Hans' entire life has revolved around trolls. Every day has been a struggle with and for trolls. In many ways, he is a superhero here in Norway. What would we have done without him? That makes it all the more important for us that we make this movie.
Hans, also known as the Troll Hunter, is the main protagonist and the titular character of the film Troll Hunter. He is the only troll hunter in Norway. He was formerly enlisted in the Royal Norwegian Navy as a Ranger. After this, he was recruited by the Troll Security Service and has been affiliated with the service since at least the 1970s or before. He acts under the orders of the organization's director, Finn Haugen, though the two clash with each other very often. Before or during 2008, he allowed three students from Volda University College to accompany him throughout his journey as long as they would obey his every direction. He was last seen killing a Jotnartroll with a grenade launcher consisting of a very large amount of ultraviolet light and radiation. He mysteriously walked away from the students for unknown reasons.
Much of Hans' life before his career as a Navy Ranger is unknown. At some point, he enlisted in the Royal Norwegian Navy as a Ranger. Sometime after this, Hans explained that the TSS were "looking for someone could do their dirty work," coming across and hiring him. At some point, he met and befriended Hilde.
The Strynefjell Massacre[]
In the 1970s, the government of Norway ordered Hans and the TSS to exterminate a mountain troll territory in Strynefjell so they could build tunnels there. Despite it being a troll-rich area, and both Hans the TSS objecting to it, the government refused. Hans reluctantly killed all trolls within the area, including females, kids, and newborns who couldn't walk.
Throughout the film[]
Being Followed by the Students[]
That guy in the Land Rover is no bear hunter. If he's gunning for our bear, he's breaking the law.
— The lead bear-hunter telling the students about Hans.
The bear-hunters.
At the beginning of the film, Volda University College students Thomas Schøin, Johanna Pedersen, and Kalle Stensvik take off in their car to investigate bear tracks that were recently found in Volda, according to a radio report. A hunting party had arrived there earlier. Kalle interviews the primary bear hunter in Norway. He states that he knows every single licensed bear hunter in Norway and that the guy in the land rover cannot possibly be a bear hunter. He then states that he and his crew see him all over.
The young bear-hunter telling how he feels about Hans.
A young hunter says that if he sees him again, there will be consequences and then states that he believes he is nothing but a poacher. They ask another hunter what he would like to tell Hans, which he responds, "to lay his cards on the table." After leaving, the students see Hans' Land Rover in traffic and start to pursue him only to lose him later on. Thomas gives a speech saying that they know the troll hunter's name is Hans, but are unable to find his last name. He then asks the camera, "but what is he doing in Volda? Who is he?"
At the Campgrounds[]
Hans telling the students to "get lost."
After urinating off the side of a cliff, Thomas is yelled at by Johanna that Hans is staying at a campground. A man in a red jacket says that he doesn't know him, but that he is at the campground and then proceeds to show the students where he is staying. The man and the students note the foul smell of his RV. He says that Hans often drives off and stays out all night but that he's never back before sunrise. After staying up at night for a while, the students see Hans's vehicle pull up and plan to interview him directly. Thomas wants to know if they can ask him a few questions to which Hans ignores at first and says, "get lost." He then slams a door before Thomas. At night, Johanna plants a sound-recording device onto his RV. They listen and hear him talking to someone about finding "it" tonight. He then drives off with the students on his tail. The students use a night vision camera to look inside his RV.
Another Cover-Up[]
Hans killed another troll sometime after leaving. The students heard about it and drove to the scene where it was killed only to see another bear corpse surrounded by bear hunters and Finn Haugen of the Wildlife Board. The eldest hunter says that "the bear population is managed by the state, so a downed bear like this one causes quite a fuss." He thought that someone brought a bear to the place because the tracks didn't match up to that of a normal bear.
After waiting for hours, Thomas explains to the camera that Hans is finally moving and is heading towards the ferry. The students follow him and meet him on the ferry. Thomas tells Hans that they had met before and that they wanted to ask him some questions. Hans is apprehensive and walks away, telling Kalle to turn off the camera.
In the Forest[]
TROLLl!!!
— Hans yelling at the students.
Hans yelling "TROLL!!!" at the students.
The students find Hans' trail inside a forest and follow it. During the killing of one troll, Hans runs into them and yells "troll!!" at the students, prompting them to run along with him. After Thomas gets bitten, Hans gives him a tetanus shot where he was bitten. Hans gives the students a ride to their car. On the way there, Thomas asks if he said "troll," to which Hans does not reply. Upon seeing the destruction of Thomas' car, Hans gives them a ride. When asked if Kalle can film everything he does, Hans allows them on one condition: they do as he says no matter what he says, which they agree. He advises them to rub troll stench over their bodies to avoid body odor. While searching, he gives a phone call to Hilde, a veterinarian who requests him to get a blood sample of the Raglefant (or Ringlefinch) troll. While exploring the forest while leaving the students, he comes across a three-headed Tusseladdtroll and immediately tells the students to run. After being chased, Hans gets on top of his Land Rover and shoots a powerful UV lamp on the Tusseladd, turning it into stone. The students ask Hans numerous questions about the trolls and the TSS. Hans explained to the students that someone doesn't want anyone to know about the trolls, and asks them if they could get all of the footage on TV. In the morning, Hans blows up the remaining pieces of the troll's stone. Upon doing this, Finn orders him to find the Raglefant. Hans gives a short interview to the students about his job.
Breakfast[]
Hans explaining the different types of trolls.
After getting gas for the rover, Hans drives the students to get breakfast from the Jetta Kro Og Kafeteria. While eating at the table, the students ask him many questions, including how many types of trolls there are, variations in troll species (such as Tusseladd's three heads), how old they can get, and their intelligence. Hans reveals to the students that he was once a Navy Ranger, and after serving he was recruited by the Troll Security Service. Once they were all done eating breakfast, Hans and the students went around trying to find the Raglefant. Along the way, they encounter Finn live on TV being interviewed by many reporters, telling yet another cover-up. After the interview, Hans notices a tree bark that the Raglefant had gnawed on.
Confronting the Raglefant[]
Hans complaining about the "armor" he's wearing.
In his plan to lure out the Raglefant, Hans brings multiple land goats out onto a bridge, to the dismay of the students. The bait is successful, with the Raglefant eating one goat. Hans is then seen wearing a specialized troll "armor" and holding a syringe in his hands. He throws a bucket of Christian blood onto the bridge, hoping to bring out the Raglefant once more. When the Raglefant climbs up the bridge, Hans sneaks around to the creature's back, only to be up against the side of the bridge by the Raglefant's only arm. Hans, though rattled, gets back up to walk underneath the bridge and obtain the Raglefant's blood by causing it to explode with UV light.
Meeting with Hilde[]
Hans and Hilde hugging, saying bye to one another.
After collecting the Raglefant's blood, Hans and the students arrive at Årdals Smådyrklinikk, Hilde's vet. While there, Thomas asks her if they can have an interview with her. Hilde is at first reluctant to reveal anything on trolls, however, Hans explains to her that she can tell them everything and that he will take full responsibility should the TSS find out. As Hans and the students are about to leave, Hans and Hilde hug, saying bye to each other, prompting Thomas to get Kalle to film it.
Inside the RV, Hans explains that there are multiple possible mountain troll territories in Norway. In one territory, Thomas notes that because trolls haven't taken a bite out of a tire, they have not left that territory. After investigating potential territories, the group meets Finn at his residence, although Finn shuts the door on Thomas and the students. Hans walks out noting that Finn is still in denial, believing that the runaways from Dovre because they didn't appear on the satellite imaging. However, Hans corrects that statement by noting that trolls cannot be seen on satellite pictures anyway.
The local farmer being interviewed, noting that the TSS didn't say who they were.
Hans drives to investigate a group of trees that have fallen down at a local farm. Hans speculates that at least three trolls had trespassed there and ran northward. At night, Hans follows a trail that leads him and the group into an abandoned mine.
Inside the Abandoned Mine[]
Hans snoring.
Hans realizes that packs of trolls live inside the mine. The group hears loud thuds echoing inside the mine, prompting them to move. After almost being noticed by multiple Dovregubben, the group rests on the side of a wall. Hans can be seen sleeping and snoring during this short period of time. When Kalle starts to panic about being a Christian, Hans and the group tell him to calm down. However, Kalle refused to listen and begins to pray. The Dovregubben attempt to chase after the group. Hans defeats many of them by shining his UV bulb. While almost at the entrance, Kalle is killed by one of the trolls, though Hans tried to save him by shining his bulb at them. Later, Hans, Thomas, and Johanna give a moment of silence for the loss of their friend. Hans tells the two of them that he needs to go to Dovre to figure out why the trolls keep running away, offering them a ride should they want to quit.
After meeting with Finn, Hans and the two are seen waiting at a train station when a Muslim woman named Malika Malay-Olsen arrives who was hired to replace Kalle as the cameraman. Thomas gets concerned with her being a Muslim and asks Hans if trolls can sense Muslims. Hans is unsure if they can also sense Muslims, though it doesn't seem to phase him.
Hans attaching spikes to the landrover, in preparation of the Jotnar.
On their next drive, Hans is seen attaching large metallic spikes on the sides and roof of his landrover. Hans then drives to a huge field of destroyed trees. Hans tells Thomas that he believes a 200-foot Jotnar had chased the Dovre trolls down there. In a snowy area, Hans examines the power lines and reveals that they are actually electric fences for the trolls. A Jotnar had somehow broken through one of these fences, prompting Hans to visit the power grid workers. Inside the power grid, the power grid manager notes that several hundred meters of power lines were knocked over three weeks ago. The power grid workers were unaware of what could've caused it, as they do not know about the existence of trolls.
Hans recalling the Strynefjell massacre.
After this, Hans drives around the territory before settling down at a TSS cabin. While in the cabin, Thomas notices that Hans doesn't seem to enjoy entering troll territories and asks if there's any reason. Hans reveals that the government wanted to build a tunnel through a populated mountain troll territory in Strynefjell. The government placed him in the task of exterminating every last troll there, which he objected to. This included killing pregnant females as well as defenseless newborns.
The Pursuit of the Jotnar[]
"Hans, what are you doing?"
"I have to give him the finishing blow!"
"With that?"
"Yes. I hope you have all the footage you need. This road will lead you to the highway."
Hans delivering the final blow to the Jotnartroll.
An hour before sunrise, the group hears what sounded like loud quakes coming from outside the window. Hans runs out to his landrover about pursue the Jotnar. Before he can drive the landrover, his phone rings in the front seat, which Thomas answers for him. The caller is Hilde, letting him know that the Raglefant had rabies. Thomas then gives Hans the phone. After the call, Hans speculates that the Jotnar had spread rabies to the Raglefants and Dovregubben, and even Thomas. In his attempt to attract the Jotnar, Hans plays the Christian hymn "What a Freind We Have in Jesus" at a very loud volume. Hans is successful and uses the landrover's searchlight to shoot beams of UV light at the troll. However, it soon runs out of power. Hans pulls over to pick up the students and to fix the power cable. Once he does so, it angers the Jotnar again and prompts Hans to start driving again.
The last shot of Hans.
Along the way, the group picks up a seismologist off the side of the road. Hans stuns the Jotnar once more before getting back inside the landrover. While being chased, the Jotnar hits the side of the landrover, causing it to tip over and crash. Upon getting out, the students look at Hans, who explains that he has to give the beast the finishing blow. He tells them that he hopes that they filmed all the footage they needed for their tapes, and advises them to take the road that will lead them to the highway. Hans is ultimately successful in killing the Jotnartroll with his UV grenade launcher. However, he walks away from the group for unknown reasons and is not seen again.
Personality[]
Hans comes across as cold and unfriendly at times. He often complains about his job, calling it a "shitty job" and "dirty work." However, Hans has a friendly attitude to people that he's close to and has shown a soft spot at times. Hans is close to Hilde and can be seen hugging her before leaving her vet. He showed concern for Thomas and Johanna after Kalle died, offering them a ride if they wanted to quit with filming. He was also showed caring for the students' footage and explained where the highway was before he left.
Equipment[]
Cigarette Packs: Hans is a smoker and carries packs of cigarettes.
Flashlight: Hans holds a flashlight many times to help him navigate in the dark.
Binoculars: Hans can be seen looking through a pair of his binoculars while scouting the area for the Dovregubben, as well as when he is searching for the Jotnar.
Hans looking forward with his land rover in the back.
The upgraded version, featuring metallic spikes.
1/2
Landrover & RV: Hans' landrover is his main vehicle and primary method of transportation. Before taking on the Jotnartroll, he upgraded the rover by adding metallic spikes all over the rover. Inside, it contains a radio and some seats. There is a landmine in the front seat, though it's unarmed, according to Hans. On top, there is a searchlight which he can shoot ultraviolet light out of. The landrover has been damaged over time by trolls, with massive scratches on its sides. Connected to the rover is an RV that features a small kitchen, a table, troll skin, ingredients for troll stench, and UV light bulbs.
Armor: Hans wears a heavy "troll armor" around his body while confronting the Raglefant on the bridge. It is able to withstand attacks from trolls, as well as survive being bitten by them.
Grenade Launcher: Hans uses a specialized grenade launcher capable of shooting high amounts of ultraviolet radiation. The grenade launcher was used to give the final blow to the Jotnar.
Hans wearing sunglasses.
Sunglasses: Hans wears sunglasses often in order to protect his eyes from the UV light in his RV and his other weapons.
Sunscreen: Hans uses sunscreen to protect his skin from cancer that can be caused by the UV light bulbs in his RV.
Trivia/Notes[]
Hans was portrayed by Norwegian actor and comedian Otto Jespersen.
His last name is unknown, as the students never discovered it, according to Thomas.
It is unknown how he obtained the blood of Christians while luring the troll onto the bridge. However, it is possible that there were Christian employees in the Troll Security Service that donated their blood to help Hans.
Hans incorrectly signed the date of the troll death as 9/10/09.
A timeline error appears on Hans’s TSS report form, where it shows he signed the date of the kill as happening on October 9th, 2009 as the date, instead of being 2008 or before. In-universe, it could be explained that Hans simply made a mistake.
He is the only person to have ever seen a Jotnar, aside from the students at the climax of the movie.
It is possible that he and Hilde are in love with each other, as they give each other a big hug before he leaves her, in which Thomas and Kalle humorously take note.
