WhilePrison Breakoften seems far-fetched, the background of its most tragic character is based on one of America’s biggest real-life mysteries.ThePrison Breakserieslasted for four seasons, a movie, and a reboot. Its success is partly due to the tension-filled escape plot, and partly due to the characters, who all have secrets of their own.Prison Break’s Fox River Eightare antiheroes at least and villains at worst. While it is hard to root for dangerous characters like T-Bag, one fan-favorite character came close to escaping, but died at the last moment.
10 inmates tried to escape, but two didn’t make it out, and one of them was Charles Westmoreland. Westmoreland was one of Fox River’s oldest inmates, and he was both gentle and compassionate, taking Tweener under his wing and keeping a pet cat. Westmoreland’s death was one ofthe most tragic moments inPrison Break, as he died of blood loss within reach of the open window to escape. While most ofPrison Break’s characters and storylines are works of fiction, Westmoreland is different, as both he and his backstory are based on real events.
Westmoreland Is The Only Prison Break Character To Be Based On A Real Person
Prison Break’s Westmoreland Is Based On The Plane Hijacker, D.B. Cooper
WhenPrison Breakwas released, two brothers tried to sue the network. They claimed that the story had been based on their experiences breaking out of a juvenile detention center and trying to clear one brother’s name. However, this has not been proven, andthe onlyPrison Breakcharacter confirmed to be based on a real person is Westmoreland.Westmoreland’s story is a fictionalized version of real events that are central to Michael’s escape. While the Westmoreland we see inPrison Breakappears to avoid drama, his backstory involves a daring escape that was very dramatic indeed.
While none of thePrison Breakcharacters are based on real-life killers, Dominic Purcell (Lincoln Burrows) filmed some of his scenes in the serial killer John Wayne Gacy’s cell.
Charles Westmoreland is a fictionalized version of the infamous plane hijacker, D.B. Cooper, who hijacked a plane in 1971 by claiming that he had a bomb in his briefcase. Cooper collected a $200,000 (around $1.2 million today) ransom when the plane stopped to refuel but kept the pilot onboard. After taking off again, Cooper parachuted out of the plane with the money. While Westmoreland spends most ofPrison Breakdenying that he is the hijacker, in one ofPrison Break’s most unexpected scenes, he produces a note from the original heist, proving that he really is D.B. Cooper.
The Identity Of D.B. Cooper Is One Of America’s Greatest Mysteries
Prison Break’s D.B. Cooper Twist Helps To Prove That Michael Scofield Is A Genius
The identity of D.B. Cooper has been debated for decades, and at the time, a popular theory was that D.B. Cooper was a trained paratrooper. However, this was rejected as the weather was too dangerous for an experienced skydiver to attempt a jump, and the identity of D.B. Cooper is still one of America’s greatest mysteries.Prison Breakexplained the mystery by giving Westmoreland an injured knee, which he hurt during the jump. He stole a car, but drove erratically due to his injury, leading to a fatal collision and vehicular manslaughter charge.
Prison Break’s Reboot Is Avoiding The Mistake That Killed The Original Show After Season 1
Prison Break might be getting a reboot at Fox, but it looks like it won’t be making the mistake that the original show did after season 1.
Whilethe hidden messages in Michael Scofield’s tattoocontain everything he needs to engineer his way out of prison, the human factor is harder to predict.Michael’sPrison Breakescape plan hinges on the cooperation of certain inmates, as he needs Abruzzi’s aircraft, Sucre’s loyalty, and D.B. Cooper’s money. The fact that Michael knows that Westmoreland is D.B. Cooper shows he is a true genius, as he has made connections between the leads that many people would not recognize. While Westmoreland finally told Michael the truth, he only revealed the location of the money at the last minute.
Who Gets D.B. Cooper’s Money At The End Of Prison Break?
Prison Break Never Tied Up Westmoreland’s Loose End
When Manche overheard Westmoreland telling Michael that the ransom was $5 million and not $1 million, he betrayed them to the guards after he was captured. This led to Bellick and Geary chasing after the money too, andPrison Breakseason 2 focused on the race to reach the hidden $5 million. While the remaining members of the Fox River Eight dug it up, T-Bag stole it and was pursued by Bellick and Geary. T-Bag hid a tracker with the money, stealing it back from them. Michael and Lincoln eventually got the money, but Agent Kim kicked it into the sea.
Prison Break: Everything We Know About the Upcoming Revival
A Prison Break revival is reportedly in the works, and this is what we know so far.
One of theharsh realities of rewatchingPrison Breakis discovering plot holes. The catalyst for Westmoreland joining the escape was his daughter, Anna, who was dying, and Westmoreland wanted to see her one last time. When he realized that he would die first, he asked Michael to visit Anna. Michael promised he would, and told Sucre that some of the money should go to her family.Prison Breakignored Anna’s (assumed) deathand the fact that Michael would have kept his promise. If there is one loose end for the proposedPrison Breakreboot to address, it is this.
