Name: Kris
Personal Journal: genetically @ DW
Contact: AIM - Isofonia
Other Characters Played: N/A

Character: Dr. William ‘Will’ Zimmerman
Series: Sanctuary
Age: It is never specifically given, but I’ve calculated him to be 35 years old.

History: Sanctuary Wiki - Will | Official Wiki entry | Episode Guide

Canon Point: Season 4, end of episode 6

Personality: When we are first introduced to Will, several things are apparent. He pays incredible attention to details, is brilliant at deductions, and he is very, very stubborn. Unfortunately for him, this leads to conflict with just about everyone he meets, up until the time he meets Helen Magnus and begins to work for the Sanctuary. Allow me to explain.

As a child, Will’s mother was killed by what could only be described as a ‘monster’. In the world of Sanctuary, there are a variety of creatures known as Abnormals, things that most people would assume are only myths or monsters made up to scare children. In actuality, they are quite real, and are often just tangents along the evolutionary line that no one ever thought were possible. These creatures often possess powerful and sometimes dangerous abilities. Even though Will saw what killed his mother, no one ever believed him, and he had to come to terms with the fact that had just ‘imagined’ the whole thing. Even though he grew up to be a brilliant forensic psychiatrist who published many papers on trauma leading to hallucinations, Will’s ability to think and picture scenarios outside the box did not go away. He had an ability to come up with outlandish theories, and would stand behind them without backing down. Hence why he was bounced from the FBI. And ended up working for a small police department.

At first it seems like Will isn’t really able to connect with people, but the truth is Will is a very warm, funny, and receptive person. He just has to be around the right people. Coming to work with Helen Magnus allowed Will to see the world he always had an inkling existed, even if he didn’t really believe it himself at first. This causes him to open up, show his strong work ethic and ability to commit to projects, but also how he attaches strongly to people around him once given the chance.

Will is smart. Incredibly so. He is able to pick up on small signals and behaviors from those around him and put together pieces of a scenario very easily. He is dedicated to his work, because he knows he is making a difference. This is probably why Helen has selected him as he protégé in the event of her death. She knows Will would throw himself whole heartedly into the Sanctuary without a second thought and that he is a passionate person. Only a few episodes into the show Will admits that he sees the Sanctuary staff as a sort of family. These are the first people ever to embrace him and his ideas fully, it is no wonder that a young man without much a family prior to this would grasp on so strongly to a home that has been provided.

Despite the fact that Will respects Magnus to no end and will do just about anything for her if she or the other Sanctuary members were in danger, doesn’t mean that Will is there to constantly agree and kowtow to Helen. Like I said before, Will is stubborn and insightful, he is more than capable of telling Magnus when he believes she is wrong or making a mistake. He’s able to set her straight when her emotions get the better of her, and tell her when he thinks she’s gone too far. He’s more than willing to do this for his other friends too, it’s just more apparent with Helen.

Will has many good points; he’s humorous, snarky, and often smiling when everything is going well. He jokes around with people and isn’t above jabbing at them with a good one liner. Empathetic and kind, he’s great at determining when someone is hurting and helping them through it. He’s close with his friends and will fight for them if they are ever in trouble, even if that means he’s going to get hurt in the process. He's also quite romantic. Over four seasons he's had two different girlfriends, both of whom seem very enamored with him. He's quite into the candle lit dinners.

In instances where he is left in charge, Will is ready and willing to take the lead. He’s comfortable in the position and is good at taking charge, instilling confidence in the people around him. He’s really a wonderful person to have on your side. Even in dire situations he’s able to keep calm. He is not one to crumble under pressure; he thinks things through and is a great strategist. He comes up with plans in the long term and on the spot with relative ease, though he’s not nearly as good as Helen. She has a lot more experience than him in that department though, and he’s keeping up with her pretty well for being so much younger.

This doesn’t mean, however, that Will is perfect. He has faults, just like everyone else. He can become very childish when things aren’t going his way, and sometimes has a self-righteous streak that would make you want to punch him in the face. When he thinks he’s right, he REALLY thinks he’s right, and sometimes gets himself into trouble by not listening to others. He can hold a grudge like no tomorrow, and just like he attaches quickly, he is also quick to distrust if someone rubs him the wrong way. If he doesn’t like you, he is not about to hide it. Sometimes he’s a bit of a workaholic, and will push others to do the same, even when they are giving him a death glare. This usually only happens if he’s left in charge though, otherwise he enjoys time off just like anyone else. Sometimes he severely lacks tact, and can say things that ultimately lead to him putting his foot in his mouth.

Season four starts to take Will in a slightly different direction. While all of the things I’ve mentioned are still important and at Will’s core, with the tumultuous state of the Sanctuary in season 4, we start to see a far darker side of Will. His relationship with Magnus has to solidify deeply for him to trust her when she decides to cut ties with the nation’s governments. Now that they have several obstacles in their way, Will and the rest of the Sanctuary team have to be far sneakier and ready to make shadier deals in order to keep things functioning the way they want them to. Despite the hardship, Will is still able to keep a level head, even if he doesn’t always like what he’s doing.

Skills and Abilities: Despite all the abnormal coming and going from the Sanctuary, Will is a 100% normal human. He has no special abilities or powers. His skills are those of a detail oriented person with years of experience in behavioral science. He’s great on picking up on things that other people would easily glance over, and he can read people with ease.
Since starting his work with the Sanctuary, he has developed some combat skills and an ability to handle small firearms. He’s good in high tension situations, able to help cool things down and get people talking rather than killing each other.

Other than that he has a fairly athletic build and is actually okay at sports. He keeps a baseball on his desk and often makes reference to the football term “Hail Mary”.

First Person Sample: [Voicemail left on Abby Corrigan’s phone]

Hey Abby, it’s me.

I know I said I’d make it to dinner tonight, but something came up here at the Sanctuary and Magnus needs me to stay put for a while. I hate to break our plans, but you know how things go around here. She wouldn’t ask me to stay unless she really needed me.

Don’t worry though; around here it’s just another day at the office. Sorry I can’t go into more detail, nothing personal, you know? You just never know who might be listening in.

I promise I’ll make it up to you, even if I have to namedrop again to get us into Alfredo’s. I’ll risk getting into trouble with you-know-who, and this time I promise we’ll make it there in one piece.

[A pause.]

I’m sorry. I really am.

All right, I’ve got to get going. Talk to you later. Bye.

Third Person Sample:
Will leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He knew he should be giving his sight a break after the whole retinal detachment incident in Liberia, but there was just so much work to be done. Sure, Magnus had given him the night off for his birthday the other day, given him time to have a grand steak dinner with his dad, but now it was back into the trenches.

A loud sigh escaped him as he sat back, staring up at the ceiling and flexing his fingers to return the blood flow to them. He’d been writing and typing up reports nonstop it seemed, ever since they’d made the decision to cut all ties with the UN and make their own rules. He believed in Magnus’ decision, of course, but sometimes he did have regrets. Things at the Sanctuary had never been easy, but it had been a little less heavy when governments all over the world weren’t breathing down their necks. Now they were making doing things that criminals had to do to cover their tracks. It was difficult, but he still knew they were doing the right thing. Magnus had principles, and she stuck to them. It was one of the many things he admired about her.

Grabbing the baseball that usually sat on the front of his desk, Will tossed it idly into the air and caught it. A short break wouldn’t kill him. Even when he wasn’t doing reports, he was helping to bring in the Hollow Earth abnormal that were still running around up here on the surface. He’d had to talk down more than a few that had been resistant to their efforts, even he was starting to get sick of the psychoanalyzing. All he wanted right now was to go out with Abby and enjoy a small taste of a normal life. Just not tonight.

As if on cue, his phone buzzed and skittered across his desk with a message from Magnus. He placed the phone to his ear, hearing her voice request his presence down in the lab. Instead of sighing again, he just smiled, caught the ball one more time, and got to his feet.

“I’ll be right there,” he responded to his boss, “But I’m expecting a hefty paycheck for all of this overtime.” It was, of course, a joke. This job didn’t come with benefits or good pay. Yes, all the work was tiring, and sometimes it seemed like he never had a moment’s peace. But this was a life he wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. Helen Magnus had once promised him the adventure of many lifetimes.

It was a promise she was still keeping every day.