In the interactive drama survival horror game Until Dawn, the identity of "the killer" is multi-faceted, involving both a human orchestrator of terror and supernatural creatures responsible for many deaths.
The primary human antagonist, who orchestrates the horrifying events at the Blackwood Pines lodge, is Josh Washington.
Josh Washington: The Orchestrator of Terror
Josh, driven by intense grief and a desire for revenge over the presumed deaths of his sisters, Hannah and Beth, sets up elaborate pranks and psychological torture for his friends. His intent is to make them pay for their role in a humiliating prank that led to his sisters' disappearance a year prior.
- Motivation: Revenge for his sisters, Hannah and Beth.
- Actions: He dons a mask and uses various mechanical traps, jump scares, and staged events to terrorize the group, making them believe a psycho killer is hunting them.
- Responsibility for Deaths: While Josh is the mastermind behind the terrifying ordeal, he explicitly disclaims any responsibility for the actual deaths of characters like Jessica. As the game progresses, it becomes clear that a different, far more dangerous threat is responsible for the fatalities.
- Fate: Following the revelation of his identity, Mike confronts Josh and ultimately has him bound in a shed, intending for him to remain there until the police can arrive.
The True Threats: Wendigos
Beyond Josh's orchestrated terror, the genuine and most lethal "killers" in Until Dawn are the Wendigos. These are ancient, predatory, and aggressive humanoid creatures that inhabit the Blackwood Pines mountain. They are supernatural beings born from humans who resorted to cannibalism while in the mountains, becoming possessed by the Makkapitew spirit.
- Nature: Extremely fast, strong, and nearly blind, relying on sound and thermal vision to hunt their prey.
- Role in Deaths: The Wendigos are responsible for the vast majority of the gruesome deaths that can occur to the playable characters throughout the game, including Jessica's death, which Josh was not responsible for. They are the ultimate danger the group must survive.
- Origins: The game's backstory reveals that the mountain was previously home to a mining operation that suffered a catastrophe, leading to the creation of these creatures from the trapped and desperate miners.
Antagonists in Until Dawn
| Antagonist Name | Type | Primary Role | Key Characteristic(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Washington | Human | Orchestrator of psychological terror and traps | Seeks revenge, mentally unstable, not directly responsible for all deaths. |
| The Wendigos | Supernatural | Primary killers responsible for character deaths | Ancient, cannibalistic, blind but highly sensitive to sound and heat. |
In summary, while Josh sets the stage for the horror and is the "masked man" behind the pranks, the terrifying and lethal Wendigos are the true killers who actively hunt and eliminate the characters during the game.
