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This article is about Hob Gadling from the comic series. You may be looking for Hob Gadling from the Netflix adaptation.


Hob Gadling is an Englishman and ageless immortal, born in the 14th century. Dream encountered him while visiting the waking world with his sister, Death.

Hob has been called Robert, Bob, and Bobby over the years.

History[]

Deal with the Endless[]

Hob was born in an English village in the 14th century. He lost half of his village to the Black Death and became a soldier. During the Caroline War he fought in Burgundy under Earl of Buckingham. While on the battlefield, he decided that he simply wouldn't die: people only died, he figured, because it was a bad habit into which they fell, and he would have no part of it.

In 1389 he shared this theory with his friends while drinking in the Tavern of the White Horse. He was overheard by Dream who decided that this might be an interesting experiment, and so told Gadling that, if he truly believed the way to live forever is simply not to die, Dream would meet him in one hundred years in the same tavern for a drink.

Gadling spent the next century as a mercenary, fighting for both sides in the Wars of the Roses. He also tried his hand at business, cooperating with William Caxton to open a printing production. When he next met Dream in 1489, Gadling expressed his fear that he had made some kind of deal with the Devil. Dream convinced him otherwise, and they agreed to keep meeting every one hundred years for a drink.

Reversals of Fortune[]

In the 1500s, Hob invested his profits from the printing press into Henry VIII's shipyards, and funded John Hawkins who would go on to lay the foundations of the transatlantic slave trade. He made enough money to buy himself some estates and even knighthood and was now known as "Sir Robert Gadlen". By that time he had also learned to conceal his immortality by disappearing and returning under the guise of his own son.

During the era of Queen Bess, he met and befriended Jack Constantine who came to him for knowledge. Sadly their friendship did not last, as several vampires cornered them at a church in Essex. They killed Constantine, but left Gadling alone, leaving him with a decade of nightmares.

By 1589, he had married a woman named Eleanor and had his first son in over 200 years, a boy named Robyn. However, with the turn of the century his fortune would turn too: Eleanor died in childbirth, Robyn was killed in a bar brawl at the age of 20, and since Hob grew complacent and stayed in one place for too long, people accused him of being a witch and tried to drown him. To top it all off, he made a poor choice of fighting for the king in the Glorious Revolution. He became a beggar, but, being immortal, couldn't even starve to death. However, for all the good and bad that happened, he still endeavored to continuing living.

By 1789, his old investment paid off and he once again made a fortune on transatlantic slave trade. However, during their regular meeting Dream convinced him to leave that line of business. That same meeting saw them ambushed by lady Johanna Constantine who had heard rumors about the Devil meeting the Wandering Jew in the tavern, but Dream quickly subdued her.

In 1889, Gadling suggested that Dream had nothing to learn from their meetings, and the real reason for keeping the arrangement was that Dream was lonely and needed a friend. Dream was outraged at the suggestion and stormed out of the tavern.

Hob90

20th Century Bob

One century later, Gadling was waiting for Dream in the bar. When Dream finally turned up, Gadling admitted that he hadn't expected him to show. Dream replied, "I have always heard it was impolite to keep one's friends waiting."[1]

Aftermath[]

After that aspect of Dream died, Death visited Gadling at a Renaissance fair and told him that her brother's destruction was not just a dream. Then she asked him if he was ready to go; if he was finally ready to die. After a moment's thought, Gadling replied that he was not ready; he still had so much to live for, and besides his girlfriend would kill him.

After his meeting with Death, Gadling had a dream where he met Morpheus on a beach, and they greeted each other warmly. Then a street painter whom Gadling once met -- who was, in reality, another of the Endless, Destruction -- joined them, and the three of them walk off down the beach.

Physical Appearance[]

Although over 600 years old, he seems to be a man in his 30s. His hair is a mid-brown, and he has been full-bearded, clean-shaven, and everything in between over the centuries. He has dressed well and as a pauper, depending on how his fortunes fare in any given century.

Personality[]

Gadling's defining trait is his will to live: even during tough times when he hates every year of his existence, he still claims that he has "so much to live for". He started out as a product of his time, never giving second thought to such activities as banditry or slave trade, but his eventual remorse shows him as a person who's simply trying to live a decent life and slowly learn from his mistakes.

Relationships[]

  • Dream - A friend of long-standing with whom he met regularly to catch up and share a drink.
  • Immortals - During his life Hob has learned to notice other human immortals around him, such as Mad Hettie and a man named Blood, although they don't really keep the acquaintance.

Powers and Abilities[]

  • Immortality - Hob is unable to die even if he's starving to death. The only way for him to end his life is to explicitly agree to come with Death.

Trivia[]

  • Hob's name and mannerisms were initially inspired by Bob Hoskins. Gaiman elaborates, "By the time I got to page 7, however, Bob Hoskins was long gone, and it was exclusively Hob Gadling talking".[2] In addition to that, his last name has a literal meaning "a man of humble condition", which was also intentional.[3]

References[]

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