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“ | Do you find me sadistic? Y'know, I bet I could... fry an egg on your head right now, if I wanted to. Y'know, Kiddo, I'd like to believe that you're aware enough, even now, to know that there's... nothing sadistic in my actions. Maybe, towards those jokers... but not you. No, Kiddo, at this moment, this is me... at my most... masochistic. | „ |
~ Bill's opening monologue to the Bride. |
“ | How do I look? | „ |
~ Bill's last words. |
Bill is the titular main antagonist of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill duology, serving as the overarching antagonist of the first film and the main antagonist of the second film.
He is a powerful gangland boss who was the leader and founder of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, whose fellow assassin included his younger brother Budd. Additionally, Bill is the archenemy of his ex-lover Beatrix Kiddo as she was formerly his protégé called "The Bride"; having thought to have killed Beatrix in a massacre that included the murder of her husband and seemingly caused the death of her unborn child, which later turned out to be false, Bill serves as the ultimate goal of the Bride's "roaring rampage of revenge".
He was portrayed by the late David Carradine, who also played Rawley Wilkes in Lone Wolf McQuade, Eugene Sorenson in Bird on a Wire, and William Sharp in Saints Row.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Bill grew up with Budd and the two never knew their father, instead the two brothers found themselves in the care of a pimp lord by the name of Esteban Vihaio; according to the Bride, Vihaio was a friend of Bill's mother, though given his profession and the conspicuous anonymity of the father, it may be possible that he was also her employer. For much of Bill's childhood, Vihaio served as a father figure to him and this extended to the point of lavishing attention on the young boy - as well as quickly discovering his legendary attraction to blondes; it's also likely that he also began his first forays into the criminal underworld while in Vihaio's care.
Eventually, Bill left home and traveled the world - acquiring more father figures and mentors along the way: one of them was the warrior and swordsmith Hattori Hanzō, who taught him the art of swordsmanship and even gave him one of the legendary Hanzō katanas; another was the near-mythical martial artist Pai Mei, who accepted him as a student despite his notorious hatred of Americans and Caucasians. Under the tutelage of the amiable swordsmith and the mysterious hermit, Bill honed his mind and body to deadly extremes, and though Pai Mei's famous Five-Point-Palm Exploding Heart Technique eluded him, he emerged from his education as a force to be reckoned with.
However, instead of parlaying his skills into a career as a warrior, Bill instead chose to make a name for himself as a professional assassin: it's not known how long he spent as a solo killer, but it's believed that he served as a hitman for the Tokyo Yakuza for a time. Eventually, Bill's criminal activities brought dishonor to the name of Hattori Hanzō, and the swordsmith retired to become a sushi chef in Okinawa, determined never to make another sword.
Eventually, Bill ended his days as a lone assassin by forming a dedicated group of contract killers known as the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad: consisting of Budd and fellow assassin Beatrix Kiddo, along with other members Elle Driver, Vernita Green, and O-Ren Ishii. Together, Bill and the DeVAS remained profitable and efficient throughout its years in operation. He also served as a mentor to a number of the assassins, including O-Ren, her associate Sofie Fatale, and Beatrix: out of all of them, he came to appreciate Beatrix the most, teaching her to improve her skills tenfold, even guiding her into the tutelage of Pai Mei, where - unknown to Bill - she became the first of his students to learn the Five-Point-Palm Exploding Heart Technique. Eventually, despite the age difference between the two assassins, Bill and Beatrix fell in love.
The Massacre At El Paso[]
Some time prior to the events of the films, Beatrix discovered that she was pregnant with Bill's child, and realized that she couldn't allow her baby to be drawn into the violent lifestyle she and the other members of DeVAS enjoyed. So, despite sincerely loving Bill, she abandoned her current mission and vanished from the spotlight, allowing her friends to believe that she'd been killed in action. Bill was heartbroken, and spent a number of months looking for Beatrix's "killers" in a desperate search for revenge; unfortunately, though she'd done her best to cover her tracks, Bill was still able to pick up Beatrix's trail and follow it all the way to El Paso, where his ex-lover had settled down and gotten engaged to a rather mundane young man by the name of Tommy Plympton.
By the time Bill caught up with Beatrix, she was heavily pregnant and right in the middle of a wedding rehearsal; already shocked to discover that the woman he loved was still alive, the sight of her pregnancy and imminent marriage left him distraught, though he was careful to disguise his feelings on the matter. Bill remained perfectly courteous throughout his visit, never raising his voice when speaking with Beatrix, amiably introducing himself to the groom - not even getting angry when Beatrix decided to pass him off as her father.
Inwardly, however, Bill was enraged: seconds later, he called in the rest of DeVAS and had them kill almost everyone in the chapel, riddling the gathered family members and clergy with automatic gunfire; then, as the head of the group looked on, the four assassins pummeled Beatrix to within an inch of her life, leaving her a bloody mess. Finally, Bill offered his last farewells to his ex-lover, before putting a gun to her head; Beatrix had just enough time to explain that she was pregnant with his baby, before Bill shot her.
In spite of her injuries, Beatrix actually survived, though the gunshot to the head left her in a coma. It was during this particular coma that she finally gave birth; having taken Beatrix's final words to heart, Bill decided to raise their daughter, eventually nicknaming her "BB." At some point, he also sent Elle Driver to poison the still-comatose Beatrix, but at the last minute he called off the mission and allowed her to live, claiming that she deserved better.
With Bill preoccupied with raising a child, the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad gradually drifted apart: Budd had a falling-out with his brother and retired to become a bouncer in El Paso; Vernita retired, got married and had a child of her own; O-Ren and Sophie returned to Japan and took over Tokyo's Yakuza, apparently with some support from Bill; Elle apparently continued her career as Bill's assassin - as well as his lover.
Finding the Bride[]
Bill spends much of the first film both figuratively and literally in the shadows: even in flashbacks to the massacre or its aftermath, his face is never seen at all. He presumably spends much of the present day raising BB, only occasionally emerging from retirement to investigate Beatrix's activities: he's not surprised when his ex-lover awakens from her coma, nor is he surprised when she sets out to take vengeance on the members of DeVAS - including him. Even her acquisition of a Hattori Hanzō sword isn't that great of a shock to the jaded assassin: all the Bride had to do in order to force Hanzō out of retirement was to drop Bill's name.
Following the death of O-Ren, he interviews Sophie Fatale, now missing both her arms: he forgives her for confessing to Beatrix under torture, and mourns the damage that was done to her, but nonetheless allows her to convey the message that the Bride had ordered her to deliver. However, he was also careful to ask if Beatrix knew if her daughter was still alive (she didn't). In this film, Bill's face is seen for the first time in a flashback to the wedding massacre; in sharp contrast to his appearances in the previous installment, he remains in full view at all times. Chronologically, he first appears in the film during a meeting with Budd shortly after the deaths of O-Ren and Vernita Green: despite the long-standing disagreement between the two brothers, Bill warns him that Beatrix will almost certainly be after him next, encouraging him to hone his swordfighting skills. To his astonishment, Budd has sold his own priceless Hattori Hanzō sword for barely a hundred dollars (a lie: Budd's keeping it in his RV) and has no overwhelming interest in preserving his life - reasoning that Beatrix deserves her revenge. Nonetheless, Budd comes closer than any of DeVAS to killing Beatrix, shooting her in the chest and burying her alive - an execution she only escapes thanks to the techniques she learned from Pai Mei at Bill's behest.
In the meantime, Elle Driver murders Budd with a Black Mamba; when discussing it on the phone with Bill, she blames the death on Beatrix, claiming to have buried the Bride alive herself out of revenge. Moments after hanging up, however, she is confronted by Beatrix herself - who wins the ensuing brawl by ripping out Elle's remaining eye and leaving her in the trailer with the freed Black Mamba. With no other targets left, the Bride journeys to Acuna, Mexico, where she meets up with the now-retired Esteban Vihaio, who reveals Bill's location with very little prompting - reasoning that's the only way that his adopted son will ever be able to see Beatrix again. With the coordinates in hand, Beatrix seeks out his luxurious hacienda and enters without opposition - only to find herself face to face with Bill and their four-year-old daughter.
Final Battle[]
Astonished to discover that her child is alive, Beatrix spends the next few hours postponing her vengeance against Bill while the three of them enjoy a surprisingly pleasant evening together, complete with dinner and a movie. Eventually, Beatrix puts BB to bed and confronts Bill, who shoots her in the knee with a dart of home-made truth serum and asks her if she really thought her life in El Paso would work. She admits that she didn't, and that killing the people who led her to Bill felt good. Bill tells her she will always be a killer, and chastises her for her cruelty in making him believe she was dead. Shaken by her ex-lover's words, Beatrix confesses that she left him because she found out she was pregnant, and she knew that Bill would put his claim on the child and groom her to be his successor in the crime business; she insists that B.B. deserved to be born with a "clean slate".
Both Beatrix and Bill end the conversation emotionally distraught, acknowledging that they have both done wrong against the other, and that the only way to resolve their enmity is in a duel to the death.
After a brief swordfight in Bill's yard, Beatrix is able to disarm Bill and perform the Five-Point-Palm Exploding Heart Technique on him. Knowing the specifics of this technique, Bill quickly realizes that his death is now inevitable. Accepting his fate with dignity, Bill and Beatrix finally make peace, and he rises from his seat, buttons his coat and takes the five fatal steps into the darkness of his backyard. On the fifth step, his heart explodes inside his chest, and Bill collapses to the grass, dead.
With Bill's death, Beatrix's vendetta is complete, and she is able to raise BB in peace.
Personality[]
“ | We've done a lot of things to this lady. And if she ever wakes up, we'll do a whole lot more. But one thing we won't do is sneak into her room in the night like a filthy rat and kill her in her sleep. And the reason we won't do that thing is because... that thing would lower us | „ |
~ Bill to Elle Driver |
Bill is an immensely stoic individual at first glance, hiding his emotions and his motives from all observers; for most of the first film, he is little more than a voice in the shadows, demonstrating only cold, calculating responses to the problems at hand. Even his remorse over Sophie's mutilation sounds almost too quiet and understated to be real.
However, in Vol. 2, he shows a much more human side to his character in his past interactions with the Bride: during his fireside chat with Beatrix, he enthralls his lover with the tale of Pai Mei and offers her heartfelt warnings not to anger the cantankerous old master. Later, when they meet at El Paso, he visibly restrains his grief and anger over the Bride's sudden disappearance, never raising his voice - even putting on a jovial facade when the time comes to meet Tommy. Likewise, even when he finally loses his temper and orders the wedding massacre, he hides his emotions, attempting to end his relationship with the Bride on a friendly note even as he shoots her. Likewise, despite his strained relationship with Budd, he tries to save his brother's life by warning him not to underestimate Beatrix; when the Bride finally discovers Budd's Hattori Hanzō sword, she discovers it's been engraved with the words "To my brother Budd, the only man I ever loved - Bill." However, Bill, like his crew of assassin's was still a bad person, killing many innocent people in his life, and also seemingly had no qualms killing a pregnant Beatrix and all the people at her wedding, his shedding of innocent blood is also the reason Hattori Hanzo, his mentor, was dishonored and vowed to never make a sword again.
Towards the end, Bill's facade starts to unravel: genuinely friendly with Beatrix for most of the evening, his calm exterior gives way as the Bride finally admits the situation that led her to walk out on him, and Bill finally confesses the depths of grief and rage he felt at being abandoned. In the end, however, he accepts his death gracefully, acknowledging that he still loves Beatrix in spite of all her flaws, before willingly taking the final steps to his death.
Abilities[]
- Master Martial Artist: As a pupil of Pai Mei, Bill was a highly-trained martial artist, and evidently held his own against the aged master upon delivering Beatrix for training - though not without sustaining a few bruises. His skills are displayed at length in deleted scenes from the film, where he is able to defeat the vengeful apprentice of one of his past victims - and his hired goons - in hand-to-hand combat.
- Master Swordsman: A master swordsman rivaling even Beatrix for sheer skill, Bill learned his art from Hattori Hanzō, and was able to conduct a brief but complicated sword fight without ever rising from his chair.
- Expert Marksman: He frequently used handguns on his targets and demonstrated a lightning-quick draw with his revolver and precise aim with his truth-serum pistol.
- High Intelligence: Bill was highly intelligent, single-handedly coordinating and planning the operations of one of the most successful assassination teams in the world with ease, even lending his skill to O-Ren's takeover of Tokyo. In retirement, Bill amuses himself by formulating truth serums and other chemical concoctions; even over the course of a simple conversation, he proves sophisticated and insightful enough to deconstruct the Bride's motivations and plans in life.
Equipment[]
- Hattori Hanzo Sword: Bill uses a katana made by his old mentor Hattori Hanzo.
- Revolver: Bill uses a colt Single Action Army revolver as his sidearm.
- Dart gun: Bill used a dart gun to shoot Beatrix with his "unfalible truth" serum.
Quotes[]
“ | As you know, I’m quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating. Take my favorite superhero, Superman. Not a great comic book, not particularly well-drawn, but the mythology. The mythology is not only great, it’s unique… Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S”, that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kent's found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears – the glasses, the business suit – that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak, he’s unsure of himself, he’s a coward. Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race. Sorta like Beatrix Kiddo and Mrs. Tommy Plympton... You would’ve worn the costume of Arlene Plympton. But you were born Beatrix Kiddo. And every morning when you woke up, you’d still be Beatrix Kiddo… I’m calling you a killer. A natural born killer. You always have been, and you always will be. Moving to El Paso, working in a used record store, goin’ to the movies with Tommy, clipping coupons. That’s you, trying to disguise yourself as a worker bee. That’s you tryin’ to blend in with the hive. But you’re not a worker bee. You’re a renegade killer bee. And no matter how much beer you drank or barbecue you ate or how fat your ass got, nothing in the world would ever change that… | „ |
~ Bill's infamous monologue and explanation of his motivation to the Bride. |
Gallery[]
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Villains | ||
Deadly Viper Assassination Squad Tokyo Yakuza Others |