Warden Hartwell

Warden Hartwell is a moose and the warden of Zootopia Correctional Facility in We Can Fix Pawbert. A principled administrator in his fifties, Hartwell is described as tall even by moose standards, with antlers that have seen better days and eyes that have seen worse. He agrees to embed a ZSI operative into his facility to protect Pawbert Lynxley, and is killed covering the pack's extraction during a coordinated prison siege in S02E03.

"The breach points... they mapped the whole facility... not just his block..." --- Warden Hartwell's dying words (S02E03)

Background

Hartwell ran Zootopia Correctional Facility with a rare combination of competence and conscience. He wore his authority "like a coat that's getting threadbare"---a mammal grinding down under the weight of a system that was failing around him. When ZSI intercepted intelligence about coordinated threats against Pawbert, Hartwell agreed to the undercover operation that placed Luther inside the prison as "Rook," despite his reservations about trusting outside agencies over his own staff.

What set Hartwell apart from other administrators was his personal investment in the mammals under his care. He checked on Pawbert weekly during his first year of incarceration, making sure the lynx was adjusting and that no one was giving him trouble beyond the normal. He also reached out to Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps during their visits, quietly monitoring Pawbert's progress through the mammals who cared about him most.

Series History

Season 2

S02E01 "Rook"

Hartwell meets with Agent Corbin and Luther in his office, where Corbin presents intelligence about someone probing the facility---bribing guards, mapping schedules, and preparing coordinated threats against Pawbert. Hartwell is skeptical but pragmatic. He agrees to place Luther (as "Rook") in Cell 3C-22 next to Pawbert, recognizing that he cannot protect the lynx if he cannot trust his own staff. After the yard attack, Hartwell reviews the incident and receives a threatening phone call warning him that his "pest problem" is going to get worse.

S02E02 "Protective Custody"

Following the shower block assault---where five attackers gained access during a monitored rotation---Hartwell confronts Corbin and Officer Kett in his office, furious that his facility's security has been compromised. He discovers that trusted guards are being bribed and demands that ZSI accelerate the extraction timeline. His frustration is palpable: he is losing control of his own prison.

S02E03 "Extraction"

When a coordinated assault of forty-plus attackers with smuggled weapons turns ZCF into a war zone, Hartwell holds a checkpoint in the admin corridor to cover the extraction. A serval with an SMG and a mongoose with a pistol breach the door behind him. Hartwell takes three rounds before anyone can react.

Dying on the floor with Luther kneeling beside him, Hartwell delivers his final warning: the breach points mapped the whole facility, not just Pawbert's block. This observation---that the attacks were reconnaissance rather than simple assassination---becomes a critical intelligence thread that shapes the entire season's investigation.

Death

Hartwell is killed in the admin corridor of ZCF during the S02E03 extraction siege. He took three gunshots while holding a checkpoint to cover Luther and Pawbert's escape. His dying words revealed that the prison attacks served a larger purpose than targeting a single inmate, a truth that would not be fully understood until the voice authentication plot was revealed much later.

Legacy

Hartwell's death reverberates through the remainder of the season. In S02E04, Officer Kett and Nick Wilde share their grief over his loss during the property retrieval at ZCF. In S02E05, Pawbert recalls Hartwell's dying observation about the breach points as he pieces together the true scope of the threat. When Pawbert voluntarily returns to ZCF in S02E24, Officer Kett tells him: "Hartwell would've been glad. About the commutation."

Key Relationships

Pawbert Lynxley

Hartwell took a personal interest in Pawbert's wellbeing, checking on him weekly and monitoring his adjustment to prison life. He read the situation clearly enough to understand that Pawbert was more than a high-profile inmate---he was a mammal worth protecting. His sacrifice during the extraction was the ultimate expression of that conviction.

Luther Pawthorne

Though Hartwell knew Luther only as "Rook," a transferred inmate with a violent history, there was a flicker of understanding between them. Hartwell recognized the wolf as something more than what his cover story claimed, and trusted Corbin's judgment enough to place him in Pawbert's cell.

Agent Corbin

Hartwell's relationship with Corbin was professional and tense. He resented the implication that his facility could not protect its own inmates, but he was enough of a realist to accept help when the threats exceeded what his compromised staff could handle.

Officer Kett

Kett was one of the guards Hartwell trusted---a fifteen-year veteran who shared his warden's commitment to doing the job right. Kett carries Hartwell's memory forward, invoking his name when Pawbert returns to ZCF at the end of the season.

Key Quotes

Trivia

• He is the first named ally killed in the series.