Hook-handed Man - Biography

Biography

The Hook-Handed Man is one of Count Olaf's original troupe members introduced in the first book, The Bad Beginning, and of the original set of henchmen, he remains with the group the longest.

In The Grim Grotto, it is revealed that his real name is Fernald. His last name is unknown, though he does state that it differs from that of his stepfather, Captain Widdershins. Olaf never refers to Fernald by his name; instead, Olaf and Esmé call him "Hooky".

Before joining Count Olaf's theatre troupe, Fernald and his sister Fiona lived with Widdershins on his submarine, the Queequeg. However, after growing tired of Widdershins’ constant nautical ejaculations and bossy behavior, Fernald eventually flees the submarine. His activities thereafter are mostly unknown, and it is not revealed how or when he lost his hands.

Throughout most of the series, he conspires with Count Olaf to steal the Baudelaire fortune. However, in The Grim Grotto, he reunites with Fiona, who abandons the Baudelaires and joins Olaf's troupe to be with her brother. However, the two siblings later turn against Olaf, who later reveals, in The Penultimate Peril, that Fernald and Fiona stole his submarine and escaped.

In The End, a shipwrecked Kit Snicket tells the Baudelaires that she, Ink, Phil, Widdershins, Fernald and Fiona sailed out to sea in the Queequeg to find the self-sustaining hot air mobile home where Hector and the Quagmire triplets were living, in order to aid them in a battle against trained V.F.D. eagles. However, the eagles popped the balloons of Hector's mobile home, and the falling wreckage destroyed the Queequeg. At this point, the mysterious question mark-shaped object called the Great Unknown approaches and takes everyone except Kit and Ink, although it remains unclear whether it rescued or captured them.