Needleman

Needleman, also known as Stabby McPoke-Poke, is a major antagonist in St. Abraham. He is arguably the most iconic monster in the game. He is usually depicted as being exceptionally violent; in several cutscenes, he is shown disemboweling a man strapped to a surgery table and putting a prisoner in the electric chair. He takes the role of a punisher, who murders whoever The Hallowed thinks is unworthy of living. He also has a doll in his likeness in The Nursery.

He also appears as a playable character in Toshiko's 4-player brawler, Toshiko Crash-Up. He is a slow-moving powerhouse who can attack with his Mace and his Lancer, as well as summon the SmileBeast, the Rag Wraith, the Martyr, and The Hungry One to autonomously attack opponents on his behalf. Slaughterman and the Needleman Doll appear as his alternate costumes.

He later appears in St. Abraham III, after being absent in the second game.

Appearance
Needleman was designed with the unknown in mind, so his design involves a mask to cover his face, making him seem more inhuman. Needleman wears a rusty steel mask that encompasses his entire head. Rusty metal spikes jut out from the helmet, suggesting pain. Needleman wears a dark blue suit of what appears to be chain-mail armor. He wears large silver leather gloves and gray boots. He has a belt around his waist with a Mace clipped to it. He also carries his signature Lancer, a bloody, rusty, 6-foot jousting lance, on his shoulder.

St. Abraham
Needleman is one of the major antagonists in the game. He first appears in the Surgery Ward, behind the glass wall of an operation room. He paces back and forth until you approach the window, at which point he will face the window and stare at you. He is non-aggressive at this point. He later appears in the Warehouse Maze, chasing Jay Donovan through the maze. One of his most prominent appearances is in a cutscene that plays when you leave the sewers. The cutscene shows Needleman brutally murdering Bill Johnson. He later appears in the Brivega Shrine, where he attacks Jay for a while before eventually disappearing. The last time he appears in is the Mirror Maze, where you must escape the maze while avoiding him.

Toshiko Crash-Up
Needleman appears as a playable character in Toshiko's 4-player brawler, Toshiko: Crash-Up. He is a slow-moving powerhouse character who is mainly melee. The Red button utilizes his Mace attacks, the Yellow button utilizes his Lancer, and the Green button summons either the SmileBeast, the Rag Wraith, the Martyr, or The Hungry One to assist him, depending on the directional input. His Crash Attack involves summoning the god Brivega, who can exhale clouds of Poison Gas at opponents, killing them instantly if they remain in the cloud for at least two seconds.

The Slaughterman and the Needleman Doll appear as his alternate costumes. The Rag Wraith appears as his DLC costume.

St. Abraham III: Reunion
Needleman also appears as a major antagonist in St. Abraham III: Reunion, fulfilling the same role as he did in the original game and the Slaughterman did in the second game.

Symbolism
Needleman symbolizes fear in general. His namesake spikes and Lancer symbolize one of the most common fears of all, a fear of needles. His role as an executioner symbolizes a fear of pain or punishment. The fact that his face is covered refers to Xenophobia, a fear of something foreign, or in this case, inhuman.

Trivia

 * Needleman is given the nickname "Stabby McPoke-Poke" by Jay Donovan, when Jay first meets Bill Johnson.
 * Needleman's design was inspired by Pinhead, the main antagonist of the Hellraiser franchise.
 * Needleman's original design included spikes of bone that protruded from beneath his suit.