- “You will not destroy the game. THE GAME WILL DESTROY YOU!!!”
- —Stalker to Peter Shepherd/TV
The Stalker is the demonic grim reaper-like villain who is the protector and "Game Over" demon of "JUMANJI" and may be the actual intelligence behind "JUMANJI", as well as the most powerful inhabitant of the game. His name and destiny was never revealed in the animated series, but he was named in the 1997 Hasbro LCD game.
Appearance[]
The Stalker's workstation and command centre.
The Stalker is a towering, skeletonial bodied supernatural being with glaring red eyes, clad in purple robes and wearing black boots similar to Van Pelt and a large cavalier hat with a red plume, akin to the Walt Disney version of Captain Hook. He dwells within the Backstage of "JUMANJI", a cavern operated by continuous functioning mechanisms and a fiery furnace river, venturing outside on a mine cart.
Personality[]
The Stalker is a truly wicked entity, embodying the "JUMANJI" game's wicked sense of humour as he laughs evilly in showing how he intimidates Alan and repels the dice glare.
As the likely grim reaper and controlling force behind the game, Stalker keeps track of what players are doing through cameras and microphones disguised as flowers, (not unlike how Ibsen collects his own data) appearing whenever "JUMANJI" is threatened or the game rules have been drastically changed.
When Peter threatened to destroy "JUMANJI" if Alan died, the Stalker displayed a more furious expression in his bony face to express his determination in preventing his realm from being destroyed, whilst decreeing that the trio should submit to their destinies, also dictating that Peter will not destroy the game, it will instead destroy him.
Episodes[]
No Dice[]
- “The Dice...The Dice...THE DICE!!!”
- —Stalker to Alan Parrish
Stalker ignores the dice glare.
When Judy and Peter return to the Parrish Mansion, Alan grabbed onto them to return with them. Before "JUMANJI" pulled him back in, he stole the Dice so that Peter and Judy can no longer play "JUMANJI"or be caught in danger for his sake. Back in the jungle, Alan discovered that when the Dice were inside "JUMANJI", the Dice would glow red and successfully scared Van Pelt and any animals away, realising the Dice repel any danger "JUMANJI" unleashes on him. This didn't last long, as he fell down into the inner mechanical bowels of "JUMANJI".
Stalker demands the dice.
Inside the Backstage of "JUMANJI", Alan was soon confronted by the Stalker, intending to apprehend the terrified Alan and retrieve the Dice, restoring balance to the jungle and allow people in the outside world to play the game. He ignored the Dice glare and pursued Alan across the cogs and gears beneath the surface. Although trapped, Alan ran into the kids after they entered the Backstage via the Bog of Despair. As a Toucan, Peter took the Dice to lure the Stalker away, also delayed by Judy pulling his robes until he slapped her aside and sent her flying. Peter managed to lure the grim reaper under the deactivated piston and managed to hold it off long enough before Alan seemingly crushed him with the emergency shut down lever, but he disappeared without a trace before he got smashed, left nothing but his black cloak behind.
On the boat ride down the lava river, they "rode he sun around the bend" and the kids returned home with the Dice while Alan sails out into the jungle vowing that together they'll beat the game. But unbeknownst to them, the Stalker survives and plots for revenge, but began laughing as he seemed satisfied that the dice have been returned to the outside world so that people can still play the game.
Gift[]
- “Submit...TO YOUR DESTINY!!!”
- —Stalker to Peter Shepherd
Stalker hears Peter's threats.
When Judy and Peter enter "JUMANJI" for Alan's birthday, he is bitten by a Centipede that passed green venom through his veins toward to his heart: if it does, he'll die. Peter vows in anger that he'll destroy "JUMANJI" if Alan dies. Without noticing, Stalker overhears HIM with a microphone disguised as a flower plant, and takes immediate action to kill the children and Alan in order to protect "JUMANJI", enlisting Slick, Van Pelt, and Ibsen to do the task. But the villains fail their task when the kids elude them and Tribal Bob and the Manjis carrying off the villains to help the kids, requiring Stalker to do his mission himself.
The Stalker corners the trio.
The Stalker arrived at the cool spring, cornering the trio, requiring Peter to fends him off, albeit he was unsuccessful and Stalker melted his sneaker in his hand. Despite Judy trying to view the projected memory of Alan's clue, Alan is too much closer to death when the venom finally reaches his heart and Judy has the Mosquito suck out the venom. Stalker decreed that Peter will not destroy "JUMANJI", it will instead destroy him. Fortunately, a fully healed Alan then lunged into the Stalker, forcing them both off the cliff and down to the bottom of the waterfall, saving Peter. After Judy and Peter leave, Alan heads home while not noticing Stalker emerging from the water below.
LCD Game[]
In the 1997 Hasbro LCD Game, the Stalker appears on each level after completing the maze and solving the puzzle, where the player must defeat the Stalker before they can be awarded a letter to spell "JUMANJI". The Stalker's die will be shown in the middle of the screen. Press ROLL to roll Peter's, Judy's, Alan's and the Stalker's dice. If one of their dice matches the Stalker's, press their respective HOLD button and continue rolling the other two dice. If all three dice match with the Stalker's before time runs out, the player wins. If the three dice do not match in the allotted time then they will lose a life and must try again. Also, any weapons accumulated in the maze can be used as extra lives.
Abilities[]
Stalker picks a Jaguar up.
- Terrifying presence: The Stalker is a terrifying supernatural being that evokes absolute fear in the presence of everything around him, including Professor J.S. Heinrich Ibsen, J.H. "Trader" Slick, Manjis and even the dangerous game hunter Van Pelt.
- Strength: The Stalker is incredibly strong as he was able to pick up a Jaguar that Van Pelt was hunting, and cast it aside with ease. He was able to lift a piston even when it was deactivated, and managed to hold it off long enough before being crushed by the emergency shut down lever. When Judy pulled at the Stalker's robes to stop him from pursuing her brother, he merely slapped her aside and sent her flying into a wall.
- Disintegration: When Peter left his shoe in the Stalker's grasp, he melted it in his hand, indicating his touch is very lethal.
- Invincibility: Despite apparently being crushed to death by a piston and falling off a waterfall, the Stalker has always emerged unchanged, hinting he is unkillable as the death avatar of "JUMANJI".
- Dice glare immunity: When the game's dice are taken into "JUMANJI", they glow red and can scare off any danger. Although when Alan tried to repel Stalker this way, he merely laughed at the futility and unfolded his boney hand out asking for the dice instead.
- Gliding: Alan had a difficult time running and jumping between engines in the Backstage level; but the Stalker simply glided after him with great speed.
- Instant manifestation: The Stalker can instantly appear anywhere without anyone's observation, by his shadow manifesting into his robes, joined by his cavalier hat floating on-top, seemingly from nowhere.
Notes[]
- Despite promising to himself that he will return to take revenge on Alan, Judy and Peter someday, the Stalker never did come back to bother the trio again. In Armageddon, even when "JUMANJI" was facing certain annihilation and the trio entering the "Backstage" through the Bog of Despair like they did in "No Dice", Stalker does not reappear.
- Although the trio survived every encounter with him, unlike other "JUMANJI" antagonists, the Stalker has never failed any of his tasks:
- Ensuring that the dice were returned to the outside world so that people can still play the game.
- Ensuring that Peter did not destroy the "JUMANJI" game and the inner dimension.
| ||
| Books | Novel • Film novel • Zathura | |
| Media | 1995 film • TV Series • Zathura: A Space Adventure • Welcome to the Jungle • The Next Level | |
| Games | Board Game • Jigsaw • Trading Cards • LCD Game • PC Game • PS2 Game • Mobile Game • 2019 Game • Fluxx • Stickers • The Curse Returns | |