| “ | I lost a sister in Chicago! You’ll get no sympathy for me! | „ |
| ~ James Savoy explaining his motivations for wanting to eliminate the Autobots. |
| “ | James Savoy: Search the property! Cade Yeager: What do you mean "search the property?" You don't have a warrant! James Savoy: My face is my warrant! |
„ |
| ~ James Savoy. |
| “ | James Savoy: Tough luck, Yeager! We all have family! Cade Yeager: Yeah, but I'm gonna to live to see mine. |
„ |
| ~ James Savoy's last words to Cade Yeager before his death. |
James Savoy is a major antagonist in the 2014 film Transformers: Age of Extinction, the fourth installment of the Transformers film series.
He is a ruthless, corrupt, and sociopathic CIA agent who served as the second in-command of the agency's black ops unit known as Cemetery Wind, as well as being the second in-command of Harold Attinger. Furthermore, he is also the arch-rival of Cade Yeager.
He was portrayed by Titus Welliver, who also portrayed Maxwell Burke in Star Trek: Voyager, Tom Landricks and Rob Miller in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, War in Supernatural, Man In Black in Lost, Jimmy O'Phelan in Sons of Anarchy, Felix Blake in Marvel's Agents of SH.I.E.L.D., Ratko in Castlevania, the Trask Imperial Captain in The Mandalorian, and Carmine Falcone in Batman: The Long Halloween.
Biography[]
Savoy is first seen at the beginning of the movie leading Cemetery Wind at a boat pier. Using six mini-drones and a heat signature scanner, Savoy's men successfully used two explosions to force Ratchet out of hiding, with the second blowing his leg off. Ratchet then pleads for his life claiming he is friendly and that he is only running from humans because Optimus Prime urged him to immediately do so. Savoy still does not spare Ratchet, complaining to the Autobot about his sister's death in Chicago. Savoy then gleefully watched Lockdown rip out poor Ratchet's spark.
He was the right-hand man of Harold Attinger and the leader of a CIA black ops unit known as the Cemetery Wind to capture Cade Yeager, his daughter, Tessa, and Shane including all the Transformers. He wants to kill Optimus Prime and all the other Autobots, even the Decepticons since his sister was killed in the battle of Chicago.
In Hong Kong, China, Savoy tried shooting at Joshua, Tessa, and Shane as the three went down in an elevator to get rid of Lockdown's seed. Cade chose not to stay in the elevator, deciding that he must stay behind and fight off Savoy, who then engages in a fight with Cade where they are punching each other in a building in Hong Kong. Savoy chases Cade down the exterior back wall of an apartment building in Hong Kong, and Savoy shoves Cade through a window into a room.
Exchanging blows and punches, Savoy is able to smash a glass vase on Cade's head while Cade jams his thumb into Savoy's eye socket, and the two immediately shove each other away of a short distance. Savoy denigrates Cade for hiding and siding with Optimus, saying that they "all have family", before pulling out a knife, prompting Cade to throw a football at his head, tell him that he, at least, is "going to live" to see his family, and push him out the window by punching, causing Savoy to fall to his death, avenging Ratchet, and ending his wrath for good and thus leaving his plan to avenge his sister in vain.
Personality[]
Savoy was a loyal right-hand man to Attinger who held a grudge against Cybertronians, no matter whether they were good (mostly Autobots) or evil (mostly Decepticons). Perhaps since the death of his sister in Chicago at the hands of Sentinel Prime and the Decepticons, it was implied that he has gone insane since then. Due to her death, he has become wrathful, ruthless and highly sadistic, taking enjoyment out of inflicting suffering and pain toward the helpless Cybertronians and humans alike, like he did to Ratchet and Tessa (which forced Optimus Prime out of hiding).
Even before his death, Savoy himself had been twisted into somewhat thinking that Cade, along with his Autobot allies and his family, were mocking him over his sister's death as he went on the blind fury with his knife to stab Cade when Cade tries to reason with him for the final time before sending him to his death. This might be the reason why Attinger appointed him as his right-hand man, though his homicidal wrath eventually cost him his life.
To a lesser extent, Savoy can also be considered an anti-villain due to the fact that he clearly loved his sister, something which made him hold a deep hatred towards Cybertronians in his crippled heart, although he is virtually a psychopath due to his willingness to kill innocents.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Savoy appears to be loosely based on Spike Witwicky from the IDW Transformers comics, though the only things they share in common are their savagery and personality. He is also the second human antagonist after Dylan Gould.
- Savoy condescendingly refers to Optimus Prime as "the truck" or "that truck" despite how Optimus is really a 32-foot tall robot, most likely as a way to make himself think humans are superior to Cybertronians.
- While he helped Savoy hunt Autobots for the sport of it, even Lockdown displayed disgust at Savoy for killing the very same Autobots who saved him from slavery or execution by Decepticons back in the third movie.
