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Craig Marduk (クレイグ・マードック Kureigu Mādokku?) is a character in the Tekken series who was introduced in Tekken 4 and has returned for all subsequent releases, including Tekken 7 as a DLC character.

Biography

Craig Marduk was an undefeated Vale Tudo champion. However, one day he was caught up in a scandal and ejected by the Vale Tudo fighting committee.[3] Consumed with bitterness and anger at his circumstances and the world around him, Marduk ended up starting a bar fight in Arizona. A mediator stepped in to try and deescalate the fight,[4] but Marduk ended up killing him. The man Marduk killed was Armor King, a professional wrestler who wore a black jaguar mask in the ring. The case was taken to court, where the killing was ruled as second-degree manslaughter, meaning that Marduk was found not guilty of intentionally causing death. He was, however, sentenced to ten years in prison.[5]

Two years into his sentence, Marduk was released early. Judiciaries had been bribed to let him go, and Marduk was handed a plane ticket and a newspaper article about the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4. He later discovered that this had been set up by King II, a luchador who was Armor King's student. Enraged by the lost of the man he considered both a mentor and a foster father, King had decided he wanted revenge on Marduk. As he could not kill him in prison, King arranged for them to fight one another in a tournament.[6]

King beat Marduk in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 in a match so brutal that Marduk was hospitalized. King approached the hospital room, intending to kill Marduk, but had a change of heart. He decided his search for vengeance was foolish, and walked away.[7] Marduk, however, was enraged by his loss to King. He set to honing himself into an even greater fighter. He entered a Vale Tudo tournament wearing a replica of Armor King's black jaguar mask and beat all the competition bloody. He then turned to the camera and taunted King, telling him he would be next.[8] Enraged by the disgrace to his mentor's name, King accepted the challenge.[7]

Marduk and King fought one another again in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, and Marduk was again beaten. This time, however, the two exchanged a handshake of respect after the match. As Marduk was returning to the tournament waiting room, the lights went out and he was suddenly attacked. As the lights came back on, he was able to catch a glimpse of his attacker. It appeared to be the man he had killed, Armor King.[9] In his likely canonical Tekken 6 ending, Marduk is shown hurrying to Armor King's grave. He dug Armor King up to check he was still dead and found the body intact. In the graveyard, however, he again met his attacker, who explained that Armor King was two people, not one, and that the man Marduk had killed was in fact his older brother. This new Armor King told Marduk he could never forgive him for killing his brother.[10]

Marduk and Armor King fought one another and both ended up unconscious and critically injured in hospital. Marduk awoke in hospital covered in strange injection marks. He did not feel any adverse effects however, and immediately sought out Armor King to finish him. King intervened, telling him Armor King was still unconscious and pleaded with Marduk to wait until Armor King had recovered before challenging him to a rematch. Marduk heeded this, but was uninterested in just another rematch. This time, he wanted Armor King removed for good. He thus left a challenge for Armor King for when he awoke - a match where the loser would bow out of professional wrestling forever. If Armor King won, Marduk would retire, and if Marduk won, Armor King would be de-masked and give up the name and mask of Armor King. Marduk then left to go and prepare for the match.[11]

Personality

Marduk is an extremely violent and short-tempered individual. He is very brash and tends to be quite unkind to others around him. He is also incredibly cocky and has a huge ego. Marduk's mannerisms usually border on mental instability, as he is often seen before or after a fight screaming and acting like a vicious wild animal, breathing heavily, and acting violently. His short temper and penchant for violence led him to start a bar brawl in Arizona, which resulted in the death of professional wrestler, Armor King.

Although Armor King's death was ruled as unpremeditated, Marduk shows little regret for his actions. He later dons Armor King's mask in order to mock him and taunt his pupil, King II, and, after being attacked by someone who strongly resembles Armor King, even digs up Armor King's remains to check he is still dead.

Marduk's only redeeming qualities seem to be a presumed affection he has for his parents, who's photograph remains by his bedside when he has been hospitalized, and the gradual friendship he has fostered with King II. It should be noted however, that this friendship largely seems to arise from acts of forgiveness on King's part. Marduk does however insist to King during Tekken 5 that he has changed, and wants to take him down in a fair and square fight.[12]

Armor King II is less forgiving, however, and, as such, he and Marduk now have a bitter rivalry. Marduk shows he has no qualms about killing an unconscious Armor King in Tekken 7, and is only stalled from doing so by pleas from King to wait for a fair match once Armor King has recovered. Whilst Marduk agreed to this, he is still intent on both beating and disgracing Armor King.

Appearance

Marduk has a big body and large limbs. He is bald though in his Tekken 4 prologue and ending, he is shown with dark, lank, thin, unkempt hair and has some in-game customizations that reflect this. Marduk is usually clean-shaven, though in Tekken 7 he sports a full beard, light brown in color. In all games, he wears gloves, shorts and kneecaps. He has large tattoos on both his upper arms - the design of these varies sometimes, but is usually a black tribal tattoo design on Marduk's biceps.

Outfits

Main article: Craig Marduk/Outfits

Story

Tekken 4

Manual, NTSC, Official Strategy Guide, & Prologue
Undefeated for four years in the professional circuit, Craig Marduk was once a respected and feared Vale Tudo fighter.

However, Craig was expelled from the professional ranks after being linked to a minor scandal.

Bitter against his peers and society, Craig’s wrath consumed his soul. One day, Craig started a bar brawl in Arizona and killed an opponent during the fight. Convicted for second-degree manslaughter, Craig was sentenced to ten years in the state penitentiary.

Two years later, Craig was mysteriously released from prison. Some anonymous "benefactor" had apparently paid off numerous judiciaries to arrange for Craig’s release. An envelope was delivered to Craig shortly thereafter. It contained a plane ticket and a newspaper article about The King of Iron Fist Tournament 4...[5]

Manual, PAL
As a Vale Tudo fighter, Craig Marduk was undefeated in four years as a professional. His fighting style was so savage that he had caused embarrassment to his own organisation on more than one occasion. When he was implicated in a minor scandal, his backers were only too glad to dump him.

Imprisoned in Arizona for a murder in a thirty-man bar brawl, Marduk was suddenly released thanks to the influence of an anonymous benefactor. On his release he received a mystery package containing a newspaper clipping about the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4, and an airline ticket.[13]

Epilogue Text
For Marduk, fulfillment was elusive... "Winnin' some tournament don't mean nothin'." When he realized where he was, he was heading back to the place of his former glory.

Tekken_4_Craig_Marduk_Ending

Tekken 4 Craig Marduk Ending

Ending Description
After winning the Tournament, Marduk returns to his place of former glory. There he meets the new Vale Tudo champion: an egotistic blond-haired man named Jeff Slater, who challenges him to a fight. Without accepting the fight, Marduk headbutts the new champion, instantly knocking him off his feet and tells him not to "bother getting up". Marduk then walks away, stamping on Slater as he does so.

Tekken 5

Tekken_5_Marduk_Interludes

Tekken 5 Marduk Interludes

Manual, NTSC
Craig Marduk, undefeated Vale Tudo fighter. Marduk was infuriated over his loss to King in the previous tournament. After being released from the hospital, he started a harsh training regimen to hone his body into the ultimate weapon. The revenge match will take place at the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5.[14]

Official Strategy Guide
The once undefeated Vale Tudo fighter Craig Marduk was infuriated over his loss to King in the previous tournament. After being released from the hospital, he endured a harsh training regimen that honed his body into the ultimate weapon. One day, Marduk entered a Vale Tudo tournament wearing a black jaguar mask. He successively downed every opponent in his path and announced his intent to face King once more. The two will meet again at the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5.[15]

Prologue
Craig Marduk, the once-undefeated Vale Tudo fighter. Unable to accept his loss to King in the previous tournament, Marduk transformed himself into the ultimate weapon.

One day, Marduk, in a black jaguar mask, beat everyone in a Vale Tudo tournament to a bloody pulp. "King! You're next!"

The stage is set for a rematch at the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5![16]

Epilogue Text
Marduk wins the Tournament and is crowned the new champion. For Marduk, being champion was not enough. He attacked various martial art champions to show his superiority.

Tekken_5_Craig_Marduk_Ending

Tekken 5 Craig Marduk Ending

Ending Description
The scene opens with the words: "And today's target is..." Two boxers are getting ready to fight in a typical boxing match. The boxers have just begun their bout when Marduk comes into the ring and interrupts, challenging both of them to come at him. The referee tries to stop the madness, only to be K.O.ed by Marduk. The two boxers decide to attack Marduk but are easily taken down. Marduk taunts the audience and gloats in front of the camera, tearing up the ropes in the boxing ring for good measure. Steve Fox, who is in the audience, has a look of disgust on his face as he gets out of his seat to confront Marduk.

Tekken 6

Official Strategy Guide
Craig Marduk fought against King during The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. Although he lost, he and King had a friendly handshake after the match. Upon returning to his room, the lights suddenly went out and Marduk was attacked. When the lights came back on, he saw the suspected culprit, Armor King, whom Marduk thought he had finished off.

Thereafter, the world became engulfed in war. At the peak of the global chaos, The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 was announced. Marduk reasoned that if he entered the tournament, perhaps his attacker would appear. Along with his new ally, King, Marduk entered the contest to find his attacker.[17]

Prologue
Craig Marduk had a rematch with King during The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. Although he lost, the two shared a friendly handshake after the match.

Returning to the waiting room, the lights suddenly went out, and Marduk was attacked by an unknown assailant.

When the lights finally came back on, Marduk caught a look at the culprit. It appeared to be Armor King, whom Marduk thought he'd finished off long ago.

The world had been engulfed in war when The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 was abruptly announced.

Marduk reasoned that if he entered the tournament, perhaps the unknown assailant would show up again. Along with his new ally, King, Marduk enters the tournament to find his attacker.[9]

Tekken_6_Armor_king_(Both_endings)

Tekken 6 Armor king (Both endings)

Ending Description
While in a graveyard, Marduk is shoveling dirt, digging up Armor King's grave in order to confirm that the body is in there and that he is dead. When he opens Armor King's grave, he sees the body in tact inside, confirming that Armor King is indeed dead. A mysterious figure who resembled Armor King gives Marduk a blank stare in silence after being asked who he is. King II arrives at the graveyard and asks the figure who he is. The figure claims himself to be "Armor King" and no one else. Marduk believes this to be a lie, as he killed Armor King "with his own hands", but the figure calling himself "Armor King" states that the name is not exclusive to just one person. He claims that he is the one, but so was his late brother, known as Armor King I, whom Marduk killed 2 years ago, thus making the figure "Armor King II". Armor King II deemed that his brother's murder was unforgivable and points at Marduk as a sign of revenge.

Tekken 7

TEKKEN_7_-_Season_Pass_2_Reveal-_Craig_Marduk_-_PS4,_X1,_PC

TEKKEN 7 - Season Pass 2 Reveal- Craig Marduk - PS4, X1, PC

Official Website Profile (English)
Undefeated since his debut as a Vale Tudo fighter, Craig was banished by the committee for his involvement in a scandal. After getting caught up in a bar fight, he accidentally ended up killing Armor King, who was trying to mediate the situation. Craig fought against Armor King's apprentice, King, twice after that, until a steady friendship grew between them.[18]

Official Website Profile (Japanese)
Craig Marduk once killed Armor King. He got into a fight with someone who claimed to be Armor King's younger brother, and both of them ended up unconscious.

When Marduk awakened in hospital, he noticed strange injection marks across his body. Since he was able to move without any problems though, he immediately tried to go after Armor King without paying any mind to this.

However, King desperately intervened, and told him that Armor King had not yet regained consciousness. King persuaded Marduk to wait until Armor King had first recovered in order to settle the match. However, Marduk could not quell his anger with just any old match, and proposed a match where, if he lost, he would retire from the fighting scene for good, but, if Armor King lost, he would have his mask forcibly removed from his face in disgrace.

After challenging Armor King, who had not yet woken up, Marduk began training in preparation for the rematch.[11]

Other Appearances

Street Fighter X Tekken

Marduk appeared in Street Fighter X Tekken as a playable character, his official partner is King.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Marduk is a playable character in Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

Profile
Undefeated since his debut as a Vale Tudo fighter, Craig was banished by the committee for his involvement in a scandal. After getting caught up in a bar fight, he accidentally ended up killing Armor King, who was trying to mediate the situation. Craig fought against Armor King's apprentice, King, twice after that, until a steady friendship grew between them.[19]

Tekken_Tag_Tournament_2_Ending_Craig_Marduk_Ending_Clip_HD

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Ending Craig Marduk Ending Clip HD

Marduk TTT2 Ending

Ending Description
Marduk is in a wrestling ring. He is fighting Armor King II, whom he knocks down with a strong arm attack straight to the head. Then Jaycee knees him from his side right in his face. He gets knocked into a corner, weakened. Then, King II is seen climbing up into the ring. Jaycee notices and runs backs to her corner of the ring and uses it as a boost to flip backwards and kick him with both feet in his chest, he is thrown out of the ring.

Marduk then breaks off one of the bars of the ring and swings it around. Armor King ducks but it knocks Jaycee down on her face. King II recovers, to see Armor King cornered by Marduk who is still swinging the bar around. Marduk finally throws up the piece up into the ceiling, making most the lights go out. Now there is only a spotlight on the ring. It turns out to be a distraction, as King II tackles him by surprise. He knocks him down so then Marduk picks him up and swings him around by one of his legs and slams him down. The bell dings as they are the winners. Both him and King II cheer and high five. The scene ends with them holding each other's arms up as they are the champions.

Special Alliance Partners:

Tekken (Mobile)

Marduk returned as a playable character for Tekken Mobile. Marduk was announced early on along with a few other veterans that did not originally make it to Tekken 7.

Tekken: Bloodline

Marduk appears as one of the first competitors for the third King of Iron Fist Tournament, but he is defeated off-screen by King II.

Gameplay

A traditional "big and slow" character with strong moves, great throws and a unique Mount grapple. His main drawback is that most of his attacks have a very slow startup time; making them unreliable when trying to beat an enemy to the punch let alone being an overall slow character in general. However, when his attacks do hit, players are rewarded with heavy damage to the opponent and also some very useful launch properties. His ready position is also another good tactic at unsettling opponents as the mount attack is very effective at promptly taking a decent amount of an opponent's health without performing a combo.

Marduk is also one of the few characters that can grab opponents whilst in the air. This can be used during a juggle or just when the opponent jumps. His air grabs are a good tactic at dealing an extra bit of damage if used as a juggle finisher.

Fighting Style

Marduk fights using Vale Tudo. Vale Tudo is a combat sport with few rules that hosts a variety of fighting styles, ranging from wrestling to Judo to Sambo to Muay Thai.

Fitting the name Vale Tudo, which literally means anything goes, Marduk does not seem to have a specific fighting style and is more acquainted to that of Brawling, much like Miguel. However, some of his moves are derived from wrestling as he can be seen using moves such as leg locks, throws and takedowns. Marduk's iconic mount attack, as the name suggests, has him tackle his opponent to the ground and brutally pummel them into submission, similar to techniques seen in mixed martial arts. The way he can tackle the enemy by the legs is also a common technique in Vale Tudo (as it is not forbidden like in most other fighting sports).

Moves

Craig Marduk Moves

Quotes

Character Relationships

  • Armor King I - Marduk killed him two years before Tekken 4 in a bar brawl in Arizona that he started whilst angry and bitter as a result of his expulsion from the Vale Tudo world. The killing was ruled in court as unintentional. Marduk was likely drunk during the encounter, and Armor King was suffering from a heart condition which may have further weakened him. Marduk later wore his mask to taunt King II, and dug up his remains to check he was still dead after encountering Armor King's brother.
  • Armor King II - Armor King II hates Marduk for killing his brother and the two are currently on bad terms. Marduk was attacked by him during Tekken 5. After Tekken 6 their rivalry escalates despite of King II's attempts at peace, and they end up hospitalizing each other. King entered the seventh tournament partly to pay for their medical bills. After recovering, at King’s suggestion and behest, Marduk wrote a challenge letter, proposing a retirement match to Armor King. This was accepted and the loser will bow out of the wrestling world for good.
  • King II - Wanted revenge for the death of his mentor at first. He arranged Marduk's release from prison and invited him to the fourth tournament, where he then hospitalized him. Marduk then donned Armor King's black jaguar mask to taunt King into fighting him once again. Marduk again lost to King, but offered Marduk forgiveness, allowing a friendship to begin between the two. King II is now engaged in trying to prevent violence between Marduk and Armor King II.
  • Steve Fox - He is shown in the crowd in Marduk's Tekken 5 ending, disgusted by his antics and apparently ready to challenge Marduk.
  • Jeff Slater - Slater became the next Vale Tudo champion following Marduk's expulsion, and was supposedly a big fan of Marduk. He was knocked out by Marduk after smugly taunting him in Marduk's Tekken 4 ending.
  • Anna Williams - Marduk is disrespectful towards Anna in his Tekken 5 interludes.

Trivia

General:

  • Marduk shares his name with a chief Mesopotamian deity, at one point the head of the Babylonian pantheon. Marduk in Mesopotamian culture was a god of creation, water, agriculture, justice, medicine, and magic.
  • Marduk was convicted of second degree manslaughter[20] when he killed Armor King, which is when someone recklessly causes the death of another person. This means Marduk was not found guilty of intentionally trying to commit murder, and the resulting death may have been accidental.
    • Marduk only served 2 years of his 10 years sentence, as King II paid a judiciary to release him in order to settle his grievance against him in the Iron Fist Tournament.
  • Marduk holds great similarity to real-life (now retired) pro wrestler, Nathan Jones. Both are about the same size, Australian, bald, served prison time and are often portrayed as crude muscle-heads. However, unlike Marduk, first Jones went to prison, then he took up wrestling, not the other way around. Also, Marduk's style is Vale Tudo, & Nathan Jones's style is Muay Thai.
  • Fans have also speculated that Marduk may be a tribute to professional wrestler and former American Football player Bill Goldberg. Since, in Tekken 7, one of Marduk's victory outros resembles Goldberg's Taunt after he spears his opponents.
  • Marduk has some moves taken from the Japanese mixed martial artist Kazushi "Gracie Hunter" Sakuraba. Like Mongolian Chop from the mount position, jumping stomp, etc.
  • Marduk is the only character who uses a knee for a low kick. (This is possibly due to being based on Nathan Jones, as both use knee strikes, a common move used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Karate, Muay Thai, & Tae Kwon Do.)
  • It is implied that Marduk hates kangaroos. In a tweet, Harada revealed that part of Marduk's ear had been bitten off by a kangaroo, though this may have been a joke.[21] This hatred may be being alluded to in the non-canon Tekken Tag Tournament 2, where Marduk has negative Netsu with Roger Jr..
  • Many of Marduk's attack animations were later reused and slightly altered for Tekken 7 newcomer, Gigas. This, alongside similar physical features led fans to speculate that Gigas was in fact Marduk before the games release, (this was later de-confirmed in-game).
  • From his inclusion in Tekken 4 until Tekken 7, Marduk was the only character in the series who directly interacts with the screen or "cameraman" in an intro/win pose, as in one of his win poses, he would violently grab the camera and say, as if speaking to the audience: "The name's Marduk. And don'tcha forget it!"
    • In Tekken 7, while Marduk is not the only character with an intro/win pose like this anymore, he now does hold the distinction of being the only character who interacts with the camera in their Rage Art (if not counting Miguel's one which is partly seen from the opponent's point of view) as in his, he is seen briefly tackling the opponent into the screen, before continuing his assault.
  • The "minor scandal" that led to Marduk being expelled from the professional circuit in Tekken 4 is never outright stated or explained. If one looks at the prologue artwork that appears around the time the scandal is mentioned, however, one can assume that perhaps it had to do with a sexual scandal involving women. His sub-boss battle with Anna Williams in Tekken 5 also seems to support this, especially with his win pose against her seeming to imply darker intentions upon defeating her.

Tekken 4:

  • Marduk and Steve Fox are the only known two new characters to have different English voice actors between Asian and Western versions.[22]
  • Marduk has unkempt, long hair in his prologue art and ending. He has this both before, during, and after his prison stint, then presumeably shaves it off when he enters the Iron Fist Tournament.

Tekken 5:

Tekken 6:

  • Marduk's sub-bosses are Steve Fox and King II. Steve being one of them is possibly a reference to his Tekken 5 ending, where Steve was present in the audience.
  • In his character trailer, Marduk is introduced as "the colossal Aussie".[23]
  • In Scenario Campaign mode, Marduk and King II are wrestling team together and are bosses in the Mixed Martial Arts Gym "Wild Kingdom" stage.
  • His ending is connected to King II's and Armor King II's endings.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2:

  • His Item Move has the partner rush in to restrain Marduk if Neck Lock knocks out the opponent.

Tekken 7:

Other:

Gallery

Main article: Craig Marduk/Gallery

References

  1. ^ https://bandainamco-am.co.jp/am/vg/tekken4/special/characters/craig.php
  2. ^ https://f-w.co.jp/en/catalog/?modelId=2535&detailflg=2
  3. ^ See Marduk's Tekken 4 and Tekken 7 profiles
  4. ^ Armor King's role in the fight is clarified in Marduk's Tekken 7 profile.
  5. ^ a b Tekken 4 PlayStation NTSC Manual, p.31; Tekken 4 Official Strategy Guide, Prima (2002), p.96; Tekken 4 In-Game Prologue.
  6. ^ See King II's Tekken 4 and Tekken 7 profiles.
  7. ^ a b See King II's Tekken 5 profiles.
  8. ^ See Marduk's Tekken 5 Official Strategy Guide profile and Tekken 5 prologue.
  9. ^ a b Tekken 6 In-Game Prologue.
  10. ^ See Marduk's Tekken 6 ending.
  11. ^ a b Tekken 7 Official Japanese Website Profile.
  12. ^ Craig Marduk/Tekken 5 Interludes
  13. ^ Tekken 4 PAL Manual, p.19.
  14. ^ Tekken 5 PlayStation NTSC Manual, p.37.
  15. ^ Tekken 5 Official Strategy Guide,Brady Games (2004), p.54.
  16. ^ Tekken 5 In-Game Prologue.
  17. ^ Tekken 6 Official Strategy Guide, Brady Games (2009), p.96; transcribed on Tekken Zaibatsu.
  18. ^ Tekken 7 Official English Website Profile.
  19. ^ Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U profile.
  20. ^ See Marduk's Tekken 4 prologue
  21. ^ [1]
  22. ^ https://youtu.be/rMTEK_QnUA8
  23. ^ https://youtu.be/PebEklAfI7w
  24. ^ Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown - Tekken Series Collaboration Announce

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