Benjamin King

Template:Upcoming Template:Infobox character Benjamin King is a character in Saints Row and Saints Row IV.Broken {{ref}} (outdated style)

My name is Benjamin muthafuckin' King. I'm the man who took my crew from being a bunch of baby gangstas in Sunnyvale to being one of the most influential and feared forces in the god damn city.

— Benjamin King, during a heated argument with his lieutenant Warren Williams.

Description

File:SR1 promo King.jpg

Promotional artwork of Benjamin King in Saints Row.

In Saints Row, Benjamin King is the founder and leader of the Vice Kings, one of three enemy gangs. The Vice Kings have been active in Stilwater since the '70s, where King formed the gang alongside best friend Julius to counter the Carnales' encroachment on their neighborhood of Sunnyvale. After King grew accustomed to power and refused to give it up, Julius retired to Saint's Row while King expanded his criminal empire.

By the events of Saints Row, the Vice Kings' demesne encompasses most of northern Stilwater. Under King, the Vice Kings control prostitution and gambling rings, hold numerous protection rackets, and have turned their attention to more legitimate business ventures, such as the music industry's Kingdom Come Records. King has become a "public darling" through his philanthropy and, in order to solidify his grip on the city, he works alongside the corrupt mayoral candidate Alderman Richard HughesBroken {{ref}} (blank parameter) Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter) and Police Chief Monroe,Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter) Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter) forming a steady relationship with the Stilwater Police Department.

Described as both "a professional [and] a bad ass",Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter) Benjamin King exercises patience and commands the respect of his crew. After his enforcer Anthony Green is killed,Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter) however, King is soon betrayed by his two remaining lieutenants, Tanya Winters and Warren Williams, who stage a coup. King escapes and forms a temporary alliance with his old friend Julius; with the help of the 3rd Street Saints, he finishes off what remains of the Vice Kings.

With his influence on the city concluded, King obliges Julius and leaves the city.Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter) He writes a novel based on these events, Regicide: The Rise and Fall of the Vice Kings, sometime before Saints Row 2,Broken {{ref}} (outdated style) which has been adapted into a movie at the time of Saints Row: The Third.

King will return in Saints Row IV, working alongside the 3rd Street Saints once again.

History

Saints Row

File:Benandjules.png

Benjamin King's photo of him and Julius back in the '70s.Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter) The image is based on a real-life 1974 photo of two men in a Chicago ghetto.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

— Undercover officer, during their report on the Vice Kings to Chief Monroe.

During the year leading up to the events of Saints Row, King improves his public persona, going from being a feared gang leader to become 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.

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 The Protagonist to the Vice Kings.Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter)

Benjamin King tells Warren Williams to calm down after the loss of Kingdom Come Records.

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.Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter) 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.

The 3rd Street Saints fight backBroken {{ref}} (blank parameter) and eventually head to an abandoned police station to find and kill Tanya. There, Johnny Gat and The Protagonist are ambushed by Anthony Green, who reveals that it was a trap devised by King. They capture Gat but The Protagonist 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.

Benjamin King barely escapes his office alive during the coup.

After Green is killed and Gat is rescued, Gat and The Protagonist dress up as Vice Kings and cause chaos downtown, destroying The Pride of Stilwater.Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter) Furthermore, they kill the policemen on King's payroll and destroy the Kingdom Come Records building again, straining King's relationship with Alderman Richard Hughes and Chief Monroe. Warren Williams, who is upset with King's refusal to get into drug dealingBroken {{ref}} (blank parameter) and who now believes King to be selfish,Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter) stages a coup with Tanya Winters and other disloyal gang members.

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?

— Julius, briefly informing The Protagonist of his and King's past, and ordering The Protagonist to save King.

File:The King and I Benjamin King Julius Little The Protagonist Johnny Gat.png

Benjamin King meets with Julius, The Protagonist, and Johnny Gat at their church.

King flees and requests help from Julius. The Protagonist soon arrives under orders from Julius and rescues him, and together they go to the Saints' headquarters, leaving Warren for dead along the way.

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 The Protagonist, King lures several remaining gang members to police ambush points, paving the way to Tanya. King laments that The Protagonist never joined the Vice Kings instead, believing that they could have owned the city.

File:All the King's Men Benjamin King 2.png

In his final appearance with The Protagonist, Benjamin King thanks them for all their help and gives them the keys to his penthouse.

Finally, alongside The Protagonist and Johnny Gat, King heads to 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 The Protagonist the keys to the building and walks away.

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.Broken {{ref}} (blank parameter)

Saints Row IV

King will return in Saints Row IV once again working with the 3rd Street Saints, having appeared in the "Meet the President"Broken {{ref}} (outdated style) and "War for Humanity" trailers. In the intermittent time between the two games, he has written Regicide: The Rise and Fall of the Vice Kings, a novel based on the events of Saints Row that has been adapted into a movie.

Regicide

In-game billboard advertising King's novel Regicide (seen in the University district).

After Saints Row, Benjamin King writes a book titled Regicide, (also referred to as Regicide: The Rise and Fall of the Vice Kings) which, according to civilians, is very inspiring. During Saints Row 2, a movie adaptation is being filmed and King is being portrayed, in-game, by Michael Clarke Duncan,Broken {{ref}} (outdated style) who is King's voice actor for the first game in real-life. In Saints Row: The Third, there is a radio commercial about the movie.

Regicide radio commercial

The title of the book, Regicide, shares its name with an Achievement (worth 40) which is unlocked in the first game after defeating the Vice Kings.

In Saints Row 2, The Protagonist has an Idle line along the lines of "I should read King's book. I wonder if I'm in it". A civilian will sometimes comment to The Protagonist saying, "You read Ben King's book? He said some nice things about you". A stripper with the "aspiring author" personality will sometimes claim that she ghostwrote King's book.

Quotes

Everybody, calm the fuck down. We ain't gonna start a war every time some muthafuckas act hard.

— King, upon learning of Kingdom Come Records' destruction and the loss of Prawn Court.

So what do we do now?" Template:Br "We wait." Template:Br "Hold on, dawg, that muthafucka is still out there. The fuck you mean, we wait?" Template:Br "I mean, you're gonna sit your black ass down and wait 'cause I fuckin' said so. Don't worry 'bout the one that got away, the 5-0 will take care of him." Template:Br "Oh, so while you loungin', Tre Street keeps jackin' us. That's great, that's... that's fuckin' brilliant." Template:Br "Slow up, little nigga.

— Warren Williams and King, after Anthony Green captures Johnny Gat.

You've been puttin' yourself before the crew..." Template:Br "Keep talkin', little nigga...

— Warren Williams and King, just before Warren starts his coup.

You got a choice. You can keep your fuckin' pride and die right now, or you can be a man and walk away." Template:Br "When did you get the balls, Jules?" Template:Br "What's it gonna be?" Template:Br "I ain't walkin' away." Template:Br "Fair enough. Johnny." Template:Br "I ain't walkin' away until I deal with Tanya." Template:Br "My nigga.

— Julius and King, discussing the latter's future.

So, does Julius ever talk about growing up in Sunnyvale? What, you thought he was from the Row? The problem with burying the past is that you forget about it, you know what I'm sayin'? I bet Julius gave you the whole "I don't care what flags they're flyin'" speech, didn't he? I wrote that shit years ago, and the motherfucker still hasn't forgot it...

— King, discussing Julius' past with The Protagonist.

You're easy to talk to, you know that? I don't gotta worry about you interrupting me or any of that bullshit. That was Warren's problem... that motherfucker never knew when to shut up and just listen...

— King, noting The Protagonist's silence.

Ya know that even if you wipe out the Vice Kings it ain't gonna be over, right? There's always someone lookin' to take what you have... some punk who wants to make a name for himself, some girl you fucked and never called back... The fact is, once you're in the game, the only way you're getting out is if you're dead or in jail.

— King, ominously foreshadowing later events in the Saints Row series while talking to The Protagonist.

Way to go, son. It's a shame Julius found you first. We coulda owned this town.

— King, lamenting on what could have been if The Protagonist had joined the Vice Kings over the 3rd Street Saints.

I've been chattin' with King, and it looks like Tanya's takeover didn't sit so well with everybody. The Vice Kings are fighting amongst themselves; now's the time to take 'em out for good. King said he was gonna come along, I hope he hasn't gone soft." Template:Br "Don't ever worry 'bout me, baby-boy, 'cause I'm gonna handle mine." Template:Br "All I'm sayin' is that since you got here you've been nothin' but talk." Template:Br "I've smoked dozens of fools before. I ain't addin' to the count unless I have to." Template:Br "That's just fuckin' great." Template:Br "I said don't worry about it." Template:Br "I don't want you bitchin' out when you see your crew." Template:Br "Ain't my crew, son. That's why I'm here, remember? So how 'bout you put your dick away, pick up your gun, and try to keep your knee away from the bullets.

— Johnny Gat and King, before they head off to kill Tanya Winters and end the Vice Kings.

You and your friend with the awful hair will release Stefan at once!" Template:Br "Your bitch ass better stop talking in the third person or I'm gonna drop you on principle...

— Stefan and King, as the latter interrogates the former by dangling him out of a car window.

Okay, there it is. The first thing we gotta do is clear a path to the elevator." Template:Br "What then?" Template:Br "Then we kill Tanya." Template:Br "My kind of plan.

— King and Johnny Gat, as they and The Protagonist near Tanya.

Trivia

• King is one of only five gang leaders not killed in the series, along with The Protagonist, Matt Miller, Viola DeWynter and Killbane.
• In Saints Row 2, The Protagonist tells Julius that the latter should have dropped his flags and wrote a book like King, referring to Regicide.
• During the "Battlefield Promotion" cutscene, King is seen looking at an old photograph of Julius and himself.
  • This photo of Julius and King is based on a 1974 photograph of two black men in a Chicago ghetto.
  • The picture looks to be taken at the Saints Row church before it was trashed with graffiti and scum.
  • Both are wearing their respective gang colours, although their taste in clothing may merely have served as an inspiration during the later formation of their respective gangs.
• King's appearance in Saints Row IV was confirmed the day after the "Meet the President" trailer for the game was released, when the official Saints Row Facebook account asked if anyone spotted "this royal blast-from-the-past" and linked to the Benjamin King page on the Saints Row Wiki.

Gallery

• Benjamin King and Warren Williams in "Always Use Protection".
• Always Use Protection Benjamin King 2.png
  Benjamin King in "Always Use Protection".
• After a frustrated Warren brandishes a GDHC .50, Benjamin King tells Warren to "get the fuck outta [his] office" in "3rd Street Vice Kings".
• Benjamin King barely escapes his office alive in "For King and Country".
• The King and I Benjamin King Julius Little The Protagonist Johnny Gat.png
  Benjamin King meets with Julius, The Protagonist, and Johnny Gat at their church to form an alliance in "The King and I".
• All the King's Men Benjamin King.png
  Benjamin King talks with Johnny Gat before they leave to finish off Tanya Winters and the Vice Kings in "All the King's Men".
• Benjamin King steps on Tanya Winters' hand, sending her plummeting to her death right into his Mag in "All the King's Men".
• All the King's Men Benjamin King 2.png
  Benjamin King thanks The Protagonist for all their help and gives them the keys to his penthouse in "All the King's Men".
• King looks at a photo of himself and Julius during the "Battlefield Promotion" cutscene.
• Promo SR1 body benking.jpg
  King's model for Saints Row.
• Promo SR1 face benking.jpg
  King's model for Saints Row, with a close-up on his face.
• Ben King SRIV.jpg
  Benjamin King in the "Meet the President" trailer for Saints Row IV.
• Benjamin King Saints Row IV War for Humanity trailer 2.png
  Benjamin King in the "War for Humanity" trailer for Saints Row IV.

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References

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