Gamester, The

Vital Statistics

First Appearance: Interlude: Trudy's Phone Call (June 26, 2000)

Full Name: The Gamester

Known Aliases: "Boss"

Status: Alive, but in a weakened state

Species: Extradimensional entity (generally appears human)

Gender: Neuter, although he assumes a male personae

Height: Variable, although he usually appears around 7' (213.36 cm)

Weight: Unknown

Hair: Unknown

Distinguishing Characteristics: Impossibly large chin, green jester's cap, bodysuit that is half green-and-red striped and half black-and-white checkerboard, red eyes

Marital Status: Unknown

Character Description

The Gamester is a mysterious, seemingly omnipotent, non-corporal extradimensional entity that exists the outside the confines of time and space as we understand them. While his true appearance is unknown (as well as whether or not he actually has a true appearance), he usually manifests himself as a maniacal jester, imposingly tall and muscular, with a green hat/mask with bells on each tip. His costume is split between alternating horizontal green and red stripes on the right and black and white checkerboards on the left, and he sports yellow gauntlets and boots. Perhaps his most distinguishing physical characteristic is his massive chin, which some fans have claimed is the source of his powers (a "fact" that is completely unconfirmed).

We know very little about the Gamester, but small clues as to his part in the GPF multiverse have been revealed over time. Apparently, he is a sort of interdimensional guardian or "system administrator of the Cosmos", protecting and managing an infinite number of alternate realities seemingly connected to each other via a cosmic "web of possibility". He is specifically charged by unknown higher powers (presumably the "Interdimensional Council") to prevent spacial anomalies and temporal paradoxes. Since we have seen him claim that he only gets "the problem dimensions", it may be safe to assume that the reason he has monitored the GPF universe so closely is because it has proved particularly difficult to maintain. And monitor he certainly has; many Faulties over the years have made a game of spotting the Gamester hidden in the background panels of GPF strips, watching over the unfolding events.

Although we have usually seen the Gamester at his most grim, he actually has a much lighter side. He has a deep affinity for puzzles and games (hence his name) and has reportedly used such devices to test or prepare mortals under his charge for upcoming devastating events. Like all such entities, he is technically "forbidden to directly interfere" in the events of the universes he monitors, although he is apparently not above the occasional "nudge" to put things back into line.

The Gamester has a single apprentice named Mischief who tends to live up to her name far too often for his tastes. It has been implied that Mischief was assigned to him as a form of punishment, perhaps for both of them. Perhaps she was matched to him because her unpredictability shadows his own tendency to flaunt rules and regulations when deemed necessary.

The Gamester watched very carefully as the diabolical events of Surreptitious Machinations unfolded, and seemed somewhat pleased with the results. During To Thine Own Self..., he took a more active role by directly inserting Nick and Ki's future son Todd into the alternate universe where they were trapped as a distraction to provide Todd's parents an opportunity to escape. During the climax, the Gamester stepped into the "negaverse" himself to confront the evil entity Pandemonium face-to-face. The pair apparently mutually annihilated each other, leaving little or no trace of their existences. Mischief attempted to resurrect the Gamester by putting what she thought were his remains in a protoverse in the Celestial Nursery, only to discover the remains belonged to Pandemonium instead.

It wasn't until much later that we discovered that the Gamester is still alive, although severely weakened. He opened a portal to allow Todd and Mischief to escape the crumbling Celestial Nursery and briefly spoke words of encouragement to Todd through Dr. Akhilesh Sehgal. He currently remains in a non-corporeal form, saving his energy "until the time [is] right". He was last seen advising Todd and Mischief concerning Pandemonium's current "rampage" through the Cosmos, and secretly recruiting D.C. Smythe to help some wayward inter-dimensional travelers find their way home.

Selected Milestones

Relationships

None known

Group Affiliations

Extradimensional Entities

Miscellaneous Notes

GPF Premium subscribers can read more about the Gamester in the "History and Analysis of the Gamester" article in the Premium sub-site.