Aside from Dr. Oliver Thredson, Dr. Arthur Arden (James Cromwell) served as a main antagonist throughout Asylum. The chief physician at Briarcliff was also a Nazi war criminal, a fact that he tried to keep a secret. Dr. Arden had a history of performing inhuman experiments on the patients before leaving their mutilated bodies on the grounds of the property. Though a few patients, including Jude, caught wind of his Nazi identity, he made every effort to keep the truth hidden. When his experimentation was deemed a failure in the eyes of the aliens, Dr. Arden gave up on himself. The death of Sister Mary truly put him over the edge. While cremating her body, Dr. Arden climbed into the furnace to kill himself.