| This article is about the original Red Riding Hood. You may be looking for the impostor featured in The Last Castle. |
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In that one story they simply won't forget, at least they never knew my name This article is about a subject whose real name is unknown, and is known only by a title, nickname, alias or description |
| “ | Flycatcher! No! No! No! You're not going to get away with this! I won't abide it! I won't! Terrible things have happened to you and your family, and you're going to just sit and accept it? | „ |
| ~ Red Riding Hood to Flycatcher, Fables #60 — "The Good Prince, Chapter One: Flycatcher" |
Red Riding Hood is a Fable that didn't make it to Fabletown during the mass exodus, but lived as a subject of the Empire. Her identity had been used in multiple instances for cover operatives of the Empire. The real Red Riding Hood first appears in a one-panel flashback in Fables #4 — "Chapter Four: Remembrance Day" and Fables #23 — "Our Second Amendment Issue: Chapter Four — March of the Wooden Soldiers," before making her full debut in Fables #41 — "Pax Imperium: Chapter Five of Homelands." She eventually falls in love with Flycatcher and marries him.
History
Background
The Big Bad Wolf menacing Red Riding Hood, while the Woodsman swiftly comes to her "rescue"
Back in the Homelands, the Woodsman, a constant drunk who relied on stealing from the homes of others to survive, happened to hear the grandmother of Red Riding Hood conversing with the local blacksmith about her lovely granddaughter, who would soon be visiting and bringing a basket full of treats. The Woodsman hatched a wicked plan to claim the savory treats for his own enjoyment and rape the granddaughter. He tailed the grandmother to her cottage, planning to wait for Red Riding Hood's arrival. However, as he cased the place, he suddenly blacked out.[6] Meanwhile, Red Riding Hood came to visit her grandmother and is attacked by the Big Bad Wolf.[6] As the Woodsman regained consciousness, he heard the sound of screaming and immediately rushed in, determined to stop whoever was trying to take what he had planned to take for himself. He burst through the door and discovered that the house was under attack from the fearsome Big Bad Wolf. As soon as the Woodsman caught sight of the wolf, the animal lunged towards him, forcing the Woodsman to strike down the wolf with his enchanted axe in an act of pure self-preservation, which inadvertently saved both Red Riding Hood and her grandmother.[6] He cut and filled the wolf's belly full of stones, and threw him into a river.[7]
During the Adversary's occupation of the Homelands, Red Riding Hood lived alone in a cabin[8] and would sometimes go years without seeing or speaking to anyone else.
Impersonations
Red Riding Hood's identity had been used in many instances for cover operatives of the Empire. The One impostor was at the keep at world's end.[8] It is presumed her appearance was taken by a spy of the Adversary.[9] Boy Blue first met Red Riding Hood under this impersonation, and fell in love with her.[10]
Another time, she was impersonated by Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga took Red Riding Hood's form to lure Fabletown into trusting her with information so she could plan an attack against them.
Fabletown
During Boy Blue's mission to assassinate the Emperor, he requested to meet the real Red Riding Hood. She claimed to have never met him, and it is revealed that she had been impersonated during the events of Fables: The Last Castle. As he escaped the Homelands, Blue took Red Riding Hood with him, fearing for her safety.
She became a member of Fabletown despite her reservations from having been taken away from her Homeland. Some of the other Fables still treated her ill due to the former incident with Baba Yaga. She quickly grew fond of the mundane world, despite being unsettled by its technology at first.
She became friends with Flycatcher since he was the only one (other than Boy Blue) who was kind towards her, and she eventually developed feelings for him.
Kingdom of Haven
When Flycatcher becomes King Ambrose of Haven back in the Homelands, Red Riding Hood appoints herself as his adviser, pending he finds a queen.[3] After much patience, Flycatcher finally understands that she is interested in him, and the two are now in a relationship.
She later marries Flycatcher[5] and has four children with him.[4]
Many years later, Pinocchio states that Flycatcher doesn't speak to him anymore, because he, unable to lie, expressed one "tiny, innocent opinion" on the statistical likelihood of Fly's wife lasting fidelity.[5] However, it appears that Pinocchio and Flycatcher reconciled later, as both Fly and Red Riding Hood are present at the swearing-in ceremony when Pinocchio assumes the presidency of the United States.[11]
Personality
Red Riding Hood is a kind, good-natured person. She has shown that she is capable of standing up for herself and has a clear view of how she thinks people should behave. After Flycatcher falls into depression, she gets frustrated with him for not seeking revenge.[12]
She can be quite cunning, for in the Fairest story arc "The Clamour for Glamour," Red Riding Hood persuades Rose Red to let the animals and birds in Haven compete in the glamour Lottery,[13] but the tickets are really to increase Mr. Web's chances of winning a glamour so that he can be with his wife.[13][14]
Powers and abilities
- Immortality: As Red Riding Hood is one of the most well known Fables known to the mundys who has practically become common knowledge to them, Red Riding Hood is shown to be functionally immortal, having been known to have lived and retained her youthful appearance for hundreds of years unchanged.
- Magic: Although unclear, Red Riding Hood was noted by Bigby Wolf to possess a degree of magic that somehow rendered her very difficult to kill.[15]
Weaknesses
Red Riding Hood has the conventional weaknesses and vulnerabilities of a Fable.
Appearances
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Trivia
- The Woodsman's apartment in Cambria Heights features a framed picture of a young girl standing amidst the woods, attired in a red hooded cloak and carrying a basket,[16] a reference to Red Riding Hood.
- While she doesn't appear in the game The Wolf Among Us, she's mentioned several times in the first episode by the Woodsman who is drunk and proclaims that he saved her from Bigby Wolf, and again when he explains to Bigby his real reason for going to her grandma's cottage. She is also in the Book of Fables, where Bigby states that "she didn't make it out."
- She also makes a cameo appearance in a flashback from the Homelands in Fables: The Wolf Among Us #12 — "Chapter Twelve."
References
Notes
- ↑ As shown in Fables #23 — "Our Second Amendment Issue: Chapter Four, March of the Wooden Soldiers" and Fables: The Wolf Among Us #12 — "Chapter Twelve," Red Riding Hood and her grandmother were attacked by the Big Bad Wolf, who is confirmed to be from the Hesse, in Fables #151 — "The Black Forest Chapter One: Greenjack." This suggests that Red and her grandmother are also from the Hesse.
See also
| Fabletown | |
|---|---|
| Governing body | King Cole • Snow White (formerly) • Prince Charming (formerly) • Beauty • Ichabod Crane (formerly) |
| Inhabitants | Beast • Bigby Wolf (formerly) • Flycatcher (formerly) • Trusty John • Grimble • Bufkin • Cinderella • Mowgli • Hobbes • Pinocchio • Briar Rose • Doctor Swineheart • Rapunzel • Kay • Edmond Dantès • Crispin Cordwainer • Thrushbeard • Fairy Witch • Frau Totenkinder • Ozma • Fairy Witch • Morgan le Fay |
| Places | Grand Green Florist Shop • Chateau d'If Fencing Academy • Edward Bear's Candies • Ford Laundry • Nod's Books • Lewis Antiques • I Am the Eggman Diner • Yellowbrick Roadhouse • Web 'n' Muffet Market • The Woodland Luxury Apartments • The Glass Slipper Shoes • Branstock Tavern |
| Unique items | Magic Mirror |