Before American Primeval, Jim Bridger Also Appeared in This Oscar-Winning Western

Netflix ’s recent major hit, a new Western show American Primeval is an honest take on cruel events that occurred in the 1850s’ United States during the Utah War.

Following the heated conflict between the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other movements’ followers on the Utah territory, the series delves into a real-life big issue with real prominent figures stepping up into the action.

Though American Primeval’s plot does revolve around mostly fictional characters, it still shows one pretty much real participant of the events. A mountain man and wilderness guide who witnessed quite a few essential turning points in American history, Jim Bridger plays a key role in the story and, apart from American Primeval, also showed up in some other famous series and movies, with one of them being an actual Oscar winner.

The Revenant Is an Unlikely Prequel to American Primeval Thanks to Jim Bridger

With Bridger being a famous figure associated with the 1850s’ events, it’s not very surprising to see him meddling in shows and films somehow related to the real-life story. However, Alejandro Iñárritu’s 2015 hit Western drama gives a bit fictionalised and dramatised version of Bridger, in there portrayed by Will Poulter.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the movie follows fur trapper Hugh Glass who in the 1820s embarks on a mission to track down and kill the one who murdered his only son and also left Glass himself dying all alone in frozen forests not far from American Native villages.

As the plot progresses, it becomes clear that Glass had two companions named John Fitzgerald and Jim Bridger who also abandoned him trying to save their lives in a fierce pursuit of Native Americans.

Since The Revenant’s story takes place decades before American Primeval’s plot line unfolds, Iñárritu’s film might serve as a good addition to Jim Bridger’s life story, though, probably, not a very accurate one.

There’s No Proof for Jim Bridger Storyline’s Accuracy in The Revenant

Even though the movie using a real-life figure to move the plot along does seem like a claim for a precise depiction of the events, it’s still likely that Iñárritu introduced Bridger for mostly dramatic purposes.

Keeping the character’s plot twist in mind, it’s safe to say that Bridger’s betrayal of Hugh Glass might have been used to only highlight the latter’s loneliness in his fight for justice.

Additionally, some historical records point out that the character portrayed by Will Poulter was actually called Jim Bridges while Jim Bridger himself once stated that he’d had nothing to do with those events and never met Hugh Glass after all.

Whether it’s true or not, American Primeval’s fans still might consider giving The Revenant a rewatch since they now have a more profound knowledge about the show’s key figure.