Hoffman was the original successor to John Kramer's Jigsaw in the Saw franchise, but that role should have been filled by another character. Saw wasn't supposed to spawn a sequel, and if it had been, creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell likely wouldn't have given that made the character a terminal illness. Tobin Bell's Jigsaw built deadly traps designed to test his victim's will to live - and pain endurance - but by the end of Saw III, he was killed himself. His replacement was revealed to be Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), a secret apprentice who acted as the main villain for Saws IV to VII.
While Kramer still featured in flashbacks in later Saw movies, his absence was keenly felt. It didn't help that Hoffman was kind of a dull character. He had none of the emotion or pathos of Kramer, and outside of seemingly enjoying the pain he inflicted, little reason to carry on with the Jigsaw mantle. If the series had to continue past Kramer's demise, it should have made Amanda (Shawnee Smith) the new Jigsaw. Despite her love for John, she was shown to be conflicted when testing victims, feeling they all deserved to die. This would have made for a more interesting dynamic moving forwards.
Saw's Amanda Could Have Been A Rare Female Slasher Icon
Saw III instead killed off both John and Amanda, with the twist revealing that Saw V's most compelling subplot, but he wasn't given any real development beyond this. Having Amanda inherit the Jigsaw mantle would have required a rewrite of the third movie, but it would have been to the franchise's benefit.
After appearing briefly in the original film as one of Jigsaw's surviving victims, the next two Saw outings built up Amanda's role. The oddly warm paternal relationship she built with John was rich dramatic material for Saw III also. Had she continued to Saw IV, watching her struggle with her own sense of justice while deg Jigsaw traps and trying to honor John's legacy would have made for a more compelling narrative. Hoffman's belated introduction hurt the latter Saws, while not only would Amanda have made a natural fit, but becoming Jigsaw would have made her an all too rare female slasher icon.
Hoffman's Unresolved Saw Fate
Saw VII saw Hoffman on the run after being exposed as the new Jigsaw and practically becoming the Terminator in the process. He met his end when Cary Elwes' Dr. Gordon - who was ALSO revealed to be a secret Kramer apprentice - locked him in the bathroom from the original Saw, leaving him no chance of escape. While the character presumably died of starvation, his fate wasn't confirmed in either 2017's Bell returning for Saw X, maybe the sequel will also reveal Hoffman is still alive, as he at the very least deserved a more dramatic end.
