Pestilence

This article is about the Horseman of Pestilence. For the character that is currently the vessel of
Pestilence, see Logan MacDonald.

Pestilence
Biographical Information
Alias:	Horseman of Conquest Logan MacDonald
Status:	Unknown
Profession:	Horseman of the Apocalypse
Affiliation:	Moloch † Malcolm Dreyfuss †
Physical Description
Species:	Horseman
Gender:	Male (while Logan)
Relationships
Allies:	Moloch Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Malcolm Dreyfuss † Jobe
Enemies:	Ichabod Crane Abbie Mills Thomas Grey Diana Thomas Lara Thomas Alex Norwood Jake Wells
Appearances
Portrayed by:	Robbie A. Kay (while Logan)
First appeared:	"Blood Moon"
Last appeared:	"Freedom"

"Dreyfuss used scales charged by the hunger demon and a scroll charged by that Djinn to raise the Horsemen of Pestilence and Famine."

—The Witnesses

Pestilence is the third of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse encountered by Crane and Abby in the first season. He appears in plate armor with a horned helm, wielding a bow, and riding a black horse.

History

Ichabod Crane's Dream

In the episode, Blood Moon, Crane dreamed he was in Purgatory, when Pestilence and the other Horseman found him, and pursued him on their horses. Pestilence rode next to Famine and Death. Not long into the chase, Crane is drawn into the ground by his wife, Katrina Crane to keep him safe. He then awoke from his dream.

Roanoke

In the episode, John Doe, Pestilence was chasing Thomas Grey into Sleepy Hollow in order to spread a plague through the modern world that he had placed on the people of the Colony of Roanoke centuries ago. After Abbie Mills and Ichabod Crane discovered the colonists of Roanoke on an islet in the river outside town, they learn of the Horseman - known as Pestilence, and identified also as Conquest by Crane - and his goal to enter their realm by releasing an ancient plague seeded in Roanoke four centuries previously. So long as the colonists kept it contained, it would make him unable to manifest a physical form in the real world. Despite his efforts, Crane and Thomas were successful and the plague contained, causing Pestilence to de-materialize into dust as he was making a charge towards Abbie.

A Former Future

Malcolm Dreyfuss attempted to raise the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to help him rebuild America in his image. As Death was never destroyed, Death continued to play a part in the new Apocalypse. The mantles of Famine and Pestilence were given to Helen Donovan and Logan MacDonald after the appropriate totems were charged by Jobe. Pestilence's totem was mystical scroll. Malcolm then gained the totem for War who he then gave to an unwilling Diana Thomas. Then, all of the Horsemen had been given appropriate vessels and Malcolm woke them. Malcolm then used the Horsemen to take over Washington and to eliminate the president so that he could take over as a new, self proclaimed president himself. He then enslaved its inhabitants, fulfilling his wish to reshape America.

Many years later, Malcolm is still in control of his America while Ichabod Crane is his prisoner. Jenny Mills has created a resistance against Malcolm's rule, and has collected many weapons that can be used to harm the Horseman and possibly Malcolm himself. When the Horsemen ride against her, Jenny and her people open fire that clearly does no harm to the Horseman or their horses. The Horseman easily defeat numerous foes, and Famine corners a woman, but is stopped by a sudden blast from one of the artifacts that is being controlled by Jenny, which diverts its attention from the woman to Jenny herself. Famine rides for Jenny when it is hit again by the same artifact which knocks Famine off of it's horse. Jenny is then hit hard by the Horseman of War, knocking her out. When she comes to, the Horseman of War is holding her when Lara punches her. Jenny recognizes her as Molly, and tries to get through to her by telling her that the Horseman of War is really her mother. Lara doesn't believe her and holds a gun to her. Jenny kicks Lara away and stabs War with Delilah's Dagger, only to be stabbed by War's sword. Lara catches a glimpse of her mother's face in War's armor, and realizes the mistake that she made with Malcolm and travels back in time using the Grand Grimoire to stop Malcolm from ever coming to power.

Alternate Timeline

Once Lara returns to 2017, she obtains the Witnesses' help to stop the coming apocalypse. With Lara's interference in the timeline, she managed to save her mother from becoming the Horseman of War but at a cost. Instead of Diana becoming War, Crane was forced to assume the mantle of War instead. Crane wasn't the Horseman of War for long, however, and the mantle was returned to its previous wearer, Henry Parish. With this, Malcolm had all of the Horsemen to enact his plan to take over America. The Horseman awoke and were sent to Washington DC to capture the president. Once they get to the White House, the three Horseman are met by guards. The other Horseman, Death, goes with Malcolm and Jobe to infiltrate the White House and take the president hostage. Not long after, Malcolm has control and the Witnesses devise a plan to stop them. They also discover ancient weapons that are supposed to harm Horseman. Crane and Diana target Malcolm while the others take care of the Horseman. Famine, Death, and Pestilence show up but War is guarding Malcolm. They use their weapons against them but they don't seem to do any better then any of the other weapons. As soon as the Horsemen get into the close proximity of the weapons, the weapons light up and the team realize that they should work against them the Horsemen now, Jenny shoots Famine who stops in its tracks once hit. Death takes on Jenny while Pestilence takes on Lara and Famine takes on Alex. Moments, later, the horseman disappear with the death of their master, Malcolm.

Trivia

• Since both Death and War were once mortal men who sold their souls to Moloch, it is probable that Pestilence was also a mortal man who sold his soul.
• It seems as if Conquest/Pestilence's only ability is his ability to spread sickness. But if the sickness is contained, the horseman can't do anything.
• This is the only horseman to be known by two different names.

Cultural References

• In the Book of Revelation, Conquest is named the First Horseman, who wields a bow and rides a white horse. In the series, the Headless Horseman, known as Death, is the first Horseman the Witnesses encounter, and rides a white horse. When seen in John Doe, Conquest rides a black horse, the color given over as Famine's mount in the Book of Revelations.
• In the early 1900s, depictions of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse in pop culture began referring to the Horseman of Conquest as Pestilence in order to differentiate from the second horseman, War.

Appearances

Season One

"Pilot"

"Blood Moon"

"For the Triumph of Evil..."

"The Lesser Key of Solomon"

"John Doe"

"The Sin Eater"

"The Midnight Ride"

"Necromancer"

"Sanctuary"

"The Golem"

"The Vessel"

"The Indispensable Man"

"Bad Blood *"

Season Four

"Columbia"

"In Plain Sight"

"Heads of State"

"The People vs. Ichabod Crane"

"Blood from a Stone"

"Homecoming"

"Loco Parentis"

"Sick Burn"

"Child's Play"

"Insatiable"

"The Way of the Gun"

"Tomorrow"

"Freedom"