There was a lot of internal debate on when I tackled a Saints Row villain. The franchise is near-and-dear to its fanbase in ways so hard to explain, it’s a series far more than just “GTA clone” and manages to capture so many moments that put thousands of other game series to shame. Part of me wanted to savor, but ultimately, it’s fitting to have episode the third feature a villain from Saints Row: The Third.
Especially since I always knew Killbane would be the first SR villain I’d tackle. The Third was my entry to the series and remains my favorite, and Killbane is one-half of the final villain as he is either succeeded by Cyrus Temple or just fully ignored in favor of Kia, depending on your final story choice.
Killbane is the least popular main antagonist in Saints Row, and I’ve always felt that’s unfair to him. The contest itself isn’t fair as Alderman Richard Hughes is a background character until his only scene, Dane Vogel very much the same despite his larger screen presence. Plus, while Killbane shares main villain status, Zinyak was allowed to be the only main antagonist of SR 4 and therefore constantly got to be intimidating while having several moments to flesh out his personality.
Killbane’s personality tends to be overlooked as many just think he’s shallow and showy. Never as tough as he nor Angel claim he is. He’s also considered far less interesting than Loren, Matt Decker, the DeWynter sisters, and STAG in terms of personality and appearance. While I can understand where these criticisms are coming from, I think most if not all of this is a misunderstanding of the character. Killbane to me works well as a dark shadow of both The Boss but also as a retooling of previous SR villain Maero.
I only played Saints Row 2 for the first time a few years back, but Maero stuck in my mind as probably the best-realized villain, at least on a personal level. Each SR 2 gang has its moments, but Maero comes out swinging from the first moment. He’s a wall, an arrogant giant who will not budge regardless of whether the specific playthrough’s Boss is just starting up or has already killed the other faction leaders. Maero is brutal and strong on top of this, while still caring for some of his colleagues even if not all of them.
All of these nearly describe Killbane, but Maero proved a bit more interesting for the fanbase but also surprisingly softer than Killbane when analyzed. While Maero truly cared about his girlfriend Jessica Parish and deeply trusted other members of his gang, Killbane is an egotistical nightmare who only believes in his own abilities and cunning. Killbane’s love is wholly conditional, even an accidental remark is enough to trigger a murderous rage he will not feel sorry for.
I’ve seen fans online dislike Killbane for uprooting the main villain seat from Loren, but the funny thing about that criticism is that the game itself agrees with this! When Loren is killed early on, Killbane points out that a vote for leader is required and then instantly steals the position despite every other member of The Syndicate objecting to the notion. They allow his insurrection out of personal threat, but even then, both DeWynter sisters mostly just brush the threat off as they seemingly can’t be bothered to seek the leader role that Matt Decker had just claimed is rightfully theirs.
This is where he ends up contrasting with The Boss, both in terms of SR 2 and SR The Third. In SR 2, The Boss is personally rescued by The Saints as they are picked to lead the gang into new victory after Julius vanished, while Killbane is an unwanted leader forcing himself into the role at the first chance. The Boss uses their granted confidence to bring The Saints into total victory by erasing the rival gangs and even the multi-million Ultor, while Killbane’s assumed confidence sees him down the path of complete failure for the Syndicate.
Killbane personally kills Kiki DeWynter out of petty anger, which results in Viola betraying him, and later snowballs into Matt being so afraid of him that he quits organized crime for good. Killbane never feels remorse for these actions and only sees a reality where he stays on top of the world, only to get humiliated in the ring and either killed or forced into hiding. The Boss understands the qualities of a great leader, while Killbane sees the lavish power fantasy.
Killbane’s threat level is a bit stranger, not in a way I dislike, just in a way where he is and isn’t as tough as he claims. Killbane brags about being undefeated in the ring and a true unstoppable force. Meanwhile, Angel and Kinzie will talk about how he is tough as steel but mostly underhanded above anything else. Angel lost to Killbane once before but assumes there was cheating, warning The Boss several times that you just can’t beat Killbane in the slightest.
But Angel is proven completely wrong. When Angel finally gets that rematch, Killbane does send in help but said help really only bugs The Boss. Once the backup is done with, Killbane still instantly and easily defeats Angel. The talk of him cheating to win is a bunk from a failure. The reality was that Killbane is a tough nut to crack and Angel was never good enough to beat him.
But, then there’s The Boss. The Boss starts the feud with Killbane assured that Kinzie and Angel are hyping up Killbane too much and that he’d not last long in a true fight. This point is nearly proved early on by an assassination attempt, thwarted only at the last minute by Matt. When this easy solution is mentioned again after Matt skips town, Angel just claims that somehow shooting Killbane in the head wouldn’t work. The same man who thinks he’d beat Killbane also thinks Killbane is bullet-proof, it’s almost as if this is more about ego between them than anything else…..
So when The Boss is forced into the ring, we get to see exactly how strong he is. Try to punch him and he doesn’t even have to shrug it off. However, slap him around for a few seconds with something stronger, and suddenly a few quick-time-events are all that’s needed. This is repeated should you go after him in the finale instead of saving Shaundi, only this time his plane exploding replaces the need for slapping him with a toilet. Killbane ultimately does have an iron hide, but The Boss is completely right with their guess that they’ve dealt with tougher foes before as Killbane is easily defeated. Even Matt put up a better fight all things considered.
All of these things explain his unpopularity with fans. Killbane isn’t as smart nor as strong as he thinks, being easily outshined by the other villains even from personality alone. But that’s the thing, I like him as a villain for that! A villain being an arrogant hypocrite does not make them a bad villain. After all, they need to be a force you need to stop, and Killbane still is that. While not invincible, he is still a threat. His unstable nature makes him all the worse as it only means his ego is easily bruised, and once it is, he will respond in a way that destroys whatever he feels is in his path.
Cyrus Temple is the true main villain of Saints Row: The Third, full stop. He’s scarier and much harder to defeat. However, Killbane is the villain who pushes the plot forward more than anyone else, and that’s all by his design of a flawed masterplan. The Saints had already killed Loren and likely would have just moved back to Stillwater, but Killbane is the one who pulls them right back in. Killbane’s overstepping convinces the senate to approve STAG and therefore forces Cyrus into his position. There is no Saints Row: The Third without Killbane.
A classic villain is supposed to share the same flaws as the hero, yet darker. Killbane does that far more than most SR villains if not all of them. There’s a reason even his detractors still like his final monologue I linked at the top. He realizes The Boss is a sell-out because they both are. Sell-outs who got high on violence and always got to be on top. Of course, by Saints Row: The Third, The Boss was starting to turn more anti-hero. Killbane may just be the villain The Boss was going to be if The Third didn’t soften them up. A loud wash-up who demanded the world, even when they weren’t worthy of it. From a loving leader who never did anything worse than ribbing their teammates to a monster who chose to selectively love the useful subordinates and unflinching kill the others when even the slightest bit angry.
I’ve replayed this game so many times, and it is still a highlight when I pull that sweaty mask off his face and reveal his hairline to the crowd. Killbane is not a charming villain like Loren or a mastermind villain like Matt and Cyrus, but I wouldn’t have him any other way.
Image credits: Volition, Deep Silver