Westworld Premiere: 8 Ups And 2 Downs From 'The Original'

7. The Man In Black

Westworld Man In Black Ed Harris
HBO

There are a few layers of mystery running throughout the opening episode of Westworld, but none demand your attention in such enigmatic and violent fashion as Ed Harris' man in black.

The Gunslinger, as he's known, is one of the 'newcomers', which basically means a human visitor to the park. However, whereas most of them just want to get their kicks, whether that's playing the hero or acting the villain, he is on a quest for answers. To what? It's not quite made clear, but he's not going to be stopped in his search.

He plays as the de facto villain of the show in this episode, and Harris imbues him with plenty of menace and a heavy dose of intrigue - he's mean, vicious, ruthless, and utterly captivating to watch. Like the rest of the characters, he doesn't arrive fully-formed, but it's going to be great fun getting to know more about who he is and what exactly he's after.

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.