He’s the guy in the bright red coat. Usually, he’s the one picking a fight or looking way too stylish for a man living in a damp forest. If you’ve watched any version of the Sherwood Forest legends, you know Will Scarlett. But honestly, most movies get him totally wrong. They treat him like a sidekick or the "young one," when the original ballads paint a much weirder, more complex picture of Robin Hood’s most reliable blade.
Will Scarlett isn't just "Merry Man #3." In the earliest stories, he’s actually one of the big three alongside Little John and Robin himself. He’s the fashion plate of the 14th century who happens to be a lethal swordsman.
The Problem With the Modern Will Scarlett
Most of us grew up with the Christian Slater version from the 90s—the moody, resentful half-brother. Or maybe the version from the BBC where he’s a sarcastic carpenter. While those are fun, they ignore the historical roots that made the character a fan favorite for 600 years.
Early English folklore, specifically the Gest of Robyn Hode (one of the oldest surviving texts), calls him "William Scatheloke." That name basically translates to "shatter-lock." It implies he was a guy who broke things, a literal jailbreaker or a man of raw physical force. Over time, "Scatheloke" morphed into "Scarlett," and his personality shifted from a brute to a dandy.
He Was More Than Just a Grumpy Teenager
In the 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, they made Will Scarlett Robin’s illegitimate brother. It added drama, sure. But it took away his agency. In the actual ballads, Will is often depicted as Robin’s nephew or a distant kinsman, but his loyalty isn't forced by blood—it's earned through a brawl.
That’s how almost every Merry Man joins the crew. They meet Robin in the woods, they beat Robin up (because Robin actually loses fights all the time in the old stories), and then they join the gang. Will’s "origin story" usually involves him wearing fine silk clothes and killing a deer, which pisses Robin off until he realizes Will is a beast with a sword.
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Why the Red Silk Matters
Why the red? It’s not just a fashion choice. In the medieval era, scarlet cloth was incredibly expensive. By wearing it in the woods, Will Scarlett was basically flipping the bird to the sumptuary laws of the time. These were laws that dictated what you could wear based on your social class.
If you were a peasant, you wore undyed wool. If you were wearing scarlet, you were either rich, noble, or a very successful criminal.
- The Rebellion Factor: Wearing red in a green forest is the opposite of camouflage. It says, "I'm here, come and get me."
- The Skill Level: You don't wear bright colors in a guerrilla war unless you’re confident nobody can touch you.
- The Noble Background: Many historians, like J.C. Holt in his seminal work Robin Hood, suggest that Will represents the "disinherited" class—knights or sons of gentry who lost their land to corrupt sheriffs.
Will Scarlett in TV and Film: A Mixed Bag
If you look at the 1950s Adventures of Robin Hood, Ronald Howard plays Will as a standard, cheery outlaw. Fast forward to the 1980s cult classic Robin of Sherwood, and Ray Winstone turns him into a violent, traumatized ex-soldier. Winstone’s Will Scarlet (spelled with one 't' there) is arguably the most "accurate" to the Scatheloke name. He’s angry. He’s scarred. He hates the system.
Then there’s the 2006 BBC version. They made him a master craftsman. It’s a bit of a departure, but it leans into the idea that these outlaws had lives before they were branded as criminals.
Honestly, the variation is the point. Because the Robin Hood legends were oral traditions long before they were written down, Will Scarlett is a bit of a linguistic chameleon. He’s whatever the storyteller needs him to be: the muscle, the heart, or the cynic.
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The Sword vs. The Bow
Robin is the archer. Little John is the staff-fighter. Will Scarlett is almost always the swordsman.
In the ballad Robin Hood and the Stranger, Will is found by Robin while he's out for a stroll. He’s described as wearing "silk of red" and "stockings of the same." Robin tries to bully him, but Will pulls a "fine broad sword" and nearly takes Robin’s head off. He’s the technical specialist. In a world of long-range archery, Will is the guy you want when things get close and messy.
The "Scathelock" Mystery
Some scholars think Will Scarlett and Will Scathelock were originally two different people who got merged by lazy poets. In the Gest, they appear in the same list of outlaws. Scathelock is the veteran, the one who knows how to break into a carriage. Scarlett is the young guy.
But by the 1600s, the names were interchangeable. It’s a classic example of how folklore evolves. We lose the grit (the lock-shatterer) and keep the flash (the guy in red).
It's kinda like how modern superheroes get rebooted. You change the outfit, you tweak the backstory, but the core remains the same. Will is the elite soldier of the group.
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What Most People Get Wrong About His Ending
People think the Merry Men all lived happily ever after when King Richard came back. The older stories are much darker. In many versions, the group eventually drifts apart or is betrayed.
Will Scarlett’s fate is rarely the focus, but in some of the local Yorkshire traditions, he is said to be buried at the Church of St. Mary in Blidworth. There’s an actual grave there that locals claim belongs to him. Whether a 14th-century outlaw is actually under that stone is up for debate, but the fact that people still visit it shows how much this character sticks in the craw of the English imagination.
Actionable Takeaways: How to Spot a "Real" Will Scarlett
If you’re diving into the lore or writing your own version of the legend, keep these nuances in mind to keep it authentic.
- Look for the Sword: If he’s just using a bow, the writer hasn't done their homework. He’s a bladesman first.
- Check the Attitude: Will shouldn't just be "happy." He’s the most likely member of the group to question Robin’s leadership. He’s the grounding force.
- Identify the Red: If he’s wearing red, it should be a sign of his defiance or his past wealth, not just a random color choice.
- The Name Game: If a story uses "Scatheloke," you're dealing with someone who knows the deep-cut 15th-century ballads.
The reality of Will Scarlett is that he represents the anger of the common man. He isn't a symbol of "charity" like Robin often becomes; he’s a symbol of the skill and rage required to survive a system that wants you dead. He’s the reason the Merry Men were actually dangerous.
To really understand the character, skip the modern blockbusters for a second and look up the Child Ballads. Specifically, Ballad 102. It’s where you see the transition from a man of fashion to a man of war. It shows a guy who refuses to take any crap from Robin Hood, which is exactly why Robin respects him.
Next time you see him on screen, look past the red tunic. You’re looking at the original rebel with a cause. He wasn't just a follower; he was the one who made sure the Sheriff of Nottingham actually had something to be afraid of when the sun went down in Sherwood.