Judge Holden

“	Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge, exists without my consent.	„
	~ The Judge musing on his desire to know and control all things.

Summary

Judge Holden is a central character in the 1985 Western novel 'Blood Meridian'. Holden is an imposing and foreboding presence throughout the novel, who leads a band of roaming criminals that patrol along the border of the US and Mexico. He is described as almost 7 feet tall and completely bereft of body hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes. He is enormously strong, capable of killing a mule with a boulder and lifting a howitzer like it was a rifle, an excellent musician and dancer, a fine draftsman, exceptionally articulate and persuasive in several languages, and an unerring marksman. His skin is pale white and almost translucent. This strange appearance, as well as his keen, extremely fast reflexes, strength, agility, apparent immunity to sleep and aging, and multifarious other abilities point to his being something other than a normal human. In the final pages of the novel, McCarthy makes more direct reference to the Judge as a supernatural entity, or even as a concept personified.

Powers and Stats

Tier: 9-C physically. 9-C with Colt Dragoons, higher with Howitzer

Name: Judge Holden, The Judge, referred to as The Devil by the reverend

Origin: Blood Meridian

Gender: Appears male

Age: Inapplicable. Described to have no origin or ending.

Classification: Satan, scalper, criminal

Powers and Abilities:

• Superhuman Physical Characteristics (Kills a horse with a single blow with a 100 pound boulder. Capable of wielding a Mountain Howitzer cannon as if its a rifle)
  • Immortality (Types 1 and possibly 5 - At the end of the book when the Kid comes back to see the Judge after decades, he has seemingly not aged at all. Tobin and The Kid become convinced that killing The Judge is impossible due to his nature seemingly as a Daemon/Satan or a Supernatural entity. Judge states he will never die)
  • Self-Sustenance (Type 2 and 3 - Capable of traversing large sections of desert without food or water. Judge is never seen sleeping and states he doesn’t require it)
  • Acrobatics (Self-Momentum - Can jump 11 feet forward in a single bound)
• Genius Intelligence (Judge is almost supernaturally intelligent and good at everything he does. )
• Limited Precognition (Seemingly capable of knowing things he should not. Knew where and when he would meet every member in the Glanton gang which he seems to have known where and when this would occur)
• Weapon Mastery (An extremely accurate shot with his dual revolvers and his Howitzer cannon)
• Vehicular Mastery (Skilled Horseback Rider)
• Social Influencing (Charisma & Deception - Supernaturally charismatic and eloquent. At the start of the book, he accuses a priest of such despicable acts that the local residents turn on and kill him on the spot)
• Possibly Corruption (It is implied that the speech of The Judge causes corruption in the hearts of men and that The Kid is somehow immune to this ability)
• Stealth Mastery & Likely Teleportation (Judge, despite his large size, is extremely stealthy. Seemingly capable of disappearing/reappearing at will)
• Preparation & Limited Explosion Manipulation (Knows how to make gunpowder from scratch, and carries bags of it on his person)
• Possibly Nonduality (Type 1 - The narrator described Holden as something 'wholly other than their sum, nor was there system by which to divide him back into his origins for he would not go' and that he has no beginning or end)
• Resistance to Fire Manipulation (Completely unaffected by the flames that he walked directly into, which would be described as if he was, in some way, native to the element)

Attack Potency: Street level physically (Judge is extraordinarily strong. Capable of lifting an enormous blacksmith anvil above his head. Kills a horse by wielding a 100 pound rock to crush its skull, which he kills in one hit. Kills a man casually by crushing his head). Street level with Colt Dragoon Revolvers (Wields a pair of Colt Dragoon Revolvers, which are an updated version of the Colt Paterson), Higher with a Howitzer (Can wield the normally ground mounted Howitzer like a rifle under his arm, which fires 12 pound shells and weighs 100kg)

Speed: Peak Human (Judge is extremely fast despite his size. Said to move like a cat. Dodges and breaks the arm of a soldier before he can react). Subsonic+ with Colt Dragoons

Lifting Strength: Class 5 (Easily crushed a man's skull with a single hand, Can lift an enormous blacksmithing anvil above his head while jumping 11 feet)

Striking Strength: Street level

Durability: Unknown (Judge is never shown directly taking damage. His obscure nature and state seemingly make killing him impossible)

Stamina: Superhuman (Judge never shows any signs of being slowed down by or affected by the harsh environment of the Mexican desert. Never shows any signs of tiring or the need for any rest)

Range: Standard Melee Range physically and with Hunting Knife. 80-100 meters with Colt Dragoons. Up to 900 meters with Mountain Howitzer

Standard Equipment: Two Colt Dragoons, Mountain Howitzer, Gunpowder, Hunting Knife

Intelligence: Extraordinary Genius (Judge desires to learn all there is, believing that what he doesn't know about shouldn't exist at all. A proficient marksman, geologist, chemist, biologist, philosopher, lawman, draftsman, historian, and botanist, alongside far more titles. His portraits of people are so lifelike that they are found disturbing. He never leaves behind any evidence despite his horrific crimes. A cold and calculated tactician that repeatedly wins battles with brutal and unconventional strategies, like when he surrendered to a group of Native Americans only to slaughter them at the last possible moment or when he lead the Glanton Gang into bat caves for sulfur and up a volcano, so they can make ad hoc Gunpowder. He is able to speak many different languages, mainly English, Spanish, and several Native American dialects. He is, however, truly and utterly sadistic. Capable of performing unspeakable acts on children and animals alike. Truly a mysterious and foreboding force within the novel akin to a fundamental force of nature)

Weaknesses: Is sadistic and bloodthirsty, and there are some things that he does not know. (for example, he uses a skull measuring device to determine why a man is mentally disturbed, despite the practice being outdated even during these times)

Gallery

Notable Matchups

Victories:

Tomie Kawakami (Tomie) Tomie's profile (Both have prior knowledge, starting distance was 10 meters with no line of sight)

Losses:

Dexter Morgan (Dexter (Novels)) Dexter's Profile (Battle takes place in an abandoned factory and the Judge had a hunting knife)

Inconclusive:

Saint of Killers (DC Comics) Saint of Killers' Profile (Saint of Killers was used, speed was equalized, and starting distance was 10 meters)

Discussions

Discussion threads involving Judge Holden