Simon Phoenix

"Is it cold in here, or is it just me?"

- Simon Phoenix to John Spartan "Wait a minute. This is the future. Where are the laser guns?"

- Simon Phoenix "I want you to loot, pillage, plunder! I want ya to steal! I want you to do all the wonderful things that we used to do before all this happened."

- Simon Pheonix to his fellow criminals of the 20th century.

Simon Phoenix is the main antagonist in the 1993 film Demolition Man. He is the most crazed and dangerous criminal of the 20th century, and only the toughest cop could be a match for him.

He is portrayed by Wesley Snipes.

History
Simon Phoenix was a wanted criminal responsible for many crimes like theft, kidnapping, rape, robbery and murder. He declared his own kingdom in South Central within Los Angeles, having all other street gangs, drug dealers and even some murderers under his control. In his last crime in 1996, he made 20 people hostage, but a misjudging of the cop John Spartan made all the hostages die. Even worst, the body count of those hostages was 30 as Phoenix planned it for his appetite for sadistic amusement. Phoenix was found guilty for the murders and condemned. But Spartan also took a part of the responsibility, and the two were frozen in a cryogenic chamber, remaining there for years.

36 years later, society have changed drastically, with San Diego and Los Angeles being fused in one large so-called utopia named San Angeles. Simon was released from his confinement to kill Edgar Friendly, the leader of the resistance group called Scraps who lived in the sewers of San Angeles since the society of Dr. Raymond Cocteau. Simon reassembles a new gang of not only the hardened residents of the sewers, but also half a dozen defrosted, bloodthirsty criminals of the 20th century he requested released from the cryo-prison and kills the man who releases him, setting on his own goals to spread chaos again. Simon Phoenix in a scene cut out to shorten running time shoots and kills Zachary Lamb just when Lenina Huxley and John Spartan go after him on the roads of San Angeles.

He was pursued by Sgt. John Spartan of the old LAPD once again. With help of Edgar Friendly and Lt. Lenina Huxley of the SAPD along with the armed Scraps, Spartan breaks into the facility and fights Phoenix, who uses his futuristic skills to his advantage. According to what was cut out, John Spartan kills newer henchmen to Simon Phoenix and battles the goon played by Jesse “The Body” Ventura named Adam who did the work for Simon Phoenix in killing Mayor/Gov Raymond Cocteau and defeats Adam just before going up against Simon Phoenix one last time. Phoenix admits that all the victims in 1996 were dead before Spartan arrived, which angers Spartan more. Spartan smashes a container of the potent cryogenic liquid against the floor and leaps to grab a malfunctioning crane arm overhead, as the floor and everything in contact with it freezes solid, including Phoenix. Spartan then kicks Phoenix's frozen head off after shouting "Heads up!", reminiscing Simon's predictable loss of his head, and it hits the ground before smashing to pieces. The damaged equipment in the room then explodes, with Spartan escaping just before the CryoPrison is destroyed, along with Phoenix's decapitated frozen body and the criminals he attempted to set free.

Personality
Simon is completely crazy, never caring for rules or feelings, not even for other's lives. Exactly what one would expect from a twisted criminal like him.

Video game appearance
Simon Phoenix appears in the video game adaption of the movie Demolition Man as the game's final antagonist.

Trivia

 * Simon Phoenix's last name simply came from the mythological firebird of Egyptian legend which indicated the legendary criminal's desire to bring back greed, cruelty and anarchy into the world including seemingly serene city of San Angeles and make all the chaotic madness last forever.