Jason made his first cinematic appearance in the original Friday the 13th on May 9, 1980. As well as the films, there have been books and comics that have either expanded the universe of Jason, or been based on a minor aspect of him. Jason Voorhees first appears during a nightmare of the main character Alice Hardy ( Adrienne King) in the original Friday the 13th film he becomes the main antagonist of the series in its sequels. Jason Voorhees's hockey mask is a widely recognized image in popular culture.

Several toy lines have been released based on various versions of the character from the Friday the 13th films. Jason Voorhees has been featured in various humor magazines, referenced in feature films, parodied in television series, and was the inspiration for a horror punk band. Some interpretations suggest that the audience has empathy for Jason, whose motivation for killing has been cited as being driven by the immoral actions of his victims and his own rage over having drowned as a child. Since Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, filmmakers have given Jason superhuman strength, regenerative powers, and near invulnerability. The trademark hockey goalie mask did not appear until Friday the 13th Part III. Tom Savini's initial design has been the basis for many of the later incarnations. The character's physical appearance has gone through many transformations, with various special makeup effects artists, including Stan Winston, making their mark on the character's design.

Kane Hodder is the best known of the stuntmen to portray Jason Voorhees, having played the character in four consecutive films. Since Lehman's portrayal, the character has been represented by numerous actors and stuntmen, sometimes by more than one at a time this has caused some controversy as to who should receive credit for the portrayal. The character has primarily been an antagonist in the films, whether by stalking and killing the other characters, or acting as a psychological threat to the protagonist, as in the case of Friday the 13th: A New Beginning. The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, video games, comic books, and a crossover film with another iconic horror film character, Freddy Krueger. Cunningham and Tom Savini, Jason was not originally intended to carry the series as the main antagonist. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. He first appeared in Friday the 13th (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer Mrs. Jason Voorhees ( / ˈ v ɔːr h iː z/) is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series. Ken Kirzinger as Jason Voorhees in Freddy vs.

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