It may seem as if Saw series, but that would be an incorrect assumption. This is because the story of the ninth installment in the franchise was only possible due to certain events that took place in the earlier movies.
It’s fascinating to see the domino effect of one decision that led to so many consequences, and Spiral’s villain, William Schenk, became the Jigsaw copycat as a result. All the characters from John Kramer, Logan Nelson, Mark Hoffman, Amanda Young, and Doctor Gordon are to be credited for influencing events that led to Spiral, and taking a deeper look into this reveals the overarching nature of the Saw series.
Jigsaw's Choice Of Using The Spiral Symbol
Willaim Schenk justified his act of copying Jigsaw by claiming the villain was right in his ideology of making people appreciate their lives. This came down squarely due to Schenk's interpretation of the spiral symbol that Jigsaw had created, as he argued that this represented Jigsaw’s philosophy.
The actual event of the conception of the spiral symbol was seen in a flashback in Saw III where Jigsaw drew it on Billy the Puppet. Even the villain wouldn’t have guessed at the time that his decision to go with this symbol would one day lead to Schenk considering him his idol.
The Death Of Jigsaw's Unborn Child
While it’s widely believed that his survival of the attempt at his own life influenced John Kramer to become Jigsaw, the truth is that none of the events of the entire series would have happened had he not lost his child.
It was after this event that John decided that he would make people pay for not taking initiatives with their own lives, with this leading into his legacy. As seen in Spiral, Schenk agreed that Jigsaw looked out for the people who didn’t get justice, meaning the loss of the child was instrumental in this coming to .
Jigsaw's Targeting Of The Police
Spiral saw Schenk’s main target be the police force that he deemed to be corrupt, which was actually a key detail carried from the original series. This was also Schenk copying Jigsaw, as the latter had conducted a large-scale targeting of cops.
This event had run from Saw II to Saw IV as part of Jigsaw’s elaborate plan to get the likes of Detective Matthews, Detective Kerry, Officer Rigg, and Special Agent Strahm off his back. Schenk was aware of how the law enforcement had fallen to Jigsaw and resolved to emulate him.
Logan's Copycatting Of Jigsaw's Original Game
It was mentioned by Zeke Banks that there had already been a copycat killer before the events of Spiral, which was a reference to Logan Nelson’s games that were seen in Jigsaw. Zeke also mentioned that the previous copycat had inspired others.
This means that Logan’s move of copying Jigsaw’s original was what specifically motivated Schenk to go through with his ploy of using the traps. Had Jigsaw not played out the way it did, Schenk wouldn’t have had a prior incident to push him into initiating his own games.
Jigsaw's Death At The Hands Of His Victim
Although the series has grown to comprise as many as nine films by this point, Jigsaw has been dead ever since Saw III. His demise came at the hands of Jeff Denlon, the man Jigsaw had in his final game and who killed the villain out of revenge.
By the timeline of Spiral, Jigsaw had become a martyr for those who bought into his philosophy, with Schenk being one of them. This was a result of Jigsaw getting killed while intending to continue with his message, which had the effect of garnering him sympathy from people like Schenk.
The Public Execution Trap Being Witnessed
Saw 3D opened with Jigsaw’s most ambitious trap yet, which involved a game taking place out in public where people could do nothing but watch. The intention behind this was to inspire others to follow Jigsaw’s cause by witnessing firsthand his logic of appreciating life.
This game also made Jigsaw’s activities public knowledge, leading to widespread fandom dedicated to him, as seen in the Jigsaw movie. Spiral confirmed this through dialogue about Jigsaw’s copycats, and it wouldn’t have been possible without his work being shown in such a public display.
Doctor Gordon's Disposal Of Hoffman
Hoffman’s role as Jigsaw’s successor made him so mad with power that he began killing people in cold blood. Jigsaw’s secret accomplice, Doctor Gordon, then made his move by sealing Hoffman to his doom in the Bathroom trap to end the games for a long time.
Had it not been for this, then Logan wouldn’t have been able to get away with copying Jigsaw’s games and William Schenk wouldn’t have been motivated to do the same. Schenk’s actions in Spiral were a result of Hoffman’s time as Jigsaw coming to an end, which was only possible due to Doctor Gordon’s disposal of him.
Amanda Young Devising The Inescapable Traps
Jigsaw would’ve been able to conduct his games for much longer had his identity not been outed due to Amanda. This was a result of Amanda creating inescapable traps after becoming Jigsaw’s apprentice, which the FBI caught on to and both John and Amanda’s identities became known to law enforcement.
In Spiral, Schenk claimed to be inspired mainly due to John’s past, which he would never have found out had Jigsaw’s identity not been revealed. To this end, Amanda’s act of not giving people a chance in their traps ultimately led to Schenk’s games.
The Use Of Billy The Puppet Becoming Public Knowledge
The use of Billy the Puppet is a recurring aspect in the series and its existence was also something people found out in the Public Execution Trap in Saw 3D, after which Billy became popular in the film’s universe as well.
While Schenk didn’t use Billy in his games -- the puppet was destroyed by Hoffman -- he copied the practice of using a puppet by creating one of his own. The new puppet was a nod toward Jigsaw’s trait of using Billy to relay his messages, meaning this was crucial to Spiral played out.
Zeke's Decision To Stay Quiet About The Shooting Of Schenk's Father
William Schenk’s turn into the Jigsaw copycat killer came about due to Pete Dunleavy’s murder of his father. This was shown in a flashback back to when Schenk was still a child, something that Zeke witnessed but instructed Schenk to be quiet about.
While Zeke’s personality was largely heroic, his decision to not help the child Schenk led to the latter growing up filled with contempt, eventually causing the death of Zeke’s father, Marcus. Schenk also showed that Zeke’s act was a direct result of what he became, as he copied the shushing gesture Zeke had once made toward him while escaping following Marcus’s demise.
