Jump to content

A Grand Conspiracy?


Recommended Posts

In many of the adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes, Moriarty becomes a greater fixture in the Holmesian universe. He is a mastermind behind the scenes in many more of the detective's cases than the canon stories suggest. Most even have Irene Adler becoming Moriarty's puppet or pawn at some point. I've never liked that idea. For me, Adler's complete separation from Moriarty in the canon only made her more of an idol for Holmes. 

How do you feel about the Moriarty the Great Mastermind trope? In your headcannon, did he have a hand in many more of Sherlock's cases than the canon implied or were most of his exploits elsewhere and removed from Holmes's reach?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Taking the canon at face value, one could either say that Moriarty was involved only twice (near as I recall), once in The Final Problem of course, plus being mentioned in another story -- or one could say (because Holmes described him as a great criminal mastermind) that he could have figured behind the scenes of a great many cases.  I guess I'd take the latter, and it might be fun to figure out how he might have fit into some of the other pre-Final-Problem canon stories.

But I reject wholeheartedly any suggestion that Irene Adler was connected in any way with Moriarty or his organization.  In the first place, I see no hint of it in "Scandal in Bohemia."  One could I suppose say that he put Irene up to her romance with the King, but I don't see how her actions could have furthered his ends.  Plus Irene seems a perfectly honorable and very astute woman who would neither be interested in a liaison with a criminal nor duped by the likes of Moriarty.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   0 Members, 0 Anonymous, 47 Guests (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of UseWe have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.Privacy PolicyGuidelines.