Kane

"You can't kill the Messiah."

- Kane, on multiple occasions

Kane is the charismatic, absolute leader of the Brotherhood of Nod, appearing in all events throughout the Tiberium universe. He was also the secretive advisor to Joseph Stalin during the Second World War.

His exact origins are unknown, but is claimed to have been present on Earth for an exceptionally long period of time, not having aged a day in his appearance. Throughout his time on Earth, he has rallied people around him to accomplish his goals at the expense of everything and everyone else, and has believed that Tiberium and its connection to the Scrin would bring humanity "ascension".

Identity
"I found you people in mud huts, you were living in caves!"

- Kane to Commander Parker about his life on Earth

The problem with Kane's identity, according to GDI dossier, is that its only source is Kane himself, who is not particularly famous for his trustworthiness. At times he has also gone by the names Caine, Jacob (INTERPOL, File TRX11-12Q); al-Quayym, and Amir (MI6 DR-416.52).

Kane claims to have come to Earth thousands of years ago, and found humans living in mud huts and caves, which would place his arrival between 6000 and 4000 years BC. Again according to Kane; to humans, Kane is like a father - he uplifted the fledgling humanity, giving them tools and knowledge, guiding them every step of the way. However, he does not explain as to why he is absent from all written history in spite of having such an important role in human evolution.

He is known to the Scrin, as his genetic pattern appears in the Mothership's records; however, his relationship with them is never explained. This genetic code also grants his human form practical immortality and extreme resiliency to damage.

While he became a public enemy in Western nations only in the last decade of the 20th century or so, he is linked to Joseph Stalin, the infamous leader of the Soviet Union, as far back as the early 1950s. Numerous files exist concerning him, with the most important being Interpol file GEN#4:16 and the GDI criminal dossier. They list numerous aliases Kane used, including Jacob Caine, Caine or Amir Al'Quayym and indicate that no truly reliable source exists for reconstructing his past as all records are either false, forged or outright planted by Nod.

Among the Brotherhood's faithful Kane is often referred to as The Prophet and the Messiah. During the Ascension Conflict, however, Kane dropped all pretence in front of Commander Parker and says that human fanaticism was something he found very useful.

Ascension
Kane's ultimate goal was Ascension, understood as the activation of the Scrin portal at a Threshold tower and leaving Earth through the passage. All of Kane's actions throughout the thousands of years he has spent on the planet were probably focused on achieving this single event.

Kane eventually decided to achieve this goal through the detonation of a Liquid Tiberium bomb which would attract the Scrin scout ships to earth as was depicted in the Tacitus. While Nod scientists were unsuccessful in their own efforts to this end, it turns out that the GDI under Redmond Boyle by using the Ion Cannon on Temple Prime unwittingly detonated Nod's Liquid Tiberium resources in a manner that achieved Kane's goals; though at a staggering human and ecological cost. During the resulting Scrin invasion of Earth, Nod were able to steal a Scrin Threshold tower and protect it from GDI, a tower Kane would eventually use to Ascend.

At the conclusion of the Ascension Conflict, Kane and thousands of Nod followers would activate the Threshold 19 tower that they had captured at the end of the Third Tiberium War. Thus Kane would finally leave the earth and achieve his goal of Ascension.

Divination
An earlier goal of Kane, if it had not been his ultimate goal, was Divination: the transformation of the human race itself into a form that, unlike current humans, did not suffer and die in the presence of Tiberium. Since Tiberium is a resource without equal, such humans would be able to bask in the power of Tiberium and create a world without scarcity, a paradise on earth, inhabited by "divine" beings capable of anything.

As humanity suffered and prospered from Tiberium in equal measure during the First Tiberium War, Nod conducted highly unethical secret research into Tiberium mutation and augmentation known as Project ReGenesis. The GDI did not understand the true purpose of this research, considering it only a means of creating supersoldiers, but they were successful in terminating the project thanks to the efforts of Captain Nick "Havoc" Parker.

By the Second Tiberium War it became clear to Kane that the GDI would inevitably disrupt Nod's Divination research, thus it was necessary for the GDI to be eliminated or emasculated for it to be completed. But with Nod forces unable to decisively prevail on the battlefield, Kane devised the World Altering Missile, a device that would massively and rapidly accelerate Tiberium growth globally, leaving the human race and the GDI with no choice but to cooperate with Nod Divination plans or die.

The destruction of the World Altering Missile, along with Kane's Cairo Pyramid Temple seems to have led to Kane abandoning his Divination plans for the human race. He would instead focus on his Ascension through the means of the Scrin, although the launching of the World Altering Missile would have, through the proliferation of Tiberium eventually led to the arrival of the Scrin anyway, thus Ascension may have been his real reason for Divination and the World Altering Missile anyway.

However the non-canonical cutscene in which Kane actually succeeds in launching the World Altering Missile however indicates that had the missile actually been launched, Kane would have then vanished into thin air for reasons unknown. Had the aim of the World Altering Missile and Divination really been Ascension through the Scrin's arrival then he must have been unaware that this would happen.

Global power
Kane sought always to influence the development of human civilization, to guide their development along lines which he found to his liking. To this end he created the Brotherhood of Nod, part religion, part political movement devoted to himself and to his teachings.

Kane had through the Brotherhood always sought to dominate human society from the shadows. At the time a secret society devoted to its secretive leader but clearly sharing certain goals, Nod had a strong presence in the Soviet Union; being present during Stalin's reign. Kane was a mysterious advisor to Joseph Stalin and his mistress Nadia Zelenkov was a Nod member. But it is not clear whether Kane and Nod had been present in a prominent role during Lenin's reign and the original Soviet Revolution or whether they had risen to such a position only during the rise of Stalin to power which they may even have arranged at the expense of Trotsky.

It was with the arrival of Tiberium and the rise of the GDI however that Nod would become an openly global mass organization and Kane would achieve a kind of profile and power that he had never before had as its leader. Through Nod, Kane would openly contend with the GDI for the allegiance of whole nations, on the diplomatic, media, economic, political and military fronts.

Nations governments would be persuaded to ally with Nod, populations would be incited to oppose governments hostile to Nod using the media, Nod would expand their Tiberium harvesting operations globally to gain immense wealth, genuine political movements acting on Nod fronts would be created to assume the reins of power over nations and military or paramilitary forces ranging from terrorists to conventional armies would be deployed against Nod's enemies.

Though Kane would rise to become one of the most powerful men in the world through Nod, it came at a price. Nod would be assimilating so many elements that it obtains a will of its own, separate from its immortal leader Kane. Eventually by the Third Tiberium War there were those such as Brother Marcion, who while claiming the mantle of Nod actively denounced his 'memory', while by the Incursion War and Ascension Conflict the Nod Separatists lead by Gideon were actually willing to wage war against a clearly living Kane.

Personality and traits


"I have many names, Captain Pierce..."

- Kane to Christian Pierce.

Kane was widely considered to be a highly intelligent and cunning man possessing extreme charisma, most sources placing his IQ at 192 at the very least, vastly above genius level, allowing him to unite the Brotherhood of Nod under his supreme authoritarian rule although not always.

He was a master at propaganda and information warfare, evidenced when he broadcasted a news report about the alleged GDI slaughter of civilians in Białystok, Poland, as well as manipulation and control, evidenced by him managing to control Joseph Stalin's actions (while avoiding being purged). Kane's own messages may reflect his reputed charisma, speaking with a confident deep voice. Interestingly, recovered footage from a Nod propaganda studio reveals Kane speaking with a uncharacteristically softer tone.

Kane was undoubtedly ruthless, showing little regard for ethical constraints when they stood in the way of his goals and willing to sacrifice thousands or millions of people in order to succeed; but at the same time he does not appear to be without sympathy for the plight of human suffering. He is known to have expressed seemingly genuine anger at the plight of the destitute of the slums of Rio in a non-public context.

While making limited use of tactical nuclear weaponry, he has never made use of them directly against major civilian targets and had always avoided any escalation into a full nuclear war; despite being defeated in multiple wars. But at the same time, he was quite willing to endorse the use of false-flag operations involving the killing of limited numbers of civilians.

Kane's relationship to his subordinates was a complex one. He showed a certain amount of mercy and was able to forgive even betrayal up to a point. For instance he did not allow his anger at Marcions betrayal and his assassination of Anton Slavik to cause him to execute Marcion and prevent him from being put to good use. At the same time he showed no mercy to Seth's attempts to subvert his authority, even going so far as making a public example of his body, and yet showed a certain leniency in dealing with Kilian's questioning of his authority. However, he ultimately came to believe in her betrayal and she was executed.

Kane also has a certain tolerance for failure. Anton Slavik and Oxanna Kristos were completely forgiven for their capture by Michael McNeil and were rescued rather than being allowed to rot in GDI captivity. At the same time however he used a nuclear warhead to kill General Vega after his multiple failures, but this may have been simply in order keep the intelligence within his Pyramid Temple out of GDI hands.

Perhaps the most remarkable trait of Kane is his apparent survivability and seeming-immortality: despite being supposedly killed three times, or at least subjected to harm easily sufficient to be fatal in most cases, Kane has repeatedly managed to resurface after his 'demise'. Also, Kane has not shown appreciable signs of physical age at any point since at least the filming of the first video footage of him known to exist, during the early 1950s. While any reasons for this remain unknown, it unmistakably adds to the mystique of the Nod leader.

Within the Brotherhood, Kane is viewed as a prophet and considered an immortal, as he has lived through over one hundred years without aging. Although Kane does not go out of his way to confirm or deny any of the wide variety of views and theories regarding himself, his followers are absolutely loyal to him and the Brotherhood's ideals: they would fight for the Brotherhood, but die for Kane. GDI, on the other hand, considers him to be the single most threatening man to the status quo, and constantly wages war against the Brotherhood of Nod to remove him and any and all chances he may have to interfere with worldwide 'peace'.

Origins
"I have spent... thousands of years trapped here working toward this!"

- Kane


 * See Cain

According to himself, Kane found humans living in mud huts and caves, which would place his arrival on Earth between 6000 and 4000 years BC. To humans again according to himself, Kane is like a father - he uplifted the fledgling humanity, giving them tools and knowledge, guiding every step of the way.

His most important and powerful tool, the Brotherhood of Nod, was founded by him in 1800 BC (according to Nod's own records, which GDI dismisses as exaggerated). The Temple of Nod that was built in Egypt contained the sarcophagus apparantly of Abel, the biblical Cain's brother and first victim.

A common Nod belief apparantly claims that Kane is the Biblical Cain ("Kayin" in ancient Hebrew and 'Qabil' in Arabic), and thus thousands of years old. If this is true however; this indicates that Nod has an inverted, even Satanistic reading of the scriptures, since they are identifying their prophet as the biblical first murderer who was rejected by god.

Second World War
The earliest appearance of Kane was as an advisor of sorts to Joseph Stalin, the leader of the USSR, before the Second World War. Along with Nadia, he had a major impact on Soviet decisions throughout the war. However, no trace of him was found after the war, apart from a few minor clues noted by the United States Central Intelligence Agency and referenced later on by Lia Suskind in her dossier.

The exact extent of control Kane had over the USSR is unknown, however, cutscenes indicate that he was no mere advisor, rather, the gray eminence of the Union.

Second World War (Soviet victory)
Kane accompanied Stalin to London, England, to celebrate the Soviet victory. He shot and killed accomplice Nadia, after she had poisoned and killed Stalin. Kane proclaimed himself the future and subsequently promoted a successful Soviet general to Chairman.

Tiberian Prophet


Kane, along with the Brotherhood of Nod, remained out of the public eye until 1995 and the arrival of Tiberium to Earth, when the Brotherhood emerged as a major force practically overnight, with a keen understanding of the material. Indeed, Kane claimed to have named Tiberium after Tiberius Drusus Caesar, in accordance with the Nod belief that the Brotherhood discovered the substance and revealed it to the world. Kane made Tiberium a core of Nod ideology.

Over the years he worked to cement Nod influence in developing nations, exploiting disparity in global wealth and urging developing nations to use Tiberium to free themselves from their subservience to industrialized nations. Many of the disenfranchised peoples agreed with Nod's vision of global peace and prosperity, giving the Brotherhood immense influence and control over a significant portion of the world's population and Tiberium deposits. Numerous interviews with the WWN were also intended to persuade their viewers, as the suave and charismatic leader modestly expressed his concerns about GDI.

Under orders from the prophet, Nod scientists aggressively researched Tiberium and its practical applications, pursuing Kane's doctrine of the Technology of Peace. Their extraordinary results put Nod at the forefront of technology, providing safe methods of Tiberium harvesting and processing into readily available raw goods.

Additionally, without being bound by petty morality or constraints imposed by the weak, Kane initiated several research programs into applications of Tiberium widely considered to be unethical, at best, the most significant of those being Project ReGenesis.

Of course, Kane and his beliefs alarmed the western world. Several agencies (including GDI itself, INTERPOL and MI6) conducted investigations and background checks on Kane, revealing little information, as no social security numbers, licences or any other identification existed. Kane remained a mystery, constantly eluding capture.

First Tiberium War
The First Tiberium War was the first great struggle between GDI and Nod. Kane waged war on the GDI on several fronts, including military, propaganda and science. While Nod would never be a match for the UN-funded military directly, they focused on covert, fast strikes, capturing technology, assassinating enemy scientists and commanders and destroying vital assets, hampering their arrival on the battlefield.

In terms of propaganda, Kane was second to none. His most important move in the campaign to win the hearts and minds of the people was orchestrating the Białystok scandal through a WWN reporter, and collaborator, Greg Burdette, blaming GDI terrorists for the massacre. The media offensive seemed to work when the UN suspended GDI funding.

The Nod leader also occasionally contacted GDI commanders and soldiers to try and goad and demoralize them. Then-Commander James Solomon, waging successful battles against Nod in Europe, received such a message shortly after suffered funding cuts when Kane interrupted an EVA briefing; although Kane claimed to know Solomon's location and made a veiled assassination threat, the commander was ultimately not deterred. Kane also targeted Nick Parker for jibes as the GDI commando continued interfering with Project ReGenesis.

The conflict also highlighted the deep divide between Kane's and GDI's vision for Tiberium. In terms of scientific research, Kane was unstoppable. Not constrained by petty morality or international scrutiny, his Brotherhood could explore areas of science GDI and its member nations refused to consider. From weaponizing Tiberium to Tiberium-induced mutation and augmentation, Nod had made considerable advances in technology, all under Kane's guidance. The biggest research project Nod undertook during this time was Project ReGenesis, aiming to create the perfect soldier, and the next stage of human evolution. As such, the Nod leader derided GDI's tentative approach to the substance and did not have a high opinion of Doctor Ignatio Moebius. In turn, GDI regarded Kane as a madman for experimenting with Tiberium on humans.

Power struggles
Kane's leadership did not go unchallenged. When Seth, his most trusted commander, began to plot behind his back and plan the overthrow of Kane, he executed the latter by a single shot to the head with his Beretta 92. While he stayed calm during the following briefing, Seth's treachery caused him to throw a tantrum, demolishing his former commander's office with a fire axe and preserving his corpse as a trophy of sorts.

End of the war
Kane was present to witness the Temple near Cape Town, South Africa, became operational, and the netwarriors infiltrate GDI's data networks and gain control of the ion cannon. The Nod leader then gave a Nod Commander who was significant to the success of the African campaign the honor of choosing the satellite weapon's first target.

But eventually, GDI Agent Delphi finally managed to track down Kane in the rump state of Yugoslavia inside a research lab and GDI launched an assault on a biochemical research lab, assuming that the Nod leader was on site. When forces led by James Solomon entered the facility, it turned out that he was, in fact, not on site. However, they recovered many test subjects and prisoners, among them Nod's greatest achievement - an infant supersoldier, Michael McNeil. Ironically, GDI remained oblivious to McNeil's augmentations.

Kane returned to the Temple of Nod in Sarajevo afterwards. General Sheppard authorized an assault on the Temple within minutes of a covert agent confirming Kane's presence in the Temple.

GDI forces converged on the Temple and broke through Nod defenses after a three day siege. Kane remained in the Temple as it came under direct attack and when it became evident that GDI's victory was a matter of moments, he calmly left his command center and emerged into the main hall of the Temple, moments before the ion cannon was fired, seemingly vaporizing him.

Kane's body was never recovered by GDI and he was presumed dead. This would prove to be GDI's worst mistake in the years to come. The official investigation into Kane's fate was only terminated decades later.

Life in "death"
"Kane lives in death!"

- Nod chant after Kane's supposed death.

Kane survived and escaped the defeat at Sarajevo despite popular opinion, however, he did not escape unscathed. By the Second Tiberium War his scarred face was partially covered by a metallic mask. To hide his disfigurement, he favored remote communication where real-time video editing ensured he appeared unscathed to friend and foe alike. In the years since his "death", he went underground and continued to spread his Tiberium vision while keeping his survival a secret from the world.

Nod factions continued to revere their "fallen" prophet. Parts of the Brotherhood took up the cry "Kane lives in death!" to signify their continued adherence, at least in spirit, to Kane's Tiberium vision. A few believed Kane was still alive.

During this period an author by the name of Jannero Drake wrote a book Kane: False Prophet, dedicated to destroying Kane's image. The author was assassinated by a Nod Fate Squad and the manuscript seized by GDI before publication. Former GDI InOps officer Lia Suskind drew upon the work when compiling a criminal dossier on Kane.

As the Second Tiberium War approached Kane began re-establishing contact with Nod. He gained the allegiance of General Cesar Vega, leader of the largest Western Hemisphere factions, and Commander Anton Slavik, leader of the Black Hand. Kane clandestinely supported Slavik's bid to overthrow General Hassan, leader of factions in the Eastern Hemisphere, who was a GDI collaborator.

The removal of Hassan reunified Nod under Kane. GDI noticed an increase in Nod activity and they were alerted to the full significance by Kane himself: the Nod leader contacted old nemesis General James Solomon and announced his return to the world stage.

Second Tiberium War


"You're only delaying the inevitable. I have the Tacitus. I am invincible. The Tacitus told me of Tiberium missiles, of invulnerable flying ships, of real-time genetic mutation. More than alien. More than human! The next step in our evolution as a species!"

- Kane

Kane's Tiberium research was unwittingly assisted by the Forgotten; Nod secured the Tacitus from the mutants and Kane persuaded Tratos, the Forgotten leader, into helping CABAL translate the device. Tratos realized too late that Kane was not interested in preserving the Earth or humanity as they knew it; Kane used the translated data to further efforts into Tiberium Divination and the creation of the World Altering Missile. Considering the purpose of the Temple Prime detonation, it is likely that apart from transforming Earth, the missile was also supposed to create a strong enough signal to draw the Scrin to Earth.

As the war progressed, the Tiberium prophet strategized several key points. He isolated the Mutant Forgotten which resulted in the Mutants forming an alliance with GDI. Kane ensured that his Brotherhood would secure a military victory but it ended in total disaster with most of the Nod generals and warlords of the Inner Circle proved to be incompetent and greedy. The exception was Anton Slavik. The Nod Messiah abandoned General Vega, disappointed with his duties when Vega failed to repel GDI. Although the Black Hand seized GDI's Hammerfest Base in Europe, Commander McNeil and his squad succeeded in retaking the region. Kane left a recording for McNeil gloating that his brother Jake McNeil had died a very slow and painful death. Kane's campaign did not escalate in victories as McNeil and his forces defeated most of his military leaders and survived a direct Nod assault sent by Kane himself. Capturing Umagon, Kane unveiled his now ready Tiberium missile. The missile's launch was foiled by a daring GDI assault under the command of Michael McNeil, who ignored his superior's orders to refrain from the attack in order to allow GDI more time to plan and prepare for the deciding conflict. Kane was confronted by McNeil within his pyramid. The GDI Commander impaled him which resulted in the Brotherhood's defeat once again. Kane's defeat and "death" shattered Nod to its very core. But Slavik, a brilliant tactician, would unify it.

Nod campaign
The 3 ICBM launchers fire their missiles on the GDSS Philadelphia and annihilated it, paving the way for Kane to unleash the World Altering Missile on the world as we know it. He disappears during the launch of the WAM in an orange glow, for reasons that are not known.

Regeneration


""Our enemies believe that we have been defeated, and that I am no longer among the living. They are gravely mistaken.""

- Kane

The grievously wounded Kane was recovered by CABAL and placed in a medical tube to regenerate. While sequestered for years Kane pondered the way forward. In envisioning the future Kane's thoughts returned to CABAL. Although the AI had not made a favorable impression on either GDI or Nod, Kane recognized that there were solid foundations which to improve upon. Kane was eventually fit to walk on his own again but a partial face mask was required to hide the still-healing scars.

Conceptualization of the plan that would take the Brotherhood to the end of the Third Tiberium War continued. During this time Kane struck on the idea for a new AI to be built upon the lessons from CABAL. Kane used information from shards of the Tacitus to help develop the new AI. Kane eventually named the new creation LEGION.

Anton Slavik was assassinated after the Firestorm Crisis by a follower of Marcion. Marcion seized control of the Black Hand and set himself up as Nod's new prophet. This was partially legitimized by controlling the largest faction of the Brotherhood. Marcion's ideology also required demonizing the supposedly-deceased Kane.

Angered at being abandoned, Kane resorted to the familiar strategy of clandestinely reforging the Brotherhood. He operated in secret from a bunker with LEGION as Operational Agent. The reclamation of Nod began in the slums of Rio where minor Nod cells and the disaffected were impressed or cowed into Kane's service. It was during the uprising in Rio that a future Nod Commander of the Third Tiberium War first gained prominence.

Eventually Kane's faction was strong enough to challenge Marcion and the Black Hand. Marcion was brought low in Australia and returned to the fold. As it was not yet prudent for Kane to return to the public spotlight, Marcion was required to act as figurehead in the prophet's stead. With the Brotherhood reunified, preparations for the next confrontation with GDI could begin, and Kane deactivated LEGION for upgrading.

Third Tiberium War


""And he cried in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth!' And Lazarus did arise from the grave""

- Kane to the commander at the beginning of the Nod campaign

Kane was not to surface again until 2047, when the Brotherhood successfully attacked GDI's A-SAT space defence systems and the Philadelphia space station that housed GDI high command. In fact Kane - completely intact and without a single scar following his regeneration - appeared in front of millions of television viewers when he interrupted a W3N news broadcast on the Philadelphia's destruction.

Under Kane's leadership, the Brotherhood rapidly emerged as a serious global power once again. When GDI finally pushed Nod back to Temple Prime, Kane already had the necessary components for his latest venture - a liquid Tiberium bomb. Nod's most brilliant commander managed to defend Temple Prime to the last, even when traitorous Nod forces attempted to abort his mission - forces presumed to be led by Nod general Kilian Qatar, but in reality, controlled by LEGION on orders from Abbess Alexa Kovacs. When Temple Prime was obliterated by an Ion Cannon strike, the liquid Tiberium bomb that Kane had developed in secret was detonated spectacularly, taking out Sarajevo and most of the Eastern European Yellow Zone.

Kane, whose last known whereabouts was inside the Temple, was once more presumed dead by all - even his own commanders. Qatar assumed control of the Brotherhood, forming a pact with GDI against the Scrin aliens that had recently started attacking Earth. When Kane once again resurfaced he ordered his most loyal commander to destroy Qatar's forces, and shortly thereafter he ordered her execution for treason. Following this, Kane's new second-in-command secured, in the face of overwhelming odds, the key codes for access to one of the alien superstructures being constructed on Earth. Finally the same commander successfully defended an alien tower from GDI attack, making it invulnerable to human assault.

Pushing ahead


The war ended unsatisfactorily for Kane. The "Messiah" learned that Alexa Kovacs was plotting to poison and annihilate Legion, Kane's greatest creation. After hearing Alexa Kovacs revealing the truth concerning Kilian's treason, Kane was shocked and horribly disgusted, even ordering the Abbess to be interrogated without impunity. Alexa committed suicide and the Tiberium Prophet suffered greatly from Legion's apparent demise. To make matters worst, the Tacitus still remained beyond his grasp making the Third Tiberium War more of a defeat than victory. However angered by such events, Kane remained cold and patient. He watched with increasing concern as GDI's experimentation rendered the device unstable. The opportunity to rectify this arose with the revival of LEGION. The AI activated the Marked of Kane and retrieved the Tacitus from GDI's Rocky Mountain facility. With the artifact in his hands, Kane was finally able to see his creation fulfil its purpose and unlock the Tacitus.

Kane stayed out of GDI's eye for the next decade, allowing Tiberium to ravage Earth and GDI's power to fade, as it helplessly tried to fight the menace. He was almost apprehended during a skirmish in south-east Africa, where the Widow prototype was being tested. Kane was inside the vehicle when it was captured by GDI forces, however, the troops did not inspect the interior, as the vehicle was of far more interest to GDI Command. He was rescued by a Black Hand commander.

Tiberium Control Network
In 2062, the global spread of Tiberium was on the verge of making the planet uninhabitable to humans. In light of this crisis, Kane decided to approach GDI. Under GDI escort, he was airlifted to GDI's global headquarters in Manchester, where he greeted the assembled GDI leadership as "brothers and sisters" and laid out a proposition to prevent Tiberium from overruning the world - the Tiberium Control Network. To further convince them, he presented the Tacitus to the Council.

Incursion War
Kane's alliance with GDI caused much strife within the Brotherhood. Gideon, an outspoken, fanatical Nod preacher decried the Prophet as a traitor to the cause of the Brotherhood and broke off, forming his own movement, much to the dismay of Kane (though it is debatable whether Gideon was Kane's opponent from the beginning).

In order to hold all the assets, Kane needed information. The Tiberium Control Network was the cornerstone of his final plan to Ascend, but GDI still had data he couldn't access. As such, he devised a plan to create a GDI soldier that'd get him what he needed, without knowing that. For this, he chose Christian Pierce, an unlucky Kentucky farmer from Red Zone 483, to do his bidding.

His plan worked perfectly - after Pierce was manipulated into becoming Evelyn Rios' most trusted aide, Kane had Gideon attempt to destroy Chicago by crashing a GST into it. GDI commando Christian Pierce stopped it, unknowingly following Kane's plans for him.

Gideon managed to capture the GDI captain and forced Pierce to raid the New York Public Library to obtain a "data store" with information on Kane. To do so, he had to fight his way past "GDI" soldiers. Pierce discovered the information was hundreds of years old, and didn't appear to be of GDI origin. He smashed it. Kane stopped Pierce there. Kane explained that the object - which he could easily repair - was much more than a data store, and that he'd shaped Pierce's entire life in order to get him to that point. Even the GDI soldiers sent to stop him were actually disguised Nod troops. An irate Pierce attacked Kane, hitting him once, but Kane defeated and killed him.

As the Incursion War went on, Nod's arsenal continued to grow and improve in light of the Separatists' modifications to their weaponry. Kane had personally overseen the development of a new stealth tank and was the mastermind behind a Nod raid to capture a functional Obelisk of Darkness held in a GDI lab to develop an Obelisk of Light that was capable of destroying aircraft. When GDI began fielding the Crawler in 2073 to counter the Separatists, Kane commissioned Nod to develop their own Crawler and not fall behind. However his best commander Alphus turned out to be Gideon's sleeper agent and hijacked the prototype Crawler, giving the Separatists a level playing field.

Ascension


In 2077, the storm of world war has come again. Tensions between GDI and Nod mounted, as resentment on both sides, hidden for the past fifteen years, began to surface, and Ascension became a reality with the activation of the TCN.

The Ascension Conflict erupted when Kane initiated the final phase of his plan. His actions drew the attention of Nod Separatists and rogue GDI units under the command of Colonel Louise James, resulting in a brief, but extremely bloody conflict that lasted ten days, but consumed countless lives.

Kane's plan came dangerously close to failure, as Gideon had been killing off the Threshold`s "keys" one by one (humans modified with implants invented with the help from the Tacitus). The only remaining implant was Commander Parker, so in order to protect him, Kane ordered Gideon to be brought to heel. His will was done, and Gideon was brought to justice for the followers of Nod at a stage near Threshold 19.

Nod campaign
With Gideon dead, the TCN online and Parker in his grasp, he could finally ascend. The Commander activated the tower, but Colonel Louise James arrived to find the Commander, believing him to be Kane.

When the Commander did not answer her how to shut it down, the rogue GDI leader shot him point-blank, only to have Kane arrive and strangle James at the very end. The activation of Threshold 19, and the bullet Parker took from James, began to take its toll on his vital status. Kane said that the commander is too fragile to live, and thus steps through the Scrin Portal, ascending in the process, leaving him and Lilly behind, the latter mourning Parker's slow and silent passing, his implant's shutdown sequence coming to a full circle.

GDI campaign
As Parker arrives at the tower, he finds Kane, who reveals that it was not Kane who killed Lilly after all. James ordered an Orca Bomber strike to destroy the bunker Lilly was hiding in to get the Commander to despise Kane.

Kane continues by explaining that Parker's optical implant is the key to activating the TCN, the Threshold's portal, and his Ascension. Failing that, he then warns that not doing so will doom Earth to Tiberium and never-ending war. Shortly afterward, James arrives and commands Parker to stand down. After shooting Kane, Parker begins to walk towards the portal. James understands that he finally realized the truth and shoots him. But before she can put a bullet in his head, Kane pulls her gun away and tell the commander to activate the portal.

Parker manages to turn on the portal, before losing consciousness again. Regaining consciousness one last time, Kane stands by the activated portal, tilts his head skeptically, and says, "Thank you," to the commander, before stepping through and leaving the him to his fate.

Both campaigns
After the tower sends out visible beams to space, the W3N news reports that after the surge of the Scrin tower, the last piece of the Tiberium Control Network has been completed. The Tiberium near Threshold 19 was also reported to be dissipating. Next, General Secretary Evelyn Rios claimed that to be a "historical moment" and that humanity has persevered. Another news report mentioned that thousands of Kane's followers simply vanished after entering the portal, and the tower is now dormant again.

With GDI marking this as a success, its possible GDI might gather Tiberium near the tower to dissipate all of it, it's also possible that all the Tiberium on earth is starting to dissipate independently due to the tower's activity.

A random middle-aged man (played by Daniel Kucan) was street interviewed, and merely said "Kane's gone? Yeah, right.", hinting that there were still many people believing that Kane is still with them.

Command & Conquer (1995)
The GDI campaign shows two possible endings to the final mission, depending on whether the ion cannon is used on the Temple. If the ion cannon is used Kane ascends from the Temple's subterranean command center to the heavily damaged hall on the surface where he is engulfed by an ion cannon strike. If not, Kane is buried by rubble while walking away from the command center. It was never officially revealed which ending is canon, but the severe injuries Kane was still recovering from in Tiberian Sun would hint at the former.

Behind the scenes
Kane is portrayed and voiced by Joseph David Kucan, who also served as Full Motion Video director and dramatic director for games produced by Westwood Studios from 1992 to 2002. His brother, Daniel Kucan, also appeared in several Command & Conquer games.

Kane is a selectable commander in Command & Conquer: Rivals. He has access to the Obelisk of Light.

The role of Kane
Kucan frequently joked about his role and how he got it in the first place. In an interview, he said that Kane would in fact be a woman and that Tiberian Twilight was a musical.

There were multiple "stories" on how he got the role of Kane:
 * he won the role in a lottery from 7-11, scratching the ticket and getting three "Kanes" (Tiberium Wars Kane Edition blooper reel, 2006)
 * there was a special election in the United States of America between him, Pauley Shore and John Malkovich. He mostly got votes from the western states. (Tiberium Wars Kane Edition blooper reel, 2006)
 * he got a prize in a Cracker Jack box (Battlecast Primetime episode 1, 2007)
 * he was fishing in the Colorado river when he found Brett Sperry drowning. Joe then jumped in and saved him, where Brett dubbed him Kane. (interview for XG247, 2009)
 * in a street fair, accompanied by four friends, Kucan climbed a booth where "you shoot the water into the clown's mouth, and the balloon gets bigger". He was spraying and giving the elbow to the others. His balloon popped first, and was given the role of Kane. (interview for IncGamers.com, 2009)
 * he was lounging at the park one day and the hand of God himself came down from the heavens [giving him the role] (Kane - The Man interview, 2010)
 * his father before him and his father before him played Kane as well, while his father before him was a plumber, but his father before him also played Kane, making it a hereditary role. (Kane - The Man interview, 2010)
 * aliens abducted him when he was walking in a green meadow in Las Vegas, and selected him to play Kane. They shaved his head, slapped a goatee on his otherwise bare face, and threw him down to Westwood Studios. (The Cyber Den interview, 2014)
 * he won it at the Humboldt County Fair Pie Eating Contest of 1994, where he ate 11 strawberry-rhubarb pies in 8 minutes. The winner (with a world-record 13 eaten pies) had a year's supply of pizza, while the runner-up, Kucan, got the role of Kane (CNCNZ.com Dev Detector interview, 2018)
 * he looked the most like a shaved orangutan whom Westwood initially used for the role (Command & Conquer Post-Mortem at GDC 2019)
 * he was sentenced to play the role of Kane as punishment for killing his parents (Interview with GameStar at Gamescom 2009)

The only instance where he stated the true version was at CommandCom 2009 in Cologne. Since Westwood Studios did not have a large budget at the time, they employed the game developers as actors in full motion videos. When making a placeholder video to test the compression methods, Westwood assigned Kucan to say a line in which he would imitate a villain character. That test video actually gave him the role of the charismatic leader of the Brotherhood of Nod, Kane.