Hiram Stoddard

"Don't get in my way. Don't forget, I'm stronger than you."

―Hiram to Giovanni Borgia, 1516.

Hiram Stoddard was a British member of the Italian Brotherhood of Assassin during the early 16th century. He was an ancestor of the 17th century Assassin Thomas Stoddard and the 21st century Assassin Charlotte de la Cruz.

Seemingly a cheerful joker, Hiram became violent when angered and developed a rivalry with fellow Assassin Giovanni Borgia over the affection of Elena. After Elena died in front of him, a broken Hiram suppressed the memory and abandoned the Brotherhood to seek out the woman he remembered as having left him due to his temper, earning the moniker "Bloody" in the process.

Biography

Trained by Ezio

By 1515, Hiram was in Italy, training under the tutelage of Ezio Auditore da Firenze alongside another young Assassin, Giovanni Borgia. The latter despised Hiram, jealous of his skills and likable demeanor which earned to the young Englishman the praise of Ezio and the love of the beautiful Elena. A rivalry developed between the two young Assassins, which culminated during a mission led by Hiram to recover an Apple of Eden.

As instructed by their master, Hiram and Giovanni traveled to Florence to meet with Ezio's informant, Michelangelo, with whom they planned an ambush on Dei Petrucci, the Templar carrying the artifact. Jumping from the roof of the Florence Cathedral, the Assassins swiftly killed Petrucci's guards and Hiram claimed the satchel containing the Apple, but was attacked by the last of Petrucci's guards, losing the satchel and allowing the Templar to flee with it.

Meeting Consus

A couple of days later, while they were in a tavern after unsuccessfully looking for a lead on Petrucci's whereabout, Giovanni blamed Hiram for the rashness of his attack and its subsequent failure. To appease his fellow Assassin, Hiram agreed that it was time to inform Ezio of their lack of success and while Giovanni went to write a letter to their master, Hiram spent the night talking with a beautiful servant girl.

The next day, Hiram was awakened by Michelangelo who told him that Elena was in town and was waiting for him on the roof. However, instead of a sweet reunion between lovers, it quickly turned sour as Giovanni had told Elena that while she was rushing from the countryside to console her man, he was sleeping with the servant girl. After Elena broke up with Hiram despite his claims that it was not true, the two young men began to shout at each other, with Hiram accusing Giovanni of wanting to ruin his life out of jealousy.

Hiram witnessing Giovanni being possessed by Consus

Inevitably, the two bitter rivals began to brawl but after Hiram kicked Giovanni's head, his fellow Assassin fainted and became possessed by the spirit of the Isu Consus. Through his host, the disembodied entity delivered a cryptic message intended for someone else, before vanishing and leaving Giovanni unconscious on the floor. As Hiram tried to process what had just happened, a frightened Elena accused him of somehow being responsible for the state of Giovanni. Trying to evade Hiram's touch, Elena tripped and fell from the roof to her death, under the eyes of her distraught lover.

Betraying the Creed

As a result of Elena's death, Hiram's personality was deeply altered and he became a bitter and ruthless man, earning the nickname "Bloody" Hiram. The incident also increased Hiram's hate for Giovanni as he blamed him for Elena's death, despite Giovanni having no recollection of the event.

By 1516, a disillusioned Hiram was no longer following the Creed, haunted by his lover's death and obsessed with acquiring the Apple of Eden, which he hoped to use to somehow contact Elena. In Greece, Hiram assaulted the Assassin hideout where the artifact was hidden and killed its guardians, but was ambushed by Giovanni.

Hiram fighting Giovanni

During their duel, Giovanni tried to reason with Hiram and to convince his former rival to return to the Brotherhood. Eventually, Giovanni bested the fallen Assassin and asked for Hiram's forgiveness but to no avail. Taking the Apple away, Giovanni tried to reason one last time with Hiram, giving his copy of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy to his broken foe, before leaving.

Legacy

Hiram's actions made him infamous among the Assassins and, by the 21st century, he was still remembered as that Stoddard who had betrayed the Brotherhood and sought to use the Apple of Eden for his own gain.

At some point during his life, Hiram fathered a son who became an ancestor of the Master Assassin and Piece of Eden hunter, Thomas Stoddard. Through Tom, he became an ancestor of the Assassin Charlotte de la Cruz, who in 2016 relived Hiram's memories and witnessed Consus' message intended for her.

Behind the scenes

Hiram Stoddard is a character introduced in the eleventh issue of Titan Comics' Assassin's Creed comic book series. There is some confusion between issues #11 and #12, with Hiram being at first depicted as being black haired and ambushed by Giovanni in Florence in 1516, while the next issue depicts him with blonde hair and changes the location of the ambush to Greece.

Although the dialogue in issue #12 suggests that Giovanni gave Dante's book to Hiram, the art shows Giovanni leaving with it. As Thomas Stoddard was known to have a copy of the book in his possession, which had been passed down through generations of the Stoddard family, this would suggest that the dialogue is the accurate version rather than the art.

Gallery

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  Early concept art of Hiram
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  A hooded Hiram
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  A black haired Hiram threatening Giovanni

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed Volume 3: Homecoming