It is extremely important to bear the information from the 'character design preface' in mind when reading all character backstories on this blog. Before doing so, please refer back to the information on that particular post first.
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The Gunslinger:
Name: Mordecai Diamond-Back
“One bullet. I tip my hat to you, one legend to another.”
- Legendary gunslinger Rattlesnake Jake, Rango (2011)
"Once every so often, when a violent storm is said to be fast approaching, people have claimed to have sighted a lone gunslinger stalking amongst the cracked and slanted tombstones of graveyards from state to state, his features obscured by the blood-red of the dying sun as it disappears over the mesa-speckled horizon.
This gunslinger is Mordecai Diamond-Back, the fastest draw and the deadliest shot for seven confirmed states, and several unconfirmed ones.
Mordecai is an outlaw with a moral compass, not characteristically ‘good’ or ‘bad’, but rather falling into the ‘anti-hero’ category. Although his methodologies and practice can be sickeningly violent at times, he has always believed that the world is just better off without some people.
His proficient and phenomenal skill with firearms either short or long barrelled is more than enough to get him out of any combat situation, the greatest example of this being when he cleared an entire Texas saloon of more than twenty brawny cowboys, corrupt lawmen and gang members using a revolver, a Winchester rifle and a sawed-off shotgun. His legendary marksmanship has meant that despite his lengthy tapestry of violence and death, he has successfully evaded the law no matter where he’s ended up.
It is said that no matter where he travels, he leaves a flowing trail of blood in his wake. This is of course metaphorical and part of the impression he’s left upon those that cross his path, but the legend chronicling his violent and bloody past couldn’t be more accurate.
Many fear Mordecai and regard him as nought but a ruthless murderer, a butcher of human beings and a breeder of suffering, but this is the part of his legend which isn’t true. Being a man who prefers to work alone, he’s never really become close with or trusted anyone, and the confusion and secrecy surrounding his true character is down to this. His hardened nature was born out of his experiences as a young man when he worked as an assistant butcher in his hometown. This apprenticeship wasn’t glamourous nor paid well, but provided Mordecai with the opportunity to get some shooting practice.
Growing up, Mordecai never really trusted authority. Call it instinct, but he’s always been able to see the kind of darkness and atrocities that come with abuse of power. However, it wasn’t until his adolescence that he experienced it first-hand.
His hometown was run very badly by the law officials who worked there. Where a lawman is meant to be courageous and virtuous, the sheriff and the deputies who policed his hometown were either self-important and useless or just plain thugs and bullies. His family, himself and the other townsfolk suffered many times at the hands of these authoritarians, as they demanded taxes and protection money. They also weren’t above covert murder, and cases of people going missing was common when he was growing up.
His family were very tough but loving in their own way. His father was a watchmaker and his mother a seamstress, and always encouraged and even pushed Mordecai into a respectable, hard-working profession from a young age so he could get a decent start in life.
Despite his actions, Mordecai isn’t an outwardly violent person. In fact, he’s very calm and has a deep respect and love for animals, which is why he killed those animals he hunted outright rather than maiming them. He also cares deeply for his guns and his horse, feeding his horse before he feeds himself and maintaining his guns to a fault.
The gunslinger is also a staunch advocate of the old codes of chivalry, bravery, honesty and honour, never backing down from a fight and staying extremely true to his word. It is only when he is pushed that he become shockingly violent and capable of killing many quickly. However, he only targets those guilty of atrocities and never kills innocent people, even when they accidentally get in the way. Unless a person has done a serious wrong, he’ll aid those who need it.
The gunslinger sometimes finds himself uneasy at the thought of the many, many people he’s killed, but remembers that most of them deserved killing for their vile actions.
Both the legend of the Old West and the gunslinger are fading away. However, you can bet that when the bullet casings fall, when the blood splatters and the smoke clears, Mordecai Diamond-Back will be the one to emerge victorious and ride off into the setting sun."
“It’s a new West Jake, there’s no room for gunslingers anymore. We’re businessmen now… You and the sheriff are more alike than you think – you’re nothing but legends. Pretty soon no one will believe you even existed.”
Mayor Marlon Carlton Lynch delivering what he believed to be a final speech to Rattlesnake Jake in Rango (2011)
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