Why so Swedish? (Though to be fair, he's Norwegian)

People, the season of the railroad is here…and by railroad, I mean Hell on Wheels.

Today, I’ve got a new theory I came up with personally…is the Swede the western version of the Joker?

 He's got some interesting business cards doesn't he?

That’s right boys and girls, I’m here to wonder whether or not violently insane ol’ mister Gunderson is the wild west version a certain “Psychotic, wicked clown”, how is this possible you ask? I’ll explain, writing this as I am while watching Jason Bourne snap some a-hole’s neck like a fricking twig.

 Could he kill the asshole in the helmet next?

First off, his name helped me figure this out. The Swede, The Joker, they both have the same ring; Hell, they even have the same damn amount of numbers in their names.

Secondly, while an affably evil figure in the first season, his fall from grace at the hands of a pair of Irish guys plus getting fired and demoted to a mere corpse dumper (in other words, gravedigger) happened all in one day…same came to a certain clown.

 And we don't mean Violent J.

The more obvious similarities come when you realize that in the second season (during his attempt to lord over the Soux) he used some kind of muck that made his skin appear white, and the Heath Ledger Joker used makeup to apply whiteness to his skin (though unlike Joker he didn’t shave his hair, looking much more like Count Orlok than the would-be Juggalo.

The Swede is also (like the Joker) very clever, and can turn most situations to his advantage. Most anybody can scoop up dead bodies, but it’s kinda rare to find a man capable of also manipulating a giant army of Indians into crushing a town’s spirit with a truly devastating invasion.

 Though personally I'd have attacked them with shitty computers and ineffectual tech support.

What strikes me as the biggest tip-off is how the Swede gets totally unhinged during Season Two, his madness is such that he frigging DANCES in a burning town while most everyone else is dying around him, he might not laugh like a damn hyena but he sure does enjoy his carnage. Ol’ Joker is no less insane, crazy, or just plain psychotic as him. So while the Swede isn’t as laughably evil as mister ‘Clown Devil Boy’ (child of the Witch Heifer), his own madness is in equal to him.

 Pictured: The magnificent bastard himself.

 

And that folks, is my theory for this week, when you go to watch Hell on Wheels next time; remember my theory and ask yourself…is Bohannon a Batman or a Punisher?

 Punisher...definitely Punisher.