Mark Hoffman

Mark Hoffman

Mark Hoffman
Continuity:	Saw
Notability:	Antagonist
Type:	Serial killer
Gender:	Male
Location:	Manhattan, New York City, New York ^[1]
Associations:	Metropolitan Police Department
Relations:	Angelina Acomb (sister)
Status:	Unknown
Introduction:	Saw III
Actor:	Costas Mandylor

Mark Hoffman is a fictional detective, serial killer and an antagonist featured in the Saw film franchise by Twisted Pictures. Played by actor Costas Mandylor, Hoffman appears as a minor character in Saw III before having his role expanded and becoming the secondary antagonist of Saw IV, and the main antagonist of Saw V through Saw 3D as the successor to John Kramer's legacy. Hoffman would later return as a supporting character in Saw X with his voice being heard in the movie before showing up in the film's mid-credits scene.

Biography[]

Saw III[]

Hoffman appears briefly in this film, examining the crime scene of Troy along with Allison Kerry and Daniel Rigg.

Saw IV[]

Throughout this film, Hoffman is captured and placed in a trap alongside the missing Eric Matthews, who has been held in captivity since the events of Saw II with Art Blank presiding over the game. In the film's final act, both Eric and Art are killed due to the impatience of Daniel Riggs causing him to lose the game. Though Hoffman was told he would be electrocuted, he simply steps off the trap unharmed, revealed to be the third apprentice working for Jigsaw just as Peter Strahm had theorized earlier. The film ends with Hoffman locking the wounded Riggs in the room to die.

Saw V[]

In flashbacks, we learn that Hoffman killed his sister's ex-boyfriend Seth Baxter (who also murdered her) using an inescapable pendulum trap with Jigsaw's M.O. Hoffman is later captured on the elevator by John, who is aware of the imitation and blackmails Hoffman into becoming his apprentice and is revealed to have helped him in the traps seen in Saw and Saw II along with framing Lawrence Gordon as a suspect. In the present, Hoffman captures Strahm and places his head in an inescapable water box with the intent of drowning him and having Hoffman, along with Jeff Denlon's daughter Corbett emerging as the only survivors so he could be credited as a hero but Strahm survives the trap by giving himself a tracheotomy using his pen to open an airway to breathe. Hoffman also traps five strangers named Mallick, Luba, Charles, Ashley and Brit in a gauntlet of traps that is revealed everyone could have survived by working together instead of selfishly believing one person would die in each room.

Strahm begins investigating Hoffman while Hoffman sets Strahm up as the new apprentice. This ends with Strahm being led to the nerve gas house and finding a tape inside of the glass coffin John was seen constructing in Saw IV. Strahm chooses to not heed the warning and throws Hoffman inside of the coffin. Hoffman is safely lowered to the floor as Strahm plays the final part of the tape, revealing the coffin was safe and that now this room will be his tomb and he will be seen as the new Jigsaw. The walls contract and crush Strahm as Hoffman watches from the box.

Saw VI[]

More flashbacks show growing tensions between Hoffman and Amanda Young as they set up Timothy Young in the trap seen in Saw III. Hoffman uses his knowledge of Amanda being present with Cecil the night he caused Jill Tuck to lose her baby to blackmail her into killing Lynn Denlon, explaining Amanda's refusal to let Lynn go despite the game being finished. In the present, Hoffman discovers Strahm's severed hand on the ceiling of the glass coffin room and uses it to continue framing Strahm. Hoffman takes over Jill's latest game and she gives him each envelope given to her by John except for one. The game involves William Easton, an executive for a health care organization whose formula caused him to deny sick individuals the care they needed, going through several traps complete with employees at his company. Hoffman eventually murders Sachi, Agents Lindsey Perez and Dan Erickson when they discover he is the real apprentice when they unmask his voice on the Seth Baxter tape and confirm Strahm couldn't be the apprentice since he was already dead when the fingerprints were planted. At the zoo where the game is taking place, Jill tases Hoffman and confirms him to be the sixth envelope in John's box, placing the reverse bear trap on his head. Hoffman manages to survive by escaping his binds and placing the trap between the metal bars on the door, causing the trap to jam but cut his cheek in the process.

Saw 3D[]

Hoffman pursues after Jill who manages to escape and agrees to testify against Hoffman in exchange for immunity. Hoffman spends the film hunting down Jill and manages to do so after switching places with the dead body of Dan and being smuggled into the coroner's office. After killing several officers, he finds Jill in her cell and attaches the classic reverse bear trap to her which kills her. After incinerating all evidence tying him to being the apprentice in his hideout, he is attacked and subdued by three people in pig masks, their leader being Lawrence Gordon who was John's apprentice since Saw and informed to act immediately should anything happen to Jill. Hoffman is shackled by his ankle in the infamous bathroom and when he lunges for a saw, Gordon pulls it out of Hoffman's reach with his cane and tosses it out into the hallway to prevent any chance of escape. The film ends with Hoffman locked inside of the bathroom, his fate unknown.

Saw X[]

Set between the events of Saw and Saw II, he is called by John to locate Gabriela, Valentina, Mateo, Cecilia Pederson and Parker Sears after learning their names from interrogating a trap survivor named Diego, a fellow con artist and cab driver who worked alongside the group pretending to be a doctor. Hoffman is able to locate Henry Kessler (who John was also searching for after learning his name from Diego) but is unable to locate Parker, however, telling John he's going to have to find another way to smoke him out.

Hoffman does not make a physical appearance until the film's mid-credit scene where he is shown with John testing Henry with the disembowelment trap in the infamous bathroom. Hoffman taunts Henry over his decision to try and cheat John Kramer (as Henry was masquerading as a cured cancer patient to help sell John on the scam operation.)

Notes & Trivia[]

The character of Mark Hoffman was created by writer/director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell.
Mark Hoffman is named after late film producer Gregg Hoffman, who passed away in 2005. Even though Gregg Hoffman only produced the first two Saw movies during his lifetime, he is honored posthumously as a producer for every Saw film released.

Mark's victims[]

List incomplete

Seth Baxter - Pendulum trap; deceased.
Crazed Man - Shot three times in the back.
Henry Kessler - Disembowelment trap; unknown.
Eric Matthews - Ice block trap; deceased.
Eddie - Pound of Flesh trap; deceased.
Peter Strahm - Glass Coffin trap; deceased.
Dan Erickson - Throat slit and burned alive.
Sachi - Used as human shield and accidentally shot to death by a blinded Perez.
Lindsey Perez - Stabbed to death.
Kara - Horsepower trap; deceased.
Dan - Horsepower trap; deceased.
Jake - Horsepower trap; deceased.
Evan - Horsepower trap; deceased.
Nina - Silence circle trap; deceased.
Suzanne - Impalement wheel trap; deceased.
Cale - Hangman's Noose trap; deceased.
Matt Gibson - Sentry gun trap; deceased
2 Unnamed Officers - Sentry gun trap; deceased
5 Swat Officers - Cyanide Box trap; deceased
Adam Heffner - Stabbed in the neck.
Coroner Worker - Stabbed in the neck.
Lawyer - Stabbed in the neck.
Officer Palmer - Neck broken.
Unnamed Officer - Stabbed in the neck after Hoffman uses Palmer's corpse to gain entry into the holding cells.
Officer Rogers - Shot through the eye.
Joyce Dagen - Brazen bull trap; deceased.
Jill Tuck - Reverse bear trap; deceased.

References[]

↑ The setting for the series is left deliberately ambiguous, but a scene in Saw V shows a character typing out Agent Strahm's phone number, which has a 212 area code. This is the area code for Manhattan. However, another scene shows a New Jersey license plate on Strahm's car, so the actual location of the series remains inconclusive.

Character
This article relates to characters featured in and pertaining to the Saw film franchise. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Saw characters category.

[1] The setting for the series is left deliberately ambiguous, but a scene in Saw V shows a character typing out Agent Strahm's phone number, which has a 212 area code. This is the area code for Manhattan. However, another scene shows a New Jersey license plate on Strahm's car, so the actual location of the series remains inconclusive.

[1]