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Veterans! You shed your hearts' blood for Columbia, lost limb and viscera in the godless Orient! Comstock did nothing! And yet — look up! Whose image squats above you, even now? At every angle an insult! If the Prophet would make a painted whore of our past, what fresh rape does our future hold? Let us now make our stand, and fill yonder hall with true Heroes.
~ Cornelius Slate.
They haven't changed you, Booker...not... one... bit...
~ Cornelius Slate if Booker decides to kill him.

Captain Cornelius Slate is a supporting antagonist in the 2013 action-adventure video game BioShock Infinite.

A former military captain that served with Booker DeWitt, Slate became a supporter of Zachary Hale Comstock, but became disillusioned with the prophet due to his false war history. Wanting to destroy Comstock and the Founders, Slate affiliated himself with the Vox Populi to overtake the Hall of Heroes. Wanting to give his soldiers a true death, he tests Booker DeWitt in the Hall of Heroes.

He was voiced by Keith Szarabajka, who also voiced Trigon in Teen Titans, El Mago in Dora the Explora, Harbinger in Mass Effect, Venom in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Reed Wahl in the BioShock 2 DLC, Minerva's Den, Joshua Graham in Fallout: New Vegas, Kalrow in Asura's Wrath, The Didact in Halo 4, and also played Daniel Holtz in Angel.

History[]

Background[]

Cornelius Slate was born around the 1800s to unnamed parents, and later joined the United States military at some point in his adulthood. He would reach the captain due to his service, and participated in the Sioux Wars, where he became acquainted with fellow soldier Booker DeWitt. During the war, Slate and DeWitt were among the many American soldiers that took part in the Battle of Wounded Knee, an incident that deeply affected Booker. Following the war, Slate learned of the city of Columbia, and became a supporter of its ruler Zachary Hale Comstock. Leaving the United States military, Cornelius became a citizen of the flying city and served in Columbia's military force.

No long serving the states, Slate would lead his men during wars on the behalf of Columbia, such as the Spanish-American War and the Boxer Rebellion (with the latter ending with him losing his eye and his men). Despite earning the respect of the city and its military, Slate's support for Comstock turned to anger and disgust when the latter claimed that he was the hero of the Wounded Knee and the Boxer Rebellion. Angered at the prophet false claims that he served, Slate confronted him, but was stripped of his rank and labeled a liar. Furious at Comstock's claims, Slate refused to work in Finkton and joined the Vox Populi, and took over the Hall of Heroes. During this time, Slate wanted to have a soldier's death alongside his men, but believed it couldn't be achieved since the Founders' military and police were "tin soldiers" in his eyes.

BioShock Infinite[]

After learning about Comstock's mechanical soldiers, Slate and his men desperately seek to die "as soldiers" gloriously in battle, and Slate considers Booker DeWitt to be the man for the job.

Booker and Elizabeth travel to the Hall of Heroes to obtain the Shock Jockey Vigor. Slate leads Booker to two exhibits within the museum -- the Wounded Knee Massacre and Boxer Rebellion exhibits -- where Comstock features prominently as a war hero. Once Booker and Elizabeth reach the exhibits, Captain Slate demands Booker to fight his men at two exhibits that display the Wounded Knee and Boxer Rebellion, believing that DeWitt killing them will give them a soldier's death. Once DeWitt has eliminated them at the exhibits, Slate has him fight against the motorized patriots to see if he was still a capable soldier. He later reveals that he is in possession of the Shock Jockey vigor, having taken them for his own, and sends more of his men to fight DeWitt.

Fate[]

With the battle finished, Booker pursues a weakened Slate to obtain the Shock Jockey he needs. Slate then gives Booker one final order, handing him a pistol and telling him to "finish it". If Booker follows through, Slate's last remarks are about Booker not changing and still being a true soldier. If spared, Slate angrily yells at Booker, calling him a "Tin Man". In the second scenario, Slate is subsequently captured by Columbian authorities and imprisoned at the Good Time Club, where he is found tortured and lobotomized into a catatonic state. Once again, Booker has two choices: kill him or leave him behind. If Booker kills him, Elizabeth will respond with "I guess that's what he wanted". If Booker spares Slate, Elizabeth wonders if his current catatonic state is a worse alternative to death.

Alternate Reality[]

In an alternate reality, Slate and Booker join the Vox Populi to fight against the Founders, and die when destroying the Hall of Heroes. As a result, the Vox hail them as martyrs of their revolution, inspiring them to take the fight against the Founders via Chen Lin's weapons. Booker and Elizabeth arrive in this reality when they are unable to transport Lin's tools to him, but are attacked by the Vox on Daisy Fitzroy's orders, seeing his 'return' as a complication in the narrative.

Quotes[]

Corporal DeWitt proved his worth on the field that day.
~ Slate on the radio, confronting Booker at the Hall of Heroes.
All my men have left is a choice: Die at the hands of a tin soldier, or a REAL one!
~ Slate.
COMSTOCK WASN'T THERE! The Boxers took my eye and thirty of my friends! Is there even a stone to mark their sacrifice?!
~ Slate's response on Elizabeth telling of Comstock's service in the war.
Then what are you? If you take away all the parts of Booker DeWitt you tried to erase, what's left? Come back to the rotunda...it's almost over.
~ Slate's response to Booker claiming he never saw himself as a hero.
You've seen what Comstock has done to my history. Now see how he's rewritten his own.
~ Slate as Booker and Elizabeth enter Lady Comstock's memorial.
Tin men, Booker. That's what Comstock will turn us into! Wires and gears to replace heads and hearts!
~ Slate to Booker on motorized patriots.
It was SLATE who killed for his country at Wounded Knee! It was SLATE who stormed the gates of Peking! SLATE!!!
~ Slate.
You're not done here, soldier! Eat everything that's on your plate! Finish it!
~ Slate to Booker, ordering the latter to kill him.
YOU'RE A TIN MAN, BOOKER! A TIN MAAAAN!
~ Slate to Booker DeWitt if the latter refuses to kill him.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Slate has some small fragments of Shock Jockey crystals on the right side of his head, which might be the side effect of the said Vigor. This may be due to Slate being originally part of a rejected Vigor Junkie concept for Splicer-equivalent enemies, mentioned in The Art of BioShock Infinite.
  • It's implied that Slate is well aware that Comstock framed Daisy Fitzroy for his wife's murder. When the player enters Lady Comstock's memorial, he will exclaim that Comstock has rewritten his own history.

Navigation[]

           BioShockLogo Villains

Rapture
Ryan Industries
Andrew Ryan | Sander Cohen | Yi Suchong | Gilbert Alexander | Stanley Poole

Ryan Security
Chief Sullivan | Ivan Karlosky | Pat Cavendish

Fontaine Futuristics
Frank Fontaine | Yi Suchong | Reggie | Ray Lardner

Fontaine Fisheries
Peach Wilkins | Louie McGraff

Atlas' Followers
Peach Wilkins | Lonnie | Felix Molloy

The Rapture Family
Sofia Lamb | Big Sisters | Simon Wales | Gilbert Alexander | Stanley Poole | Nigel Weir | Edward Grimes | Leo Hartwig

Splicers
Sander Cohen | J.S. Steinman | Simon Wales | Gilbert Alexander | Reed Wahl | Peach Wilkins | Daniel Wales | Louie McGraff | Martin Finnegan | Silas Cobb | Hector Rodriguez | Leo Hartwig | Rose | The Saturnine | Ray Lardner | Rupert Mudge

Others
Alpha Series | Jamie Byass | Dodge

Columbia
The Founders
Zachary Hale Comstock | Songbird | P. Pettifog and Harrison Powell | Preston E. Downs | Flying Squad | Boys of Silence

Fink Manufacturing
Jeremiah Fink | Scofield Sansmark

Columbia Police Authority
Esther Mailer

Fraternal Order of the Raven
First Zealot

Vox Populi
Daisy Fitzroy | Brother Love | Preston E. Downs

Slate's Soldiers
Cornelius Slate

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