Hector Alcázar is a character in the Uncharted series, appearing as the posthumous tertiary antagonist of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Known as the Butcher of Panama, Alcázar was a Panamanian drug lord feared for his ruthlessness. Throughout the majority of A Thief's End, he is believed to be the man who has set the game's events into motion, by supposedly threatening Samuel Drake's life into finding the lost treasure of Henry Avery for him in 3 months time.
History[]
Background[]
Between the 1970's and the 1980's [1] Hector Alcázar was still an up-and-coming criminal.
At some point during his early years as a criminal, Alcázar served as the contact man between his boss - a fan of Japanese military culture - and a smuggler named Victor Sullivan; Sullivan sold Alcázar's boss several woodcut prints that went through Hector before leaving Japan.[2]
By the 2010's he became a well-known criminal and drug lord throughout the underworld, and gained the moniker "Butcher of Panama."[3]
A Thief's End[]
During a botched incident in a Panamanian prison Samuel Drake was shot and believed dead by his brother Nathan.[4] However, Sam survived and by the early 2010s was still imprisoned, and, upon reuniting with his younger brother, claimed to have encountered Hector during the latter's supposed imprisonment in the same prison.
In Sam's story to Nate, he claimed that Alcázar was his cellmate for a year, during which Sam repeatedly mentioned to him the lost treasure of the pirate Henry Avery. Alcázar referred to the tale as "a sweet lullaby" to him during his time in prison.
One day, following a discussion about Avery's treasure, Alcázar's men broke into the prison to get their leader out and Alcázar, believing Sam would help lead him to the treasure, took him along with orders to his men to keep Sam alive and unharmed. The two prisoners and Alcázar's men fought their way out the prison before escaping in a convoy of bulletproof vans.
However, once free, Alcázar realized that Sam was lying to him about knowing the exact location of the treasure. Instead of killing him, Alcázar decided to give him three months to find the treasure. Alcázar then left Sam alone, but not before giving him water and some money.
During their search in Madagascar, the Drake brothers' associate Victor Sullivan revealed to the two of his past dealings with Alcázar. In reality, there was no break out and Alcázar had no involvement with Sam; it is unknown if the two had ever even met. Sam was actually released by fellow treasure hunter Rafe Adler, via bribery, two years before the supposed events with Alcázar. Rafe would later reveal to the Drake brothers that by the time they have reached Libertalia, Alcázar has been dead for about six months, killed during a shootout in Argentina.
Characteristics[]
In Sam's story, Alcázar appeared as a relatively tall middle-aged man with tanned skin, who despite his age still appeared to be somewhat fit. He had graying hair combed to the left, and a mustache and a goatee of matching color. His face was wrinkled and his eyes were light gray. He wore a fading jeans jacket similar to Sam, over a a bright undershirt. His pants appeared to be of a darker shade than Sam's.
In Sam's fabrication, Alcázar was portrayed as physically strong and fit despite his advancing years. He managed to fight his way through the Panamanian prison using only a handgun, although he was occupied by Sam and his henchmen. In Hector Alcázar (chapter), Alcázar was shown using an Aegis 9mm handgun. He was also in a possession of a switchblade, which he used to threaten Sam with.
In Sully's recollections of his dealings with Alcázar, he described the then up-and-coming criminal as a soft-spoken individual, who despite that was an intense man. The senior treasure hunter noted that Alcázar looked as if he could "explode at the slightest provocation."
It's unknown what kind of man Alcázar was in his final years, but his profession as a drug lord and reputation as "the Butcher of Panama" implied him to be a ruthless and feared man; Nate, an American treasure hunter, was fully aware of Alcázar's reputation, and wary of him when he was told Sam was in debt to the crime boss.
In Sam's fabrication, Alcázar was portrayed as an extremely ruthless and ambitious individual under the guise of a rather gentle-sounding man, calmly executing an injured prison guard in Sam's presence. He was shown as looking disappointingly at unambitious people, and could quickly swing from his respectful and formal attitude to harming and threatening even those he saw as associates or like-minded individuals such as Sam.
Sam's story also showed Alcázar as an intelligent and cunning man, having planned escaping prison since the day he was thrown into. In addition to his cunning, he appeared to be a fairly charismatic leader, with enough followers to help him break into a Panamanian prison. In spite of it, Sam's story also portrayed Alcázar as a greedy criminal who took interest in Sam's search for Henry Avery's treasure. He also took liking to the pirate's philosophy. Sam's story also mentions Alcázar's apparent fondness to books.
Trivia[]
- It is possible that Hector Alcázar and Sam knew each other at some point, and that the false story of his release was based on this fact. Since when the team gathers to escape from that island in the final moments of the game, Sam is about to tell Nate a detail about Alcázar until he is interrupted, possibly referring to his relationship between them.
Gallery[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ In a conversation in "The Twelve Towers" Victor Sullivan mentions his run-ins Alcázar to have occurred "a few decades ago," before meeting the Drake brothers. As Nate's first meeting with Sullivan occurred approximately between 1990 and 1991, it can inferred that Alcázar met Sully during the 1970's or 1980's.
- ↑ Mentioned in a conversation between Sully and Sam in "The Twelve Towers", Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
- ↑ "A Normal Life", Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
- ↑ As depicted in "Infernal Place", Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.