W H Y

reasons for this tribute

In short, he doesn't get enough love. I know that most people find him annoying, and I can certainly understand that feeling. Yeah, he makes a habit out of pissing you off with his little games and attempts to kill you. But honestly, his quirks are what make him so lovable.

Salazar is a different kind of villain to me, in that while he's often aggravating to have to deal with in-game, he's a quite tragic character, one that you can feel sorry for. He was a young and isolated heir to a lofty estate and family name. And he was tricked by the conniving leader of a shady cult. I can see how the mysticism of the cult itself and the desire for power could have seduced him.

And I'm not quite sure that we'll ever know the extent of Saddler's powers of persuasion. Someone so young and impressionable could easily be lured into something as evil as the cult and the release of the Plagas by someone so shrewd and calculating.

It was an unfortunate final decision on his part, but I sympathize with him. I just can't hate him for his mistakes, mistakes that I think he might correct if given the chance to go back in time. Not to mention if he had control of his own mind.

Despite what we may see in the game, it seems that he's actually a multilayered character. I am very curious about his backstory, details of which we're given only a few tantalizing bits. I'd imagine we'd have seen a very different person before the advent of Saddler. Sure, his interest in the Los Illuminados may have still been intact, but I have to wonder if the kind of malice and wicked mischief he exhibits in game would have been there as well. I have my doubts.