Roderick Metze

Note: The following character appears only in the Freedom Chronicles which exist as works of fiction within the Wolfenstein setting; their existence and the veracity of events involving them in the actual timeline is questionable at best.

Roderick Metze
Country of Origin	United States
Date of Death	1961, Venus
Hair	Blonde
Eyes	Blue (right), Green (left)
Sex	Male
Nationality	American
Race	Caucasian
Occupation	SS-Übercommander German Superteam Member (formerly) Dentist (formerly)
Fate	K.I.A.: Tackled out a window by Gunslinger Joe, fell to his death.
Relative(s)	Unnamed father Unnamed great-grandparents
Portrayer	Dwight Schultz
Appearance(s)	Episode Zero (Intro Only) The Adventures of Gunslinger Joe

"This is what they call poetic justice, Joe. You could have had a decent life taking a dive on the field for the Reich. Now look at you. A limp dishrag groveling on the floor. Before I shoot your brains out, any last words? {...} The Sonnengewehr? Oh, that's not operational yet. Are those your final words, slave?"

―Roderick Metze to Gunslinger Joe before his death.

Übercommander Roderick Metze is the main antagonist of the Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus DLC The Adventures of Gunslinger Joe. A Nazi collaborator, he is involved with the Sonnengewehr project.

Biography

Backstory

Metze was born to a family with ancestors who sided with the Confederate States during the Civil War and had a hate-mongering, preacher father who worked as a Grand Dragon in the KKK. When he was young, he asked his father how he knew Whites were better than Negroes, with his father replying that he (and all other white folk) were ordained to commune with God.

Before the occupation of the US, Roderick Metze was a dentist with an extremely unpleasant reputation. When the Nazis occupied America, Metze became a collaborator, attaining such a high rank that he was promoted to Übercommander within a decade, and the only American to do so. When an African-American named Stallion formed a resistance group, Metze ordered his arrest and sent him to the Hillsboro mine to work till he 'croaked'. Unbeknownst to Metze, he did this in front of the man's son, Joseph, who would become his enemy later in life. Himself an athlete, Metze's goal is to find the secret in the genetic material of exceptional American athletes to create a perfect super sportsman for the regime - however, it was more likely a twisted pet project, as it was was considered a waste of time and resources by the Nazis.

Metze was part of the German superteam and on March 12, 1950, he scored his fourth touchdown, winning the game. However, Gunslinger Joe scored one point for his team and was eventually captured with resistance members.

It is believed that Metze worked along with Übercommander Michael Rademaker in 1959 to organize a bombing campaign that flushed out the resistance in Springfield, allowing the capture of sixteen members, and the deaths of several others.

The Freedom Chronicles

In The Adventures of Gunslinger Joe, Roderick Metze and the Nazis try to prove the superiority of the Aryan race through American football by organizing football games in the Überbowl. The games have the Aryan All Stars team versus the Üntermensch team, who are forced to lose every game to promote Aryan superiority. An African American slave named Joseph Stallion (Gunslinger Joe), a former professional athlete and football quarterback attempts to break the rules and score, only for Metze to shoot the ball before it reaches the goal post. Metze and his men arrest Joe, and send him to the coal mines.

However, Metze recognizes Joe, having arrested his father years ago, and instead has Joe sent to Research Station Omega. Metze underestimates Joe's remarkable body structure and his raw strength, and Stallion breaks free, now seeking revenge on Metze. However, as Joe arrives at the resistance hideout, he runs into Metze and his men. Due to his extreme arrogance, Metze decides Joe is not worthy to be killed by his hand because he was a African American and orders his men to kill him, but Joe escapes by tackling a soldier out a window.

When Joe goes on a rampage in the Secret Police Headquarters, Metze tells him through the speakers that he was surprised a slave like Joe was a problem for him, and gives him his father back as a gift, who he found broken in the bottom of the Hillboros coal mine. But Metze, not wanting to be humiliated by Joe, also leaves a bomb as a deathtrap. Due to the police headquarters going up in flames with no found survivors, Metze now believes that Joe has perished. However, Joe carefully removed the bomb, managing to get away, and vowed to hunt down and kill Metze.

Later Joe finds out Metze intended to fire a super weapon known as the Sun Gun at the American Midwest. Metze's plan is to coordinate the attack from Venus to suppress the rising activities of the American Resistance. Joe, realizing the stakes being now much higher, stowaways on a rocket headed for Venus. Metze could only watch as Joe kills nearly all of his guards at the Venus base. When Joe heads for the control room where he expected to find Metze, Metze throws a surprise attack on Joe from his side and shoots him. Unable to learn from his mistakes for underestimating Joe previously, Metze foolishly brags to Joe that this will be poetic justice. But before killing Joe, he asked him if he has any last words. Joe asks him why he hasn't fired the sun gun yet, and Metze tells him that it's not fully operational yet. Metze mockingly asks if those are really his last words, to which Joe says 'No', and quickly tackles Metze out a window behind him, causing Metze to fall to his death.

Personality and Relationships

"Enter Übercommander Roderick Metze. I had heard stories about him. Stories from his dentist years. Stories that would make your heart race like a horse."

―Joe on Metze.

Blonde haired, blue eyed, softly spoken and hard to anger, Rodrick Metze physically seemed ordinary - however, even compared to other Nazis, Metze, Traitor to America, was twisted, sadistic and possibly insane. He would conduct inhumane and brutal experiments on prisoners, to the extent that even his subordinates began to grow uncomfortable and speculate on their usefulness. Metze was very proud of his family's history, and gladly accepted the Nazi occupation of America as racial vindication - he was the first (and apparently only) member of the Ku Klux Klan to officially join the Wehrmacht. Metze had a longtime and disturbed fascination with Joe, owing to the (in his mind) paradox of an African-American being a naturally peerless athlete. In addition, Metze showed himself to be cowardly through each volume, constantly leaving Joe's fate to others, until forced to ambush him personally. He is shown to have superb marksmanship skills, deftly shooting out a football in mid-air before Joe could score, and nearly kills Joe by cuffing him and shooting him in the stomach. He also casually executes a line of Resistance prisoners one-by-one without looking.

Metze displayed signs of delusions and mental illness - not only were his depraved experiments intended to fulfill his ridiculous ambition to 'create' a perfect sportsman, he had become convinced that his research would ultimately serve to create an army that could fight an alien invasion he felt certain was imminent. Individuals who questioned or mocked him (a frequent occurrence) met gruesome ends and Metze tolerated no hindrances on his progress. He would often use dental analogies to justify his worldview, likening the scourge of 'undesirables' to rotting teeth that needed to be pulled out. His solution to the deteriorating situation in America was quite simply to destroy his own country using the Sun Gun with no more justification than 'it would be worth it'. Unwilling to tolerate the man any longer, the Oberkommando ultimately pulled away their more valuable soldiers away from Metze's command and Gunslinger Joe's path of vengeance and allowed the footballer to solve their problem.

He also follows the in-game trend of American collaborators being poor speakers of German, and consistently mispronounces 'Reich'.

Quotes

"Arrest that man! And throw him into the coal mine {...} Wait. He might still be of use to the Reich. In parts, that is! Enough. Take him to Research Station Omega!"

―Metze's first words.

"Joe! You almost missed your appointment. The doctor will see you now."

―Metze holding Joe at gunpoint.

"I'll tell you why. My ancestors were humiliated during the Civil War. I am the fruit of their humiliation. When the Germans came, I knew they were bringing justice and order for the white man. And now, here you are. A slave to the Reich. Order has been restored and so has my ancestors' honor. Anything to say, before I seal your fate - slave?"

―Metze explaining to Joe on why he joined the Nazis.

"No, you know what? I'm not going to dirty my hands with this subhuman. I'm not even going to spare him a second thought."

―Metze at the end of Volume 1.

"If anyone needs me, I will be at the Secret Police Headquarters. Heil Hitler."

―Metze leaving to the Secret Police HQ.

"Everyone, this is...disgraceful, frankly. Did you actually fail to contain a stupid football player? This man made a mockery of the Reich. I expect Gunslinger Joe in shackles by my feet. Now!"

―Metze to his men on letting Joe beat them.

"My fellow Americans. This is Übercommander Roderick Metze speaking. As a dentist, I know the value of helping people. You can all rest easy now. The infamous Joseph Stallion, a.k.a. Gunslinger Joe, has been executed for treason. Good riddance to these terrorists with their lies about the "resistance". They are rotting teeth that need to be pulled out. They just want to murder innocent people like you trying to live in peace. Trust me, I'm a real American just like you. And I know that our destiny is to serve the Führer. We are part of the Greater Reich now. Be a patriot. Fulfill your destiny. For the future of our race."

―Metze's speech in Springfield.

"Hey, Joe. Say hi to the surveillance cameras. You really embarrassed me in front of the Oberkommando, Joe. I told them you were dead. Dead! A slave embarrassing an Überkommandant of the Reich? Embarrassment, Joe. There is nothing I hate more, than being caught with my pants down. So I found an old friend of yours, deep in a coal mine outside of Hillsboro. He's waiting for you in the room at the end of the hall. Consider this my gift to you, Joe. See you around, "Gunslinger"."

―Metze to Joe who is at the Secret Police HQ

"I thought you were dead, Joe. Persistent. Just like your worthless father slaving away down in those awful Hillsboro mines. And look where his persistence got him. Six feet under."

―Metze taunting Joe in Volume 3.

"My father was a preacher, Joe. And a night, a Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan. I remember asking him once, "Father, how do you know white folks are better than Negroes?" He said, "Use the gray goop in that little head of yours, son. I am ordained to commune with God." You see, Joe? God is on our side. Top that, champ."

―Metze to Joe at the end of Volume 3.

"Gunslinger Joe does not leave here alive, you hear me, you worthless worms? He is stomping all over the legacy of my ancestors with his dirty little feet. Ten thousand marks and a promotion to any man that brings me his head! Jesus Christ almighty...For the love of God! Someone explain to me why this football bastard isn't dead yet!"

―Metze's concern in Volume 3.

"This is what they call poetic justice, Joe. You could have had a decent life taking a dive on the field for the Reich. Now look at you. A limp dishrag groveling on the floor. Before I shoot your brains out, any last words? {...} The Sonnengewehr? Oh, that's not operational yet. Are those your final words, slave?"

―Metze before being tackled and killed by Gunslinger Joe

Gallery

Metze taking in Joseph Stallion's father.

Metze as his time as a dentist.

Enter Übercommander Roderick Metze.

Metze captures Stallion.

Metze underestimates Joe; this ends about as well as you'd expect.

Roderick Metze falls to his death after Joe tackles him.

Metze's corpse.

Trivia

• Metze appears to have Heterochromia, with his right eye blue and left eye green.
• Despite being an Übercommander, he wears the uniform of a regular commander and uses a handgun rather than a Kampfpistole. This is not explained during the story.
• He and Wolfgang Schwarz share the same character model.
• Unlike the other primary antagonists in the Freedom Chronicles, Metze interacts with Gunslinger Joe in all three chapters.
• Metze is loosely based on "The Angel of Death" Josef Mengele.
• In the cutscene, he appears to bear a resemblance to Donald Trump, a businessman and the former US president, but this may be coincidental.
• Metze's handgun has the upgraded suppressor and magnum.
• Metze’s actor, Dwight Schultz, had previously voiced Wilhelm Strasse in Wolfenstein: The New Order.