Hook-Handed Man

The Hook-Handed Man is a villain from Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. He is known for having two large and sharp hooks where his hands should be.

The Hook-Handed Man was one of Count Olaf's more prominently featured henchmen, and is the only one left of the original group established in the first book The Bad Beginning. The rest of the henchmen have either left or perished and have since been replaced with new characters.

He was born Fernald. His last name is unknown, but he has stated that it differs from that of his step-father, Captain Widdershins. Before joining up with Count Olaf's villainous theatre troupe, he and his sister Fiona lived with Captain, but the two men did not get along and Fernald ran away from home. How he lost his hands and replaced them with hooks is unknown at this point. Throughout most of the series, he conspires with Count Olaf to get the Baudelaire children's fortune, sometimes under the pseudonym "O. Lucafont," which is an anagram of "Count Olaf."

In the eleventh book of the series, 'The Grim Grotto, he is reunited with his sister Fiona, who was helping the Baudelaire children. After her step-father mysteriously disappeared, she considered her brother to be her only family member left, and joined Count Olaf's troupe to stay with him.

The Hook-Handed Man is arguably one of the more complex villains in the series; he has shown remorse and doubt regarding his heinous crimes. He states that there are no such things as good people or bad people; good people often do bad things while bad people may do good things. He has also shown love for his sister.

Many expect him to play a pivotal role in the series' final installments.

In the movie he was portrayed by British actor Jamie Harris.