Far Cry 6's Anton Castillo is the latest in a line of twisted, evil-yet-charismatic Far Cry villains - a tradition that began in earnest with Far Cry 3's Vaas Montenegro. Vaas remains one of the most popular characters in the series, but his debut in a 2012 game means many newer fans may not know much about him, and those who played Far Cry 3 may have simply forgotten Vaas' backstory.
Portrayed in motion capture and voice acting by Michael Mando in both Far Cry 3 and live-action TV program The Far Cry Experience, Vaas is one of the game's main villains. He leads a violent band of pirates that terrorizes the Rook Islands and is shown to be unpredictable and remorseless. Vaas is a proud, devious, and sadistic man with a dark sense of humor. He also seems to be a big fan of movies, referencing Forrest Gump, Bambi, and Superbad across his appearances in the Far Cry franchise.
Vaas was born on the Rook Islands in 1984 and joined the ranks of the Rakyat warriors at a young age. In his formative years, he had a close relationship with his sister Citra, who was born the year before him; a panel from the first issue of Far Cry: Rite of Passage, a comic series released ahead of Far Cry 6, depicts Vaas and Citra playing soccer together when they were young. Things took a darker turn for both of them as they aged.
How Vaas Became Leader Of Far Cry 3's Pirates
Vaas became addicted to drugs sometime before he turned 28 and decided to make contact with the supplier, Hoyt Volker. Volker is a South African slave trader and drug lord and is the second antagonist to appear in Far Cry 3. During their meeting, Volker saw potential in Vaas' callousness and appointed him as his right-hand man.
After securing money and power under Volker, Vaas became the leader of a group of pirates that regularly ransacked the Rook Islands and assaulted their people ahead of Far Cry 3's beginning. Vaas' pirates assisted Volker with his empire by working his illegal crops, kidnapping locals, and spreading fear. Vaas often went above and beyond in his methods of torturing captives, absolutely terrorizing the Rook Islands' inhabitants.
The Far Cry Experience, the aforementioned Far Cry 3 promotional show, depicts Vaas's depravity and gives a more intimate glimpse at the character, with Vaas capturing and torturing celebrity host Christopher Mintz-Plasse and his cameraman as they attempt to shoot a survival documentary on the Rook Islands. Vaas, ever the cinephile, makes sure to tell Mintz-Plasse he has seen most of his movies.
Vaas's Actions As Far Cry 3's Villain
One of Vaas's men informs him six skydivers have just landed on the island at the end of The Far Cry Experience, kicking off his encounter with Far Cry 3 protagonist Jason Brody. Vaas captures Jason and his friends shortly after they land and implies he plans to hold them for ransom. Jason and his brother Grant escape captivity and make a plan to save the others, only for Vaas to fatally shoot Grant in the neck. Vaas decides to let Jason flee and threatens, "If this jungle doesn't eat you up alive, I will."
As Jason attempts to rescue his lost companions, he is ambushed by Vaas and tied up along with Liza and Oliver. Vaas muses about his feelings on personal relationships while he douses them in gasoline, revealing there was a time he would do anything for his sister. He claims the first time he ever killed was for Citra, though even killing wasn't enough for her. He rants about loved ones always blindsiding him and making him choose between "them or me." This probably refers to Vaas' turn to drug use and pirate life and the resulting arguments Citra had with him. Vaas eventually tosses a match and takes Oliver away, expecting Liza and Jason to burn to death.
When Vaas ambushes Jason again after discovering he survived the fire, he gives his famous Far Cry 3 monologue about insanity, claiming the word's definition is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. Vaas then pushes a cinder block tied to Jason into a sinkhole full of water, attempting to kill him for the second time.
Jason once again survives this attack, and Vaas is able to locate him after Jason is shot down in a helicopter. He asks a wounded Jason, "Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?" before shooting him in the chest, implying either his own insanity for continuing to try to kill Jason when it hasn't worked or Jason's insanity for continuing to try to escape. Of course, Jason survives the gunshot, this time thanks to a lighter Vaas gave him earlier because he believed it was useless.
The final time the two meet in Far Cry 3, Vaas sets a trap for Jason and appears to drug him with a poisoned knife. Jason faces hallucinations and visions of Vaas before finally finding what appears to be the real Vaas and stabbing him. Jason proclaims victory as he collapses on the floor next to Vaas, who looks at him one last time before Jason loses consciousness. The circumstances surrounding Vaas's final moments in Far Cry 3 make the results seem ambiguous, though Jeffrey Yohalem, lead writer for Far Cry 3, responded to skepticism in 2012 with, "Sam and the privateers confirm Vaas's fate. What reason do you have to question them?"
Source: Jeffrey Yohalem