The Saint of Killers

Lore & Background

The Saint of Killers' past fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War and was one of the most violent, bloodthirsty soldiers on the battlefield. After the war, he returned to Texas, earning money from bounties on Indian scalps. During a raid on a group of Apaches, he met a captive young lady who insisted on staying with him. They were together for a decade, had a daughter, and lived off the land. At some point, his wife and daughter caught a fever and became bedridden, with the only medicine being a week away by horse. He was delayed in the town of Ratwater, Texas, by a gang of outlaws led by Gumbo McCready. By the time he returned home, his wife and daughter were already dead. Grief-stricken, he returned to Ratwater and went on a killing spree, hunting down each of the gang members until all but McCready were dead. McCready took a girl hostage, but the gunslinger shot her through the head to get to his prey. However, that turned out to be his last bullet, and McCready was able to knock him out and impale him through the chest with a shovel. Due to his many murders, the soldier was sent to Hell. The freezing cold soul of the gunman caused Hell to literally freeze over, drawing the Devil out of his palace to investigate. The Angel of Death, weary of his position, suggested a solution: the gunman would take his place, bringing death at God's will. He would wield two pistols, cast from the Angel's sword. The man agreed, and left Hell—but not before gunning down the Devil after the latter insulted him. He returned to earth and slaughtered everyone in the town of Ratwater, including McCready and the corrupt preacher who traveled with him. No man, woman, nor child in the town was spared. Due to his dangerously uncontrollable nature, Heaven arranged for him to be put into a deep slumber, until God had need of him.

In Their Own Story

For the final time, an Angel was sent to wake the Saint of Killers and to instruct him with the task of finding and killing a young man named Jesse Custer. Before being shot through the head by the Saint, the Angel spoke to him about the offspring of both demon and angel, Genesis; whose power was greater than God's. Because of Genesis's possession of Jesse, the young preacher has been granted ability of The Word of God, allowing him to give vocal orders that cannot be disobeyed. The Saint agreed. Within a few hours of appointment, he shot his way through the county sheriff's department and was hot on Custer's trail. He eventually found Jesse in a small motel, but both of his guns were stayed by Jesse's voice. This marked the first time that the Saint of Killers was held back from his mission. Apart from that, the angel revealed that God, the only power in the Universe that could command the Saint, abandoned Heaven. He let the Preacher go, but vowed to track him down. He crossed Jesse's path after Jesse left Angelville, the estate of Marie L'Angell. Angelville was burned to the ground, and all of L'Angell's henchmen were killed. The Saint realised that without God in Heaven, there was no one who could command him. He travelled to Las Vegas, to find the angels, who started a casino. In their terror, the angels told him everything – Jesse went to France to confront The Grail. The Saint hijacked a freighter, killing everyone on board, and sailed it directly to Europe. When he discovered The Grail's headquarters, he homed in on Custer. Yet again, his hand was stayed. In their possession, The Grail held captive an Angel, to which the Seraph told them that the entity Genesis was the key in gaining answers to God's abandonment of Heaven, as well as the reasons as to why the Saint's wife and daughter died; which intrigued the man, thus taking up the offer. He held off the soldiers of The Grail, giving both Jesse and Starr the chance to get the information they needed from the Seraph. Jesse and Starr escaped before the whole base exploded, burying the Saint under several millions of tons of rock and masonry, from which the Saint unearthed himself and made his way back to the United States of America. Many months later, the Saint encountered Custer and Tulip O'Hare. Jesse told the Saint the truth about why McCready delayed him from his family, which revealed that their deaths were not accidental. Discovering the truth placed the Saint into a fit of rage, and he stepped out and confronted the forces of the U.S. Army and the Grail; single-handedly taking on hundreds of soldiers, tanks and helicopters, and destroying every force that was pitted up against him, which drove Starr to pressure the President into sending a stealth bomber to Monument Valley, turning it into an irradiated wasteland with the Saint in the center of it. Amongst the flames and the ubiquitous radiation, the Saint stood up and spat, "Not enough gun."

Reader's Guide

The Saint of Killers is a grim, taciturn, implacable killing machine with supernatural abilities involving divinity, immortality, and influence over Heaven and Hell. His goals typically center on bringing down individuals through destruction and death by the laws of Paradise. He is transformed into the Angel of Death, tasked with collecting the souls of those who die by violence. He wields two pistols, cast from the Angel's sword, which never run out of bullets. The Saint is ordered by Heaven to kill protagonist Jesse Custer due to his possession by the entity Genesis, whose power is greater than God's. The Saint's character and the nature of his evil have been the subject of considerable critical attention. Empire ranked The Saint of Killers number 43 in their 50 Greatest Comic Characters of All Time, Topless Robot placed him number 3 in their Top 10 Least Heroic Antiheroes, What Culture placed the Saint #57 on their list of the 100 Greatest Comic Book Villains Of All Time, and the character ranked #74 on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Villains compilation.

Did You Know?

• Garth Ennis revealed that Clint Eastwood provided the inspiration for the Saint of Killers, specifically his character William Munny in the film *Unforgiven*.
• Artist Steve Dillon based the Saint's face on actor Lee Marvin.
• The Saint of Killers was featured in his own four-issue limited series, *Preacher: Saint of Killers*, which expanded on his background and motivation.
• He was portrayed by Graham McTavish in the television series adaptation of *Preacher*.
• Empire ranked The Saint of Killers number 43 in their 50 Greatest Comic Characters of All Time.