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"Mature Content Warning!" |
| “ | It's not approval I'm after. Just power. | „ |
| ~ Rodrigo Borgia |
| “ | Are you so naive? I became Pope because it gave me access! It gave me power! Do you think I believe a single god-damned word of that ridiculous book? It's all lies and superstition. Just like every other religious tract written over the past ten thousand years. | „ |
| ~ Rodrigo denouncing the Bible to Ezio Auditore during their confrontation in the Vatican in 1499. |
Rodrigo Borgia (born Roderic Llançol i de Borja) is a major antagonist of the Assassin's Creed franchise, serving as the main antagonist of Assassin's Creed II (2009) and its short prequel film Assassin's Creed: Lineage (2009) as well as a tertiary antagonist in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010). He is the leader of the Italian Templars, scheming to conquer Europe as well as being responsible for the deaths of Ezio's father and brothers.
He was portrayed by Manuel Tadros.
What Makes Him a Hate Sink?[]
- Unlike the Levantine Templars before him, he lacks any motive for his actions beyond acquiring power, just to satisfy his selfish hunger for it.
- He admitted that he only became Pope because it gave him access to the Papal Staff and power, disregarding the Catholic Faith.
- He conspired as the Templar Grand Master to conquer Italy.
- He is the one completely responsible for the deaths of Ezio's father and brothers, by ordering them to be hanged.
- While Giovanni was his direct enemy, this does not excuse the execution of his two sons (especially Petrucio), and Rodrigo even admits to Ezio that he didn't need to execute them, but he merely did so to prove a point, which was not necessary at all and just needlessly cruel, showing us how he will rub killing other's family members in their faces.
- He drove Ezio down a path vengeance against him that lasted for 32 years.
- Tried to replace the Medici family with the Pazzi.
- Mortally wounded Jacopo de' Pazzi for his failure to take Florence, and left him to bleed out, only being put to rest once Ezio came in.
- Briefly succeeded in replacing the Doge of Venice with one of his Templar underlings.
- Arrogantly believed himself to be the prophet written by Altair who would come to Venice at a certain date and unlock the gate under the Vatican
- While he did become less involved after his son Cesare took over, this is only out of resentment that he wasn't the prophet.
- He turned in his two children Cesare and Lucrezia into cutthroats like him.
- Overall, his actions, personality and motives are designed to make him hated, and made him the series' most infamous antagonists, as both Robert De Sable and Haytham Kenway were at least well-intentioned extremists.
- Furthermore, even the modern-day Templars largely discredited Rodrigo and were utterly disgusted by his actions performed under the Templar banner.
Trivia[]
- Originally, it was planned for Rodrigo Borgia to show genuine remorse for his crimes on the brink of death after being force-fed the poisoned apple by Cesare. Had this been included, he wouldn't qualify as a hate sink.
- His historical counterpart also did the same in real life.