Curtis under his wing and started training him to become a bandit.

He attends a meeting with Curtis at the Great North Hall in Northwood along with Iphigenia, Owl Rex, Sterling Fox, and Corporal Donalbain, the last of which provoked his temper when he explains how the residents of Southwood have neglected liberty and peacekeeping since the Battle for the Plinth.

Afterwards, he flies on a heron to rescue Prue from Darla Thennis and keep her safe at the new Bandits hideout. He gives a pep talk to the bandits about the current "dry season" and persuades them to let her stay. The last significant interaction Prue and Curtis have with him is when Brendan kicks off the Ravine Run the same day Iphigenia is slain. He vanishes from the camp along with the rest of the bandits sometime between Prue and Curtis' departure and their return from Iphigenia's funeral.

### Book Three: *Wildwood Imperium*

In part 2, it's revealed that Brendan, and presumedly all of the other bandits, had been indicted into The Synod, a cult in South Wood that worships the Blighted Tree whose caliphs feed spongiform to others to recruit new members and force them to do their bidding. Brendan assists the Head Caliph, Elgen (later revealed to be Roger Swindon) as he tries to make Prue eat the spongiform. His identity is revealed when Prue shatters his silver Caliph mask in her struggle to escape. Under the influnce of the spongiform, Brendan shows no sign of his usual personality and helps Elgen restrain Prue with no protest.

Once Prue escapes the Crag with the help of Owl Rex in part 3, she returns to the Blighted Meadow and awakens Brendan and the other indicted bandits from the ivy and removes the spongiform inside him. When Seamus reveals that he was responsible for the spread of the spongiform among the Bandits, Brendan forgives him and helps Prue make a last stand against Alexandra, in the form of the Verdant Empress, at the Council Tree. He allows Elsie Mehlberg to ride with him on an eagle during the battle. The two, however, are overtaken by the ivy and are both momentarily put to sleep.

After Alexandra's defeat, Brendan is awakened once more and reassumes his positions as King of the Bandits. He decides that Deerskull Dragonfighter will be their new hideout. After a conversation with Rachel Mehlberg, he takes in all of the Unadoptables and begins their training as new bandits. Sometime in the distant future, he's succeeded by one of them (it's theorized that this individual is either Michael or Rachel herself) and passes on the title of King.

## Appearance

Brendan is a nimble man presumably in his middle-age. He has long curly red hair, “a thick red beard,” and can usually be found with his sword or yew bow. He wears a tattered officer’s coat and “a crown of ivy and salal,” and has a tattoo “of some totemic aboriginal design" on his forehead. He seems to have tattoos covering his entire body, including on his hands and fingers.

During his time in the Synod, Brendan wore the usual grey Caliph robe and a silver mask, which shatters on impact with Prue's elbow. During her struggle with him, she heard a "ticking sound" coming from his eye sockets and nostrills, presumedly Prue hearing the voice of the spongiform plant inside him.

## Personality

Brendan is a hardened yet charismatic leader who always puts his fellow bandits and allies first. He isn’t serious about holding the title of “King;” he merely uses it to scare people. Brendan puts the safety of the Bandit camp first, and would never reveal its current location nor put its inhabitants at risk. He’s also strong willed and true to his cause, no matter how dire the circumstances, as evidenced by his hardiness when he was imprisoned and interrogated in the Coyote Warren.

However, he can also have a short temper, especially when it comes to those doubting the impact of his actions. In battle, Brendan is a capable commander and can direct his army with great skill and coordination. His selfless nature is most evident when he possessed momentary control of the ivy at the Battle of the Plinth, and immediately commanded it to sleep.

## Skills and Abilities

Brendan, being a bandit, has excellent swordsmanship, situational awareness, archery abilities, and horsemanship, the latter rivalling that of the Dowager Governess. He has a steed, seen in Wildwood, “a lithe chestnut mare” named Henbane. He has great pain tolerance, as evidenced by his ability to shoot down Alexandra even with an exit wound in his shoulder and a notable amount of blood loss in *Wildwood.*

## Quotes

> "*This country ain’t yours for the taking . . . You’ll be queen of Wildwood when we’re dead and laid in the dirt!*"
> ― Brendan, to Alexandra on the front, Wildwood, chapter 10, "Enter the Bandits; An Ominous Note"
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> "*And did we not, we Irregulars, cut our flesh and spill our blood for your precious safety while you were all about throwin' them birds into prison for nought? And this is how you choose to move on?*"
> ― Brendan, to Corporal Donalbain after hearing about South Wood's deterioration into totalitarianism, Under Wildwood, chapter 4, "The Corporal's Story"
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> "*. . . We fly for North Wood, to the defense of the Council Tree. Every soul here, bandit or no, must be prepared to shed their blood for the cause. our world-and the world beyond it-relies on our actions today. Our numbers may be small, but our courage needs to be the size of mountains.*"
> ― Brendan, to the Avians, Bandits, and Unadoptables before the Battle for the Council Tree, Wildwood Imperium, chapter 27, "Deluge!"
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## Trivia

* Brendan says that he's the sixteenth king of the Wildwood Bandits, and expresses shame at being shot down during his reign during the Battle for the Plinth. Assuming all previous bandit kings lived to their elderly years, the Wildwood Bandits have been around for about 1,125 years. However, considering the danger that the bandit life entails, this time might be considerably less.
* Brendan might be a considerably fine dancer, as implied at the end of Wildwood Imperium. However, he mainly uses this skill to pickpocket unsuspecting dance partners while they're distracted.
* Ben, Brendan's great grandfather, was also a Wildwood Bandit, and emerged victorious from the Bandit Wars with little resources and food. This might imply that prior to Brendan's reign, there were multiple clans of Wildwood Bandits, and that Brendan's clan was the strongest of them all.
* Brendan would be voiced by Mahershala Ali in Laika Animation's 2023 upcoming film *Wildwood*.

## References

1. ↑ *Wildwood,* Chapter 26 (*The Wildwood Irregulars; A Name to Conjure With*)
2. ↑ *Wildwood,* Chapter 16 (*The Flight; A Meeting on the Bridge)*
3. ↑ *Wildwood,* Chapter 27 (*The Ivy and the Plinth*)
4. ↑ *Wildwood,* Chapter 28 (*Wildwood Rishing*)
5. ↑ *Wildwood,* Chapter 10 (*Enter the Bandits; An Ominous Note*)
6. ↑ *Wildwood,* Chapter 16 (*The Flight; A Meeting on the Bridge)*
7. ↑ *Wildwood*, Chapter 17 (*Guests of the Dowager*)
8. ↑ *Under Wildwood*, Chapter 4 (*The Corporal's Story*)
9. ↑ *Wildwood*, Chapter 17 (*Guests of the Dowager*)