The Evolution of Wolfenstein’s BJ Blazkowicz, in Gallery Form

Wolfenstein has sure come a long way since its first release in 1981. Of course, the first two games in the series weren’t first person shooters, playing out in a Metal Gear style that has you traveling between screens. If you can’t tell, BJ is the purple guy there.

Beyond Castle Wolfenstein looks much like its predecessor, although there’s a bit more detail to the characters. In this case, BJ is the guy without a hat, who looks totally different.

Wolfenstein 3D was a hugely influential game, and one of the pioneering games in the first person shooter genre. It also gave us our first good look at BJ Blazkowicz, the blond haired, blue eyed hero that takes down the Nazi regime.

Spear of Destiny released the same year as Wolfenstein 3D, and actually takes place just before the first game, as BJ tries to take back the Spear of Destiny stolen by the Nazis from Versailles. The character looks mostly the same, although we get a pretty detailed version of him for the cover art.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein completely changes up the look of BJ Blazkowicz, opting for a dark haired, more grim version of the character. The game essentially rebooted the Wolfenstein series, which is why we got a new version of the iconic character with it.

Wolfenstein RPG was more of a spinoff for the series than a mainline entry, releasing on mobile phones and iOS. The game actually uses a style and view close to Wolfenstein 3D, but instead of being a shooter it’s a turn-based RPG.

Although the 2009 doesn’t tie into Return to Castle Wolfenstein, its version of BJ more closely matches that title. Our hero comes sporting a short black haircut and a sleek leather jacket.

The New Order did a soft reboot of the entire Wolfenstein franchise, creating an entirely new chronology for events where the Axis powers won the war. BJ Blazkowicz, unlike the last couple entries, matches his original version. Everything is updated for the modern age, of course, giving us the best look yet at classic Blazkowicz.

Obviously not much changes from The New Order to The Old Blood, as it’s an expansion over the original game. It’s actually a prequel to The New Order, however, focusing on Blazkowicz and Wesley’s infiltration into Castle Wolfenstein.

With the release of The New Colossus we see a continuation of BJ Blazkowicz’s story, as he fights to retake the United States from an occupying Nazi force. There are no drastic improvements here over The New Order, but a moderate graphical update makes the game, and Blazkowicz, look even better.