Kevin | ||
Occupation: | Cannibal | |
Gender: | Male | |
Comic Appearances: | The Hard Goodbye That Yellow Bastard (cameo) | |
Film Appearances: | Sin City | |
Affiliation(s): | Patrick Henry Roark
Miho (possibly) | |
Portrayed by: | Elijah Wood |
“ | He never screams. Even after the dog has its fill and his guts are hanging out, he never screams. | ” |
— Marv comments about Kevin's endurance
|
Kevin is a primary antagonist in the film Sin City and the Sin City stories The Hard Goodbye and That Yellow Bastard. He is a mute cannibalistic serial killer under the wing of Cardinal Patrick Henry Roark.
Background[]
Kevin came to Roark for religious counsel, having already given into his cannibalism and being wracked with guilt. Though appearing to be mute, he spoke to Roark in what he described as the 'voice of an angel'.
Roark took him in and used his considerable influence to cover up Kevin's killing, having him live on the Roark family Farm and allowing him to kill prostitutes from Old Town. Eventually Roark began sharing in his cannibalistic feedings as well. As well as a hiding place Kevin also uses the basement as a holding cell for his victims slash trophy wall where he hangs the heads of his victims (the only part he doesn't eat).
What isn't finished off by Roark and Kevin is fed to the feral dog they keep as a pet.
That Yellow Bastard[]
Kevin was at the Farm, where Roark Junior was torturing Nancy Callahan, sitting out and reading a bible, indifferent to the torture. It implies he was good friends with him, because of his loyalty to his father, Senator Roark. However, Kevin doesn't intervene when Hartigan shows up and kills Junior obviously because he didn’t know what hartigan was doing to junior.
The Hard Goodbye[]
Eventually Goldie began to suspect that the missing girls from Old Town were somehow connected to Roark and for her own protection she latched on to Marv. Kevin still
managed to kill her (with what was never revealed) by sneaking into the apartment where she and Marv slept. When Marv went on his rampage, word got to Roark who had his parole officer Lucille kidnapped by Kevin who proceeds to sever and eat her left hand. When Marv arrives following the bloody cookie crumb trail of men he's tortured he is beaten senseless by Kevin and thrown in the cell with Lucille. Marv later escapes and returns with Wendy to finish him off. Marv lets Kevin beat on him until he gets close enough to cuff him to himself and knocks him out. Marv then saws his legs and arms off (some of it must have been while he was conscious) and lets the dog eat him alive. He doesn't utter a word during the whole bloody business leaving Marv unsatisfied when he finally cuts off his head. Marv eventually tracks down Roark and shows him Kevin's head, which the bishop cradles in grief before Marv kills him.
Character overview[]
Although he seems completely harmless, Kevin is a dangerous psychopath. He kidnaps prostitutes, cuts their heads off (keeping them as trophies), and eats the rest of their bodies.
He is a very skilled fighter and practises an unspecified form of martial arts, with such speed and aggression that even Marv's brutal strength was outmatched. To add more to his bestiality, he wears metal claws.
Kevin never shows any human emotions, although Roark claimed that he was wracked with guilt over his past crimes at one point, which Kevin had most certainly got over by the time of Goldie's murder, presumably as a result of encouragement from Roark. He has no mercy for his victims and seemingly enjoys their pain. He is also completely indifferent to his own pain, showing no care (not even opening his mouth) when Marv cuts him in pieces. He is implied to be sickened by Junior's atrocities, and may have allowed Hartigan to do away with the former.
Analysis[]
The meaning behind Kevin's death may be interpreted as a portrayal of the fallacies in Marv's logic being shown by reacting to violence with violence. As it leaves him unsatisfied and confused because it isn't effective in causing Kevin the pain he has dealt.
Sin City (film)[]
Kevin is portrayed by Elijah Wood in the film. Just like in the comics, he appears in both The Hard Goodbye and That Yellow Bastard segments. The stories are nearly identical to the ones of the book and Kevin himself plays the exact same role and holds the same attributes as his counterpart. The only notable change is his physical appearence: in the comics, Kevin is depicted as being a slightly overweight middle-aged man with a growing beard, while in the film he is thinner, seemingly in his twenties and has a clean chin.
Trivia[]
- Frank Miller has described both Kevin and Miho as supernatural beings due to them being mute. However while he's described as the bad demon, Miho has been described as a good demon.