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Byron Hadley is a supporting antagonist of the Stephen King multiverse.
Serving as the secondary antagonist of the novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, and it's film adaptation The Shawshank Redemption.
He is the chief of the guards at Shawshank Prison.
History[]
Hadley is a sadistic guard who thinks nothing of delivering beatings to the inmates to keep them in line.
When Andy Dufresne proves to be useful thanks to his banking experience Hadley becomes his protector. Hadley shoots Tommy Williams under warden Samuel Norton's orders after Tommy reveals that he has access to information that may set Dufresne free. Later, he is arrested for his part in the murder.
Skills and Abilities[]
Hadley is physically powerful. His signature weapon is the baton, which he uses to brutal effect when beating prisoners. He is also proficient with the M-14 rifle, which he uses to murder a prisoner who possessed important information concerning Andy.
Biography[]
He brutally beats and cripples convicted rapist Bogs Diamond after finding out that the latter and his gang, The Sisters, had been terrorizing Andy by raping and beating him up. This was done only because Andy was too useful for him and later on Norton himself.
Later on, Warden Norton orders him to murder Tommy in order to keep him from proving Andy innocent. He is then arrested for this after Andy escapes with the ledger containing all the info about the corruption and the murder(s) that Hadley committed, avenging the deaths of all prisoners he killed, such as Fat Ass and Tommy. According to Red, it was rumored that Hadley had cried like a little girl once he was arrested, likely because he will be incarcerated in the same prison he guarded and will have to endure retaliation (and possibly murder) from all the prisoners he abused and killed for years.
Personality[]
Captain Hadley is a cruel, loutish brute who frequently abuses his authority by brutally beating inmates and sometimes killing them, often for petty reasons or even no reason at all. This also includes beating up a new inmate that is addressed by the other inmates as "Fat-ass" for not keeping his mouth shut.
The next day, Fat-ass dies from the injuries that Hadley inflicted, showing he absolutely does not care about the prisoners. This makes him feared by the inmates. He is also a complainer, by inheriting a lot of money from his dead brother and complaining about the payments on it. Unsympathetic and corrupt, he gets angry pretty easily with the inmates, whatever the minor things they do, and shows many signs of enjoying making them suffer.
Despite Hadley's cruelty, he seemingly softens up to Andy Dufresne after the latter helped him with the money he inherited from his late brother (by giving the $35,000 in full, tax free, to his wife). He helps Andy by beating his rapist Bogs Diamond within an inch of his life, although it was purely for selfish reasons. He has a wife and children, however, it is unknown if he genuinely loves them or if he is abusive toward them, though his fury upon Andy asking him if his wife is faithful to him may suggest that he does care for them. However, despite briefly becoming softer towards Andy, he starts abusing him again once he starts stirring up trouble.
Appearances[]
Notes[]
- A character named Lou Hadley is seen saying a few words in an inspirational video at the Shawshank Prison, as shown on the Castle Rock (TV Series). According to the creators of the show, the character is presumably related to Byron. [1]
- In the novella, Byron Hadley is a minor character who retires a few years after receiving financial help from Andy and narrowly surviving a heart attack. He also never beats up Bogs Diamond. He is also implied to be an abusive and controlling husband during his conversation with Andy, and he also never meets Samuel Norton.
- Clancy Brown was given the opportunity to speak with former guards by the production's liaison officer, but declined, believing it would not be a good thing to say that his brutal character was in any way inspired by Ohio state correctional officers.
Gallery[]
