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"Curse International Rescue!"

Feared as the world's most dangerous man, an individual primarily known only as "the Hood" (his alias coming from his many disguises) is the half-brother of Kyrano and the uncle of Tin-Tin. He wields an uncanny supernatural power over his brother. Unlike him, he is massive in stature and his main aim in life is the acquisition of wealth, regardless of justice and ethics. His primary target is International Rescue, as the plans of their amazing high-tech vehicles and machines could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. To this end, he's been known to create several disasters in an attempt to photograph their machines in action - such as sabotaging the Fireflash's maiden flight by planting a bomb, causing actors for a film to be trapped in a cave, or even attempting to sneak a miniature camera, in the form of a remote-controlled mouse, into Thunderbird 2.

Operating from his hidden temple deep in the heart of the Malaysian jungle, the Hood has successfully eluded capture by the world's security forces for a great many years. Ruthless and calculating beyond comprehension, he uses mystical powers steeped in voodoo and black magic, allowing nothing to get in the way of his evil objectives. It is here that lies his giant statue of Kyrano, which he uses to channel the psychic rapport he has over his brother.

The Hood's personal life is shrouded in mystery, owing to the extreme lengths he goes to in order to keep his identity secret from the world's security forces. To this end he is rarely seen in public without some sort of disguise, which includes his impressive collection of masks in order to seamlessly blend in anywhere.

Outside of his threats against International Rescue, the Hood has be shown to possess a significant reputation among the less-ethical groups of the world, such as rogue nations. On one occasion he was hired by a foreign military general to sabotage the British Red Arrow program, as it was threatening his own country's fighter jets - and the Hood, having been promised a hefty payday at the end, was all too happy to oblige.

Biography[]

The Hood's Malaysian Robes

Early Life[]

Little is known of the Hood's life before he set his sights on International Rescue, and what is known is often contradictory in nature.

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The Hood's temple hideout

Action 21 published a brief biography of the Hood, along with other villains of the era, in issue 10. This claimed the Hood was born to the Kyrano family, and that he learnt the art of disguise from SOFRAM - the Solar Organisation for Revenge and Murder - before joining forces with Piil and Truen is a formation known as the Guild[8]. The Hood would eventually leave the Guild with the organisation's finances, using the funds to set up his lifestyle and hideout in the Malaysian jungle.

An 'intensive investigation' published in issue 65 of Thunderbirds The Comic concluded that the Hood's real name was Belah Gaat, and that it appeared he had been adopted by Kyrano's father and was not a blood relative.

TheHood-Meets-Jeff

The Hood meets Jeff Tracy for the first time in The Complete Thunderbirds Story

In The Complete Thunderbirds Story, the Hood is already based out of his temple, and is using his statue of Kyrano to wield influence over his brother. When Jeff Tracy crashes his plane in jungle near to where Kyrano and Tin-Tin are staying, the Hood uses the statue to get in touch with Kyrano and demands to know who the stranger is. When Kyrano reveals he had no idea who the stranger is, but that he desperately needs medical help, the Hood wastes no time in making his way over to the beach-side village where his brother lives. Investigating the wreck, the Hood discovers the aircraft belongs to the famous astronaut and businessman Jeff Tracy and deems him a 'useful man to keep alive'. The Hood gives Jeff an ancient herbal balm, but notes that it may take many weeks before he is fully healed, and that Kyrano and Tin-Tin should continue to look after him. However, the face of the Hood begins to haunt Jeff in his fevered state...

Televisual[]

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Disguised as a maintenance man, the Hood affixes a bomb to the Fireflash aircraft (Trapped in the Sky)

Continuing to make use of his telepathic connection with Kyrano, the Hood makes his debut in Trapped in the Sky by learning that International Rescue are ready to begin operations. With the belief that learning the secrets of International Rescue would make him the wealthiest man in the world, the Hood sets out to engineer International Rescue's first mission by sabotaging the maiden flight of the new atomic-powered Mach 6 Fireflash aircraft. After Thunderbird 1 arrives on scene at London International Airport, the Hood disguises himself as an airport police officer guarding the craft, in order to get close to it and take photographs using a concealed camera in his cap. What the villain doesn't realise is that TB1 is equipped with an automatic camera detector, which alerts Scott Tracy to the ongoing deception. The Hood makes a hasty getaway and shakes off the real airport police as he enters the M1 motorway, heading towards Birmingham. Almost free, the Hood notices a pink Rolls-Royce car hot on his tail, which proceeds to shoot him off the road using a concealed machine cannon. The Hood's vehicle rolls down an embankment and meets a fiery end which destroys the photographs. However, the Hood, having survived the crash, still has to flee the country - but that's another story...

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The Hood attaches a homing device to the British Telecom Tower (Edge of Impact)

When the Hood next reappears in Edge of Impact, he is working with General Bron to sabotage the Red Arrow fighter jet project. The foreign general has a rival fighter programme and wants to make sure nothing can compete with it. The Hood, promised riches if he can sabotage the upcoming Red Arrow tests, makes his way back to London Airport and watches in glee as the first test results in the jet crashing into an aircraft hangar and killing its pilot Race - the Hood having sabotaged the jet using a homing device. The supervising officer, Colonel Tim Casey, is removed from the project as a result, although a second test is still planned to go ahead. The Hood ups the spectacle for his next sabotage, attaching a homing device to the British Telecom Tower to draw the jet in, under the guise of a maintenance man inspecting the tower in preparation for the next day's storm. When the test goes ahead, the jet is drawn in towards the tower, however the pilot Goddard manages to eject before it crashes into the tower. The crash traps two technicians - Jim and Stan - at the top of the tower, which draws International Rescue to the scene. The rescuers discover the homing device and realise the crash must have been sabotage, informing the local police that a saboteur in somewhere in the area. The Hood once more finds himself in a police pursuit, but in his rush to get away he drives through a roadblock which is there not to block him, but because the bridge further down the road is currently down. Not realising his mistake until it is too late, the Hood plummets down the ravine but, miraculously, manages to survive. Enraged that his sabotage attempt has been exposed, General Bron rescinds any assistance, leaving the Hood to fend for himself and without payment.

The Hood preparing to attack TB4

The Hood prepares to launch an attack on Thunderbird 4 (Desperate Intruder)

In Desperate Intruder, the Hood sets his sights once more on International Rescue, learning that they are planning an expedition to Lake Anasta in order explore a submerged temple which is rumoured to contain ancient treasure - and he exploits his connection with Kyrano to learn of the exact timing. The Hood arrives at the lake moments before Brains, Tin-Tin Kyrano and archaeologist Professor Blakely, and spies their arrival using his submarine's periscope. Staying hidden inside the sub, the Hood shadows the expedition as they explore the ruins, hoping they will lead him right to the treasure. However, he cannot make out the exact location of the treasure, and realises he will need to 'persuade' the expedition to reveal its hiding spot. He disguises himself as a Bedouin, and, using his mysterious powers of hypnotism, renders Blakely and Tin-Tin[9] unconscious, while torturing Brains by burying him up to his neck in the hot desert sun. Unbeknown to the Hood however, the rest of International Rescue was put on alert when Brains misses his morning check-in, and Thunderbirds 1 and 2 are dispatched to Anasta. The Hood is less than thrilled when the rescue vehicles arrive, but quickly realises he can turn the situation to his advantage by destroying the craft after he gets his hand on the treasure. He rigs the submerged temple with tripwire in order to deduce the exact location of the treasure when the expedition makes another dive. His plan works, with Brains tripping the wire, but the scientist also notices the cabling and by following it comes face to face with the Hood. After hypnotising Brains again, the Hood makes a hasty getaway before detonating parts of the temple (trapping Brains inside), creating a trap for International Rescue. When Thunderbird 4 arrives on scene, the Hood launches torpedoes at the submarine but they narrowly miss. In response, Thunderbird 4 launches weapons of its own, damaging the Hood's submarine, but the Hood manages to escape before the submarine explodes, though he leaves without the treasure.

The Hood plotting

The Hood plotting his next move (The Mighty Atom)

In The Mighty Atom it is revealed that, a year earlier, the Hood was responsible for the destruction of an atomic irrigation station in Australia while attempting to photograph the plant and learn its industrial secrets. When a similar station is opened in the Sahara Desert the Hood is ready to try again, but realises he will need to somehow photograph the plant remotely to avoid similar scenes from unfolding. To this end he disguises himself as Professor Langley and attends Professor Holden's demonstration of the "Mighty Atom", a surveillance device equipped with a powerful hidden camera and made up to look like a small mouse. He hypnotises Holden and the other attending scientists and makes off with the device, proudly declaring that "with the help of my new friend, the secrets of the world will be mine". The Hood uses the device on the Saharan station with much success and, recalling his earlier incident with the Australian station, decides he can destroy the Saharan station in order to lure International Rescue out and take photographs of their craft too. Using a box of explosives he destroys several sections of the plant, which threatens to overheat the main reactor and send a radioactive cloud across Africa. When International Rescue arrives on scene, he sends the Mighty Atom into Thunderbird 2 to take photos of its interior and flees the scene. Returning to his temple, he is dismayed to learn that his photographs of TB2 contain not its controls and instrument panels, but rather Lady Penelope shrieking in fear of the mouse that has somehow snuck into the cockpit. Enraged, he destroys the device, having lost against the rescue organisation once more.

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The Hood exerts his influence over Mr. Williams (Cry Wolf)

The Hood learns in Cry Wolf that, Charity Springs is likely a secret government base and not, as reported in the newspaper he is reading, a weather station. Sensing an opportunity to make money from the base's secrets, he heads to Australia to investigate. The residents of Charity Springs are Mr. Williams and his two sons Bob and Tony. Realising he needs the children out of the way, he lures them into an abandoned tin mine while pretending a be a surveyor, ands learns about the homestead's mysterious "dark room" from Bob. Before leaving, he uses a missile to collapse the entrance to the mine, trapping the children underground. The Hood then makes his way to the homestead, looking for the dark room. After unsuccessfully trying to exert his power over Mr Williams through a security camera in order to get him to open the secret door, the Hood begins to cut through the wall using a blow torch. After cutting his way through, the Hood makes off with the photographs, and bumps into International Rescue who have arrived to free the children. Scott pursues the Hood and forces him to drive off the cliff. With the Hood out of action, Scott retrieves the photographs and returns them to Mr Williams, confident that the Hood never stood a chance and it was the last crooked game he'd ever try to play. However the Hood survived the fall by being thrown out of his jeep and getting caught in a tree just as it fell. After cursing everyone he has met that day including International Rescue, the tree breaks loose and he falls into the lake below, his plans foiled once again.

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The Hood's disguise, left at the scene of the crime (Martian Invasion)

Martian Invasion sees the Hood working for the mysterious "General X", who is offering to pay 200 million dollars for film of the Thunderbird craft in action. The Hood aims to achieve this by going undercover on a film set as the film producer Mr. Stutt, and luring International Rescue out when an explosives sequence goes wrong. Remember his previous attempt to photograph the Thunderbird craft, he realises he will need to disable the camera detector onboard Thunderbird 1, and so once more calls upon his influence over Kyrano. Powerless to resist, Kyrano unwittingly immobilises the camera detector while his daughter Tin-Tin is performing pre-flight checks. At the same time, the explosive sequence goes before the cameras and, with the charges altered, the actors playing police officers Slim and Maguire find themselves trapped inside a cave that is rapidly filling up with water. When International Rescue arrive on scene, it is a fairly routine yet time-pressured rescue, but it isn't until the actors are safe and they are preparing to leave that they realise the film's director, Goldheimer, has been taking pictures of the unfolding rescue. International Rescue realise something is afoot and discover that camera 6 has filmed the entire rescue, and they quickly pursue the Hood as he flees the scene. The rescue organisation enters a lengthy chase with the Hood, which ends after the Hood steals a broken down plane and crashes it into General X's house - the firey aftermath destroying the film reel. Having thwarted his plans, Virgil comments that he is convinced 'Mr Stutt' is the same person who has been after them since they first began operations. Scott agrees, yet remains confident that they will capture him - one day...

Film[]

TBAG-Angry-Hood

The Hood trying to escape Lady Penelope and Parker (Thunderbirds Are Go)

That day finally comes in the feature film Thunderbirds Are Go: the Hood is unmasked and exposed by Scott, while attempting to infiltrate the crew of the new Zero X spaceship, having unintentionally sabotaged the original one two years earlier while attempting to photograph it. During his subsequent escape attempt, his helicopter is shot down by Lady Penelope and Parker in FAB 1 and he is, seemingly, killed - although the Hood has faced many similar certain-death situations before, and has always survived...

Novels[]

TB-WD-01

The Hood as he appears on the cover of Operation Asteroids

The Hood appears as the main antagonist in all of the five Thunderbirds novels written by John Theydon.

International Rescue are now aware of his chosen name (as in Calling Thunderbirds, he revealed it to Lady Penelope in his attempt to gain information about the organisation from her) and even his psychic interaction with Kyrano (Operation Asteroids). His schemes are far more deadly and have included kidnapping members of IR, stealing Thunderbird 3, creating dangerous weaponry and even world domination.

In the first novel, the Hood learns from Kyrano that Scott Tracy is out attending a rescue in the Gobi Desert, which is not too far from his jungle hideout. The Hood disguises himself as a prospector and rushes over to the desert in time to befriend Scott and gain access to the inside of Thunderbird 1. With a camera hidden in his turban, the Hood takes photos of the inside of Thunderbird 1, but he is no match for the Automatic Camera Detector and is quickly sent on his way by Scott. However, the Hood keeps an eye on Scott from before and spies him as he retrieves the Sphere, which he mistakes for ancient treasure. Enraged - and remembering the events of Desperate Intruder in which International Rescue also went treasure hunting - the Hood vows to take the 'treasure' for himself and follows Thunderbird 1 by attaching a large metal canister to its side, with himself curled up inside.

The Hood can only wait as the rocket makes it way at top speed towards the United Kingdom, and it finally lands deep inside the Dartmoor National Park. He detaches the canister, and keeping it hovering from a safe distance above, keeps an eye on Scott as he exits the craft (the Sphere still in his arms) and makes his way to the motorway, watching with great interest as Scott guns down Lady Penelope[10] and Parker using knockout darts, who have been sent to stop the International Rescue pilot. Scott manages to hijack a vehicle when he arrives at the motorway. Beginning to put it together, the Hood realises that the Sphere is not treasure and must be exerting some hypnotic influence over Scott, and the Hood wishes to take the Sphere and harness its powers for his own uses. Scott is eventually intercepted by FAB 1 after Lady Penelope and Parker recover, and taken to Creighton-Ward Manor, but the Hood is still 'in tow', and gets ready to make his presence known...

In Calling Thunderbirds, the Hood's patience with International Rescue is wearing thin. He once again calls upon his rapport with Kyrano and directly asks him where the base of International Rescue is located. However, the only thing stronger than the Hood's connection with Kyrano is Kyrano's loyalty to Jeff Tracy, and Kyrano is able to resist the attempt. But the Tracys have finally linked Kyrano's 'dizzy spells' with looming trouble from their enemy, and unbeknown to the Hood, use their brain probe on Kyrano to discover the lingering images of the Malaysian temple. Meanwhile, the Hood decides to further pursue Lady Penelope with the intention of extracting valuable information out of her instead. Returning to Creighton-Ward Manor, the Hood joins a tourist group visiting the stately home - but during his inevitable confrontation with Penelope, in which he reveals his nom de plume of the Hood, he comes out second best and is forced to retreat.

TheHood-CallingThunderbirds

Scott Tracy tackles 'Carlos de Sabata' (Calling Thunderbirds)

He emerges again in Peru, where both International Rescue and Lady Penelope are on scene after a powerful earthquake devastates the city of Lima. Disguised as a local rescuer, he witnesses International Rescue recover treasure yet again, this time in the form of an Incan quipu. Racing ahead and taking on the identity of Professor Carlos de Sabata, a local expert on quipu, he sets up a meeting with Scott intending the steal the treasure for himself, but Scott is able to see through his disguise and defeat the villain once more. Despite having been defeated twice, the Hood is not one to give up easily, and keeps on eye on the movements of International Rescue and Lady Penelope from afar while they finish up their business in the country. Following FAB 1 to a remote temple, the Hood finally takes the opportunity to enact his revenge, where surely nothing will go wrong this time...

In the following adventures Operation Asteroids and Lost World, the Hood tries to use his powers on Kyrano again to gain information. However, the master criminal has lost some advantage, as the Tracys are now fully aware that the Hood is responsible for Kyrano's dizzy spells, meaning that International Rescue are warned about any potential attacks from their old foe.

Comics[]

TV Century 21[]

As with the novels, during his appearances in the TV21 comics and various other comic strips, the Hood's designs on International Rescue became even more daring...

The Hood (comics)

The Hood in The Vanishing Ray

In his first TV21 appearance, The Vanishing Ray, the Hood discovers from an unknown source that the wealthy British heiress Lady Penelope is in possession of powerful invisible ray. He decides to steal it, as he sees it as the perfect cover without the use of his disguises to learn the secrets of the world. He tries various attempts to get the ray - even trying to kill the heiress for it - but all fail, and he is sent by the authorities back to Malaysia...

In Atlantic Tunnel, the Hood learns from Kyrano that International Rescue plan to look for deposits of the metal Mozatinum in the Atlantic Tunnel. Posing as Mr. Sheldon, the villain hires a team of geologists led by Brains' friend Vincent Baker before setting off explosives in the tunnel trapping Alan, Brains and various workers. Thunderbirds 1 and 2 are sent to the rescue and the Hood leaves the building, only for a policeman to confiscate his camera and send him back inside. However, he returns, knocks the officer out and takes his place. Afterwards, he photographs Thunderbird 1 but upon making his escape, the guard returns and attacks the Hood who shoots him and makes his escape in his private jet. Alerted by the guard, Scott gives chase in Thunderbird 1 and shoots his jet, causing the villain to eject but in the process he drops his camera and it is destroyed...

But it wasn't just International Rescue he was antagonising. The Hood had been hired by king Titan to sabotage the Stingray submarine during A Trip to England, as the vessel travelled to England in order to celebrate 1000 years since the Battle of Hastings. Disguised as a reporter and broadcasting live from inside Stingray, the Hood seeked to undermine captain Troy Tempest's command of the craft and embarrass the World Aquanaut Security Patrol in front of an international audience. After being rumbled and promptly arrested, the Hood is rescued by Titan's agent X20, only to be double-crossed and left for dead in a cave, as part of a trap he has laid for Tempest.

Returning to trying to antagonise International Rescue, the Hood began to seek the secrets of the Thunderbirds craft using other means. Helen Lester had organised a trap in the 14th Lady Penelope story, by finding near-perfect doppelgangers of both Lady Penelope and Parker. Her goal was to kidnap the originals and replace them with her doubles, in order for them to try and find information on International Rescue from within. Once she had any information, she would sell it to the Hood. After putting her plan into place and replacing Penny and Parker, she was almost immediately able to collect plans on Thunderbird 2, and stole FAB 2 to make her way to Malaysia and deliver them to the Hood in person. However, the real Lady Penelope and Parker were able to catch up with FAB 2, sneak aboard, and replace the plans with a railway timetable. Meeting Helen in person at a Malaysian port, Helen hands over the 'plans' for one million pounds - with the Hood unaware of what he is actually receiving.

In Tracy Island Exposed, he attempted to expose International Rescue's location by bombing Thunderbird 2's hangar, forcing Virgil to move the craft onto the runway where he subsequently took photographs of the craft - and then went public with them! Jeff devises an elaborate cover-up scheme: Tracy Island also goes public... as simply a theme park, based on International Rescue. Elsewhere, Lady Penelope and Parker are staging a rescue situation, the intention being for the Thunderbirds to arrive at the scene and thus confirm that they hadn't come from Tracy Island (in fact, they'd been sent into space with Thunderbird 5).

As holiday crowds flocked to the island, the Hood managed to infiltrate the Tracys' inner stronghold, nearly hypnotizing Gordon and Brains - when he's interrupted by, of all people, his half-brother Kyrano! Gordon gets the moment's grace he needs - and with one solid blow, he puts the villain out cold on the deck. Jeff and Brains utilize Jeff's personal jet, the JT1 Condor, to subsequently remove him to the mainland - after having erased the last week or so of his memory, to preserve the Tracy family's secrets...

The Hood (comics) 2

The Hood in Brains is Dead

In Brains is Dead, the Hood faked Brains' death with a high-powered electric chair which only put him in unconsciousness. His men took him back to his temple hideout, and with his abilities, he made Brains reveal the secrets of Tracy Island and planned a full-scale attack on the erstwhile-secret IR base. However, although the Hood's henchmen were able to cause severe damage to Thunderbirds 2 and 3, the plan ultimately failed; and once again the Hood's memory was erased, with no memory of what he had found out about the organisation...

In his last TV21 appearance, The Zoo Ship, the Hood is under the guise of the elderly Professor Auldyn Beresford, the owner of a Zoo Ship, who comes to Tracy Island to look for a rare sand vole. However, tigers break free on the ship, killing a keeper, resulting in a frenzy - knocking out controls and causing the boat to sink. As Beresford has been invited to stay on the island, Scott takes him to look for the sand vole so the Thunderbirds can launch into action without detection. Beresford, though, attacks Scott before revealing himself as the Hood, who then proceeds to Thunderbird 2's hangar and knocks Virgil out before photographing International Rescue's secrets. However, he's then distracted by a call from Brains and Gordon to need the aircraft; so to buy time he sets it off to launch automatically. However, Alan notices a flaw; and, checking the video link, Jeff sees the ship unmanned! Running to the launch pad to stop Thunderbird 2 from going out of control, he's confronted by the Hood who shoots at him, but Alan arrives to save his father. Alan and Jeff then try to shut down the controls, but the craft flies off the ramp and back into the ground, bursting into flames; yet they get the burning wreckage under control. In the distraction, the Hood steals a helijet and escapes. In the end, the Zoo Ship is saved.

In his final TV21 appearance, the Hood (at long last) seemingly wins. No mention is made of the photos he had taken and not even at the end of the story do the Tracys ponder what the consequences of his victory may mean for them and their organisation. However, it can also be assumed that the Hood lost his camera after Alan knocked him out, and the fact that the Tracys are unconcerned by the photos indicates that the Hood was unable to take them with him and he has in fact failed again.

Powers and Abilities[]

The Hood in disguise as Professor Langley; he is wearing a mask with realistic brown hair and a moustache, and a pair of glasses

The Hood as Professor Langley, one of his many disguises (The Mighty Atom)

The foremost tool in the Hood's box of tricks is his ability to disguise himself and conceal his real identity. Using his collection of masks, wigs and face-wear he is able to craft a particular look in order to blend in anywhere. Indeed, it is because of this ability that he calls himself the Hood, as each disguise shrouds his real face, much like an actual hood. Complimenting his disguise is an ability to obtain outfits and vehicles to complete the deception: be it as an airport police officer in Trapped in the Sky, where he somehow managed to obtain a police uniform and patrol car; or going undercover as a laundryman in Edge of Impact complete with branded uniform and delivery van. Originally only using his masks to create fake identities for himself, he would later develop this skill further, and by the time of Thunderbirds Are Go he is able to perfectly disguise himself as Tony Grant in order to take his position on the second Zero X mission.

But the Hood also has a form of mysterious black magic. On command, his eyes are able to light up and he can exert a sort of hypnotic influence over people. This form of hypnosis causes people to pass out en masse - like when he knocks out a group of scientists in The Mighty Atom - or they fall into a semi-permanent trance, which is what he did to Tin-Tin in Desperate Intruder. His victims do not have to have a direct line of sight to his eyes, either - in Cry Wolf, Mr. Williams briefly comes under his influence after watching the Hood over a television security screen, but he is able to turn the screen off moments before passing out. However, it would appear that his power is limited to having these effects - when he is trying to extract information from Brains in Desperate Intruder, he resorts to torturing the poor scientist by burying him in the hot desert sand, rather than trying to use his hypnosis to compel him to reveal it.

The Hood, wearing his light blue tunic, and with his eyes lit up yellow, frowns as he attempts to telepathically contact his brother Kyrano

The Hood using his powers to contact his half brother Kyrano (Trapped in the Sky)

When it comes to his half-brother Kyrano, the Hood's hypnotic ability becomes much more powerful. With the help of a giant, voodoo-like statue that bears Kyrano's likeness, hidden inside his jungle temple, he is able to channel his power over long distances and influence his half-brother wherever he may be. It is using this powerful influence that he is able to keep an eye on International Rescue, and can effectively keep a spy inside the organisation. It was through his connection with Kyrano that the Hood learnt that International Rescue was ready to start operating (Trapped in the Sky), and in Martian Invasion the Hood was able to persuade Kyrano to disable the Automatic Camera Detector inside Thunderbird 1. During these 'attacks', Kyrano is put under a great deal of pain and usually collapses to the ground, and anything he says is audible to the Hood. When the Hood finishes his hypnosis, however, Kyrano is quick to recover and retains no memory of the event, passing them merely off as 'dizzy spells' - none the wiser that he is unwittingly handing over information to International Rescue's greatest enemy.

Personality[]

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The Hood trying to escape International Rescue in a broken down aircraft (Martian Invasion)

Although capable of coming up with sophisticated plans, the Hood was commonly shown to have a short temper, and to be very poor at improvisation when his schemes didn't work out the way he'd planned. When he actually managed to obtain footage of Thunderbirds 1 and 2 in action during Martian Invasion, the subsequent pursuit by Scott and Virgil (having learned someone had been filming them) culminated in the Hood stealing a plane he had no idea how to fly - and with engine trouble, to boot. This incident thus reflected his inability to consider alternative plans if his original one failed. Another noteworthy handicap, is his arrogance: when attempting to escape the scene after his sabotage of the Red Arrow project was exposed, he crashed through a police roadblock, assuming that it had been erected to stop him - only to realise, too late, that it was really there to stop people from driving over a damaged bridge. Both General Bron and 'General X' would berate the Hood for his utter incompetence, the former ridiculing the Hood for his apparent inability to even drive a car!

The Hood's plans against International Rescue invariably failed, either through direct intervention on the part of International Rescue and their agents, or through his own mistakes. When he sent the mouse-like camera known as the Mighty Atom into Thunderbird 2, for instance, its program - to photograph movement - caused it to photograph the screaming Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward (she'd wanted to see the Tracy brothers in action, and thus accompanied Virgil Tracy), rather than TB2's controls. On another occasion, he even tried to eliminate International Rescue when he tried to steal hidden treasure concealed in an underwater temple, and tried to destroy Gordon Tracy in Thunderbird 4 with his submarine. This too failed, although the Hood was able to escape before a torpedo from TB4 wrecked the sub.

Appearances[]

Main article: The Hood/Appearances

The Hood appeared in only six episodes, all of them from season 1 - namely Trapped in the Sky, Edge of Impact, Desperate Intruder, The Mighty Atom, Cry Wolf and Martian Invasion. He would also appear in Thunderbirds Are Go, where his main focus was on the Zero X rather than International Rescue.

Much later, the Hood would feature in The Abominable Snowman, one of The Anniversary Episodes.

Outfits and Disguises[]

Main article: The Hood/Outfits and Disguises

The Hood is a master of disguise, utilising a number of different face masks, wigs, glasses, and outfits in order to blend in anywhere. He is rarely seen in public without trying to conceal his real identity.

Criminal Activities[]

Main article: The Hood's Criminal Activities

Quotes[]

Main article: The Hood/Quotes

Gallery[]

Main article: The Hood/Gallery

Trivia[]

  • The Hood was the first character introduced (albeit never by name) in the original television run's first episode, Trapped in the Sky; and his first spoken line was "International Rescue..."
  • His puppet was created with an oversized head and hands to strengthen his antagonistic appearance.
  • In the Thunderbird 6 DVD commentary, Sylvia Anderson refers to Black Phantom as "Hood Jr", suggesting a blood relation to the series' main villain. In the first edition of the Complete Book of Thunderbirds however, it is indicated that the Black Phantom is actually the Hood himself. Ironically (or, perhaps not?), Black Phantom's puppet was previously used as the Hood's in the movie Thunderbirds Are Go.
  • Despite the fact that his main ambition is to capture and learn the secrets of the International Rescue technology, there have been times when they were not the primary concern in the Hood's schemes, such as in The Mighty Atom, when he only decided to target them after his initial plan had succeeded.
  • To date, the only Tracy brother that the Hood has faced onscreen is Scott Tracy, in Thunderbirds Are Go and The Abominable Snowman.

Behind the Scenes[]

The Hood is the primary antagonist of International Rescue, and the show's only recurring villain. Although often considered as one of the core Thunderbirds characters, the Hood only appeared in six of the thirty-two classic episodes, as well as the first feature film Thunderbirds Are Go.

Footnotes[]

  1. Revealed by an 'investigative report' published in issue 65 of Thunderbirds The Comic
  2. When working for General Bron in Edge of Impact
  3. Fake identity used in The Mighty Atom
  4. When working for General X in Martian Invasion
  5. Fake identity used in Martian Invasion
  6. Fake identity used in Atlantic Tunnel
  7. Fake identity used in The Zoo Ship
  8. Piil and Truen are recurring characters from the Fireball XL5 comic stories in TV Century 21, appearing in The Vengeance of Saharis and Giants from Space. The SOFRAM organisation would similarly be a recurring enemy in TV Century 21's Secret Agent 21 series.
  9. It's never made clear whether the Hood realises who Tin-Tin is during Desperate Intruder, who should be his niece. Tin-Tin, when recounting the attack, certainly did not recognise him (on account of the disguise), but felt like she knew him in "some far off way".
  10. Interestingly enough, the Hood does not recognise Lady Penelope and Parker, despite having earlier met them in The Vanishing Ray. The Hood also does not realise they are involved with International Rescue, although he eventually figures it out by the end of the novel.
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