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That fool tried to play me? Thinks he's too good for my game? Too bad for him I'm the one who writes the rules. I'm gonna show him what his life can be like alone. Don't need to be subtle about it...
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~ Blackmore, gearing up to murder Torque's family in good morality playthroughs.
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That fool tried to play me? Thinks he's too good for my game? His boy Cory is our ace in the hole. Already hates his dad - we just need to give him a little push: he'll school his dad at his own game...
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~ Blackmore, preparing to turn Cory against his own family in neutral morality playthroughs.
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That fool tried to play me? Thinks he's too good for my game? I will play him against himself! I will plant the seed, tell him his old lady's gonna take his boys away; then he'll do the deed himself. I'm gonna give him a call right now...
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~ Blackmore, planning to manipulate Torque into murdering his own wife and children in evil morality playthroughs.
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Blackmore is a villain only briefly mentioned in 2004 horror game The Suffering, and the main antagonist of its 2005 sequel The Suffering: Ties That Bind. The undisputed ruler of Baltimore's criminal underworld, "Colonel" Blackmore dominates the city's illegal drug trade, eliminating any rivals to his empire through swift, brutally efficient tactics - including the use of an underground sewage pond as a drowning pool. For this reason, he has emerged as one of the most infamous figures in Baltimore's troubled history, to the point that even the police do not dare oppose him. His fearsome reputation is only enhanced by the mystique surrounding him, for only a privileged few have ever met him face-to-face.
During the backstory, series protagonist Torque used to work for Blackmore, but following his marriage to Carmen and the birth of his sons, Torque attempted to leave the crime lord's employ. Blackmore's retaliation not only drove the couple into a bitter divorce, but ultimately led to Torque being sent to prison for the murder of his family - thus setting the stage for the events of the first game. As such, Ties That Bind concerns the protagonist's search for vengeance against his former employer, and the mysterious 'game' that Blackmore insists on playing with Torque. It turns out that Blackmore is actually Torque's split personality who wants to take over as Torque's dominant personality.
He was voiced by the late Michael Clarke Duncan, who also played Attar in The Planet Of The Apes, Manute in Sin City, the Kingpin in Daredevil, and Benjamin King in Saints Row.
Appearance[]
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It seems the entire city of Baltimore shakes at the mention of the name Blackmore. The notorious drug lord has taken over most of East Baltimore's drug trade, viciously disposing of his enemies in his infamous underground drowning pool. Perhaps the fact that hardly anyone has ever met him is part of his secret. He lives almost as a legend, only visible out of a corner of an eye, looming over the city like a specter of pure evil
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~ from Consuela's Journal.
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From the moment he appears in the game, Blackmore is immediately distinguishable from the rank and file of his henchmen, even while dressed in an inmate's uniform at East Baltimore Correctional. Tall and thin, he is bald except for his eyebrows and the goatee on his chin. He sports numerous old burns along his cheeks, along with several laceration scars running across his face, though it is never specified how he acquired them. Most distinctive of all are his piercing grey eyes, the left of which appears to be obscured by a milky-white cataract, though he shows no signs of vision difficulties in any of his scenes.
In the overwhelming majority of his scenes, the crime lord wears a very specific ensemble consisting of a crimson button-up shirt with the top two buttons undone, a pair of black pants, and dress shoes. The only exception to this rule is during his visit to East Baltimore Correctional in the introduction, in which he wears the faded blue uniform of an inmate.
Most of the inexplicable details concerning Blackmore's appearance are later justified by the fact that he has no physical form of his own, and his distinctive look is due entirely to Torque's childhood imagination. However, he has woven the illusion of his existence so well that the trouble convict does not notice that nobody seems to ever look in the crime lord's direction, or that nobody ever appears to speak directly to him. It is not until Torque begins to take into account the fact that witnesses keep mistaking him for Blackmore that the illusion begins to unravel, culminating in the crime lord effectively unmasking himself in the final level of the game, "Born Into This." For good measure, in Jordan's notebook entry on Blackmore, the photograph provided is just one of Torque wearing a cowboy hat.
Personality[]
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Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? (Happy.) Happy's not good enough. You've got to be a player. Then people respect you. You understand the difference? (I don't know.) That's okay, my little one. I've got years to teach you...
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~ Blackmore in one of his earliest interactions with Torque.
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Created to be Torque's opposite in every single way, Blackmore's personality reverses every single major trait of the protagonist: where Torque is plagued with doubts over his sense of self, Blackmore is effortlessly confident; where one struggles with anger management problems, the other never loses his cool; where Torque remains silent, Blackmore enjoys addressing; where the troubled convict tackles his opponents up close with any weapon available to him, the criminal mastermind prefers to plot and manipulate from behind the scenes; where one chose to marry and start a family, the other prefers casual sex and regards relationships as unnecessary distractions; where Torque is content to follow, Blackmore is determined to dominate everyone and everything in Baltimore.
Cold, calculating and ruthless, Blackmore has become infamous for his use of brutal and devastating tactics, wiping out all opposition by any means necessary - especially those that leave a lasting impression. Most famous of all these methods is his Drowning Pool, in which those who opposed or inconvenienced the crime lord in anyway were disposed of, condemning them to a slow and unpleasant death in the cloying sewage. Those who attempt to leave Blackmore's service suffer an even worse fate: when Torque began showing more loyalty to his family than his employer, Blackmore slowly dismantled his personal life, tormenting Carmen with threatening letters and hiring men to provoke Torque to violence, concluding with Torque being sent to jail for manslaughter and his wife divorcing him. And when this was not enough, Blackmore took his deterrence to the next level, either by having Torque's family murdered, getting Torque's eldest son addicted to drugs and driving him to murderous insanity, or by manipulating Torque into killing his family himself.
In keeping with this ruthless nature, "The Colonel" demonstrates a profoundly Darwinistic streak, openly stating that "strength comes to those who grab for it". In much the same way that Torque's Hatred encouraged him to murder the defenseless, Blackmore encourages Torque to kill anyone who even mildly inconveniences his struggle to survive, making a particular point of noting "kill or be killed" when speaking out in favor of murdering Riley. For good measure, he shows little regard for heroin addicts, dismissing Kyle's withdrawal pain with a sneer of "he did this to himself," and even less regard for those anyone who ends up on the receiving end of Torque's wrath.
Blackmore has a particular fascination with games, adopting terminology based on sports and strategy games: in various scenes, he himself as a "last-minute entry", dismisses Miles as a "sucker player," gloatingly advises Torque on all the pieces that make the game better, and concludes an ambush by cheekily asking "ready for checkmate?" Every action Blackmore takes is essentially a game of chess, effectively summarizing both his scheming, strategic nature, and his ambition: he plays to win on all-or-nothing stakes, whether it is in his attempts to take over Baltimore or in his struggle to take over Torque's brain.
Despite his fearsome reputation Blackmore demonstrates a jovial, almost avuncular charm, treating his employees generously when they serve capably, and remaining friendly with Torque even once they have declared war on each other. Indeed, Blackmore calls his former employee "my little one," regarding him as a misguided son more than anything else - and has actually been doing so ever since Torque's childhood, raising him to follow his way of life. Overall most of this affability is genuine in nature: for all his ruthlessness, Blackmore despises unnecessary cruelty, does his best to persuade Torque before forcing him, and reacts very violently to the death of Torque's family in the event that both games have ended on a positive morality rating. However, this affability rarely ever stops the crime lord from exercising his legendary ruthlessness - including getting Cory addicted to drugs in the neutral ending, throwing Cory's ghost into the Drowning Pool, and destroying Torque's personality so he can move in "full-time."
Powers and Abilities[]
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Obliteration... destruction... death... power.
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~ Blackmore applauding evil morality decisions.
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Because Blackmore exists only in Torque's mind, he seemingly possesses no real powers other than his own immense intellect and manipulative charm. However, given that he is intermittently in control Torque's body, he also has access to the full range of his strength and skill in arms, not to mention his inexplicable ability to provoke Malefactors' incursions; unlike Torque, however, Blackmore appears to have some ability to control the Malefactors on a more direct basis, actively summoning them into battle against his other self.
Furthermore, Blackmore's status as an element of Torque's subconsciousness allows him powers that can actively harm and even destroy his other self's mind. Most of these powers are kept secret until the very end of the game in order to prevent Torque from learning the truth; during the final confrontation, however, Blackmore has no further need to hold back and unleashes all his hidden mental powers against his opponent in the form of an illusory boss battle. These powers include the following.
- Teleportation: Having no physical body of his own, Blackmore's mental self can appear and disappear virtually at will.
- Enhanced agility: In the event that he does attack physically, he can move with improbable speed and grace
- Invulnerable to ordinary weapons: As a Thought-Form, conventional weapons are useless against him and only Torque's rage form can hurt him.
- Superhuman resilience: Even pitted against Torque's rage form, Blackmore can take quite a bit of punishment.
- Brute strength: Even in his early scenes in East Baltimore Correctional, Blackmore is able to casually topple Torque (who can effortlessly slaughter Malefactors in droves) to the ground with a backhand.
- Hand-to-hand combat mastery: Having access to all of Torque's combat experiencing, Blackmore is more than a match for him in a mental duel to the death.
- Energy projection: Blackmore can launch balls of vivid purple energy that is capable of draining Torque's insanity meter, forcing him back to human form and inflicting additional damage. Worst of all, it also fills Blackmore's own insanity meter.
- Rage Form: Once he has drained Torque's insanity, Blackmore can assume a rage form of his own; this is usually a worst-case scenario for players, as most will not be able to recover their own insanity meters in time and will end up getting easily defeated as a result.
Quotes[]
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Somebody needs to learn his place.
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~ Blackmore's very first line.
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Yeah, that's right. I'm a last-minute entry, and now I'm playing this game.
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~ Blackmore introducing himself in East Baltimore Correctional.
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You maybe strong. But I'm smart. And the smart always win.
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~ Blackmore goading Torque
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Bluster is the tool of the sucker player.
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~ Blackmore to a defiant Miles.
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The pawn's off the board! Now only the real players are left in the game. Are you ready for checkmate?
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~ Blackmore, leading the riot against Torque after Miles vanishes offscreen.
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There's some bad advice from someone who hasn't gotten any in a long time. He's half the man you are, and you're half the man I am. You're on the way to learn the score, and I've got some friends that can show you the way...
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~ Blackmore taunting both Killjoy and Torque at the theater in evil playthroughs.
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I wanted to get you on my team, but you know what always rubbed me wrong? You never improved at your own game. Same mistakes, time and time and time again. Okay, let's try one more time... with feeling.
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~ Blackmore in the confrontation at the Foundation labs.
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You know what makes the game easier? Your own private army. I highly recommend it
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~ Blackmore, right before unleashing the Foundation's soldiers on Torque at East Baltimore Correctional.
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I never understood why you wouldn't just play along. I offered you everything: wealth, respect, power... but instead, you chose her. Now, I love the ladies, oh my yes, but I always want to be free to play the field. The moment they start to hold you back, limit your choices, they're gone, one way or the other.
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~ Blackmore speaking to Torque on the phone.
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Oh my yes! Blood, blood, everywhere! But can you read the writing on the wall? Run with me: I'll tell you all the truth you need to hear...
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~ Blackmore, after killing Miles.
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Killing is strength, but death can be cruel...
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~ Blackmore, if Torque kills Jordan.
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Attaboy. You've raised yourself a winner. He can go far, just like you and me... but he's still cramping my game!
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~ Blackmore, right before pushing Cory to his death in evil playthroughs.
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Yes, I LIKE IT!!
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~ Blackmore approving of Torque slaughtering everything on sight.
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You played right. I couldn't... get you... to break the rules. And the way I play... it's all or nothing.
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~ Blackmore conceding defeat in the good ending.
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That's what I thought. Looks like we're going to play this game a while longer. I couldn't change you, and you couldn't get rid of me. The ties that bind, they'll keep us connected, but apart... and I'll be right here, looking over your shoulder...
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~ Blackmore declaring a truce in the neutral ending.
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Fool! You didn't know one thing about the endgame! Should've given up sooner, admitted you wanted to be me! (assimilates Torque) Now I'm full time, baby: I can rule this town!
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~ Blackmore achieving victory in the evil ending.
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Gallery[]
Art illustrated by Ben Olson
Navigation[]
Villains