Kane

"You can't kill the Messiah."

- Kane

Kane is the charismatic, absolute leader of the Brotherhood of Nod, appearing in all Tiberium Universe games as well as Red Alert 1.

Identity
""I found you people in mud huts.. you were living in CAVES!""

- Kane to the Commander about his life on Earth

Kane is an extraterrestial entity that came to Earth thousands of years ago. According to Kane's own words, he found humans living in mud huts and caves, which would place his arrival between 6000 and 4000 years BC. To humans, Kane is like a father - he uplifted the fledgling humanity, giving them tools and knowledge, guiding every step of the way. 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 most often referred to simply as The Prophet.

Ultimate goal
Kane's ultimate goal is 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 focused on achieving this single event.

The means for achieving this goal included attempts to achieve uncontested global domination (First Tiberium War was one such attempt) as well as large scale Tiberium research, culminating in the development of the World Altering Missile in the Second Tiberium War. This missile (basing on the rationale for the Temple Prime detonation) was supposed to be the first attempt to draw the Scrin to Earth to construct their Thresholds. Worldwide Tiberium proliferation performed by Nod seems to be a secondary goal.

Personality and traits
"I have many names."

- Kane to Christian Pierce.

Kane is 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 authoritarian rule. He is a master at propaganda and information warfare, evidenced when he broadcasted a fabricated news report about the alleged GDI slaughter of civilians in Białystok, Poland, as well as manipulation and control, evidenced by him controlling Joseph Stalin's actions. Kane's own messages reflect his charisma, speaking with a confident deep voice. Interestingly, recovered footage from a Nod propaganda studio reveals Kane speaking with a uncharacteristically softer tone.

He has very little tolerance for incompetence and none for treason, usually dealing with both swiftly, in accordance with Brotherhood's policy "If you fail, you die". Major examples include him personally executing Seth as he attempted to circumvent Kane's authority or sending an ICBM to obliterate Vega's island as he failed Kane repeatedly. He does make exceptions to that rule, though, as he is willing to forgive less severe mistakes of his most important commanders.

All of his work has concentrated on Tiberium so far, and almost all his plans involve attempts to utilize it as a weapon, as a method of advancing humanity towards the next step in human evolution, or spreading it across the planet. He, and by extension the whole Brotherhood, possesses an intricate knowledge of Tiberium and its uses, and when coupled with knowledge from the Tacitus, the information Kane possessed allowed him to revolutionize the state of the world with the introduction of Tiberium harvesting methods as well as beginning research on Divination, a method of evolving humans with Tiberium. His plans came closest to fruition during the closing stages of the Second Tiberium War, when his World Altering Missile was ready for launch to transform the Earth and its denizens. However, it was destroyed at the last minute when GDI attacked the missile's launch site.

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 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, 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 first Temple of Nod was build in Northern Egypt, near the city of Cairo and contains a sarcophagus with Abel, apparently Kane's relative and first victim.

A common Nod belief claims Kane is the Biblical Cain ("Kayin" in ancient Hebrew and 'Qabil' in Arabic), and thus thousands of years old.

Second World War
""He who controls the past commands the future, He who commands the future, conquers the past.""

- Kane

The earliest appearance of Kane is as an advisor of sorts to Joseph Stalin, the leader of the USSR, before the. 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.

Alternate Soviet Second World War
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 has soon put Nod at the forefront of technology, providing safe methods of Tiberium harvesting and processing into readily available raw goods.

Additonally, 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 startingly little information, as no social security numbers, licences or any other identification existed. Kane remained a mystery, constantly eluding capture.

First Tiberium War
"GDI and the Brotherhood view the benefits... and threats of Tiberium, differently. They see a scientific anomaly, a curiousity. I see the future."

- Kane's to the Nod Commander.

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 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 has made considerable advances in technology, all under Kane's guidance. The biggest research project Nod undertook during this time is Project ReGenesis, aiming to create the perfect soldier and next generation human. As such, 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
Eventually, GDI Agent Delphi finally managed to track down Kane in Bosnia, where he was running Tiberium experimentation on humans. 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.

African Campaign
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 commander who was significant to the success of the African campaign the honor of choosing the satellite weapon's first target.

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 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.

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, and was impaled by him which resulted in the Brotherhood's defeat once again.

Nod Campaign
The 3 ICBM launchers fire their missiles on the GDSS Philadelphia while Kane launches the World Altering Missile on the Earth. He disappears during the launch of the World Altering Missile in an Orange glow assuming that he asceded ahead of schedule.

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 was 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

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 satisfactorily for Kane but the Tacitus remained beyond his grasp. 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.

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 the GDI. He was airlifted to a GDI building 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". To do so, he had to fight his way past "GDI" soldiers. However, Kane stopped Pierce there. Kane explained that the object 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.

Ascension


"For me, Ascension is Real!"

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 the Commander in his grasp he could finally Ascend. The Commander activates the tower, but Colonel Louise James arrives to find the Commander and believes it is Kane.

When the Commander does not answer her how to shut it down, she shoots him, but Kane arrives and strangles James. At the very end. The activation of the tower and the bullet the Commander took from James, the Commander slowly dies. Kane says that the commander is too fragile to live, so while Kane ascends and Lilly Parker cries. The Commander is slowly dying and the Shutdown Sequence commenced.

GDI Campaign
As the Commander arrives at the tower, he finds Kane, who reveals that it was not Kane who killed Lilly Parker 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 the Commander'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. Shorly afterward, James arrives and commands the Commander to stand down. After shooting Kane, the Commander begins to walk towards the portal. James understands that the Commander finally realizes 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.

The Commander manages to turn on the portal, before losing consciousness again. Regaining consciousness one last time, Kane stands by the activated portal, and says, "Thank you," to the Commander, before stepping through and leaving the Commander to his fate.

Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn
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 the ion cannon strike. If not, Kane is buried by rubble while walking away from the command center.

Behind the Scenes
Kane is portrayed and voiced by Joseph D. Kucan. Kucan also served as Full Motion Video director for the Command & Conquer games produced by Westwood Studios; he was the senior dramatic director for Command & Conquer: Renegade.

His brother, Daniel Kucan, also worked in Command & Conquer and played Jake McNeil in Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun.

As a joke, it had been 'revealed' in an interview that Kane would in fact be a woman and that Tiberium Twilight was a musical. (full information about this can be seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc8nYIOrgtw)