# Winner Ihjel — Planet of the Damned character guide

> Winner Ihjel in Planet of the Damned by Harry Harrison.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Ihjel, II Ihjel, Poor Ihjel

**First appearance:** 0001-planet-of-the-damned

## Snapshot

A grotesquely fat former Winner who bullies his way past doctors and locked doors, carrying secrets so heavy they make a planet's games seem like dust motes.

## Who they are

Ihjel was once Anvhar's champion, but the man who forces his way into Brion's hospital room is draped in soft fat, an impossibility on a world of athletes — only his burning eyes still hold the strength that won the games. He recruits Brion for a mission he treats as more important than rank, doctors, or the Twenties themselves, and his urgency is so absolute that Brion's insults slide off him unnoticed. Whatever Ihjel knows, he carries it like a man already spending his last days, and he needs a new Winner because he can no longer be one.

## Relationships

### [Brion Brandd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/characters/brion_brandd)

_professional_

Winner Ihjel is a mentor figure who guides Brion in his role as a planetary agent.

### [Lea Morees](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/characters/lea_morees)

_professional_

Lea works with Winner Ihjel as part of the same organization, sharing intelligence and resources.

### [Brion Brandd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/characters/brion_brandd)

_professional_

Winner Ihjel is a mentor figure who guides Brion in his role as a planetary agent.

### [Brion Brandd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/characters/brion_brandd)

_professional_

Winner Ihjel is a mentor figure who guides Brion in his role as a planetary agent.

### [Lea Morees](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/characters/lea_morees)

_professional_

Lea works with Winner Ihjel as part of the same organization, sharing intelligence and resources.

### [Lea Morees](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/characters/lea_morees)

_professional_

Lea works with Winner Ihjel as part of the same organization, sharing intelligence and resources.

## In the story

### [Planet of the Damned](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/chapters/planet-of-the-damned)

Recruits Brion and guides him on the mission to Dis.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/chapters/i)

Implied as the intruder who tried to see Brion the night before, speaking with urgency and authority.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/chapters/ii)

A former Winner now offworld, Ihjel is determined to recruit Brion for a mission to save seven million lives, using forceful persuasion.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/chapters/iii)

Ihjel admits to planting thoughts in Brion's mind and explains the true origins of the Twenties, recruiting Brion for a mission to save a threatened planet.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/chapters/iv)

Piloting the ship, managing the mission logistics, and using applied psychology to handle Lea's anger.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/chapters/v)

Briefs Brion and Lea on the crisis, reveals the Foundation's secret role, and expresses willingness to bomb Dis himself to protect Nyjord's nonviolent culture.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/chapters/vi)

Killed instantly by an ion rifle discharge during the ambush. His death leaves Brion and Lea stranded.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/chapters/viii)

Mentioned as the previous Anvharian Winner; Brion feels a debt of loyalty to him.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/characters/winner_ihjel
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/planet_of_the_damned_se/characters