Benjamin King

==History==
===''Saints Row''===
[[File:Ben and Jules photo.png|200px|right|thumb|Benjamin King's photo of him and [[Julius]] back in the '70s.{{ref|'''Cutscene''': [[Battlefield Promotion]]}} The image is based on a real-life 1974 photo of two men in a Chicago ghetto.{{ref|Chicago ghetto|'''Wikipedia''': {{wp|File:Chicago_ghetto.jpg}} }}]]
In the 1970s, childhood friends Benjamin King and [[Julius Little]] formed the [[Vice Kings]] to fight back against [[Los Carnales]], who had swept through their neighborhood of [[Sunnyvale]], demanding protection fees, pushing drugs, and bringing gang warfare to the streets. King organized the kids in Sunnyvale to stand up for themselves, and "fueled by their desire to take back their neighborhood, the Vice Kings surged". Sunnyvale was liberated from the Carnales in a matter of days but King, who had grown accustomed to power, continued to battle the Carnales for control over the rest of [[Stilwater]]. Julius, unhappy with his friend's decision, decided to retire to [[Saint's Row]].{{ref|Audio tour}}

In the following years, King increased his gang's influence and income, and decided to focus on "legitimate business ventures" instead of his criminal empire. This allowed the Carnales to regain their strength and a new gang, the [[Westside Rollerz]], soon formed. The three gangs fought against each other, but once the violence spilled into Saint's Row, Julius was forced to follow King's footsteps, and thus started the [[3rd Street Saints]] in an attempt to quell all the other gangs in the city.{{ref|Audio tour}}

As King cultivated his gang, he employed [[Anthony Green]], "an old friend [...] from back in the day", as his enforcer and "go-to" guy, and [[Warren Williams]], a "second rate rapper turned third rate gangster", to run [[Kingdom Come Records]], the Vice Kings' record label. [[Tanya Winters]], once nothing more than a "small time hooker", managed to be put in charge of the Vice Kings' brothel at the [[Raykins Hotel]] due to her relationship with Green. During this time, [[Chief Monroe]] had [[Troy|an undercover officer]] infiltrate the 3rd Street Saints; during the officer's preliminary report on the four gangs, he noted how Monroe doesn't want him investigating the Vice Kings any further, hinting at King's close relationship with the [[Stilwater Police Department]].{{ref|SRm}}{{ref|SRm2}}

{{quote|Don't let his philanthropy fool you; this guy is the same banger he was in the 70's,{{sic}} he just traded in his bandana{{sic}} for a suit and tie.|[[Troy|Undercover officer]], during their report on the Vice Kings to [[Chief Monroe]].{{ref|SRm2}}

During the year leading up to the events of ''[[Saints Row]]'', King improves his public persona, going from a feared gang leader to a "public darling" through his philanthropy. The ''Stilwater Post'' did a human interest story on him, but the undercover officer noted his absolute distrust of him during his report on the Vice Kings.{{ref|SRm}}{{ref|SRm2}}

{{quote|The Vice Kings are named after one guy: Benjamin King. That shit don't happen unless you're a professional or a bad ass, and in King's case, he's both.|[[Johnny Gat]], introducing [[Playa]] to the Vice Kings.{{ref|'''Mission''': [[Aisha's Favor]]}} }}

[[File:Always Use Protection Benjamin King Warren Williams.png|280px|thumb|left|Benjamin King tells [[Warren Williams]] to calm down after the loss of [[Kingdom Come Records]].{{ref|AUP}}]]

King first becomes aware of the 3rd Street Saints after they destroy the Kingdom Come Records building and apparently kill [[Aisha]], causing millions of dollars in loss of revenue.{{ref|'''Mission''': [[...To Kingdom Come]]}} King remains completely calm as he is informed of the incident, much to the chagrin of his lieutenant Warren Williams. After then being informed by Tanya Winters of the 3rd Street Saints' seizure of [[Prawn Court]], King states that he will call in a few favors and have Kingdom Come Records rebuilt, and have Chief of Police Richard Monroe put pressure on the Saints, allowing the Vice Kings to take back their territory.{{ref|AUP}}

The 3rd Street Saints fight back{{ref|'''Mission''': [[Reinforcements]]}} and eventually head to an abandoned police station to kill Tanya. There, Johnny Gat and Playa are ambushed by [[Anthony Green]], who reveals that it was a trap devised by King. They capture Gat but Playa escapes. An eager Warren Williams insists on taking further action, but King is currently content with Julius' lieutenant captured and the police out for the Saints.{{ref|BLP|'''Mission''': [[Best Laid Plans...]]}}

[[File:For King and Country Benjamin King Warren Williams.png|280px|thumb|Benjamin King barely escapes his office alive during the coup.{{ref|FKaC}}]]

After Green is killed and Gat is rescued, Gat and Playa dress up as Vice Kings and cause chaos [[Downtown (Stilwater)|downtown]], destroying ''[[The Pride of Stilwater]]''.{{ref|'''Mission''': [[3rd Street Vice Kings]]}} Furthermore, they kill the policemen on King's payroll and destroy the Kingdom Come Records building again,{{ref|RPSH}} straining King's relationship with Alderman [[Richard Hughes]] and Chief Monroe. Warren Williams, who is upset with King's refusal to get into drug dealing{{ref|We Need to Talk1|'''Cutscene''': [[We Need to Talk]] {{dialogue|Benjamin King and Warren Williams in the [[We Need to Talk]] cutscene|Warren Williams|If you hadn't wasted our time stickin' your nose up them white boys' asses, we coulda owned the whole damn game by now.|Benjamin King|I've told you before, we ain't gettin' into that shit.|Warren Williams|And why the fuck not? That's where the money is! Man, if you got down with that shit back in the day, the Carnales woulda been ghosts right now. But ya didn't, did ya? You were too much of a pussy then, and you're to much of a pussy now.}} }} and who now believes King to be selfish,{{ref|We Need to Talk2|'''Cutscene''': [[We Need to Talk]] {{quote|You've been puttin' yourself before the crew...|Warren Williams in the [[We Need to Talk]] cutscene}} }} stages a coup with Tanya Winters and other disloyal gang members.{{ref|RPSH}}

{{quote|Fuck! Listen carefully, playa. Benjamin King just called. It seems like one of his boys got a big head and tried to take him out. He's pinned down in the park right now and needs some help. Now, what happens to King may not mean shit to you, but him and me, we got history. I owe King from way back in the day, and he ain't gonna eat it if I can help it. You're gonna go out there and save his ass, understand?  I ain't fuckin' around, playa, you bring King back here safe. You feel me?|Julius, briefly informing Playa of his and King's past, and ordering Playa to save King.{{ref|FKaC|'''Mission''': [[For King and Country]]}} }}

[[File:The King and I - Benjamin King, Julius Little, Playa, Johnny Gat.png|280px|left|thumb|Benjamin King meets with [[Julius]], [[Playa]], and [[Johnny Gat]] at their [[church]].{{ref|TKaI}}]]

King flees and requests help from Julius. Playa soon arrives under orders from Julius and rescues him, and together they go to the [[Saints Row Church|Saints' headquarters]], leaving Warren for dead along the way.{{ref|FKaC}}

After a discussion with his old friend Julius, King accepts to walk away from Stilwater; but only once he's dealt with Tanya, who has now taken control over what remains of the Vice Kings. With Playa, King lures several remaining gang members to police ambush points, paving the way to Tanya. King laments that Playa never joined the Vice Kings instead, believing that they could have owned the city.{{ref|AtKM}}

[[File:Benjamin King closeup in All the King's Men.png|280px|thumb|In his final appearance with [[Playa]], Benjamin King thanks them for all their help and gives them the keys to [[King's Penthouse|his penthouse]].{{ref|AtKM}}]]

Finally, alongside Playa and Johnny Gat, King heads to [[King's Penthouse|his old penthouse]] to finish off Tanya. After getting the codes to the elevator from [[Stefan]], the three fight their way through the remnants of the Vice Kings and King personally kills Tanya, sending her plummeting to her death from his office. Outside the penthouse, King gives Playa the keys to the building and walks away.{{ref|AtKM}}

Later, as Benjamin King prepares to board a private jet and leave the city, he briefly glimpses at an old photo of himself and Julius in their early days.{{ref|'''Cutscene''': [[Battlefield Promotion]]}} During [[Richard Hughes]] speech to [[Playa]] prior to the yacht blowing up, King can be back in Stilwater, leaning against his car with his thoughts.{{ref|'''Mission''': [[Saints and Martyrs]]}}

===''Saints Row IV''===
King returns in ''[[Saints Row IV]]'' once again working with the [[3rd Street Saints]], having appeared in the "Meet the President"{{ref|Meet The President Trailer|image=Ben King in The Saints Wing opening cutscene.jpg|King in the "Meet the President" trailer}}{{ref|Royal Facebook|2='''Facebook''': [https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=554554457929066 Confirmation of Benjamin King]}} and "War for Humanity"{{ref|WfH}} trailers. In the [[Timeline|five years]] between the two games,{{ref|5 years SR2|'''Website''': [http://sr2.saintsrow.com/overview.php ''Saints Row 2'': Official Site]}} he has written ''[[Regicide: The Rise and Fall of the Vice Kings]]'',{{ref|Regicide billboard}} a novel based on the events of ''Saints Row'' that has been adapted into a movie.{{ref|Rmrc}}

After the events of ''Saints Row: The Third'', King helps Playa become elected as President of the United States, with King becoming Chief of Staff. At the start, King and [[Pierce]] disapproved of Playa's reckless verbal missteps that alienated part of America. Then suddenly, when the alien [[Zin]] invade, King and Pierce are among those who are abducted.{{ref|'''Mission''': [[The Saints Wing]]}}

King is placed in his own virtual simulation, where he experiences the betrayal of [[Anthony]] and [[Tanya]] and being killed by them on and on. When Playa arrives to rescue King, they first kill Anthony but Tanya escapes into the virtual Steelport. Playa then informed their plan to reunite the Saints and kill [[Zinyak]]. King then exclaimed, "That's not a plan, that's a goal!" They then start arguing, which escalates to when King points out that Playa needed his help in their election campaign.{{ref|'''Mission''': [[King of Stilwater]]}}