Character page for the 18th century Templars in Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed III: Liberation.
Be aware that this page WILL contain some unhidden spoilers!
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British Colonial / American Templars
Haytham Kenway
- See his page.
Charles Lee
Charles Lee
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III | Assassin's Creed Rogue
Other Appearances: Assassin's Creed : Forsaken | Assassin's Creed: Memories | Assassin's Creed Rogue
Voiced By: Neil Napier (English)note
"We will vanquish our enemies. We will spread our word. And in time, my brothers and sisters, in time... we will have our New World."
A British officer with a constant thirst for power, who joins the Templar order and quickly ends up becoming Haytham's second in command.
- Ambition Is Evil: Even ignoring his other horrible acts, he does some pretty nasty things in his efforts to become Commander-in-Chief.
- Arch-Enemy: To Connor. Though for Lee, it's George Washington.
- Ascended Fanboy: Is a part of the Templar order, just like his idol, Haytham. The scene of his ascension doubles as The Reveal of Haytham's true allegiance.
- Ax-Crazy: Threatening to snap the neck of a child, while practically salivating about how he could do it, just for spitting at him is not the mark of a sane man.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: Charles Lee and Haytham Kenway share the role of lead villain. While technically Lee is second-in-command to Haytham, the narrative treats Lee as the more pressing threat and Connor's main target.
- The Bully: Thinks holding a five year old by his neck, getting in his face and calling him and his people "savages" is a perfect way of getting answers.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: It takes several encounters with Connor before he recognizes him as the Mohawk boy he threatened all those years ago.
- The Cameo: Makes a brief one in Rogue during Shay's Templar induction.
- Creepy Blue Eyes: Has rather unsettling blue eyes.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Tells the imprisoned Connor this, "had you done what I asked" after their previous encounter as a child. However he's on the receiving end of this from Haytham in Assassin's Creed : Forsaken; Haytham reminds him that his terrible treatment of young Connor made him go From Nobody to Nightmare for their cause.
- The Dragon: To Haytham.
- Dragon Ascendant: After Haytham is killed by Connor.
- Evil Brit: British and quite evil.
- Evil Is Petty: Bullies a little boy and then justifies it as being his fault.
- Face Death with Dignity: Shares a drink with Connor in a pub while both are bleeding out, before Connor stabs him.
- Fanboy: Of Haytham, who out and out says that he thinks Charles Lee overestimates him.
- Foreshadowing: In some optional dialogue early in the game, Charles can make some uncouth comments regarding Native Americans, which Haytham calls him out on, and tells him he doesn't want to hear that from him again. While it wouldn't be surprising for most players to assume this was just a slip of the tongue, the next time we see Charles from outside of Haytham's sight and from Connor's perspective, we see him as an outright racist bastard.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: First appears as a fresh-faced Templar hopeful, later becomes The Dragon with designs of becoming Commander-In-Chief, and ultimately becoming Dragon Ascendant intent on ruining everything Connor holds dear.
- Full-Name Basis: Those close to him call him "Charles", but Connor consistently uses his full name.
- Graceful Loser: He took his fate rather well.
- Get It Over With: His expression on his face when he bends forward to Connor all but says "do it".
- The Heavy: While Haytham is the Big Bad, Lee is the one who drives Connor's story arc, from their first encounter when Connor's a child to their final clash 30 years on.
- Historical Domain Character: Charles Lee really was a general in the Colonial Army whose reputation is often subject to debate by historians as to whether he was a key general wrongfully sidelined by the Colonial establishment or an overly ambitious careerist with a great deal of resentment.
- Historical Villain Upgrade:
- The real-life Charles Lee has a pretty bad rap—he was a complete sleaze and The Resenter and he is famous for ordering a retreat against higher orders and retreating his men right into the rest of the army and causing a massacre. Nowadays, some historians consider the retreat justified and a case of Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! that was the only morally and tactically sound choice, but Charles Lee in the game plays off his blatant failure and is actively trying to sabotage the revolution.
- In point of fact, Lee doesn't even resemble the real figure. Earlier promos featured a more accurate rendering him closer to descriptions and portraits of his real self
◊. In point of fact, Haytham and the Templar!Charles Lee are together Decomposite Character for the real Charles Lee, splitting characteristics and biographical aspects between them. - Also unlike the game's version, who's shown to be either a racist or Noble Bigot, the real Lee had good relations with Mohawk tribes and even married a native woman and fathered two sons, none of which is touched on in the game and is vaguely hinted in Assassin's Creed : Forsaken. That said, he is known to Connor's village, much to the latter's oblivious surprise. They call him "Boiling Water" on account of his temper and he seems to have encouraged Kanento:kon to take arms against the Colonial Army for no discernible long term strategy.
- Honor Before Reason: One interpretation of his refusal to kill Connor at Haytham's funeral despite having him surrounded and with guns pointed at him.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Shows signs of this during the prologue missions, but largely holds back due to deferring to the much more meticulous Haytham. Definitely becomes much more pronounced once he comes into authority in his own right.
- Made of Iron: Connor chases him through a burning ship, exhausting Lee, then shoots him point blank with a flintlock pistol; he still takes a ship to the Conestoga Inn in the Frontier and waits there for Connor to administer the fatal blow.
- Manipulative Bastard: He arms men from Connor's village and exhorts them to take arms against the Bluecoats which is presumably his own cause. Their raids lead to Washington launching the Sullivan Expedition in an effort to clamp down on them, with the Mohawk heavily outnumbered. What good this could possibly do aside from invoking Connor to have a Broken Pedestal with Washington is not made clear. Connor sees through Lee and Haytham's efforts and while he gets cooler with Washington, he doesn't back down from hunting them down.
- Meaningful Name: The Mohawk call him "Ounewaterika" which means Boiling Water, which describes his Hair-Trigger Temper.
- Never My Fault:
- Charles blames Connor for the fate of his village being ransacked on the basis that Connor didn't heed his warning. Charles also conveniently ignores that he and Hickey knocked Connor out, preventing him from relaying the threat of attack to his people.
- In Assassin's Creed : Forsaken, Lee snarks that Haytham ruined the Colonial Templars' life work by fathering Connor with Ziio. Haytham has to carefully explain that Charles punching out a five year-old boy and calling him a savage was far more instrumental in alienating Connor.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
- Had Charles left five-year-old Connor well enough alone, the latter may have eventually been won over to the Templars and the Colonial branch of the Assassins would have simply withered into nothing.
- Like Connor, he did do a lot for the revolution and was a gifted military commander who was a No-Respect Guy; ultimately neither of them will have a place in the new nation.
- The Paragon: Haytham believes Lee to be this for the Templars, but it's a major Informed Ability. He has none of Haytham's and Washington's charisma, and though he may have superior skills as a military commander to those of Washington, he demonstrates no real political skill or long-term initiative, with Haytham being the man who came up with most of their plans.
- Pet the Dog: His Animus Database entry says he really likes dogs. One of the artwork for the game features him surrounded by pomeranians.
- Playing Both Sides: Manipulates Mohawks to take arms against the Bluecoats while secretly trying to kill, dismiss or discredit Washington so he can be in charge of the revolution and America.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Doesn't think highly of the Mohawk, which is a complete inversion of the real Charles Lee. Although he does seem to have had some relationship with them; in the game, he's shown, much to Connor's surprise, to have secretly trained and armed his village into taking arms against the Colonial Army in a gambit designed to have them massacred en-masse by Washington's Sullivan Expedition.
- The Resenter: Is very bitter about Washington being chosen over him for the position of Commander-In-Chief.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After Haytham is killed, he threatens to kill all of Connor's allies, family, and friends while making him watch. By this point, he's stopped caring about the Templar Order's higher goals and just wants payback.
- Smug Snake: Incredibly arrogant and most of his schemes don't end well, especially after Haytham and his other allies are killed.
- Too Dumb to Live: While standing over a badly injured Connor after Connor chases him down. Rather than simply finish Connor off, he starts ranting at Connor demanding to know why he fights. He pays for the mistake with a mortal gunshot wound to the gut.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Went from a polite young man in the prologue to an arrogant and hateful man during the Revolution. Of course we only ever see him interact with Haytham and other Templars in the prologue so it's possible he was always like that.
- Deconstructed. Lee's jerkass behavior led Connor to believe it was Lee and the Templars who attacked his village and killed his mother, arguably jump-starting Connor's career as an Assassin. Had Lee acted as nice as he was in the prologue, then Connor might have even joined the Templars in the future.
- Tyrant Takes the Helm: By the Final Sequence, with Haytham now dead, Charles Lee becomes the de facto leader of the Colonial branch of the Templars. His first order of business is to try and commit genocide on the natives in revenge for Connor killing Haytham.
- Uncleanliness Is Next to Ungodliness: His Animus database entry says he has very poor hygiene. He visibly looks greasier and filthier after the Time Skip.
- Villain Ball: He grabs hold of this hard when he completely lets his desire for revenge against Connor cloud his judgment, pledging to kill everyone Connor holds dear and letting him go despite having him surrounded and at gunpoint during Haytham's funeral. Not only does this give Connor even more motivation to hunt him down but if he had just shot Connor he would have saved his own skin.
- Villainous Friendship: Type I; Haytham looks out for Lee's well being and won't hear a word against him, meanwhile Lee fanboyed over Haytham in his youth and plans on enacting a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against Connor for killing Haytham.
- Vocal Evolution: In the early sequences, which take place about 20 years before the main game, his voice is high and kind of boyish (made more noticeable by the fact he spends much of his time fanboying over Haytham). In the main timeline, he sounds like he's channeling Christopher Lee.
- Worthy Opponent: At the end he regards Connor as this, regarding his The Determinator skills with wonder and awe as much as confusion. When Connor meets him at the Conestoga Inn, he offers him a drink and they silently enjoy a moment until Lee voicelessly asks Connor to Get It Over With.
- You Killed My Father: The murder of his mother is why Connor hates him so. However it is later revealed he did not kill his mother. Connor still hates him though for manipulating his village into taking arms against the Bluecoats and forcing Connor to kill his Fat Best Friend in self-defense.
Thomas Hickey
Thomas Hickey
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III
Main Game Appearances: Assassins's Creed: Memories
Voiced By: Allen Leech (English)note
"They can sing their songs about mankind and its troubles. They can make their plans and spring their traps, don't bother me none. They paid me so I said yes. Didn't bother to ask who or how or why. Didn't care."
An Irish-born soldier in the British army, he served under William Johnson and joined the Templar Order alongside him. He ran a counterfeiting business for the Templars and was also assigned to kill George Washington after he joined the Continental Army.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: He comes within an inch of killing George Washington, and might actually have succeeded if he hadn't taken the time to attack the man's bodyguards first when Washington was standing right in front of him.
- Bullying a Dragon: Really gets in Connor's face when he leads him to the gallows in a Templar Frame-Up. Connor gives him a Shut Up, Hannibal! Badass Boast:Connor: I will not die today. The same cannot be said of you.
- Needless to say, Connor makes good on his promise.
- Dirty Coward: While his reaction to Connor is rather calm, he orders his men to get him while bolting out the door.
- The Brute: He is a loutish thug who helps Charles and Haytham with the rougher parts of Templar business. One could say he is Number Three since he has his own thugs working for him.
- Even Evil Has Standards: While Hickey is a hedonistic asshole who sees no problem with body looting, even he is disgusted with Braddock.
- Evil Counterpart: Of Antonio, the Thieves Leader in Assassin's Creed II who was a Working-Class Hero criminal, whereas Hickey is a career criminal and conman and unrepentant about it.
- Expy: His hedonistic self-justification also has shades with Juan Borgia, in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.
- The Hedonist: A self-professed one at that.Thomas: You're just some blind fool who's always chasin' butterflies. Where as I'm the type of guy who likes to have a beer in one hand and a titty in the other. Thing is, boy, I can have what I seek. ''Had'' it, even. You? Your hands will always be empty.
- Historical Domain Character: Though obscure today, Hickey was a real-life figure who was the first person executed by the United States government. He also really was arrested for forging money (which led to his execution because there were no Templars to save him) and is thought to have really been part of a plot to kill George Washington.
- Jerkass: The most assholish of the Templars apart from Charles Lee. That said, he does state he works for the Templars out of gratitude for helping him.
- Jerkass Has Apoint: A self admitted lout he may be, but as he lays dying Hickey verbally spits upon the Assassin's and Templar's conflict, saying that while his desires might not have been lofty they were obtainable, where as the Order and Creed fight for ideals they'll never live to see fulfilled.
- The Load: Implied, when Haytham and Charles Lee come to set him free... only to put him in a different cell, with Haytham saying it's the last time he'll do that for Thomas.
- Lower-Class Lout: The more aristocratic leaders of the Templars look down on Hickey for his fairly lowdown view of things and more mercenary behaviour. They only justify his inclusion on grounds of pragmatism.
- Ninja Looter: When he expresses the desire to loot fallen bodies on a battle field, Haytham tells him off... even as the player likely does so as the dialogue plays out.
- Not in This for Your Revolution: He doesn't hold to the Templar's beliefs; he just likes the paycheck. He even scoffs at Haytham and Charles Lee's Visionary Villain dreams of a One World Order, just like he mocks Connor's naive ideas for a better world.
- Only in It for the Money: He works for the Templars because they pay better than anyone else. Notably, he stays loyal while Benjamin Church does not.
- Smug Snake: He's one smug bastard alright, mouthing off to Connor when Connor isn't in a position to fight back.
- The Spymaster: He helped run the Templar's spy rings thanks to his underground connections.
Benjamin Church
Benjamin Church
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III
Other Apperances: Assassin's Creed: Memories
Voiced By: Harry Standjofski (English)note
"Aye, but what better ware to peddle than life? Nothing else is as precious, nor so desperately craved. And no price is too great for the man or woman who fears an abrupt and permanent end."
A doctor recruited by the Templars, Church served as the Surgeon-General for the Continental Army.
- Asshole Victim: Becomes this retroactively when you learn he only became a doctor to extort money from people, not to mention screwing over every single faction for a quick buck.
- Awkward Father-Son Bonding Activity: Effectively serves as the "activity" by way of being an Enemy Mine forcing Connor and Haytham to work together.
- Book Ends: We first come across Church as he is getting beat up by Thatcher. We last see him getting beat up by Haytham.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He betrays the Revolutionaries, British, and the Templars just to line his own pockets.
- Conflicting Loyalty: His justification for his betrayal of the Templars and the revolution. That the Gray-and-Gray Morality had made it hard for him to decide what's right and he ultimately chose to defect back to the Crown. Deleted audio exists of him singing Rule Britannia right when Connor is about to approach him. Haytham tells him to shut his mouth.Benjamin: It's all a matter of perspective. There is no single path through life that's right and fair and does no harm. Do you truly think the Crown has no cause? No right to feel betrayed? You should know better than this, dedicated as you are to fighting Templars – who themselves see their work as just. Think on that the next time you insist your work alone befits the greater good. Your enemy would beg to differ – and would not be without cause.
- Defector from Decadence: Abandons the Templar Order, stealing supplies from them in the process.
- The Dog Bites Back: Gets his revenge on Silas Thatcher with a Boom, Headshot!.
- Dr. Jerk: Hippocratic Oath be damned, he'll charge patients extortionate amounts for his services. And if they can't pay up? Well, not his problem. Haytham is appalled by this.
- Hidden Depths: Although he's mostly presented as an opportunistic bastard who will betray anyone for his own profit, including the Templars, his final words to Connor imply that his greed was a result of disillusionment with both the Templar and Revolutionary cause.
- Historical Domain Character: There really was a Benjamin Church who occupied a position in the Continental Army that corresponds to Surgeon-General. Church was arrested and brought to a committee for passing information and supplies to the enemy and was imprisoned and disgraced, only to die when his vessel sank when he sailed to Boston.
- Love the Product, Hate the Producer: He grew to despise the Templars and the Patriots of the Revolution as traitors to their homeland for this trope, both utilizing weapons and resources made by the British while rebelling against the British Crown for the sake of independence. This practice eventually led him to betray the Templars and submit full loyalty to the Crown.Benjamin: How convenient for them! We do the work, they reap the rewards!
- Only in It for the Money:
- His reason for taking up medicine is that desperate people will pay a lot to save their own lives.
- Like Hickey this also defined his relation to the Templar Order. Unlike Hickey this wasn't enough to keep him loyal when a better deal came along.
- However, his death monologue hints he grew disillusioned with the Assassins vs. Templars, Patriots vs. British conflicts and the whole Gray-and-Grey Morality behind it all.
- Treachery Is a Special Kind of Evil: To say that Haytham was angered by Church's defection to Britain would be putting it lightly.
Jonathan Pitcairn
Jonathan "John" Pitcairn
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III
Other Appearances: Assassin's Creed : Forsaken
Voiced By Robert Lawrenson (English)note
"It seems we are well and truly at war... A pity, that. For it's a war we did not ask for. A war we did not wish... And why would we? We're killing our brothers down there – and for what? Duty? Honor? Liberty and justice as the Yanks claim? No."
A Major of the British Marines, he was Connor's target during the Battle of Bunker Hill.
- Affably Evil: Unlike many Templars, absolutely nothing about his politeness is faked. He is genuinely a pleasant guy.
- Aggressive Negotiations: Tries this on the revolutionaries, as he thought his troops would cow the outnumbered and outgunned rebels to surrender peacefully. Unfortunately, he underestimated the tension between the troops, and after one bullet was fired by a nervous soldier, the Battle of Lexington and Concord was started, causing the rebellion to become an all-out war.
- Brave Scot: Comes with the territory as leading the troops ahead of Putnam's at Bunker Hill, although his lines are delivered with so stereotypical a "Scottish accent" that you might never believe that he actually was Scottish!
- Even Evil Has Standards: He is disgusted upon learning of Edward Braddock's brutal past and declares that he needs to die.
- Historical Domain Character: Pitcairn was the major in charge of the Loyalist army at Concord and he died at Bunker Hill, where it was believed he was shot and killed by an African-American soldier named Peter Salem.
- Majorly Awesome: He is a good major and soldier.
- Nice Guy: Of all the Templars in the series, he seems to be among the least jerk-ish and most pleasant and nice. He's genuinely appalled at the outbreak of war and tells soldiers that he regards the colonial soldiers he fights as brothers and hates the situation... and reveals while dying, when asked why the rebels were to lay down their arms but not the Redcoats, that "we asked the same question of the British."Pitcairn: It seems we are well and truly at war... A pity, that. For it's a war we did not ask for. A war we did not wish... And why would we? We're killing our brothers down there – and for what? Duty? Honor? Liberty and justice as the Yanks claim? No.
- As Connor discovers later though, he was complicit in a plan to assassinate Washington, so he's still a Templar but a pretty decent sort anyway.
- Poor Communication Kills: At his death, Connor accuses him of trying to kill Samuel Adams and other rebel leaders. He insists that he only wanted to parley with them, and that such a parley might have prevented the war by accomdating the colonials overtime, because such things would take time. In the Animus Database, Shaun notes that he was the ideal person to send for negiotations, but bringing an army with him to the table likely sent the wrong message.
- Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: He is disgusted by how naïve Connor is, although his criticism are wrapped up in the usual Templar ideology.Pitcairn: Better we hold the strings than another.Connor: No. The strings should be severed. All should be free.Pitcairn: And we should live forever on castles in the sky. You wield your blade like a man, but your mouth like a child. And more will die now because of that...
- You Rebel Scum!: At the Battle of Lexington and Concord he issues a single demand:Pitcairn: Disperse, you damned rebels! Lay down your arms and disperse!
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He wanted to parley and prevent the Revolutionary War... for Templar benefit — "better we hold the strings than another" — but also to save lives.
William Johnson
William Johnson
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III | Assassin's Creed Rogue
Voiced By: Julian Casey (English)note
"So be it. I offered you an olive branch, and you knocked it from my hand. Perhaps you'll respond better to the sword."
An official of the British Empire responsible for negotiating with local Indian tribes. His attempt to purchase the land of Connor's tribe makes him the first Templar targeted by the young Assassin.
- Affably Evil: He's generally polite and mannered in talking to people, even when he's threatening them.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: He's mentioned as having a baronetcy after the Time Skip, and he's a Templar who negotiates with muskets.
- Blunt "Yes": His response to a member of Connor's tribe after being asked if he's threatening them is simple and nonchallant.
- Condescending Compassion: The elders gathered at the meeting rightly call him out for looking down on them. Noting that he pretends not to represent the Crown but is actually their advocate to the Crown, when as far as they are concerned all he does is take land for himself. He refuses to put his money where his mouth is by providing them with the means to protect themselves.
- Cruel to Be Kind: Views his treatment of the natives, murder and manipulation, as necessary to save their lives, since the currently amicable Colonists will likely stop caring about them by the time they need to expand.
- Depending on the Writer: In 3, he's probably the most affable and level-headed of Haytham's Templar clique. But in Rogue, his brief appearance has him showing outbursts of anger.
- The Face: Effectively serves as a spokesman for both the Colonial Government and the Templars when it comes to the native tribes.
- Historical Domain Character: Johnson was a British officer who served as an Agent for Indian Affairs during the Seven Years War. He did die in 1774 at a conference with other Iroquois but unlike the game, it came from having a stroke rather than being assassinated.
- Hypocrite: Claims that he is taking Iroquis land to save their lives from land-hungry colonists, and then he turns around and enriches himself by speculating on that land. The elders gathered at his meeting point out that he isn't using that money to provide them with guns, horses, etc.
- Kick the Dog:
- Bashing the butt of his musket into Connor's face as a child quickly demonstrates how he feels about the Iroquis.
- Johnson decides to threaten the Elders to sign up with him at the end of a musket. This is the prelude to Connor assassinating him.
- Noble Bigot: He speaks the Kanienkaha:ka language, is aware of their culture and cares for them but he still doesn't treat them as equals or feel the need to explain this actions to them, having the colonialist fantasy of saving the Natives from themselves rather than empowering them.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: His relationship with the native tribes was damaged when he helped negotiate the Treaty of Stanwix. The Elders bring up how much that treaty hurt them.
- Villain Has a Point: His dying words about the Colonists turning on the Native Americans are ultimately proven right by both events later in the game and any player who knows about American History knows it only gets worse for them from there.
Nicholas Biddle
Nicholas Biddle
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III
Voiced By: Fred Tatasciore (English)note
"I set them free. Weeded out the dissenters and empowered the Patriots. So what if I was named Admiral. The Revolution needs one and I was the best man for the job."
A young American officer in the British Navy who was enticed by the Templars to join the Patriot cause. He created numerous false threats to the Colonies by the British Navy to facilitate his rise through the ranks and make the Continental Congress increase the size of the navy.
- Arc Villain: For the Naval Missions.
- Benevolent Boss: Is said to distribute his spoils evenly amongst his crew.
- The Captain: Of The Randolph
- Cool Ship: The USS Randolph.
- Duel to the Death: Connor engages in a Captain Vs. Captain Duel with him...
- Evil Counterpart: To Robert Faulkner.
- Face Death with Dignity: Chooses to go down with the Randolph.
- Going Down with the Ship: His last request and ultimate fate is to go down with the Randolph.
- The real-life incident was much worse, the ship exploded and killed nearly all its 305 strong crew, leaving only four survivors. Needless to say, the game takes much Artistic License – History.
- Historical Domain Character: He was one of the key officers in the creation of the Continental Navy.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: The real Nicholas Biddle was a highly respected captain whose activities on the East Coast were a major boon to the Revolution. He was needless to say not like his portrayal in the game.
- Skippable Boss: He is presented as one of Connor's targets in the main game but you can complete the main campaign without facing him, since he's a part of the Naval Side Missions.
- Villain Respect: He admires Connor and compliments him during their final encounter:Nicholas: Tenacious! Smart! Pity I have to kill you!
- Villains Want Mercy: A variation: he doesn't beg for his life, merely asking that Connor let the Randolph sink rather than take the ship as a prize, and allow Biddle to go down with her.Nicholas: Let the Randolph die with me. Don't take her as a prize, please. Please. I want no quarter, just to sink with my ship.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He justifies his False Flag Operations as necessary to convince the Continental Congress to build up a powerful navy for the war effort.Nicholas: If not for me, the Continental Navy would remain but a handful of rafts. For all your vision, you Assassins are blind to the truth.
Doctor Edmund Judge
Doctor Edmund Judge
Appearances: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Voiced By: James Loye (English)note
"Patience Gibbs. I warned my guards you'd have nine lives. I shall have to strangle the last of them from you myself."
A Templar who seeks Patience Gibbs, a rebel slave with a Piece of Eden.
- Big Bad: Of the Aveline DLC for Black Flag.
- High Collar of Doom: A very high collar of doom. Seriously, it goes up to his ears!
- Mad Doctor: Patience believes he is insane, and when she hears him singing a song to try and activate her Piece of Eden, that belief only intensifies.Patience: It is from a hymn my mother liked. He must think it is a spell to work with the charm. He is madder than I thought!
- Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: Lord knows what he does with his doctorate, but it can't be anything good.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Patience tells Aveline that Edmund "parades around like a saint" to fool the public, but he does much darker work in private. Apparently it works, since he has enough pull to get a detachment of American soldiers to do his bidding.
British Templars
Reginald Birch
Reginald Birch
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III
Other Apperances: Assassin's Creed : Forsaken
Voiced By: Gideon Emery (English)note
"They are still an enigma, these precursors. But of one thing I am certain – whatever waits behind those doors shall prove a great boon to us all."
The Grandmaster of the English Templars.
- Ascended Extra: Birch only appears briefly in III before Haytham leaves for the New World. His character is explanded in Forsaken revealing how close Birch is to the Kenway Family.
- Bad Boss: In full form in the War Letters for Rogue, where he keeps berating associates about searching for Precursor artifacts, while chiding their Boring, but Practical approach to building a One World Order via economic influence and trade. Lawrence Washington complains about Birch being an Ungrateful Bastard while even Braddock chastises him for becoming obsessive as well as his attempt to convert Haytham into the order, feeling that they should have killed him along with his father.
- Big Bad: The foe for the first half of Forsaken.
- The Corruptor: He was the man responsible for shaping Haytham Kenway into the Grand Master of the American Templars.
- Evil Brit: A British Templar bastard.
- False Friend: To Haytham. And also his father Edward Kenway who accepted his engagement to his daughter and appointed him a senior property manager until Birch revealed his true nature as a Templar to him.
- Hero Killer: Orchestrates Edward Kenway's death and the destruction of his family. Edward was a feared pirate in his day and in good fighting condition, but a sneak attack by Birch at night led to his death, the kidnapping of his daughter and the indoctrination of his son, Haytham, into the cause of his father's killers.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: Kidnaps Haytham's sister Jenny in Forsaken, which ends up getting him killed.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Knocked into a sword stabbed through a door by Haytham (a guard had already been impaled on the other side of the door before that).
- Kick the Dog: He's a nasty, spiteful piece of work but his worst one has to be selling Jennifer Scott, the woman he was engaged to, into slavery and years later having the gall to justify it for the greater good.
- Manipulative Bastard: He is behind the death of Haytham's father and the kidnapping of his sister Jenny, an event that Birch used to manipulate Haytham into joining the Templars.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: He has both of them.
- The Mentor: For Haytham.
- Minor Major Character: Birch only appears in the prologue mission of Assassin's Creed 3, introduced as Haytham's superior who sends him on his mission to Colonies. It's not until the Expanded Universe books and comics that more context is added into his actual role in the universe.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: He upholds this, by now standard, excuse of being a genuine Well-Intentioned Extremist to Haytham right at the end. What makes this different is that it's pretty obviously a self-delusion and neither Haytham or Jenny believe a word of it.
- Villainous Legacy: In Syndicate, despite it being more than a century since his death, Birch's purge of the Assassins in London is what allowed Crawford Starrick to gain the foothold he has.
- Villain Takes an Interest: He takes a shine to little Haytham in Assassin's Creed: Forsaken and essentially decides to steal him from his father.
Edward Braddock
Edward Braddock
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III
Other Apperances: Assassin's Creed : Forsaken
Voiced By: Carlo Mestroni (English)note
"Were that we applied the sword more liberally and more often, the world would be a better place than it is today."
A thoroughly unpleasant officer of the British, he used to work with Haytham before his sheer brutality led to a falling-out between the two.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: He appears quite young for someone who was white-haired and 60 years old in real life, but this is because he uses a generic Redcoat model instead of his own unique one.
- Bad Boss: He shoots a man dead for a minor transgression, claiming it's necessary to maintain discipline. He also allows one of his underlings to be killed by Haytham during Forsaken and claims not to know him, something Rogue reveals was a lie.
- Dirty Coward: He tries fleeing the minute Haytham attacks him, and continues trying to flee even after his horse is shot out from under him.
- Establishing Character Moment: The first thing we hear him saying is threatening to kill Pitcairn, a loyal and competent soldier, for "treason".
- Evil Brit: He's an evil British Templar, who is brutal to both enemies and his own (also British but less nasty) soldiers.
- Evil Former Friend: Used to work with Haytham, but his raw brutality made for irreconcilable differences between the two. Of course this is played with in a cute way considering they're both Templars, but Even Evil Has Standards.
- Evil Mentor: In an odd sort of way, to Washington, given that he was Washington's superior in the military, and Washington is noted to disagree (in principle, not practicality) with Braddock's refusal for truce with the French.
- Expy: Of Colonel William Tavington from The Patriot (2000) as he is a bloodthirsty British general who is brutal towards his enemies and has no qualms of killing children just to achieve his goals.
- False Friend: A war letter in Rogue has Braddock telling Reginald Birch that Haytham should have been killed along with his father.
- General Ripper: Tendencies towards hyper aggression and unilateral slaughter ultimately caused his split with Haytham.
- Historical Badass Upgrade: Inverted. He begins running almost immediately after the attack on his expedition begins. Historically, he kept his cool and tried to rally the column during the attack and had several horses shot out from under him before he himself was felled. Also, unlike the game he managed to cling to life for four days after the battle.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: How much is a subject of debate, but it definitely happened. He definitely had similar goals for his expedition to the game version, but that was partially because it would've been insane to *not* after a century or so of constant brush war in North America. His shooting one of his own men on the expedition is based on a historical allegation (that he took his sword and ran through a redcoat hiding behind a tree for cowardice). And unlike his Dirty Coward role, he historically kept trying to rally and command his men coolly until he was shot.
- Jerkass: Braddock's a massive asshole to be sure.
- Jerkass Has a Point:
- While the way he goes about it is horrible, he does make a point about the situation and French intentions and it is the war he spawned that ultimately paved the way for Haytham's later schemes regarding the American Revolution.
- In the War Letters for Rogue, he also criticizes Reginald Birch for his leadership of the Templar Order, criticizing him for obsessing over Precursor artifacts and other kinds of Sufficiently Advanced Technology over more practical matters of building "peace". Then again, Braddock's idea of "peace" is another thing. Namely, it is killing lots of people, and often.
- In the same letter, he also says Haytham should've been killed along with Edward. While undeniably a dick thing to say, it would have saved the Templars a massive amount of trouble later on.
- Never My Fault: One of the last things he says as he's running from Haytham is how he doesn't deserve what's happening to him.
- Not in This for Your Revolution: A War Letter has him dismissing the Pieces of Eden, and Those Who Came Before, as "gobbledegook", despite the acquisition of the Pieces being one of the Templar's top goals.
- The Unfettered: Destroys anything he considers an obstacle, no matter what or who they are..
- Would Hurt a Child: Once murdered a whole family, children included, just to hasten his own escape. Oddly enough, whether it actually hastened his escape is debatable since Haytham doesn't clarify on how it happened, and it was because one of the victimized family members had the gall to insult him for abandoning him.
Other Colonial Templars
The Company Man (major spoilers)
Madeleine de l'Isle / The Company Man
The Master Templar in charge of the Southern American colonies. For tropes related to the identity of The Company Man see Assassin's Creed III - Other Characters.
Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer
Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
- Voiced By: Alex Ivanovici
"Always so considerate. I am rather in the mood for a hanging."
A high-ranking Templar and slaver. He is in charge of Templar operations at Chichen Itza.
- Bad Boss: He punishes the slaves at Chichen Itza harshly for any failures, and personally sees to the torture of any captured escapees.
- Disney Villain Death: Aveline stabs him in the chest once before kicking him off a ledge, sending him screaming to his death.
- The Dragon: To The Company Man.
- Evil Gloating: Engages in a bit of it when confronting Aveline:de Ferrer: How wonderfully useful you are. You remove those who would supersede me in rank. You find pieces of the Prophecy Disk, saving me the effort... If you weren't my enemy, I would take you for my friend!
- Faux Affably Evil: He presents a pleasant façade to the slaves, but is a harsh, cold, and calculating individual.
- The Heavy: For the first half of the game he's the man overseeing the schemes of other Templar agents while his boss, the Company Man, remains in the shadows.
- I Was Quite a Looker: Rhona Dinsmore, who Rafael managed to seduce, confesses in the War Letters of Rogue that he's quite sexy and she doesn't feel too guilty about being seduced by a Templar, for the second time.
- Manipulative Bastard: He has the slaves at Chichen Itza convinced they will earn land and freedom once their work is complete.
- Obviously Evil: His black and blood red outfit and giant Dracula medal really stick out from the rest of the cast.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: His outfit is black with red higlights and he happens to be a particularly cruel and calculating Templar.
- Unwitting Pawn: He seems to regard Aveline as one, noting how she has killed Templars higher ranking than him, which allowed him to be promoted, and then located portions of the Prophecy Disk he was looking for. In truth, he might have been one to Madeleine, who claims that she allowed Aveline to kill de Ferrer due to his abuses at Chichen Itza disgusting her during her attempt to convince Aveline to become a Templar.
Baptiste
Baptiste
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
Voiced By: Kwasi Songui
"The nobles of New Orleans shall perish by poison, and the slaves shall be avenged. My mentor's work will be complete."
A former Assassin turned Templar who leads a cult in the Louisiana Bayou, which he uses to try and control smuggling operations in the area for Templar use.
- An Arm and a Leg: He lost his left arm at some point in his life.
- Bald of Evil: Not a hair on his head.
- Body Paint: He has several voodoo symbols painted onto his body, including a white skull on his face, which references Baron Samedi.
- Born into Slavery: Like Agaté, he was born on a plantation in Saint-Domingue before being recruited into the Assassin Order.
- Cult: Founds one based on voodoo mythology. He recruits Maroons as his followers and promises them they will overthrow the slave owners of New Orleans.
- Dead Person Impersonation: He uses the name of his Assassin Mentor, François Mackandal, in a attempt to lure out Agaté and kill him.
- Evil Former Friend: With Agaté, having been recruited into the Assassin Order alongside him. But after their mentor François Mackandal died and Agaté left to search for Jeanne, Baptiste felt betrayed and grew disillusioned with the Assassin Order, turning instead to the Templars.
- Handicapped Badass: Despite lacking his left arm, he puts up a fierce fight against Aveline.
- Master Poisoner: He was trained in poisoning by Francois Mackandal himself.
- Turncoat: Switches his allegiance from the Assassins to Templars, although he thinks he is continuing the struggle of his mentor, albeit in a different manner.
- Only One Name: Has no known surname.
Antonio de Ulloa
Antonio de Ulloa
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
Voiced By: ???
"I am a man of science. My own southern expeditions required similar tools and manpower. The region is rich with relics predating even the Mayans."
The first Spanish governor of Louisiana, he is also a skilled scientist who uses his position and knowledge to aid the Templars.
- Call-Forward: In Freedom Cry, Adewale overhears two Templars mentioning Antonio as being a young prodigy who will go far. In Rogue, a War Letter features Birch extending him an invitation to London's Royal Society.
- Cruel Mercy: What Aveline considers sparing him to be.Antonio: Thank you! Thank you for your mercy.
Aveline: Mercy? This is not mercy. I merely leave you to contend with the arsenal of your own employers. A life of hiding awaits you. Go, and wallow in your false freedom. - Corrupt Politician: Uses his position to advance Templar interests, even over Spanish goals.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: When Aveline comes to assassinate him, he begs her to spare his wife and child.
- Evil Genius: He is a well known scientist who uses his knowledge to advise his fellow Templars in doing research and experiments.
- The Exile: Aveline spares him in exchange for a decoder lens and his promise to go into exile with his family.
- Historical Domain Character: Ulloa was a real-life scientist and a member of London's Royal Society.
- Villains Want Mercy: Begs for the lives of his wife and child, along with his own, when Aveline comes for him. She is contemptuous of him for this, pointing out that he ripped hundreds of slaves from their families and had them killed, but he reveals that they are not dead, having merely been transported to Mexico to work on a secret project.
Diego Vázquez
Diego Vázquez
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
Voiced By: Conrad Pla
A high-ranking Templar operating in Louisiana.
- Beard of Evil: Wears a thick beard and happens to be a Templar.
- The Dragon: Takes over this position to The Company Man after de Ferrer is assassinated.
- Mistaken Identity: Aveline kills him due to her belief that he is the Company Man. As he is dying, he reveals that the Company Man is in fact a woman.
- Only One Name: In the original release. His first name is given in the gamefiles of the HD edition.
- Too Dumb to Live: Considering how well he had avoided being identified by the Assassins, it seems rather odd that he accepted a random dance and invitation to go somewhere more private from a woman matching the exact description of the Assassin who had killed his fellow Templars.
George Davidson
George Davidson
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
Voiced By: Christian Paul
"Officer Davidson, if you would kindly pay me the respect my rank commands now."
An escaped slave turned Templar sent to assist British forces in the British colonies during the American Revolution.
- Anti-Villain: All he cares about is maintaining his own freedom from a life of slavery. The Templars promised him freedom from slavery in exchange for his service.
- I Die Free: A twist: after Aveline mortally wounds him, she begins to give him the traditional Assassin rites and hopes he finds eternal freedom in death. George is less than pleased by her words:George: You mock me! I chose my destiny. That is real freedom. Perhaps one day you will know it too.
- Evil Former Friend: To Aveline, who does not take the revelation that he's become a Templar well.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives one to Aveline after she claims that the Templars would rather see him enslaved rather than free:George: Ha! The loyalists have guaranteed my freedom. I will fight for it, and win it for myself. Meanwhile, the slaves and the poor are targets in New Orleans, and you play the hero in New York. Who do you serve? And do you really think yourself free? "Charity should begin at himself," Miss Aveline.
