Is Dr. Gordon in ‘Saw X?’

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Saw X.

At long last, the tenth installment in the ever-iconic Saw franchise has finally touched ground. Ever since early screenings last night, Saw X has immediately shifted wavelengths and become the latest sensation within the horror community. Centering around everybody’s favorite engineer-turner-torturer John Kramer, the spine-tingling tenth chapter delves further into Kramer’s iconic backstory and sheds lights on events which happened between Saw (2004) and Saw II (2005). 

Those aforementioned events showcase Kramer visiting Mexico after a fellow member from his cancer support group reveals a particular medical program which utilizes a specific drug cocktail and surgery to cure cases of terminal cancer. John, who is suffering from a malignant brain tumor, views the trip to Mexico as his last hope before he succumbs to the illness in a few months. 

The climax of the movie ultimately reveals that the program in Mexico is nothing more than a scam operation, leading John to call in a few favors from some recognizable faces in Amanda Young and, eventually, Detective Mark Hoffman. On that same note, eagle-eyed viewers have begun to question whether or not Dr. Gordon makes his own appearance in the movie.

Who is Dr. Gordon?

Viewers first meet Dr. Lawrence Gordon as an oncologist tasked with performing surgery on John Kramer after his diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. However, John soon learns that his tumor is inoperable and that Dr. Gordon isn’t as sensitive and caring as a doctor as he could be. Eventually, Dr. Gordon is trapped in an undisclosed bathroom in one of Jigsaw’s planned traps. To escape the trap, Dr. Gordon saws off his own foot and eventually escapes the bathroom.

After the eventual divorce from his wife and estranged relationship with his family, Dr. Gordon joins Jigsaw later down the line as a primary antagonist. Simply put, the Saw fandom wholeheartedly believe that Dr. Gordon had suffered from Stockholm syndrome and that, along with the crumbling of his marriage, led him back to John Kramer to serve as an accomplice.

Is Dr. Gordon in Saw X?

Long-time fans of the gruesome horror franchise will undoubtedly be saddened to learn that Dr. Gordon is not in Saw X. Despite trusted sidekicks such as Amanda Young and Mark Hoffman making their long-awaited returns, the timeline events in the movie insist that Dr. Gordon did not yet join Jigsaw as an accomplice. Seeing as the events in Saw X happen directly after Saw (2004), Dr. Gordon would have returned to his family in the hopes of repairing his marriage.

Actor Cary Elwes, who has famously portrayed Dr. Gordon over the years, responded to the chance of being in the tenth Saw movie earlier this year. In his response, Elwes wished the franchise and its creators well, but insisted that he is “not really involved” in the franchise at this point. Of course, you can never truly say never in regards to Hollywood, so perhaps die-hards will eventually come across Dr. Gordon again in the future. For now, it’s game over.

Saw X is currently playing in theaters now.