TOP 5: Assassin's Creed Templars

[WARNING: May contain spoilers for any and all Assassin's Creed Games to date]


Number Five: Daniel Cross
First Appearance: Assassin's Creed: The Fall

Although Daniel has yet to make his debut in the video games, he is one of the most important Templars in the modern day, even being seen as a "hero" among them. Daniel was experimented on by Warren Vidic in his early years, as was dubbed the name of "Subject 4." Unknowingly, Daniel was being used by Vidic as a sleeper agent who would eventually have an important destiny. Due to his long Animus sessions, when Daniel was released by Abstergo, he had this strange subconscious desire to meet the Mentor of the Assassin's Order. Eventually, Daniel was able to gain audience with him, and after receiving his hidden blade, assassinated him, due to what Vidic had done to his subconscious during his Animus sessions. After this, Daniel returned to Abstergo and was hailed as a "hero" among them, and eventually worked his way up to becoming a Master Templar in the Inner Sanctum. In addition to this, Daniel was also the one responsible for kidnapping Desmond prior to Assassin's Creed. 



Number Four: Rashid ad-Din Sinan AKA "Al Mualim"
First Appearance: Assassin's Creed 

Rashid was introduced in the first Assassin's Creed game as the Mentor of the Assassin's Order in the Holy Land, going only by the name of Al Mualim. He was a personal father-figure to the first series protagonist, Altair, which makes his betrayal so much worse. Al Mualim first tasked Altair with obtaining the Templar treasure from Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. This caused his fellow Templar, Robert de Sable, to launch an attack on his stronghold of Musayaf, which Altair helped stop, not knowing the true reason for the assault. Throughout the game, Al Mualim uses Altair to track down and kill all the other Templars so that he may use the Piece of Eden for himself to control the Holy Land. This betrayer to the Assassin's Order definitely deserves this spot on the top Templars.



Number Three: Lucy Stillman
First Appearance: Assassin's Creed

Lucy Stillman is definitely the most bipolar character in terms of allegiances throughout the series. She is first introduced to us as an Abstergo employee working alongside Warren Vidic in the Animus project, which she had a hand in designing. During the events of the first game, Lucy constantly shows signs of discomfort in the presence of the Templars, making Desmond get close to her. She finally reveals to Desmond that she is an Assassin and helps him break out of Abstergo. She then takes him to one of the Assassin safehouses where he meets Rebecca and Shaun and they begin scanning his memories to find the Vault and where Ezio Auditore left his Apple of Eden. What the other Assassins did not know, however, was that during this time, Lucy was still in close contact with Warren Vidic, sending him tapes of their sessions and keeping him in the loop. Eventually, the Assassins find the location of Piece of Eden and travel to Rome to get it. A mysterious figure known as Juno speaks to Desmond and tells him how "the cross darkens the horizon" and subsequently forces him to stab and kill Lucy. While the Assassins mourn the loss of their friend, they are still unaware at her plans to betray them and where her true allegiances lie. I guess you could call Lucy a quadruple agent...as she was an Assassin who pretended to be a Templar who pretended to be an Assassin who ended up really being a Templar...huh...



Number Two: Rodrigo Borgia
First Appearance: Assassin's Creed 2

Good old Rodrigo Borgia. The reason Rodrigo is my number two Templar is because he screwed over two groups of people to get what he wanted: the Auditore family and the Catholic Church. Rodrigo started out as the Spaniard who framed Giovanni Auditore and had his entire family, save for Ezio, executed for treason. In the meanwhile, Rodrigo also became a Cardinal and eventually got chosen as the Pope. Now why would a Templar want to become Pope? Rodrigo believed that God himself lived beneath the Vatican and that he could control him using the Papal Staff, giving the Templars full power. What amused me the most about Rodrigo was, even after he had given up his silly Templar dreams, he still continued to be Pope, despite not even believing the Catholic Religion. He basically conned the entire city of Rome for absolutely no reason, and let his incestual children run amuck and screw everyone over. It's alright though, he got what he had coming when his son eventually choked him to death with an apple.



Number One: Warren Vidic
First Appearance: Assassin's Creed

If you have read my previous article, "Top 5 Assassin's Creed Original Characters," then this should come as no surprise. This explanation will be short because Daniel and Lucy have already been previously mentioned. Basically, Vidic was responsible for everything Daniel and Lucy did to screw up the Assassin Order. In fact, he is also the one who convinced them both to become Templars in the first place. In addition, he spent the entirety of Brotherhood and Revelations training more Templars to eventually go and capture Desmond and assassinate his father. Vidic is a VERY busy man and it just seems that he is completely out to get the Assassins. Easily the most cunning, organized, and evil Templar in the series. 

Giuliano V.