- “That man has never seen the savage face of war. But he will.”
- ― Cornelius Slate, referring to Comstock.
- “They haven't changed you, Booker... Not... one... bit...”
- ― Cornelius Slate, before his death.
Captain Cornelius Slate is a citizen and soldier of Columbia, whose view on the military is based on both elaborate expectations and his real experiences. Once a proud supporter of Zachary Hale Comstock, Slate became disillusioned due to Comstock's falsified war past, and was expelled from the Columbian military for calling it such. During the events of BioShock Infinite, Slate leads a rabble of "true" soldiers, who have taken over the Hall of Heroes in Soldier's Field.
History
A military man, Cornelius Slate served in the United States military and participated in the Battle of Wounded Knee, where he became acquainted with Booker DeWitt (whom he refers to as "Corporal DeWitt"). Some time later, Slate became a follower of Zachary Comstock and a citizen of Columbia. In 1898, during the Spanish-American War, he led troops in the Battle of San Juan Hill. Three years later, Slate participated in the Boxer Rebellion in Beijing on behalf of Columbia, where he lost his left eye and 30 comrades who fought under his command. He would then cover his lost eye with the Pinkerton Badge he earned back in the United States.
Slate became disenchanted with Comstock, angered by the Prophet's false war record -- Comstock claimed to have been present at the Battle of Wounded Knee, and the hero of the Boxer Rebellion, both claims Slate adamantly denied. When Slate confronted Comstock on the matter, he was stripped of his rank and branded a liar.
Filled with rage over Comstock's actions, Slate made a truce with the Vox Populi. He led a small team of soldiers to take over the Hall of Heroes, killing everyone inside, defacing the building and monuments within, and changing outside signs to read, "Hall of Whores."
BioShock Infinite
Wanted for treason.
- Main article: BioShock Infinite
After learning about Comstock's mechanical soldiers, Slate and his men desperately seek to die "as soldiers," gloriously in battle, and Slate considers Booker DeWitt the man for the job.
Booker, along with Elizabeth, travels to the Hall of Heroes to obtain the Shock Jockey Vigor. Slate leads Booker to two exhibits within the museum -- the Wounded Knee Massacre and Boxer Rebellion exhibits -- where Comstock features prominently as a war hero. Once Booker and Elizabeth reach the exhibits, they are attacked by squadrons of soldiers, whom Slate sends to their "honorable" deaths.
"You're not done here, soldier! Eat everything that's on your plate! Finish it!"
Slate continues to test Booker, having him destroy Comstock's Motorized Patriots to prove his capabilities as a true soldier. Slate then reveals that he is in possession of Shock Jockey, and creates a series of electric traps while Booker battles a final group of soldiers. With the battle finished, Booker pursues a weakened Slate to obtain the Shock Jockey he needs. (On an interesting note, before he sends in the last squadron, he has a health bar. Even after you attack him, he'll still set up his Shock Jockey traps, send in the squadron, and run away.)
Slate then gives Booker one final order, handing him a pistol and telling him to "finish it." If Booker follows through, Slate's last remarks are about Booker not changing and still being a true soldier. If spared, Slate angrily yells at Booker, calling him a "Tin Man." In the second scenario, Slate is subsequently captured by Columbian authorities and imprisoned at the Good Time Club, where he is found tortured into a catatonic state. Once again, Booker has two choices: kill him or leave him behind. If Booker kills him, Elizabeth will respond with, "I guess that's what he wanted."
In a parallel universe, where the Vox Populi have taken over Columbia, Booker joins forces with Slate at the Hall of Heroes. Together, they tear it down, at the cost of their own lives. They are declared martyrs of the revolution, with Booker appearing on Vox propaganda posters.
Personality
A note from Slate, visible after defeating the Motorized Patriot.
Slate holds very high opinion of those within the military due to his own experience as a soldier. He respects individuals who have proven their merit, like Booker DeWitt and Vivian Monroe. Consequently, he is infuriated that Comstock, a civilian with no military record, at least to Slate's knowledge, pretends "undue" glory, while Slate receives none.
Heavily disillusioned by Comstock's betrayal, Slate has become a fanatic, desperate for himself and his men to die honorably in a final blaze of glory. He therefore refuses to allow his men to die at the hands of the Motorized Patriots, and instead forces Booker to fight them. His abuse of Shock Jockey results in the Vigor's crystals growing from his skull like tumors, impeding his ability to make rational decisions and exacerbating his delusions. He refers to Comstock's troops and Motorized Patriots as "Tin Men" (or "Tin Soldiers") to distinguish them from his concept of the ideal, true soldier. Overall, Slate is portrayed as a battle-loving warrior who finds solace and purpose through fighting.
Voxophones
BioShock Infinite
Gallery
Concept Art and Promotional Images
In Game
Bugs/Glitches
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When sparing Slate in the First Lady's Memorial, the player can still inflict injury toward Slate's model, yet it won't kill him. In addition, a melee attack from a Sky-Hook will reveal the model's head and neck is attached further from his back. - If you spare him at first then find him in the Good Time Club, if you shoot him and he dies, his character model is still blinking and breathing, despite being dead.
Behind the Scenes
- Ken Levine mentions how this was inspired by the pathologizing of soldiers in war: "You read newspapers that talk about “the fallen,” rather than the dead young men. There’s a lot of pathologizing in our culture. Obviously it’s important, but it’s also a disservice to the real experience. I mean, when you sanitize that experience -- the Pat Tillman notion. His family’s saying “look, we honor him by telling the truth about him, about who he really was.” Obviously the military is very important to them too, just not turning people into wax works."[1]
- Slate has some small fragments of Shock Jockey crystals on the right side of his head, which might be the side effect of the said Vigor. This may be due to Slate being originally part of a rejected Vigor Junkie concept for Splicer-equivalent enemies, mentioned in The Art of BioShock Infinite.
- Slate's fate and his words about either choice of sparing him or killing him foreshadow Booker's baptism, with either choice reflecting the lifestyle Booker/Comstock chose after accepting/denying the baptism. The encounter may also be seen as a symbolic representation of Booker's military past and the guilt he feels in relation to it. The phrase "wipe the slate clean" may have something to do with this, reflecting Booker's choice to either ignore his own past or confront it.
- Slate's voice actor Keith Szarabajka also voiced Reed Wahl, the main antagonist of BioShock 2 single-player DLC, Minerva's Den.
- Slate shares similarities to Bill McDonagh. Both were devoted followers and believers of the men who built the cities they live in (Andrew Ryan-Comstock). Both had high positions within their city, and both eventually lost faith in that man, ending in their deaths. McDonagh was killed by Ryan, whilst Slate is killed by Booker (choice).
- Also, a possible inspiration may be the DC character Deathstroke, whose real name is Slade, similar to Slate. Both share a military past in which they lost an eye, and are augmented with super abilities.
- Slate's model is shown carrying a pair of Hand Cannons, which he is not seen carrying in the final game.
References
- ↑ Videogame Developer Ken Levine Talks Bioshock Infinite and Politics on The Wall Street Journal