| Professor Zedekiah Logan | |
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![[defaults to 250]px](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/icwxp/images/4/45/Zed.png/revision/latest?cb=20110329093309) "I'll drink the blood of your children like it's Powerade!" [1] | |
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Age: |
Unknown |
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Height: |
10.5" |
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Weight: |
11 lbs. |
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Status: |
Zombified |
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Last known whereabouts: |
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Voice: |
Rob Atwell (Episode 103) |
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Puppeteer(s): |
Nick Evans (Episode 103-104) |
Professor Zedekiah Logan (or just "Zed") is a disembodied, zombified head that in his former life as a human was a well-respected psychotherapist.
Admits the chaos of the zompocalypse, Zedekiah was preyed upon by zombies or otherwise infected by the mysterious force reanimating the dead.
While typical re-animates lose nearly all sense of their former selves and the ability to speak, for mysterious reasons Zed retained his individuality once reanimated.
The nature of his death is unknown, but to add insult to zombification, Zed was decapitated in some manner. The torn flesh that clings to the remains of his neck suggest his head may have been gnawed off. In any case, Zed, ironically a "head shrink" in his former life, now found himself merely a head.
After an unrevealed and fantastical sequence of events, Zed found himself trapped within a pastry display jar and engulfed by the doughnut holes inside, within a dumpster nearby Cine-A-Sorrow Theater.
He remained there for an undetermined amount of time in idle torment. His advanced decomposition would suggest he was entrapped for some time until Topsy Bot 5000 through some means retrieved the pastry jar from the dumpster. Topsy then presented the jar to Johnny Cylon as a celebratory gift to commemorate the installation of his new head.
Rick and the 'bots gorged themselves on the doughnut holes (it is unclear how the 'bots ingested them), and were then highly disturbed to find Zed amonst the remaining pastries.
The 'bots wished to keep Zed as a morbid pet, and Rick agreed after restraining him once again within the pastry jar, confessing that he no longer had to follow CORPS' orders. This, of course, was before learning that Zed suffers from multiple personality disorder and is prone to hateful outbursts in which he threatens extreme violence and cannibalism to those around him in a homicial rage. Still, as of Episode 104, Rick hasn't destroyed Zed.
It is unknown if Zed's disorder exsisted before his zombification, but it seems a likely result because of the alternate personality's behavior.
Zed endured numerous hazing pranks at the hands of Rick and the 'bots in Episode 103, such as suffering a
Zed endures torment from Rick and the 'bots.
dosing of septic discharge, static electricity shock and many insults (such as "Professor Nutsack Head").
In Host Segment 5 of Episode 103, Rick and the 'bots seem to agree to leave Zed alone (although it appears they are insencere).
However, as of Episode 104, the hazing seems to have been totally abandoned and the other inhabitants of Cine-A-Sorrow Theater mostly ignore Zed, leaving him imprisoned to the hell of his jar. Although, it should be noted that Episode 104 is but a single day in the timeline of ICWXP and little could have actually changed in the way Zed is treated.
Character Overview
Zedekiah Personality
The dominate personality within "Zed the Head" is a civilized and refined middle-aged man that is presumably very much like he was before zombification. He claims he has "no issue suppressing his cannibalistic urges", and that "nothing is further from his mind", which may give evidence to the notion that he is unaware of his other viscous personality. Other comments this personality makes suggest he is unaware of or in denial of his disembodied condition.
This personality rarely wishes ill to others and only occasionally shows favoritism toward the undead. He even shows concern for Topsy when Rick pulls his handgun on him, pointing out that the "angle of trajectory will cause the bullet to ricochet and strike the talking waste-receptacle".
As for Zed's previous life as a human, he has revealed little. From statements made in Episode 103, Zed appears to have been an "accomplished and well-decorated" psychotherapist capable of diagnosing and treating "nearly every known psychiatric ailment known to modern man", to have minored in quantum physics, to speak over 13 languages, and to have the standing top score of the TPC at Sawgrass.
Through a coversation with Dr. Blackwood in Host Segment 5 of Episode 103, it is hinted that Zed either attended and / or taught at Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University or Penn Valley Community College at different points in his life, presumably meeting Blackwood during that time. The nature of their relationship would seem competitive, as Zed mocks Blackwood over the state his life is currently in.
Given that Zed is a professor, one can assume he was a teacher at one or more of the institutes listed above.
Zombie Personality
Zed during one of his homicidal rages.
Zed's alternate personality appears to be the direct embodiment of zombie blood-lust itself. It is concerned only with cannibalizing the living and hurls elaborate threats at those around it in a brutal rage.
Thankfully, it only emerges when certain triggers are present. So far, these triggers seem to be, but may not be limited to; close proximity to living human flesh and extreme anger. It first emerges when Rick places his hand on the outside of Zed's jar.
As seen in the Atlanta Horrorfest Web-Promo, Rick and the 'bots often provoke Zed's anger purposely to awaken this personality for their own mean-spirited entertainment[2].
This personality did not emerge in Episode 104, but it is safe to assume it has not gone dorment and was only absent because conditions did not arise to provoke it.
Inspiration
Contrary to much fan speculation, Zed is not an intentional nod to Jan in the Pan of MST3K.
Series creator Rikk Wolf has stated that the inspiration for Zed came from a scene featured during the credits of the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, where the surviving chracters discover a still-animated zombie head inside of a cooler.
Behind the Scenes
The puppet of Zed was created by professional puppet maker Sonny Vegas at the request of series creator Rikk Wolf. Rikk provided Sonny with a rough sketch and some basic instruction, leaving most of the creativity to him.
Rikk stated in the Ask a Cinema Warrior interview that Sonny used a Halloween zombie mask purchased at the Plattsburg, MO Pamida as a rough base for the puppet, and that the mask was in fact the first purchase made for pre-production on ICWXP.
Rikk went on to reveal that he intended Zed to be included on the show in its debut Episode, but that he was unable to come up with anything satisfactory on his own.
Rob Atwell, Nick Evans and Rikk Wolf have all taken turns at voicing the character. In all instances, however, Rikk provides the shrill Black-Metal inspired voice of Zed's zombie personality.
The Name
Zed's name is lifted from two different sources of inspiration. His given name of Zedekiah is taken from Sean Connery's character in the 1974 film Zardoz. His surname is taken from the assumed idenity of Marvel Comics character Wolverine.