Summary

• The Saw franchise introduced numerous Jigsaw apprentices, causing disbelief and confusion as their numbers grew, some unaware of each other.
• Zep Hindle, though not a traditional apprentice, played a sadistic role in Jigsaw's game, relishing in the power he held over his victims.
• The rivalry between Mark Hoffman and Amanda Young, both Jigsaw apprentices, led to a departure from Jigsaw's ethos, as they crafted traps with little chance of survival.

In the Saw movies, almost every entry introduced yet more Jigsaw apprentices, to mixed reactions. While most horror villains work alone, Jigsaw beginning the Saw franchise with terminal cancer essentially forced him to seek help to complete his various master plans, as he wasn't always physically healthy enough to execute them. This led to the idea of Jigsaw apprentices, which were used to continue John Kramer's work long after his onscreen death in Saw III.

As the Saw films went on, the number of Jigsaw apprentices rapidly became harder and harder to logically accept. Making things even more questionable was that several of these apprentices weren't even aware of each other. John "Jigsaw" Kramer ended up with no less than five total apprentices, and those are just the ones that have been revealed. That's also not counting people who assisted Jigsaw without being an official apprentice.

Zep Hindle

A Sadistic Player In Jigsaw's Game

One of the antagonists in the first Saw, Zep Hindle (Michael Emerson), initially appeared as a hospital orderly with an apparent sadistic streak. Zep seems to be acting on behalf of the Jigsaw Killer, but while he is technically one of Kramer's apprentices, it's revealed that he's actually simply another player in Jigsaw's elaborate game. The character was forced into his actions by a poison coursing through his system, with the only antidote available being in the hands of Dr. Lawrence Gordon and Adam.

While not an apprentice in the traditional sense, Zep's seeming alliance with Jigsaw provided an early twist that set the tone for the series' subsequent reveals. Though he was part of his own game, Zep clearly liked the sadistic power he held over Dr. Gordon's family, even going as far to listen to their panicked heartbeats for nothing more than his own personal enjoyment.

Amanda Young

This Apprentice Viewed John As A Father Figure

The first Jigsaw apprentice to be revealed was Amanda Young (Shawnee Smith) in Saw II, who was first seen in the original Saw as the sole survivor of one of Jigsaw's games. Amanda believed John had helped her regain an appreciation for her life and escape her drug habits, setting up the twist that she was actually working with him. Amanda was placed inside Saw II's main game as an overseer to make sure the other people included played by Jigsaw's rules. Following Saw II, Amanda had a much bigger role in Saw III as Kramer was dying of cancer.

Amanda was being set up as the next Jigsaw killer as opposed to simply one of the many Jigsaw apprentices. However, unlike John, who believed in offering victims a chance at redemption, Amanda's traps were noticeably more sadistic and inescapable. This deviation not only caused a rift with John but also brought her into conflict with other Jigsaw apprentices, notably Detective Hoffman. Ultimately, Amanda's inability to uphold the true essence of John's philosophy - giving every player a fair chance to survive - becomes her undoing and leads to her death in Saw III.

Obi

A Jigsaw Assistant Who Failed His Own Game

Obi (Timothy Burd) emerged in Saw II as a man with mysterious connections to the deadly game occurring inside the Nerve Gas House. As the story unfolded, it became evident that Obi believed he was one of Jigsaw's apprentices by kidnapping key players for the game. However, like the others, he too was being tested for his sins. Entrapped in a furnace, Obi was given the chance to retrieve the antidote for the nerve gas but meets a tragic end andwasis burned alive. Though he briefly seemed like an ally of Jigsaw, like Zep, his relationship with John Kramer was far more complicated.

WHERE TO WATCH: Rent Saw X on Apple TV

Mark Hoffman

Jigsaw's Most Prominent Apprentice

Jigsaw's second apprentice was revealed in Saw IV, being Detective Mark Hoffman (Costas Mandylor). Hoffman was actually Jigsaw's first recruit, albeit unwillingly, as Hoffman framed Jigsaw for the murder of his sister's killer, causing an enraged John to blackmail him into servitude. However, Hoffman eventually grew loyal to John and his cause, and he arguably proved to be Kramer's most useful ally, thanks to the privileges and abilities afforded to him as a police officer. Unlike other Jigsaw apprentices, Hoffman's induction wasn't born out of gratitude or a transformed worldview, it was blackmail.

Hoffman's dynamic with Amanda Young, another key Jigsaw apprentice, was fraught with tension. Both saw themselves as the true heirs to Jigsaw's legacy, leading to an underlying power struggle. Their mutual mistrust and antagonism are central to the narrative of Saw IV and Saw V. Despite this rivalry, the two shared a commonality: their gradual departure from Jigsaw's ethos. They both crafted sadistic traps that were sometimes designed for those being tested to fail. Hoffman even returned in the Saw X post-credits scene for one last trap.

Jill Tuck

John's Ex Helped Him Out

In Saw VI, it was revealed that John Kramer's wife Jill Tuck (Betsy Russell), who in some ways inadvertently inspired his crusade to make people value life, had also maintained an allegiance with him. Jill, once deeply intertwined in a loving relationship with Kramer, served as a poignant reflection of the personal tragedies that birthed the Jigsaw Killer. Their shared dream of starting a family was shattered by the tragic loss of their unborn son, an event that pushed John toward his grim transformation and left Jill grappling with overwhelming grief.

By Saw VI, Jill's role transformed from a mere observer to an active participant, becoming one of the Jigsaw apprentices, entrusted with John's final wishes and even attempting to eliminate threats to his legacy, most notably Mark Hoffman. She facilitated the test administered to Hoffman that sees him escape the iconic Saw reverse Bear Trap with a busted-up face, as punishment for his deviation from John's rules. Jill is in return killed by Hoffman, but the detective gets his desserts from John's other associate Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) in Saw 7.

Lawrence Gordon

Jigsaw's Most Shocking Apprentice

Dr. Lawrence Gordon's journey with Jigsaw was captivating, as he was introduced in the original Saw as one of the two men shackled in the infamous bathroom. However, Gordon's involvement deepened as the series progressed. After surviving by cutting off his own foot, Gordon was found and nurtured back to health by John. Recognizing Gordon's potential, John brought him into the fold, where the doctor became one of the most trusted Jigsaw apprentices. This trust culminated in the Saw 3D ending where Gordon had been aiding in setting up several of Jigsaw's traps. Ultimately, he is the one to finally bring down Hoffman, paying homage to Jigsaw's legacy.

Logan Nelson

A Jigsaw Apprentice Who Was Never Mentioned Again

Finally, the eighth movie in the series, Jigsaw, revealed the final of the Jigsaw apprentices, a doctor named Logan Nelson (Matt Passmore). Nelson accidentally mislabeled John's X-rays, leading to a late cancer diagnosis. He was almost killed in a trap, but Jigsaw chose to spare him and recruit him to the cause instead. Logan was shown to be deeply involved in crafting some of the earlier traps. Much like John, Logan harbored a sense of justice and aims to teach people to value their lives, though his methods, heavily influenced by Jigsaw, are extreme and deadly.

William Emmerson

William Emmerson is the killer in the Spiral: From the Book of Saw ending. While Emmerson wasn't technically one of the Jigsaw apprentices, his name is worth noting given that he was hugely influenced by John Kramer's work. The emergence of the Spiral Killer represents the broader cultural impact of Jigsaw's macabre legacy. Emmerson doesn't inherit the mantle of Jigsaw through direct apprenticeship, but rather, he was inspired by Jigsaw's philosophy and modus operandi. However, instead of giving the victims a new lease on life like in Saw, the Spiral Killer focuses on the moral reckoning of law enforcement officials, highlighting the systematic issues within the institution.

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  Saw 10

  Director:

  Kevin Greutert

  Release Date:

  2023-09-29

  Cast:

  Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith

  Rating:

  R

  Main Genre:

  Horror

  Genres:

  Crime, Horror, Thriller

  Studio(s):

  Twisted Pictures

  Distributor(s):

  Lionsgate

  prequel(s):

  Saw

  Franchise(s):

  Saw

  Sequel(s):

  Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Saw V, Saw VI, Saw 3D, Jigsaw, Spiral: From the Book of Saw