If you like post-apocalyptic stories, you are definitely familiar with the Judge Dredd universe. Judge Dredd, the title character, is a hardened street judge who presides over a dystopian planet and performs the functions of judge, jury, and executioner. He has some capable allies as well as some capable villains who thrive in the society’s gloom. This franchise has covered everything from comic books to live-action films, and fans and critics alike have praised the dark, gloomy stories.
Rico Dredd, Judge Dredd’s clone brother, is a lesser-known figure in the Judge Dredd world. Judge Rico and Judge Dredd are frequently confused, but they are not the same person. Rico Dredd is a clone of Judge Dredd who was created from Fargo, although Judge Rico is a completely separate persona. Rico Dredd’s tales are fascinating, and his character evolution is a fascinating comic book story arc. His defection from the righteous norms of justice, his encounter with Judge Dredd, and a slew of other stories make him a notable figure. We decided to show you a piece of the twisted Rico Dredd, who has walked both the path of goodness and the dark lane in this film. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to check out some of our other Judge Dredd-related videos.
Who is Rico Dredd?
Both Rico Dredd and Judge Dredd were cloned from the same genetic source, Chief Justice Fargo. For this reason, the appearance of Rico Dredd was somewhat similar to that of Judge Dredd and Fargo. He had the same chiseled looks, dark hair, and the same facial structure. However, according to one of the story arcs he spent some time imprisoned on Titan, and in order to adapt to the conditions there, his body underwent some changes. His skin and hair were bleached and disfigured, and cybernetic air-filter units were implanted to keep him alive.
Both Judge Dredd and Rico Dredd underwent an accelerated cloning process, where they emerged after only 16 months from the cloning tanks. Their development was similar to five-year-old children, and their knowledge and inbuilt training far surpassed their age. Soon, they were trained further in law enforcement, and they both flourished in training. Since Rico was removed a few minutes earlier from the cloning tank, he is the older of the two, and he referred to Judge Dredd, who was Joseph Dredd back then, as Little Joe.
Historically, Rico was one of the first Judge clones, and he was the best student at the Academy of Law. Although Judge Dredd is more popular in the franchise, Rico Dredd showed higher levels of skill early on. He graduated as the topper of the batch, and Joseph Dredd came second. However, the relations between the two brothers were quite healthy back then. In fact, Rico Dredd often helped his brother through the classes. When other cadets tried to bully them because of their special nature, the two brothers fought together.
After the Atomic Wars of 2070, he wanted to join the older cadets in order to remove the scum from the streets of Mega-City One. Both Joseph and Rico Dredd were special students, and they served well on the field as well. They were chosen to be a part of a raid on the White House, where they helped in deposing the corrupt President Booth. But the changes in Rico came soon after, and this created a distance between the two brothers as well.
It all started with a freak injury that Rico suffered from during his training mission in the Cursed Earth. He suddenly felt the need to prove himself as someone better than Joseph Dredd, and this competitive nature made him aggressive and underhanded. It soon corrupted his mind as well, and he often engaged in criminal activities after graduating. He would conduct extortions, and he never shied away from assaults and racketeering. Why was there a sudden change in his behavior?
Joseph suspected that it could be due to the exposure to radiation that Rico suffered during his injury. In the initial stages, Rico used to be worried about this as well, but his mind soon lost the ability to think rationally or righteously. He started believing that the Justice Department was a corrupt institution, and thus, it wouldn’t matter if he took care of his own selfish needs. Even the so-called good judges like Joseph had to use brute force, and Rico did not see through his own actions any longer.
What started as mild instances of corrupt activities soon went on to become more sinister in the form of acceptance of bribes to let criminal activities go unnoticed. He allowed some notorious gangs to operate as long as they did not blow his cover, and Rico soon made it a habit to accept bribes and run blackmail operations and extort money on the excuse of offering protection. His clone brother tried his best to persuade him to change his corrupt ways, but the advice simply fell on deaf ears. Rico Dredd soon took things up a notch when Judge Kenner started to suspect some foul play. He murdered Judge Kenner and dumped his body. Rico was now a completely changed man, and he loved flaunting his riches and continued with his corrupt lifestyle.
Rico Dredd had his own explanation for his corrupt practices. He believed that he was being less rigid about law enforcement, and his methods simply provided room for mercy. The bribes, according to him, were simply a way to make the crime lords think that they controlled him, while it was certainly not the case. He simply brushed aside his bad habits as perks of his difficult life, and his hatred towards Joe was explained as a side-effect of these habits. In fact, he even seemed to regret the killing of Judge Kenner, but overall, it all suggested that he was no longer in the right frame of mind. There are a few story arcs that portray him as maniacal, brutal, and quite a twisted man following the accident.
When Judge Dredd finds out!
Joseph had a fair idea about the corrupt practices of his brother, but he wasn’t aware of the true extent of his crimes. Once, he witnessed Rico murdering a café owner simply because he refused to pay him protection money. This was the last nail in the coffin and Judge Dredd arrested him. Rico did resist arrest and he even shot at Judge Dredd in order to escape. However, the shots were awfully off-target, which was quite uncharacteristic of Rico Dredd!
Based on his excellence during training, and his reputation as a perfect shooter, Joseph later theorized that somewhere deep within Rico was disgusted with the person that he had become. Shooting wayward and trying to evade arrest was simply an attempt to get himself killed in the process. In The Third Law story arc, we get to see Rico’s version of the whole thing. He claimed that he never wanted to kill the café owner, and simply wanted to injure him because he was a smuggler. Rico also claimed that he purposely missed Judge Dredd because he couldn’t bring himself to shoot his own brother!
Irrespective of what the actual thing was, Rico was sent to prison for twenty years. It was supposed to be twenty years of hard labor on the Titan penal colony. This is where he started to resent his brother, and he was furious about Joseph not testifying in favor of him. The Titan was a notorious place to serve a jail term, and it required a special Titan treatment to survive the harsh atmosphere and conditions. He was up to no good during his imprisonment term as well, and from killing guards to setting people up to die, he did it all. During his stay on the Titan colony, he even illicitly fathered a daughter named Vienna Dredd, with a reporter who was interviewing him.
In another instance, Rico found a crashed escape pod with an alien prince inside, and he sent out a distress signal asking the alien fleet to destroy the Earth. Judge Dredd was able to ward off the attack at the last moment by posing as Rico Dredd. By the time Rico returned after serving his sentence, he simply sought vengeance from his brother. He went up to Judge Dredd and challenged him to a duel.
Rico was confident about his superior skills and he believed that Judge Dredd would be no match for his skills. However, he did not account for the weakness that had stepped into his body after his long stay at the Titan. He was slower than usual, and this gave Judge Dredd the opportunity to shoot him dead during the duel. After killing his brother, Judge Dredd lived on with the traumatic memory. Luckily, Rico’s daughter never blamed him and believed that there must have been a very good reason for killing him in the first place!
Rico Dredd Alternate Versions
There are several story arcs featuring Rico Dredd, and many alternate versions are rather interesting. In Dredd Dominion, we see a world, where Judge Dredd executed Rico straightaway without arresting him. This caused him to lose his mental stability, and we were witness to an insane version of Judge Dredd. Unknown to him, Rico somehow survived the attack, and he worked alongside Judge Cal to overthrow his brother.
Another alternate version shows that Rico survived and his influence steadily began to grow. He became the top enforcer of the corrupt Justice Department, but there is a slight chance that this was just a dream. When Judge Dredd consumes certain hallucinogens, he imagines a world without himself. Rico is shown to be extorting the city using vital medicines so that they make him the chief judge.
Another alternate universe explores Rico’s brutal revenge on his brother. He was kept frozen in the vaults, and Rico would wake him up every year to take another pound of flesh. In this instance, he joined a bunch of Judge Dredd’s finest enemies for a deal that would give him the pleasure of killing his brother slowly and painfully. However, Dredd finally emerges victorious, and Rico curses him with his last breath.
Rico Dredd in Judge Dredd (1995)
The 1995 Judge Dredd movie portrays Rico Dredd as a psychopath. The story is about the heroic Joseph Dredd, who must prove his innocence after being framed for murder by his own half-brother Rico Dredd! He is shown to break free from prison, and he comes back to Mega-City One to start his own vigilante justice, the psychotic way. After a few mysterious deaths, Judge Dredd becomes the prime suspect because all the evidence is neatly arranged to point toward him. Judge Griffin takes up the role of Chief Justice, and Rico is instructed to cause havoc throughout the city.
While Judge Dredd is all set to be killed in captivity, Fargo saves his life, but he is mortally wounded in the process. He reveals that Judge Dredd and Rico Dredd were the results of the same experiment that sought to create the perfect judge. Since Rico had identical DNA, it was easy for him to frame Judge Dredd, and now, he must find a way to stop his maniacal brother. Meanwhile, Rico murders several judges and becomes a terrifying figure in Mega-City One. It all boils down to an iconic final fight between the two brothers on top of the Statue of Liberty. Finally, Rico falls to his death, and justice is restored.
This was an interesting portrayal of Rico Dredd, but we feel like there is a lot more to this character than what has been explored! The numerous comic book stories and the multi-sided personality of Rico make him a very exciting antagonist, and we certainly hope that future films will bring more of this maniacal character!