"So... It had to end this way... You are all doomed. I tried to save you all..." |
| Ludwig Lousteau | |
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 "He who shall purge the World" | |
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Gender: |
Male |
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Family: |
Rosza Császár (Mother) |
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Affilations: |
"Good" (According to himself) |
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Weapons: |
His mechanical body implants, muscles |
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Current Status: |
Unknown |
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Voice Actor: |
Vincent Price (English) |
Ludwig is a French hybrid between a Barbary Lion (his mother) and an Iguana (his father). He is the leader of the CNWO (Comrades of the New World Order) and mastermind.
Biography[]
Early Life
Born during the events of Sly - Honor Among Thieves, Ludwig always went through a lot of problems: as his being a child prodigy, he wasn't able to relationate himself with the other children of his age, causing him to grow up isolated from others, who would also call him a freak and "filthy hybrid" for being both a lion and an iguana, beating him and bullying him. Against all odds, Ludwig was always nice, kind and tried to help others as much as he could.
When he was 8 years old, some months before the events of Sly - Thieves in Time, he got a shock when discovering that his parents were going to divorce: his mother Rosza couldn't stand his father's Dimitri hanging out with other women due to her jealousy and so they both decided to get separated.
After a while, the lioness got a new lover: Cyrille Le Paradox. Ludwig never accepted this "new dad" and always disliked, if not hated him. He couldn't still cope with the loss of his real father, who he also saw as a traitor of his mother, seeing the skunk as a mere replacement. Paradox always tried to be the best father he could for "his cub", trying to be the paternal figure he never had because of Sly's father, trying to impress him and making Ludwig like him, but he could never accomplish this. As last thing, he attempted to take over the world and not only revenge his father, but also showing his child that he was worth something.
The only moment Ludwig ever showed love for his new dad: after he got jailed, he sneaked at night into his cell, hugging him and crying into his arms.
After his stepfather's failure, Ludwig decided it was time to do something to show his "superiority" over he who he saw as inferior: Cyrille himself. He started to build a giant monster, a machine of brass and gold resembling an enormous dragon, so big that the one faced by Carmelita was nothing compared to. The giant metallic creature was so big that inside of it, a flying city/fortress was built for Ludwig's future "comrades".
Sly Cooper - Inside a Mind
During the building of the giant machine, Ludwig was helped by who was his girlfriend: Amelia Evans, a Secretary Bird. She was very sweet, loving and had a thing for mechanical stuff. Sadly, people didn't saw well their relationship, wondering how a nice girl like her could stay with someone "like him".
The hybrid seemed to have finally found some happiness, if it wasn't for the tragic accident that happened right before the completition of the Fortress: a giant gear, probably not well attached to an engine of it, fell over her, crushing her to death. Since that moment, Ludwig totally lost it.
Once the construction of the Dragon was completed, he decided he would have honored Amelia's death by making the World a better place: a world without prejudice, without discrimination, with people being there one for the other and without crimes. And here his madness begins.
He also founded the CNWO, taking under his protection 5 choosen "comrades":
- Adrie Van Bruggen, a Dutch Pangolin. He is the hacker of the group.
- José "El Gato" Aguilar, a Mexican Cat. Once a mercenary, he is the weapons expert.
- Yelena Avramov, a Bulgarian Porcoupine. She is the leader of the Public Relations sector that also creates the propaganda.
- Bartok Rakoczy, an Austro-Hungarian Vampire Bat. His role is to make the corpses of the people Ludwig kills unrecognizable, so that the hybrid's DNA can't be traced.
- Penelope. She is the responsible of the manutention and fixes to the Fortress.
They are the people with who he will share the power once his plans are realized. They spread Ludwig's word into the World, trying to gather as many people they can, and protecting Ludwig's bases all around the world.
Personality[]
Ludwig is rational, polite and well-mannered, the classic type that could be able to pretend innocence even when caught on the crime scene. He managed to keep a low profile in public life as even if everyone would judge him for being a hybrid, he would always prove them he wasn't the monster they thought.
As harmless his actions in daily life may seem, they are just a cover to mask his true intentions: purging the World from those he considers "scum" to make a better living place for the entire population. He doesn't care how many people he kills in the process, as for him thousands of lifes are only a little sacrifice for a greater cause. Sly and his friends are, for him, just another batch of "nuisances" to get rid of.
He is precise and serious and, as much he loves being in the center of attention, he is very careful about his actions. He knows that operating in the shadows is the best way for his "psychological domination", which allows him to inculcate fear and insecurity among people, in a way to control them better and getting away with his crimes in the name of a brighter future.
Appearance[]
Ludwig loves to wear formal clothing, that he finds compfortable and practical: most of his wardrobe consists of various types of suits and tuxedos. Due to being part Barbary Lion, he is much bigger than most of the characters around. He has a muscular and athletic build. His skin is like a lizard's except for the cheeks, the chin (where he has a pointy goatee) and the elbows. He has a nice curly blue mane as his moustaches and bigger, smooth reptile scales, resembling the ones of his father's, starting from under his neck to his legs.
He always smokes from a cigarette holder, that often indicates his mood: when he's happy it stands up, while when irritated he swings it around between his lips.
He modified his body in various ways with mechanical implants, such as brain augmentations: these, present in all of his "choosen comrades" (exception made for Bartok), allow him to cominunicate with all of them without being heard. It is possible to hack them but it's extremly difficult: each hacking attempt is registered, alarming all the group, and activates a mechanism of protection by "hijaking" the hacker with sending them false informations.
Due to these brain modification, he is immune to any kind of hypnosis, as they act on the brain's electric impulses: the implants "filters" these pulses sent to the brain, allowing him to easily bypass them.
Fate[]
"Oh, I see... Accusing a poor innocent man of such horrible crimes... Very well, if you won't let me go, I am afraid I will have to insist" |
Ludwig is later confronted by both Sly and Carmelita in his house in London: suspected of criminal activities, the raccoon and the vixen intimate him to follow them to the closest Interpol's station. Upon his refusal, the fight begins. As much as they try to take him down, he manages to overpower them without many problems and escape to his Fortress.
The second and final battle with Ludwig takes place outside of the Fortress, on the muzzle of the Dragon. The hybrid, having been weakened before, chases Sly on the place of their fight and the two begin their struggle to not fall down. Ludwig squeezes Sly's neck into his hand, ready to throw him down, when suddenly (with great surprise of the raccoon) Penelope stabs her "leader" with a metal bar in his shoulder, making him let Sly go, who starts to beat him almost unconscious.
Ludwig, realizing his imminent defeat, says his last words before letting himself fall down the Fortress. It is unknown if he survived to the fall, as he fell in the River Thames, or if he died for the wounds and the blood loss.
Trivia[]
- His appearance and his facial traits are based on the revolutionary Lenin and the actor Vincent Price, who also gives him his voice. Upon the death of the actor, Corey Burton eventually impersonates Price to voice Ludwig.
- He also shares some similarities with dictators such as Stalin, although this in a more ideological way.
- His Italian voice actor, Eros Pagni, also dubbed other characters such as Frollo from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame ( Click here to listen) and Tzekel-Kan in Dreamwork's "The Road to El Dorado".
- Ludwig had a talent for music (especially for playing the piano and organ) since he was little and is capable to speak, along with his first languages, English and Italian.
- Ludwig's name comes from the famous musician Ludwig Van Beethoven, also a child prodigy and music virtuoso.
- Fighting him for the first time will give you the trophy "The Fall of the Heroes"
- When Carmelita and Sly break into Ludwig's house, he is seen playing his piano. When he notices them, he plays Chopin's "Funeral March" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgw_RD_1_5I ) , as if he foreshadows his enemies' death.
- The tune can also be considered sort of his theme, as a much more rich version is heard when he appears or during the cutscenes featuring him (although much more subtly played): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYB3yyu0UrQ
- When Carmelita and Sly break into Ludwig's house, he is seen playing his piano. When he notices them, he plays Chopin's "Funeral March" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgw_RD_1_5I ) , as if he foreshadows his enemies' death.
- Fighting him for the last time will give you the trophy "Le Miserable"
- He dislikes being called "filthy hybrid" with a passion, and this is often good to make him go on berserk and deconcentrate him.
- He is not considered completly evil as his intentions are good, but the ways he uses to achieve them are plain wrong. However, while he does realize this, he says "some people learn only the hard way".
Gallery[]
