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The Handmaid’s Tale has introduced its fair share of unsettling figures over the years, but none have shaken things up quite like Commander Wharton. Played by Josh Charles, Wharton isn’t your typical Gilead authority figure.
Commander Wharton's not an aging zealot clinging to outdated ideals, nor is he a bumbling politician trying to balance brutality with PR spin. Instead, he’s sharp, methodical, and terrifyingly composed - a man who believes he can not only uphold Gilead’s dystopian rule, but refine and optimize it.
At first glance, he may not seem as outwardly threatening as some of his predecessors. There are no wild rants, no public punishments to prove a point - but that’s exactly why he’s so chilling.
Wharton is a calculated operator - he doesn’t just enforce Gilead’s cruel order, he studies its flaws, tweaks the machinery, and turns it into something more efficient...and even harder to stop.
In a world already built on control and repression, Wharton represents the next evolution - one where oppression is rebranded as reform, and resistance becomes a statistical problem to solve. Let’s break down why this makes him the most dangerous man in Gilead.
Josh Charles’ Commander Wharton in The Handmaid’s Tale
1) He’s young, smart, and sees the bigger picture
Most of Gilead’s commanders look and act like relics of a fading era - they’re often predictable, self-important, and emotionally compromised. Wharton, by contrast, comes in with clarity and vision.
Commander Wharton is not weighed down by nostalgia or rigid tradition, he sees Gilead for what it is - a system that can be restructured, not overthrown. His youth plays in his favor, and he brings a different energy to the regime - one that’s strategic instead of paranoid.
While others scramble to maintain their grip on power, Wharton carefully lays the groundwork for a longer game. He isn’t interested in short-term dominance - he’s thinking about how to make Gilead not just survive, but evolve into something even more ironclad.
2) He weaponizes psychology, not just power
What sets Wharton apart in The Handmaid’s Tale is how he deals with people. He doesn’t need to yell, threaten, or perform rituals of dominance - instead, he disarms his opponents with quiet intensity. Commander Wharton studies them, listens just enough, and then uses what he learns to keep them off balance.
Unlike Fred Waterford, who wanted admiration, or Commander Putnam, who flaunted authority like a trophy, Wharton doesn’t care about recognition. He’s more interested in control - and not the loud kind. He uses psychology to trap people, and you don’t even realize you’re cornered until it’s too late.
This is particularly terrifying because it means resistance leaders like June aren’t just fighting brute strength anymore. They’re up against someone who’s several steps ahead, working in silence, and playing the long game.
3) He doesn’t make the same mistakes
One thing you notice quickly with Wharton is how carefully he avoids the classic pitfalls. Power-hungry commanders like Putnam grew careless, Waterford’s ego made him vulnerable...even Commander Lawrence, for all his intellect, constantly wavered between logic and guilt.
Commander Wharton doesn’t waver - he doesn’t gloat, he doesn’t lose sight of his mission, and most importantly, he learns from others’ downfalls.
He knows how to maintain the illusion of order while quietly pulling the strings. He doesn’t broadcast his moves - he plays it cool, adapts quickly, and makes sure no one sees the punch coming. That makes him not just effective, but nearly impossible to predict or outmaneuver.
4) He’s not a fanatic...he’s worse
At first glance, Wharton doesn’t appear to be deeply religious like many other Gilead leaders - he doesn’t hide behind scripture or use divine justification as a crutch. That might sound like progress, but it’s actually the scariest thing about him.
Commander Wharton uses religion when it benefits him, then discards it when it doesn’t. He’s not bound by dogma, which makes him far more flexible - and more dangerous. He treats Gilead like a machine to optimize, not a holy order to defend. In doing so, he strips it of whatever predictability it had.
This level of cold pragmatism means he’ll do whatever it takes to keep control. If scripture helps, great...if not, he rewrites the rules. There’s no moral code guiding him - only outcomes.
5) He knows how to sell evil as progress
Wharton doesn’t just rely on control, he repackages it. He presents himself as the future of Gilead: sleek, calm, and rational. He speaks the language of reform, but underneath it all is the same old rot - just better disguised.
In many ways, he mirrors the kind of authoritarian leader who wins people over with polished words and logical-sounding plans. He doesn’t rant about purity or divine judgment - he talks about “efficiency,” “stability,” and “rebuilding with structure.”
And that’s how oppression can sneak back in - even when people are trying to move past it. Commander Wharton's version of Gilead is easier to digest on the surface, but just as brutal underneath...maybe even more so.
6) He sees June as a threat - and respects that
One thing that makes Wharton especially chilling in The Handmaid’s Tale is how seriously he takes June. He doesn’t dismiss her as just another rebellious Handmaid - he knows what she’s done, he knows how smart and dangerous she can be, and he treats her accordingly.
This respect doesn’t make him sympathetic, it makes him calculating. He doesn’t underestimate her, and that makes him harder to beat. Commander Wharton doesn’t react emotionally - he observes, he waits, he sets traps.
For June and the resistance, this means the usual tactics won’t work. Wharton isn’t just another enemy - they’re dealing with someone who thinks like them, but without their moral compass.
7) He’s the perfect face for a new kind of tyranny
If Gilead ever collapses, or morphs into a new society - Commander Wharton is the kind of leader who’ll survive the fallout. He knows how to adapt, how to shift his tone, and how to rebrand himself when needed.
He might emerge not as a fallen tyrant, but as a “moderate reformer,” quietly reinstating control under a different name. That’s why he’s so dangerous - he doesn’t just thrive in Gilead, he could thrive after it too.
He represents a version of evil that doesn’t scream or stomp around...it smiles, it listens, it promises better days ahead - while tightening the grip behind the scenes.
Conclusion
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Commander Wharton isn’t your typical villain, he’s something far more insidious. With brains, patience, and zero attachment to morality, he’s redefining what tyranny looks like in Gilead.
As The Handmaid’s Tale heads into its final act, one thing’s clear: the most dangerous enemy isn’t the one yelling orders - it’s the one quietly rebuilding the machine, one calculated step at a time.
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