| NOTE: This article is only on account of the book version of General Ironbeak as the TV show version was not voted Pure Evil. |
General Ironbeak is the secondary antagonist of the book Mattimeo, the third book within the Redwall novel series. He is the general of a flock of rooks and magpies that serve as his army and upon spotting Redwall Abbey and learning of how good of a place it is, he attempts to conquer it, using ruthless means to do so by actively trying to massacre the residents of Redwall Abbey.
What Makes Him Pure Evil?[]
- After the sparrows' departure, Ironbeak leads his crows above the high thermals of Redwall where they would swiftly and silently massacre all the remaining sparrows left, consisting of old sparrows and late nestlings who were unable to fly.
- Upon spotting Baby Rollo crawling up the spiral stairs in the abbey, Ironbeak seizes him by his nightshirt in his beak, dragging him up the stairs, though Sister May, who was following Rollo with Cornflower and Mrs. Churchmouse, manages to grab and get him back by sinking her teeth into Ironbeak's foot before they all run downstairs calling for help.
- After Constance attacks Mangiz who ordered her and the others to bow to him, Ironbeak and his fighters sic themselves onto Constance, pecking, scratching, and tearing as Winifred and Ambrose ran to her rescue, prompting the crows to retreat to a boxroom, locking the door from inside, Ironbeak threatening to slay them all if they don't leave afterwards with Mangiz himself revealing that they've massacred all the remaining sparrows.
- Out of spite against the Redwallers for humiliating him and his rooks on the top of the abbey by ringing the bell to scare them away, Ironbeak kidnaps Cornflower, Mrs. Churchmouse, and Baby Rollo and holds them hostage, threatening to kill all three of them towards Abbot Mordalfus if the creatures of Redwall Abbey do not surrender, though the abbot requests that they be given three sunsets to make their decision which Ironbeak reluctantly allows albeit only two sunsets instead of three.
- After the creatures end up capturing 3 of Ironbeak's magpies robbing their supplies in the orchards by drugging their food and getting nets with stones onto them, holding them hostage in front of him by threatening to drown them should he not spare Cornflower, Mrs. Churchmouse, and Baby Rollo, Ironbeak says that they'll discuss things on his terms that night and when they arrive and make the exchange, Ironbeak tauntingly reveals to them that while they were carrying the negotiation out, he had his fighter crows rob them in their orchards of their supplies and they'll be held to a state of siege below the floor of the place as they depart.
- Having taken over Great Hall, Ironbeak has his crows attack whoever crosses it, resulting in Winifred the Otter being wounded while the crows proceed to wreck the dormitory as Ironbeak thinks on how they'll go in and drag the Redwallers out of Cavern Hole.
- When Mangiz informs him of the mouse in his vision being on the abbey's tapestry, pointing out that since the creatures seem to value him highly and that they can use this to their advantage as the Redwallers would attack them to save it, which would allow them an opportunity to kill them then and there, Ironbeak agrees that this is a good plan before having his crows attempt to steal it. This results in the creatures coming out and attacking trying to stop them as planned, though they retreated when they realized they were trying to cut off the entrance to Cavern Hole and manage to make it back.
- When his crows were unable to find where the Redwallers have got to, Ironbeak proceeds to berate them and even berates and insults Mangiz after he asks him if his vision has become clear to which he responds by saying that they're not before ordering him to get out of his sight.
- When Ironbeak hears scratching and chirping in the doorway, recognizing it as the sparrows returning, he orders his crows to go get them, though they would be rescued by Constance and the others.
- After his two rooks who were on sentry duty at night wind up spotting a "ghost" (who was really Cornflower in disguise as Martin as part of the Redwallers' trick to try to get the crows out) get terrified and alert Ironbeak of this, when he arrives and it has disappeared (Cornflower had left by the time they came back), as they explain the situation to Ironbeak, he silences them before flying down and calling to the "ghost" before Mangiz tells him that the big door is still open. Ironbeak then flies in and out, finding nothing and telling the rooks there is nothing before having them continue guarding the place as he and Mangiz go back to the room where Ironbeak proceeds to kick him, reprimanding him for the incident, believing it to be his doing due to his "clouded vsisions" before proceeding to unleash his talons on him.
- Later, when Cornflower arrives disguised as Martin and posing as a "ghost" with Constance making "ghost echoes" while hidden, Ironbeak doesn't flies at her to prove to the crows that it isn't real only for her to disappear (she had took one pace backward and was taken away by the Redwallers), causing Ironbeak to stop soon.
- Ironbeak then notices the rooks in the corner of the gallery and attacks and lashes at them for not flying down to catch the thing since they were closer than he was, causing them to flee the scene with Ironbeak still chasing them before berating them later. Afterwards, his rooks would attack a red bird that entered the Abbey's garden and report it to Ironbeak, but when he arrives, the bird was gone (having been rescued by the Redwallers). When they explain what happened (Constance defeating them before they could kill it), Ironbeak continues to berate them, including Mangiz, like before.
- As he and Mangiz sit at the broken dormitory window, when Ironbeak asks him if he's seeing anything in the eye of his mind again and Mangiz tells him he sees he was right, the ghost mouse was a trick, and that they'll conquer Redwall Abbey soon enough (which is really a fib to avoid pissing him off), Ironbeak displays satisfaction in these news before telling him to rest and tell the other rooks to rest so that they could prepare to conquer the abbey before departing.
- When Ironbeak learns of his rooks being so terrified of the "ghost" (due to Cornflower and Constance continuing to scare them with the trick) to the point of shutting themselves in their dormitory and refuse to come out, he furiously breaks in and proceeds to slash at them with his talons, causing them to screech, beds to be upset, and feathers being flown out of the window.
- Afterwards, Ironbeak would spy on Constance who was entering the abbey's gatehouse to put away the armor and would sneak up onto the door which still had the key in its hole and lock her inside before flying away, rallying his rooks to help him massacre all of the tons of residents within the Abbey once and for all that night.
- When it reached the hour before dawn, Ironbeak snuck himself and his crows into Cavern Hole while the Redwallers were sleeping before waking them all up and forcing them to huddle against the wall with the intent of massacring them all one by one, having Mangiz announce this to them.
- When Abbot Mordalfus offers himself to be taken instead of them, telling them that he's their leader and is alone responsible for them deying him, Ironbeak brushes this off, knocking the Abbott down, declaring that he decides who lives and who dies before Sister May attacks him and then gets knocked away by Ironbeak, who declares that she will be the first to die before proceeding to attempt to start the massacre with her only for the red bird (Stryk Redkite) who had befriended the Redwallers to save her and attack Ironbeak.
- Ironbeak tries to fight against and presumably kill her to no avail to the point of where he winds up flying away as Stryk continues chasing Ironbeak until she makes one final strike with full force that ends up killing Ironbeak, putting an end to his terrorisms on the Abbey once and for all.
- Despite Redwall's heinous standard, Ironbeak stands out for his act of massacring all the infant and elderly sparrows of the abbey, committing the acts of mass infanticide and mass senicide with this in one go.
- While he saves three of his magpies whom the Redwallers have kidnapped and threatened to drown should he not return Cornflower, Mrs. Churchmouse, and Baby Rollo by complying to their demands, it's likely that this was only out of pragmatism since they were members of his army and he may not have wanted his army to decrease and he did this while pulling a trick on them where he has his other crows rob their orchards while they carry out the exchange, which he tauntingly reveals to them afterwards. Otherwise, nothing really indicates any care for them at all, him being as abusive to tem as any other villainous boss within the series, verbally, physically, etc.
Trivia[]
- Only the book version of General Ironbeak qualifies as Pure Evil as the TV Show version lacks the additional crime the book has that helps him pass and as a result fails the heinous standard of the show to Cluny, Slagar, and Badrang, Cluny and Badrang doing worse with similar resources and Slagar doing worse with less despite the standard there being much lower than the books.
External Links[]
- General Ironbeak on the Redwall Wiki
- General Ironbeak on the Villains Wiki
- His TV show counterpart on the Near Pure Evil Wiki
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 Pure Evils
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Books Mossflower Mattimeo Mariel of Redwall Outcast of Redwall The Legend of Luke Lord Brocktree Rakkety Tam TV Series | ||