Kevin Wendell Crumb, also known as The Horde, is the secondary antagonist of the Eastrail 177 trilogy, serving as the main antagonist of the 2017 movie SPLIT and the secondary antagonist of the 2019 movie GLASS.
He suffered from a Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). He is portrayed by James McAvoy. He had 23 personalities residing in his mind. Even though Kevin means no evil, some of his other personalities were each rather vicious in their own way. His 24th personality, "The Beast", a result of Kevin's job in the zoo and a combination of the animals there, is the film's main antagonist, which is revealed near the end of the film. His other two most prominent personalities (and believers of "The Beast") were Dennis, an obsessive, cold, and tough man, who acts as the central antagonist for most of the film, and Patricia, a female persona. While she was sweet and motherly most of the time, Patricia was secretly evil and she acts as the film's secondary antagonist.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
8-year-old Kevin with his mother,Penelope.
When Kevin was a child, his father was killed in the Eastrail 177 train accident, leaving him to live with his abusive, obsessive-compulsive mother, Penelope Crumb[1], who also suffered from D.I.D. and abused 8 year old Kevin. he began to develop multiple personalities as a defense mechanism, ultimately developing twenty-three individual personalities, Kevin was kicked out by his Mother and Drifted Away. When he grew up, he worked at the Philadelphia Zoo, and one day, two girls approached him and played a prank on him, taking his hands and putting them under the girls' shirts, on their breasts, before running away giggling. This left Kevin confused and vengeful and possibly contributed to some of the appetites of 'Dennis'.
The Kidnapping of Casey, Claire and Marcia[]
At the beginning of the film, Kevin attacks Casey, Claire, and Marcia, knocking out Claire's father and abducting the three girls. He takes them to his home and confines them to a room, where he perplexes and frightens them with the demonstration of his several personalities - however, When he becomes Hedwig, (a 9-year-old boy with a lisp), Casey tries to befriend him. Throughout the film, mainly through the discussions between Kevin and his psychiatrist Dr. Fletcher, it is established that the usually dominant personality is Barry, who tries to subjugate the others and keep them from staying 'in the light'. However, two of the other personalities (Patricia, a woman, and Dennis, an obsessive-compulsive man with a sexual appetite) begin to fight with Barry for dominance.
Patricia talking to Casey Cooke, Claire Benoit and Marcia.
When Claire tries to escape the room through fresh drywall, 'Dennis' corners her and then locks her in a separate room on her own, and when 'Patricia' dines with Casey and Marcia she forbids Claire from attending for what she has done. When Marcia attacks her and tries to make her own escape, she outpaces her and locks her also in a separate room, dividing all three girls from one another and worsening the trauma they experience at their hands. Casey, resourceful and used to being abused by an adult, befriends 'Hedwig', and tries to influence him. Hedwig excitedly warns the girls about 'the Beast', a malevolent 24th personality with incredible abilities. He also reveals to Casey that there is a window in his room - she perceives it as a potential escape route. However, when he shows her the 'window', it is shown to be a hand-drawn picture of a window.
Kevin talking to Dr. Karen Fletcher.
She grabs a functional walkie-talkie nearby and radios for help before being subdued by 'Patricia'. Barry sends several email messages for help to Dr. Fletcher, revealing Barry feels threatened by the bid for control by Dennis and Patricia. When Dr. Fletcher approaches and tries to reason with Kevin, she realizes that he has kidnapped the girls and tries to convince him that what he is doing is wrong. 'Dennis' proceeds to drug her, leaving her unconscious and locks her up. Enacting a sort of ritual, he then buys flowers and visits a train car, before becoming 'the Beast'. Dissolving into an animalistic mentality, he goes on a rampage. When she regains in, Dr. Fletcher writes down Kevin's full name, knowing that it will be the singular way of subduing him once he transforms into the Beast. The girls, in the meantime, try to escape from their confinements.
Ritual of The Beast[]
Denis walking down the street.
Returning to his hideout, 'the Beast' confronts Dr. Fletcher. She tries stabbing with a knife, but the knife shatters. The Beast then murders her, demonstrating incredible physical strength. He then proceeds to savagely kill Marcia and then Claire, while Casey stumbles upon Dr. Fletcher's corpse as well as her instructional note. When the Beast closes in on her, demonstrating the ability to climb up walls, Casey uses Kevin's real name to call him to the light. The Beast is briefly tamed, and the actual Kevin (who has been restrained for 5 years by the other personalities, and has no memory of what he has done between then and now) is shown to be horrified by what he has done, and begs her to kill him with a shotgun before the Beast can return. However, the Beast is alerted when Kevin's other personalities desperately try to defend themselves. As the Beast reawakens, it engages in a climactic and violent showdown with Casey. Casey fights the Beast, shooting him several times with the shotgun, but it proves to be superhumanly tolerant to pain.
Escape from the Philadelphia Zoo[]
The Beast tries to get to Casey
At the climax of the fight, the Beast voices his maniacal plans to rid the world of the 'untouched' (as in, the people who he feels have never suffered pain or discomfort, unlike him). Casey is cornered in a cage, but the Beast bends the bars with its bare hands and is about to attack her when it notices the self-harm scars on her body. It then rejoices in the fact that she is 'pure' and 'more evolved' - apparently like himself. Deciding that abused people are exceptional, the Beast spares Casey and flees, while Casey is eventually discovered and rescued by Kevin's co-workers at the Philadelphia Zoo. Recovering from the battle, Patricia, Dennis and Hedwig speculate in awe at the power of the Beast, marveling at what it was capable of doing. The personalities voice their plans to change the world, and await the next feeding of 'the Beast' now known in the media as "The Horde".
Kevin Vs. David[]
Sometime after the events of Split, the Beast abducts a group of cheerleaders and holds them captive at an abandoned factory. The Horde is confronted by David Dunn / The Overseer, a vigilante with superhuman strength. After a brief battle, police lead by Dr. Ellie Staple arrive and the Beast is incapacitated with a strobe light; he and Dunn are subsequently imprisoned at the Raven Hill Memorial Mental Institute. Also being kept there is Dunn's archenemy Elijah Price / Mr. Glass. However, Mr. Glass is merely faking his sedated state in order to escape.
Mr. Glass researches on Kevin.
Imprisonment and Escape[]
Kevin is placed in a room that contains several strobe lights, should he try to escape. After his evaluations, Staple tricks several of Kevin's personalities into believing that Kevin is just a normal man. Price, having conducted research on Kevin, enters his cell and explains that he faked his catatonia and plans to escape, but requires the Beast to help him. Elijah escapes with Kevin after sabotaging Staple's surgical equipment after she attempted to perform a lobotomy on him. Price coerces Dunn into escaping and fighting the Beast after revealing his plan to blow up a chemical lab.
Final Battle and Death[]
Arriving at a parking lot, Price and the Beast are confronted by Dunn, his son Joseph Dunn, Casey Cooke, and Price's mother Mrs. Price. After a brief period of silence, the Beast lets out an animal-like growl and charges towards Dunn on all fours. The Beast savagely attacks Dunn, knocking him into a truck. Police sent by Staple attempt to separate the two, but the Beast effortlessly knocks them aside and bites out the throat of an officer.
Dunn manages to get the upper hand on the Beast, prompting Price to reveal Dunn's weakness is water; Joseph arrives and tells the Horde that Price was responsible for causing the Eastrail 177 Crash, an accident in which Kevin's father perished. Price attempts to reason with the Horde, claiming that if he hadn't caused the crash, he wouldn't exist. The Beast acknowledges this and thanks Price for creating him, but, out of distrust for him, punches him in the collarbone, killing him; he throws David into a water tank that drenches the area when he gets out.
The Horde attempts to escape, but is confronted by Casey. She manages to bring Kevin into the light, however he is subsequently shot and killed by a man working for Staple, who is revealed to be working for The Clover Organisation, a group of people who find and kill superhumans in an attempt to keep them a secret from the population.
Legacy[]
However, Kevin's death, along with those of Price and Dunn (who was drowned by Staple's men), was not in vain. Price secretly recorded and live-streamed the fight between Dunn and the Beast to a private website, where Mrs. Price, Joseph Dunn, and Casey successfully uploaded the footage to the public, exposing the existence of superhumans to the world and thwarting Staple and the Clover Organisation.
23 Distinct Personalities[]
Kevin Wendell Crumb[]
Barry[]
The original dominant personality in Kevin's head - calm, level-headed to some extent, and working to control the other personalities and to protect Kevin. Barry is the personality that is used to communicate with Dr. Fletcher, but he is exploited by Dennis in the latter's bid for control over Kevin's head. He's a charismatic, somewhat effeminate male, with an incredible talent for fashion and design. It is implied that he is a very commanding individual (described at one point as an extroverted leader). Before the events of Split, he had been removed from power due to Hedwig, and Dennis had replaced him as the dominant personality. He attempts to reach out to Dr Fletcher for help twice, but both times Dennis is able to take back control. In Glass, Barry is seen after the Beast is neutralized in the first fight with David Dunn, frantically pleading the police not to shoot, claiming that they could work through this by getting Kevin to stay in the light. He continues to talk to Kevin during his imprisonment, trying to convince him to get near the light.
Jade[]
She appeared on a video log and briefly appeared after Casey called Kevin into the light. Jade seems to act like a typical teenage girl with a foul mouth. She apparently has diabetes and needs to take insulin shots for it. Before the events of Glass, Jade had "flipped" sides and joined the Horde, much to Barry and Orwell's anger. She also attacked Daryl at the ward, in an attempt to escape, but failed.
Orwell[]
Orwell, a historian
- "With regard to Chahamana's defeat and Muhammad of Ghor's conquests between 1192 and 1200, I would liken it to Muhammad's brazen ultimatum that Prithviraj either apostatizse or fight. Like Prithviraj's defiance, we should stand up to the Horde's advances. In the face of their scare tactics, we should show..."
- —Orwell
Orwell is a historian. As an academic he quotes history that parallels his own situation. He appears briefly when Casey calls Kevin into the light, desperately trying to explain to her that the Horde's actions didn't represent the rest of them. Orwell is an introverted, highly intelligent man whose verbosity tends to overshadow his intended meaning.
Dennis[]
One of the more disturbing personalities, Dennis is cold, temperamental and has a perverted liking for watching young girls dance naked. He demonstrates traits of obsessive-compulsive disorder and a firm, sometimes violent, tendencies towards cleanliness and order (most likely duplicated from Kevin's abusive mother to help Kevin survive in the household). Dennis is devious, being shown to have been masquerading as Barry since the very beginning of the film. However, Dennis' efforts to conceal himself aren't perfect, since he overextends himself in trying to convince Dr. Fletcher that he is Barry and is unable to ultimately conceal his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Despite his sinister nature, Dennis has admits in Glass that it was never his goal to kill anyone and that he merely wanted to protect Kevin and be free from the control of the Horde. This is further evidenced when he apprehends two nurses in a van in front of the mental institution and asks Mr. Glass in a concerning manner if anyone is going to be killed in their crusade and explicitly says that he does not want to kill anybody regardless of Patricia's orders.
Hedwig[]
A 9-year-old boy with several compulsive behaviors, such as proclaiming that he has red socks, crawling on bent knees, and ending sentences with 'et cetera'. He loves to dance crazily, do drawings and he is disciplined by the other personalities. He befriends Casey, and even develops some romantic feelings for her. He appears to have the unique ability of taking the light when he pleases. Hedwig is rather gullible as a result of his innocence and naive nature, easily baited by Casey at one point and cowed by some of the other personalities, very few of whom truly respect him (not even Barry, who simply calls him 'the boy'). He is awed by the power of the Beast because of his childish nature. He has a fear and subservience to the other personalities, especially Patricia (whom he calls 'Miss Patricia'). Apparently, he is not as partial to their schemes as he wants to be, stating that "they don't tell me things", and that they make fun of him. When the Horde is destabilized after Casey uses Kevin's full name, Hedwig willingly surrenders the light to Patricia; this is one of the many hints that Hedwig holds special subservience for Patricia.
Patricia[]
A sophisticated, obsequious, orderly, and polite "woman" who has considerable command over some of the other personalities (This personality claims that the others 'listen' to her). Patricia is very disciplined and intellectual towards the other personalities, and towards other people, and is also very calm - she assures Casey, Claire and Marcia that Dennis will not touch them because they are to serve a greater purpose than Dennis's desires. She has considerable manners, making sandwiches for the girls and being generally pleasant to them, even exchanging 'fun facts' about animals while doing so. Patricia is revealed to be surprisingly destructive and dangerous in her own right, as evidenced by her calm (but extremely threatening) way of dealing with Marcia by soothing her verbally whilst holding a knife to her stomach. Patricia is a perfectionist, reacting angrily when she cuts a sandwich in awkward halves before doing so again. Patricia, despite being an authority unto herself, worships the Beast the most out of the other personalities: stated to be one of the 'undesirable identities' because of her fervent belief in the Beast's existence, and later on she waxes lyrical about the greatness of the Beast and being the personality who finally gives the light to the 24th identity. Later on, she marvels about what the Beast accomplished, and declared that they let The Beast show how powerful the Horde could be. Her presence in the movie Glass is much more limited, but she is shown a few times throughout the film, doubting The Beast's abilities after being told the circumstances of The Beast's previous feats by Dr. Staple while conversing with Elijah Price. She is seen again when Kevin is dying, trying to convince Casey and herself that she never doubted The Beast, and asks Casey to make that clear to the other personalities.
Luke[]
A Southern man who is "Team Horde, all the way". According to him, the others think he has a big mouth, and that he spoils the end of movies.
Mr. Pritchard[]
He is a professor of cinema, specifically Japanese (1950s to 1980s). He is against the Horde, wishing for Kevin’s eventual reemergence, and expresses dismay at being imprisoned.
Ian[]
He is the Irish twin of Mary Reynolds. After Jade attacked Daryl, the lights flashed, allowing Ian to take the light, and protest as Daryl subdued him. He also mocked Daryl for getting "a hard on", when Jade was flirting with him.
Mary Reynolds[]
She is the Irish twin of Ian. She angrily berated Daryl for letting Jade get near the key for the lights, claiming the Horde would've killed him.
Norma[]
She is an overly-apologetic Southern woman, and says she is sorry for being with the Horde.
Jalin[]
He is an hyperactive, stereotypical surfer, claiming to Daryl that they almost got him, and laughed at the way the Horde was being contained.
Ansel[]
He briefly appears, nervously mentioning that Barry was trying to get Kevin to the light, and asked if he was close enough.
Heinrich[]
He is an autistic man. When Kevin was being imprisoned, Heinrich was in the light, and protested when the guards told him to keep moving and shoved him. Hedwig would take control, claiming to the guards "he doesn't like to be touched".
Felida[]
She is a Spanish woman. She pleads with Dr Staple, saying that her heart hurts due to the Horde's actions, and that it wasn't right to hurt others.
B.T.[]
He briefly appears, angrily stating that the Beast was the only one who could protect them.
Goddard[]
He briefly appears, telling Mr Glass that the world is a lost cause, and that the Beast was the only good and meaningful thing left in it.
Samuel[]
He briefly appears as Kevin dies, telling Casey that Kevin was scared, but also greatly relieved.
Polly[]
She briefly appears as Kevin dies, frantically trying to convince the other personalities that they should all listen to Patricia.
Bernice[]
Rakel[]
Kat[]
Nicki[]
She is mentioned by Kevin, she once dated Drake but then broke up with him.
Drake[]
He is mentioned to be liked by Kevin, he once dated Nicki but then broke up with her.
The 24th Personality "The Beast",[]
The terrifying, animalistic Beast
- "We are glorious! We will no longer be afraid! Only through pain... can you achieve your greatness! The impure are the untouched, the unburned, the unslain. Those who have not been torn have no value in themselves and no place in this world. They are asleep."
- —The Beast to Casey Cooke
By far the most dangerous, hostile and terrifying of all the personalities, the Beast is the 24th identity that resides in Kevin's mind. Apparently the Beast resided in the train yard where Kevin's father died, and up until his arrival he was not seen by the other personalities. The Beast is a malevolent and rancorous figure, idolized by Dennis, Patricia and Hedwig, who all await his arrival. He is a megalomaniac, believing that those who are broken and who have suffered are superior to anybody else, but also that those who haven't are irrelevant, and that they are 'asleep'; this philosophy rules his actions entirely, since the Beast goes from savagery to glee at seeing that Casey has suffered seriously in her life and declares that her heart is 'pure'. This is also another reason why he spared Elijah and decided to work with him. The Beast is extremely destructive and violent to the point of savagery, having an unquenchable lust for human flesh, and an intense perspective that the rest of the world are impure because they have not suffered like he has. The Beast is viewed as an almost Godlike figure by the other 23 identities, and they are in awe of what he can accomplish. Despite his savagery and beliefs of the broken being pure, in the end, his main goal and desire is to protect himself as Kevin. This is why he betrays and kills Elijah when he discovers he was responsible for the death of his father and doesn't trust him to protect him as Kevin, although he does thank Elijah for bringing him into existence. However this is Obviously his way of showing he actually clearly wanted revenge for the unfortunate murder of his father showing that he actually accepts that he is Kevin and really actually loves and cares for his family. Clearly meaning the unfortunate death of his father plus his moms unfortunate abuse caused Kevin to develop as he did in the first place.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Psychologically-Influenced Physiology: Kevin's original power, that gives birth to his 24th Personality's powers and all the traits of his other 23 personalities, is a very peculiar ability to influence his own body based on the personality that inhabited it. For example, if the current personality that inhabits his body has diabetes, then his body will undergo changes in order to have that trait including the need for insulin shots. It is unknown how far this ability extends or if it has any limitation. However, it can be noted that this ability doesn't allow the Horde to outwardly change his appearance or sex, since none of his female personalities manifest their sex-related physiology.
- Transformation: At any given point, one of Kevin's alters (Usually Dennis or Patricia) can give up "The Light" and Kevin will transform into The Beast. His bodily chemistry will then undergo rapid change as his strength and stamina will dramatically increase. Once the Beast has taken the light very few things can draw out either Kevin or another alter. Patricia and Dennis seemingly had control over The Beast, usually reverting back to one of these personalities when The Beast has finished it's actions. However, Casey Cooke seemingly can bring Kevin forward when The Beast has the light, she demonstrated this when she hugged The Beast and spoke Kevin's name. Another thing that can repress The Beast is an LED light system set up by Ellie Staple within the psychiatric facility that he was held at, as it is designed to force another personality into "The Light" if the current alter is behaving aggressively or attempting to escape.
The Beast's Powers[]
The Beast possess the abilities of various animals at the zoo that Kevin worked at the zoo, including but not limited to: Carnivorous appetite and agility of a tiger, the brute strength of a chimp or a gorilla, the wall-crawling ability of lizards or spiders, and thick skin like a rhino.
- Enhanced Strength: Kevin possesses enhanced strength when transformed into the Beast. He can, without much effort, bend thick metal bars, send people flying across a hallway by just throwing them, flip police cars, manhandle a team of riot guards, and crush ordinary human beings by squeezing hard enough. He is also strong enough to physically challenge David Dunn, though he has struggled to beat him in combat due to David's slightly greater super strength, in addition to his skills as a brawler.
- Superhuman Durability: He has incredible resilience to injury. It is believed that he is virtually impervious to any physical injury or harm. His body and tissues are far more resistant to damage and stresses than any ordinary human being.He has withstood physical traumas and shocks that would have seriously injured or killed a normal human being outright. His unique resilience also apparently translates to granting him a resistance to conventional diseases or viruses as well. He can take a shotgun blast and being hit in the spine with a baton because his body is simply too powerful to be affected in this fashion.
- Enhanced Speed: Kevin can run and move at speeds beyond the peak of human potential, edging into the early levels of superhuman condition.
- Enhanced Leaping: he is able to jump on top of vans with little to no struggle while doing so
- Enhanced Stamina: He is able to travel to far distances without getting exhausted or dehydrated
- Enhanced Reflexes: He was able to dodge David Dunn’s punches while he was pinned against the van.
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Kevin can heal from wounds at a superhuman rate, but the marks are still shown.
- Wall-Crawling: Kevin, as 'The Beast', can adhere to walls, ceilings, and other surfaces in order to scale them. This ability allows him to stick to almost any surface when willing himself to, as physical contact with said surfaces creates a locking connection necessary to support his body, even when he is inverted above the ground.
Abilities[]
- Combatant: The Beast has shown a remarkable skills in brawling. Combined with his strength and acrobatic skills, this makes him a lethal opponent for most beings.
- Master Acrobat: To be added
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Penelope Crumb - Mother
- Clarence Wendell Crumb - Father †
Allies[]
- Casey Cooke - Prisoner, Friend
Enemies[]
- Dr. Karen Fletcher † - Psychologist, Victim
- Claire Benoit † - Prisoner, Victim
- Marcia † - Prisoner, Victim
- Mr. Benoit - Attempted Victim
- David Dunn/The Overseer †
- Elijah Price/Mr. Glass † - Ally turned Enemy and Victim
- Ellie Staple - Enemy and Killer
- The Black Clover Organisation - Enemies and Killers-by-proxy
Trivia[]
- Considering that Split exists in the exact same world as M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable (which is essentially an origin story for a superhero), Split can be considered to be Kevin's origin story as a super villain.
- In October 2018, M. Night Shyamalan confirmed a popular fan theory stating that the child and mother who bump into David Dunn outside a stadium, credited as "Five-Year-Old Boy" and "Woman Walking By" and portrayed by Joey Hazinsky and Dianne Cotten Murphy, respectively, were younger versions of the characters Kevin Wendell Crumb and Mrs. Crumb from Split.
- Mr. Glass not only created David Dunn, but also the Beast since David Dunn and Kevin's dad were on the train that was sabotaged by Elijah Price.
- Many fans think it's ironic that McAvoy is playing The Horde because his powers are similar to those of Marvel's David Haller, who also has multiple personalities, each with different powers and turns out to be the son of Professor X, also played by McAvoy.
- Despite this he is also obviously a villanoius and unfortunately crazed version of Spider-Man from Marvel comics since they have similar powers in the form of superstrength and wall crawling,
- Because of this he’s also unfortunately similar to Spider-Man villain carnage who also has the exact same powers as spidey and he’s also unfortunately insane with the only difference being this is unfortunately because he’s a psychopath and unfortunately not because he has dissociative identity disorder.
- Kevin's mother also suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Kevin's father went on the train to find help for the mother, but he died in the crash.