Now that we have examined both radio and film adaptations of Hyde, I will close this section with an examination of the most recent depictions of London’s most feared madman. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series that began in 1999 that is written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O’Neill. The story follows a group of 19th century literary heroes (Mina Murray – Dracula, Allan Quatermain – King Solomon’s Mines, Hawley Griffin – The Invisible Man, Captain Nemo – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Henry Jekyll – Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and their action-packed attempts to save the world from utter domination and destruction. Being a comic book adaptation of these characters, their powers and personalities follow suit. Henry Jekyll is depicted as a frail and timid old man, who, when caused to rage, transforms into a monstrous beast – Mr. Hyde.
Jekyll struggling to stop from “Hulking” into Hyde. Source: Comics Recommended
Hyde is depicted in a form very similar to Marvel Comic’s The Incredible Hulk, being a very large, humanoid creature with a very muscular build, especially in the upper body area. One of the key factors in this version of the character is that Jekyll himself never sins, like in previous versions, it is only through losing control to his alter ego that he acts out of line. Hyde himself is incredibly violent, even to the point of being both sadistic and cruel. Instead of becoming completely beastlike like The Incredible Hulk, this version of Hyde is highly intelligent and often displays mannerisms of high class individuals. This makes his form even more terrifying, as one moment he can participate in a mannerly discussion at the dinner table, and the next he will be ripping his enemies apart limb from limb.
Just as in other versions, Jekyll has his own sins that are revealed throughout the book. Rather than be controlled by women or greed, this version of Jekyll is actually bisexual. Hyde reveals this during the story as a means to demean his counterpart for being “weak.” Hyde himself embraces both male and female partners, although both in a brutal and violent way.
By displaying a sexuality that deviated from the societal norms through Jekyll’s monstrous side, something which he was trying to separate from himself when he began the experiment, Moore demonstrates how damaging an oppressive guilt can be to someone like Jekyll. Jekyll’s attempt to literally separate that perceived deviance from himself ultimately became his undoing and would have never happened were it not for his perceived “necessary” repression.
Despite Jekyll’s latent sexuality and Hyde’s incredible violence, Moore creates a world in which Hyde can actually assist the world, even to the point of redemption. Hyde’s bisexual tendencies often take the form of incredible acts of violence, but not so with Dracula’s character, and one of the leaders of The League, Mina Murray. Throughout the second volume, Hyde begins to open up to the character, eventually expressing feelings for her. As he begins to do so, he also begins to use his strength to assist his companions, rather than simply help himself to survive. As this continues, Hyde actually never transforms back into Jekyll, a product of the dangerous environment caused by alien invasions. Rather than simply run away or take advantage of the chaos though, Hyde contributes as much as possible to his team.
Towards the end of the second volume, the team is faced by the seemingly undefeatable aliens. The only way to ensure the survival of the rest of the human race is to drop a bomb on the creatures that contains a disease that will eradicate them. The only problem at this stage is that the bomb is not ready yet. Hyde realizes this and rushes into battle, knowing that they will ultimately decimate him. Before he runs off to fight them, he asks to kiss Mina, and then asks to touch her breast, a gesture but endearing and uncomfortable. This final request displays the fact that Hyde understands his wanton desires to such an extent that he can control them, but not deny them. As a character, Hyde becomes more controlling over his own urges that Jekyll ever did. Rather than run away, Hyde faces his own inner demons, conquering them. After this encounter, Hyde literally skips into battle singing, a testament to his new control and confidence in that skill.
- Hyde’s unsettling, yet touching final request before his sacrifice. Image Source: Tumblr
This reimagining of Hyde as the rough and violent, but ultimately redeemable hero is ultimately a retelling of Hyde’s demise. This type of addition is relatable to Jenkins’ concept of collaborative authorship, or the opening of a text for other authors to add to the already completed story, often to allow, “new themes to emerge or new elements to be introduced” (Jenkins 281). As a document of late 20th century literature as well as comic books, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is much more generous to Hyde. It is not at all uncommon in this medium for heroes to become villains, as well as the reverse. The character Hyde seems to be based on, The Incredible Hulk, even vacillates between being a hero and a nuisance. Hyde’s sexual identity and his openness about it also represents a new facet to the story. In the original text, Hyde’s sins are merely implied, whereas here, in a much more liberally minded society, Hyde’s “unspeakable sins” can finally be talked about. Instead of having Stevenson hide whatever Jekyll himself struggles with, Moore lets the cat out of the bag. This allowance may be how Hyde is able to reconcile himself in relative peace, compared to his grisly demise in the original novella. While it is an imaginative retelling, Moore’s adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde for the 20th century is a much more liberal and redemptive portrayal of the traditionally evil character.
This form of adaptation is known as commentary, and refers to when an adaptation is formed in order to make a statement through its new medium (Whelehan 8). Here, Moore is ultimately displaying an alternate history for Hyde that features an attempt at redemption. This causes the audience to sympathize with Hyde, for he is a monster created by Jekyll in an attempt to separate that part of himself. By recrafting Hyde’s story in such a way, Moore makes commentary on the traditional, unsympathetic treatment of Hyde. This is notable, as it is Hyde’s only appearance that does not fit the horror genre. By departing from genre conventions and original story, Hyde becomes a misunderstood creature rather than an insatiable evil.
A Most Vicious Hyde – Rough and Bloody Remediation
Although Jekyll and Hyde has been reimagined in several different ways for various media, the vicious duo have struggled to find a place in video games. Before 2015, there had been Jekyll and Hyde games, but none of them had been received well and the medium had left the material alone for quite some time.
That is, until From Software released its title Bloodborne in the beginning of 2015. From Software is a company that is most famous for its Dark Souls series of games. In a departure from the Medieval world of Dark Souls, From decided to go with a Fantasy horror world inspired by Victorian and, later, 20th century Horror Literature. Remnants from authors such as Bram Stoker, H.G. Wells, H.P. Lovecraft, and Robert Louis Stevenson inhabit the bloody and dangerous city of Yharnam – the setting of the game. While playing, you are a newcomer to the town given one job: “Seek paleblood to transcend the hunt,” and with that, the character is thrust into a terrifying world of monsters and aliens who all want one thing, his blood.
The first half of the game focuses mostly on Victorian Horror elements, such as werewolves, vampires, and other beastlike foes. The Jekyll and Hyde character, Father Gascoigne is located fairly early in the game and is depicted as a hunter of beasts for the Holy Church of the city. While this might sound like a good character, it turns out that his pursuit of the bloodthirsty beasts has also turned himself into one.
When the character first approaches Gascoigne, he is depicted hacking at a corpse with a large, crude ax. Upon noticing your character, he immediately begins attacking. The only way to stop his attacks for a short while is to play a small music box, given to you by Gascoigne’s daughter. Despite this, you still must fight him to the death. When he has almost been defeated, he changes into a vicious monster. This transformation confirms that Gascoigne’s mission to hunt down the beasts has turned him into a monster himself. After his death, you find several clues that intimate that he also murdered his wife, further displaying his loss of humanity.
Bloodborne’s Gascoigne is a fascinating character, as his is one of the few stories within the game that is fleshed out at all. Gascoigne’s close relationship with beastlike qualities conjures up images of past depictions of Hyde, which equated Jekyll’s transformation with that of a human reverting into a beast. Partner this with Jekyll’s fall from grace, and you can see how the two characters’ stories mimic each other. The image of domestic violence, demonstrated through Gascoigne’s wife, also corresponds with the domestic violence from both film adaptations I discussed earlier. Although Bloodborne never explicitly states that this is indeed inspired by Jekyll and Hyde, it is hard to separate the similarities in both characters, especially concerning their falls from esteemed members of society to what their cultures deemed the most hideous of beasts.
This type of adaptation is known as analogy, and refers to the altering of context for an adaptation to fit the message or world of the adaptation (Whelehan 8). Jekyll’s fall from grace is a well-known narrative progression that works well in several contexts. By extracting the “foundational narrative,” From Software used the Jekyll and Hyde character to fit their own dark and bloody world of Yharnam. Bloodborne also represents how adaptation and remediation can be used without a direct identifier for the text, such as reusing Jekyll and Hyde’s names.
Despite not featuring the eponymous characters, Bloodborne is a prime example of how Jekyll and Hyde still lives on today. It is a testament to the legacy that the doctor has had upon the horror genre for nearly a century and a half. With the success of Bloodborne and the increased interest in classic horror, it is possible that Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde will eventually live on in a game worthy of its title.
For part two, you can click here for my analysis of the adaptation and remediation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Sources:
Jenkins, Henry. “Introduction: ‘Worship at the Altar of Convergence:’ A New Paradigm for Understanding Media Change.” Convergence Culture. New York: New York University Press, 2006. 1-24. Print.
Whelehan, Imelda. “Adaptations: The Contemporary Dilemmas.”Adaptations: From Text to Screen, Screen to Text. London: Routledge, 1999. 3-19. eBook.
H.D. Russell 
