| “ | The end is coming. Hear me as I say it this time. The end is coming, and it's coming soon. The world is dark and getting darker all the time. Everything we once trusted has turned on us... Government, religion, even technology has become a weapon in their hands used to poison our minds. I know you're in pain. I know you're afraid, but it doesn't have to be like this. There is a way out of the darkness. I can show it to you. You can be saved. Join me. Join us, and together when the horsemen come, from the ashes, we will rise. | ” |
| — Cadogan's speech [src] | ||
William "Bill" Cadogan is a recurring character in the fourth and seventh seasons. He is portrayed by John Pyper-Ferguson and debuts in "The Four Horsemen".
He was the founder and leader of the Second Dawn doomsday cult and is now the leader of the Disciples.
Early Life
Little is known about Bill Cadogan's early life, when he was a child, his father beat him everyday.
At some point in his life, he founded the Second Dawn cult, a group of people who sought out to survive the end of the world. In approximately 2040, he located and stole the Anomaly Stone from the Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu, but couldn't figure out how to activate it.
In 2052, Cadogan led the Second Dawn in surviving the Nuclear Apocalypse, focusing his efforts on opening the Temporal Anomaly rather than retaking the surface. After Becca Franko arrived and figured out the code, Cadogan continued to focus on leading his people to another world rather than the alternative solution of Nightblood. After learning of a final code and the Flame, Cadogan had Becca executed to obtain it, but his own daughter stole the Flame and escaped with a group of followers to retake the surface.
Cadogan subsequently led the remaining Second Dawn cultists, now known as the Disciples to Bardo. At some point, he visited the planet Etherea which became part of Disciple mythology. Cadogan eventually became known as the Shepherd of Disciple mythology and entered a cryopod at some point.
Throughout the Series
In The Four Horsemen, he appears in a video showed to Clarke and Bellamy by Jaha.
In God Complex, Cadogan was mentioned by Jaha when he talks to Marcus Kane.
In Red Queen, Cadogan was mentioned by Jaha when he talks about how Cadogan built the bunker.
In The Warriors Will, he was mentioned by Madi through Becca's flashback. After the original Nuclear Apocalypse, he and his followers stayed in his bunker. They encountered Becca, who had come back to Earth from Polaris in her escape pod. She offered them the Nightblood serum, but he and his cult decided to burn her alive.
In The Queen's Gambit, Anders awakens Cadogan from his cryopod on Bardo. Cadogan is surprised to see Anders again and though Anders addresses Cadogan as the Shepherd, Cadogan tells Anders to just call him Bill. Cadogan realizes that if Anders awoke him so early he must have news and asks if they have cracked the code and if the war has begun. Anders admits that it hasn't yet, but they have the key. Cadogan smiles, pleased by the news.
In Anaconda, Cadogan enters the Stone room unarmed and requests that Clarke's group let his people go. Cadogan tells the group that his followers call him the Shepherd but they can call him Bill. Clarke recognizes him as Bill Cadogan and explains to Niylah in Trigedasleng that his cult created the bunker and burned Becca Franco alive. Cadogan, understanding their conversation, is surprised, stating that they were not a cult but a conglomerate of some of the world's greatest minds. Cadogan states that his daughter created the language as a child and asks Clarke if Callie survives inside of the Key which Gabriel Santiago explains is the Flame.
In a flashback, Cadogan calls Callie to ask about her dropping out of MIT to join Tree Crew. The two argue about her choices when Cadogan suddenly gets news of a situation. At Cadogan's demand, Callie gets her mother Grace and Cadogan tells her "Anaconda." Cadogan reassures her that its real and she has 20 minutes with Cadogan having already sent the chopper which will be there in 5 minutes, "I pray that you're both on it." Cadogan cuts the transmission while his message alarms Grace. Grace explains to Callie that it means that "the missiles are in the air" and they need to get to the bunker. Though Callie questions how her father knew ahead of time, Grace states that he didn't and people all over the world are scrambling for bunkers. Grace believes Cadogan, stating that he is many things but a liar is not one of them.
As the Nuclear Apocalypse rages, Cadogan works on the Anomaly Stone, stating that there are only two symbols to go. Callie is angry that her father cares more about the symbols then the 11 billion people dying at the current moment, but he explains that it is the key to saving the human race, Cadogan having found and stolen the Stone from a hidden observatory beneath the Temple of the Sun in Machu Pichu. Cadogan is convinced that the Stone was sent to Earth to save the human race, stating that there were seven symbols on the temple wall and they know that they need seven symbols to chart a course through space. Cadogan attempts to activate the Stone, but nothing happens. Grace urges Cadogan to speak to his scared people, insisting that they need to set an example for the Second Dawn leading to an argument between the family before Cadogan agrees that Grace is right. Reese tells his father that 92% of the Level 12's made it to the bunker in time, giving them 1,104 people. Cadogan orders the 8% of resources stockpiled in case something goes wrong, but Callie takes off.
Two years later, Becca Franko arrives on Earth from Polaris and Cadogan has the bunker locked down to prevent anyone from knowing of her arrival. Becca finds herself drawn to the Anomaly Stone and Cadogan allows her inside the room after realizing that the Anomaly Stone is causing Becca's symptoms. Commenting that "music is mathematics," Becca is able to activate the Anomaly Stone, opening the Temporal Anomaly. Becca introduces herself to Cadogan who tells her to call him Bill. Cadogan is shocked by Becca's immediate success as he tried for years with nothing, but Becca comments that given the number of symbols, that's not surprising without an instruction manual. The Cadogans and Becca argue about what to do next and Becca offers to alter the blood of everyone in the Second Dawn so that they won't have to survive underground or risk a trip through a wormhole. Cadogan instantly refuses, arguing with Callie about it who points out the number of people who have committed suicide over the last six months. However, Cadogan is only further convinced that the Anomaly is their only hope with both Reese and Grace agreeing with him. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life," Cadogan asserts.
Callie later tells Becca, who has closed the Anomaly out of fear that Cadogan will throw her through it, that her father has always been stubborn but now believes that he can walk on water after being worshipped for two years and won't change his mind. However, Callie believes in Becca instead and wants to give Nightblood to everyone in the bunker behind his back.
Shortly after Becca activates the Stone, causing it to turn into a ball of light that she disappears into, Cadogan arrives. Before he can touch the light, Becca returns and insists that she must shut down the Stone. Becca insists that if Cadogan saw what she did, he would let her shut it down. Becca states that she has seen Judgment Day and what they have experienced isn't it. Becca insists that none of them are ready for what's coming, especially not Cadogan and has he Reese stop Becca from touching the Stone and imprison her until she changes her mind. Callie lies that Becca was gone when she arrived and insists that Becca was sent there to save them. However, Cadogan tells his daughter that he will save them, not Becca and orders Callie to get out which she does, taking Becca's Nighblood serum with her.
After Reese discovers the existence of the Flame from Becca's notebook, Cadogan decides to burn her at the stake if Becca won't tell him the final code to open the Anomaly in order to gain the Flame for himself. After Becca refuses a final time, the cult, led by Reese, burns her at the stake while Becca attempts to convince Cadogan's followers that he's killing them, not saving them.
After the execution, Cadogan sees Callie leading people injected with Nightblood to leave the bunker. Cadogan orders his men to stop them, but Grace seals the inner hatch so that they can get away. Cadogan turns to Reese, only to learn that Callie has the Flame. However, Callie gave her brother Nightblood and Reese promises to chase after her and get it back and Tristan promises to join him, having been made a Nightblood by Becca in order to save his life. Opening the airlock, Cadogan finds it empty while Grace insists that they have to let Callie go. Cadogan hugs Grace before suddenly shoving her into the airlock where Grace protests that she will die as she doesn't have Nightblood. Walking past his shocked followers, Cadogan orders them to get the Flame back at all costs. Cadogan then leads the remaining cultists through the Anomaly to Bardo.
In the present, Cadogan begs Clarke to tell him if Callie is still in her head. Clarke tells him that Callie is, "but that's not how it works," pointing a gun at him. Cadogan asks how it does work, but Clarke states that he killed her best friend so she doesn't really want to help him. Cadogan begs Clarke who orders him to bring her other friends to her immediately, but he states that he can't give orders to men who are not there. Holding Cadogan at gunpoint, Clarke has Gabriel open the door and he orders her friends sent in. Apparently fully converted into Disciples, they enter.
In The Flock, Anders asks a group of Disciple children about the Shepherd's time on Etherea.
Personality
He is a fanatical cult leader. According to his daughter, he was always stubborn, but two years of being worshipped by his followers in the bunker convinced Cadogan that "he can walk on water." Cadogan is shown refusing to accept any solution but his own of leaving the Earth for a new world, even after being presented with the alternative solution of Nightblood. Grace Cadogan calls Cadogan a narcist with sociopathic tendencies, something that he doesn't deny, stating that its the nicest thing that Grace has said to him in two years. However, Grace states that despite this, he does care about the people dying in the Nuclear Apocalypse even if he doesn't show it.
According to Grace Cadogan, Cadogan is many things, but he is not a liar.
Physical Appearance
Cadogan is slightly taller than Anders. He has a full, brown and slightly gray beard, with long brown hair that reaches below his neck. He's seen wearing a full white uniform, similar to the one that the Disciples wear.
In The Four Horsemen, a younger version of him is seen, where he appears to have a completely brown beard.
Relationships
Becca Franko
Cadogan and Becca were allies but eventually became enemies. Cadogan eventually had Becca burned at the stake in order to get the Flame.
Appearances
| Season Four | |
|---|---|
| Episode | Appearance Status |
| Echoes | Absent |
| Heavy Lies the Crown | Absent |
| The Four Horsemen | Appears |
| A Lie Guarded | Absent |
| The Tinder Box | Absent |
| We Will Rise | Absent |
| Gimme Shelter | Absent |
| God Complex | Mentioned |
| DNR | Absent |
| Die All, Die Merrily | Absent |
| The Other Side | Absent |
| The Chosen | Absent |
| Praimfaya | Absent |
| Season Five | |
|---|---|
| Episode | Appearance Status |
| Eden | Absent |
| Red Queen | Mentioned |
| Sleeping Giants | Absent |
| Pandora's Box | Absent |
| Shifting Sands | Absent |
| Exit Wounds | Absent |
| Acceptable Losses | Absent |
| How We Get to Peace | Absent |
| Sic Semper Tyrannis | Absent |
| The Warriors Will | Mentioned |
| The Dark Year | Absent |
| Damocles (Part 1) | Absent |
| Damocles (Part 2) | Absent |
| Season Seven | |
|---|---|
| Episode | Appearance Status |
| From the Ashes | Absent |
| The Garden | Mentioned |
| False Gods | Absent |
| Hesperides | Mentioned |
| Welcome to Bardo | Mentioned |
| Nakara | Absent |
| The Queen's Gambit | Appears |
| Anaconda | Appears |
| The Flock | Mentioned |
| A Little Sacrifice | Appears |
| Etherea | Absent |
| The Stranger | Absent |
| Blood Giant | Absent |
| A Sort of Homecoming | Absent |
| The Dying of the Light | Absent |
| The Last War | Absent |
Quotes
- "From the ashes, we will rise"
Killed Victims
- Becca Franko (burned alive by Reese and the Second Dawn on his orders)
Notes and Trivia
- Jason Rothenberg confirmed that Callie and Reese from the prequel series, which has not yet been named, are Bill Cadogan's children.[1]
- Rothenberg states that Cadogan was originally going to be brought back in Season Four as he was supposed to appear in more episodes, but the story "took a different turn" and it took years to finally bring him back in Season Seven.[2]
- He had friends on more than one of the space stations that made up The Ark.
Gallery
