Killbane

Template:Infobox character Eddie "Killbane" Pryor^[1] is a character in Saints Row: The Third and Saints Row IV.^[2]

When these hands are crushing your throat, your dying breath won't be an appeal to God. It'll be "Thank you, Killbane."

— Killbane to The Protagonist^[3]

Description

He's obsessed with his legacy [...] In some ways, he's like a dark mirror to the player.

— Steve Jaros, lead writer of Saints Row: The Third

Killbane is the leader of the Luchadores, and along with Matt Miller, Viola and Kiki DeWynter, and Phillipe Loren, a member of The Syndicate.^[4] He is also a professional masked wrestler and one of the main antagonists in the game alongside Cyrus Temple. Killbane is a tall, muscular man who wears a Lucha libre mask with matching green clothes, whether his wrestling tights or a custom-made business suit. He never removes the mask, as per Lucha libre tradition, but the player can choose to humiliate Killbane by unmasking him in Murderbrawl XXXI. Lead writer of Saints Row: The Third, Steve Jaros, explained, "[Killbane's] always embracing that luchadore spirit and never wants to let it go".^[1]

Killbane is an extremely egotistic, violent and short-tempered man. He considers it highly disrespectful when people call him "Eddie" rather than "Killbane", which is one of the main reasons he abruptly and hastily kills Kiki DeWynter (also because she threatened to leave the gang entirely). Immediately after, he patronizes a distraught Viola DeWynter by offering her tickets to Murderbrawl XXXI.

Early in his career, Killbane beat an opponent to death during a match and subsequently fled to Mexico,^[1] where he befriended fellow Lucha libre Angel De La Muerte. As tag-team partners, they were known as "The Pale Riders" and won four consecutive championships, 1996-1998. They were also in business together as restaurant and casino owners, after Killbane returned to the United States and Angel accompanied him (Angel's Gym was one of their former casinos, much like the still-operational 3 Count). Killbane was approached by Phillipe Loren while he was still Angel's partner.^[5] As years went by, Killbane tried to overshadow Angel by taking the nickname "The Walking Apocalypse" for himself and dubbing Angel "The Herald of the Walking Apocalypse". Their friendship ended around 1999-2000 when Killbane challenged Angel to a match, Killbane won and removed Angel's mask. Angel left wrestling entirely out of shame, and reclusively trained in an abandoned casino once owned by the duo.^[1]

Biography

Saints Row: The Third

File:Killbane's face Murderbrawl XXXI.png

Killbane's face in "Murderbrawl XXXI" in Saints Row: The Third.

By the beginning of Saints Row: The Third, Killbane is still the leader of the Luchadores, and upon arrival of the 3rd Street Saints in Steelport, is instructed to gather his forces and bring the head of The Protagonist to Phillipe Loren (something he never ends up trying to do for some reason).

After the Saints kill Loren, Killbane assumes full control of the Syndicate, despite objections from Kiki and Viola. He soon proves to be a far less effective leader than Loren was, making the DeWynters do most of the work, and violently lashing out against anyone who says something he doesn't like (a trait which scares the hell out of Matt Miller).

Eventually the DeWynters grow tired of Killbane's ineffectiveness as a leader, along with his ego, and decide to leave the Syndicate. Before they do, Kiki insults Killbane by calling him "Eddie", which angers him enough to grab her by the throat, and snap her neck right in front of Viola and Matt Miller. Killbane then advises Viola to remain in the Syndicate or suffer the same fate as her sister, to which she complies. Viola DeWynter later seeks vengeance on Killbane for Kiki's murder by defecting to the Saints, and giving them valuable information on the Syndicate's activities.

By the events of the mission "Live! With Killbane", things really begin to heat up between Killbane and The Protagonist. Killbane feels that the best way to hurt the Saints is to tarnish their reputation. To accomplish this, he arranges a private interview with Jane Valderamma, and gives her some fake (but believable?) footage of Shaundi, Pierce, and The Protagonist destroying a suspension bridge in Stilwater. During the "live" interview, Killbane accuses the Saints of being criminals, not heroes, and encourages the citizens of Steelport to look down upon them.

Kinzie Kensington gets wind of the interview and calls Shaundi and The Protagonist to her location at Smiling Jack's. The Protagonist sees what Killbane is doing, and vows to destroy him for it by any means necessary. Using Kinzie's helicopter, they begin flying around the city (with Shaundi) in an attempt to track the source of Killbane's broadcast signal. When the Saints finally catch up with Killbane and attempt to put a bullet in his head, Matt Miller suddenly intervenes by hacking into the flight computer of their helicopter, and overloading it with an EMP. This causes The Protagonist to lose control of the aircraft just as they had Killbane right where they wanted him. Killbane escapes, and The Protagonist vows to get revenge on the Deckers. Killbane meanwhile, is a winner on that day, for public opinion of the Saints quickly turns to "hatred" and "contempt".

The increasing conflict between the Saints and the Deckers erupts into a full-scale war which ultimately results in Matt Miller's humiliation and defeat. After striking a bargain with The Protagonist, Matt is allowed to live, but he quickly realizes that working for Killbane is a death sentence waiting to happen. So, fearing for his life, Matt politely requests his resignation from the Syndicate. Surprisingly, Killbane happily grants the request, and offers himself to Matt as a reference.

About two-thirds into the story, after eradicating most of the competition in order to compete in Murderbrawl XXXI, The Protagonist faces off in a wrestling match against Killbane alongside Angel De La Muerte. After winning the fight, the choice is given to either unmask him and bring great shame, as well as getting Killbane's mask available to wear. Or letting Killbane keep his mask and learn the secrets of the Apoca-Fist. Either choice leads Killbane to become extremely angry and promise to burn Steelport.

In the following mission, Killbane's Luchadores engage in an all-out war with the Steelport Police and STAG forces throughout the city as Killbane himself attempts to escape in his personal jet at Wesley Cutter Intl airport. Due to a plot occurring at the same time by STAG lieutenant Kia to frame the Saints for domestic terrorism, The Protagonist is forced to either confront Killbane, allowing Shaundi and Viola to die in the process, or allow him to escape in order to rescue the captured Saints.

Endings

File:Three Way Killbane.png

Killbane flees.

Kill Killbane

In the Kill Killbane ending, The Protagonist meets up with Angel, grab a car, and pursue Killbane's jet across the runways at Wesley Cutter Intl, ultimately destroying the plane before it can take off.

His escape plan ruined, Killbane emerges from the smoldering wreckage and starts making a mockery of The Protagonist for becoming obsessed with money; stating that they "Did it all only for the paycheck". He finishes by promising to make The Protagonist's death the most miserable experience of their life. The Protagonist responds by saying that they can't wait to shut Killbane up for good. A quick-time event occurs where The Protagonist brutally beats Killbane before proceeding to snap his neck, killing him.

Killbane's demise effectively brings about the end of the Syndicate, but Shaundi and Viola are killed as a result of the bomb which destroys the statue on Magarac Island. Afterwards The Protagonist calls Pierce and states that the fighting is finally over to which Pierce asks them if it was worth it in the end. The Protagonist says nothing, and stares at the burning wreckage of Magarac Island, the final resting place of their comrades.

Save Shaundi

In the Save Shaundi ending, Killbane is allowed to escape from Steelport.

During the following mission "Gangstas in Space", the Saints name the villain of their film Gangstas in Space after Killbane. The character "General Killbane" is played by a practically identical actor. Though General Killbane claims that he is The Protagonist's father (a la Star Wars), The Protagonist gruesomely impales General Killbane with a lava crystal.

As the "Save Shaundi" ending is the official ending, Killbane is still alive at the end of Saints Row: The Third.^[6]

Saints Row IV

File:Matt Vs Killbane SRIV.jpg

Killbane in Matt Miller's simulation.

A virtual figment of Killbane appears in Matt Miller's nightmare simulation. The Protagonist plays a text adventure in order to rescue Matt from Zinyak's clutches, and helps him stand up to Killbane; eventually defeating him after a few blows to the face.^[2]

Although Killbane's death isn't depicted, Shaundi confirms it during her conversation with Roddy Piper when they are both called as homies. Like Angel, Roddy had been seeking revenge against Killbane for years after the latter pulled a dirty stunt which temporarily crippled Roddy, and caused the famed actor/wrestler to miss out on an important wrestling event. Shaundi then assures him that Killbane is dead.^[7]

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell

After taking over Downtown, a storybook shows Killbane is part of an alliance with Kazuo, his son Shogo, and William Sharp, who battle Johnny, Dane Vogel, Kiki & Viola DeWynter, Blackbeard, Shakespeare, and Vlad in hell, but are defeated. ^[8]

Trivia

Killbane's Mask sets people on fire when using taunts or compliments.
- Once unlocked, a fully customizable version of Killbane's Mask is available in all Clothing Stores.
Both Killbane and The Protagonist are crime lords turned pop culture icons. The main difference is in how they treat their gangs: The Protagonist fights to the death for the Saints while Killbane kills his minions at the slightest provocation.
Like Maero, the leader of The Brotherhood of Stilwater in Saints Row 2, Killbane is unpredictable - friendly at one moment, hostile the next.^[1]
Due to his winning streaks in wrestling, he and his fans call him "The Walking Apocalypse".^[3]
There is a Batman villain named Bane who also wears a Luchador-style mask and is known for being very strategic as well as physically powerful.
- Killbane also uses Bane's favorite weapon, the Rocket Launcher.
He becomes very angry when people call him by his real name, Eddie.^[9] The only exception is when Jane Valderama calls him Eddie twice in "Live! With Killbane", where he just calmly replies "Please, call me Killbane".
Under his mask, Killbane is a Caucasian with receding blonde hair. He never goes anywhere without his mask. To him, without his mask he is nothing, not a god or master, but a simple man like any other. In an interview he mentions that Angel, without his mask, is worth less than the dirt on his boots.^[10]
In the penultimate mission, "Three Way", the "Eliminate Killbane" portion bears much resemblance to the Carnales mission "What Goes Up..." in Saints Row, where Angelo Lopez's plane must be destroyed before it takes off, while Dex drives. Angel drives in this instance. The only major difference between the results of these two missions is that unlike Angelo, Killbane manages to survive the destruction of his plane.
Killbane has a respectful and somewhat friendly relationship with Matt Miller, calling him "Matty" on occasion and even kindly saying farewell during his resignation from the Syndicate and the offering of being a reference should Matt find employment elsewhere, whereas when Kiki and Viola attempted to leave, Killbane snapped Kiki's neck. However, Killbane hit Matt over the head with a chair for suggesting the DeWynter sisters take over the Syndicate instead of Killbane himself.
The only weapon Killbane uses through out the whole game is the Annihilator RPG.^[9]
Killbane is the one of few gang leaders in the Saints Row series who ever dresses up in more than one set of clothing. Exceptions include Viola changing the colour of her sunglasses, Maero, who wears a tee-shirt, but later takes it off, and The Protagonist.
Killbane's last name is Pryor, and there is a neighborhood in Steelport called Port Pryor, which is where the 3 Count Casino is located.
Killbane's mask reappears during the cutscene of "Three Way" when he is shown boarding his plane, regardless of the choice during "Murderbrawl XXXI." This is due to this cutscene being a static video, rather than the usual in-engine cutscene.
The reason that Killbane's plane never takes off the runway - even upon failure of the mission - is because it is not a plane. It is a special "Car 57" vehicle which uses the model and textures from the Snipes 57, but has the handling and behaviour of a car, meaning that it cannot fly.
Killbane eventually becomes the leader of all three enemy gangs in Steelport, and the entire Syndicate. Seeing that he was already the leader of The Luchadores, and once Phillipe Loren and Kiki DeWynter are killed and Viola DeWynter and Matt Miller leave the Syndicate, it is presumed he takes over as leader of both the Morningstar and the Deckers.
Killbane's mask is on display in the halls of the White Crib.^[11]
When The Protagonist unmasks Killbane, he runs to the back covering his face. In real-life, a Luchador's honor and reputation are ruined when they are unmasked, as Angel explains in the game.^[12]

Quotes

They call me... Killbane... The Walking Apocalypse. In the ring, I'm a goddamn legend, but the streets are where the real battles are fought... and my Luchadores are the soldiers that fight them. The Saints might've owned Stilwater, but Steelport belongs to The Syndicate.

— Killbane in "The Walking Apocalypse" trailer^[3]

The barbarians are at the gate, we need a general not an ambassador!

— Killbane at the end of Return to Steelport

It's my fucking reputation! This is my city! I am its Caesar! ...and I get to fiddle while it burns...

— Killbane after "Murderbrawl XXXI", alluding to Nero Caesar fiddling during the Great Fire of Rome

No one will remember me? You were a fucking clown, selling energy drinks and lunch boxes. You didn't care about the crowd, just the paycheck. And I changed that.

— Killbane to The Protagonist during "Three Way".

Mark my words - when these hands are crushing your throat, your dying breath won't be an appeal to God or a message of love to your family. It'll be "Thank you, Killbane."

— Killbane to The Protagonist during "Three Way".

The best? The best is beating Sway the Spider-God in a Tijuana Scaffold Match. The best is defending the world title 13 times in one night. The best is winning a last man standing match with two broken legs...

— Killbane to The Protagonist during "A Remote Chance"

Trust me, little Icarus: you're flying too close to the sun.

— Killbane to The Protagonist during "A Remote Chance"