Colonel Mael Radec was the commander of the Helghast First Army and one of the most capable and feared individuals in the Helghan Empire, serving as Scolar Visari's personal bodyguard. He is the secondary antagonist of Killzone 2. 

Biography

Following the death of General Armin Metrac and the retreat from Vekta, the Helghast military forces fell under the command of Mael Radec fell.^[1] Radec lead his forces in the defense of Pyrrhus during the ISA's invasion of Helghan during Operation Archangel. When ISA forces captured Visari Square and Radec Academy, Radec activated a network of electrical Arc Towers hidden beneath Pyrrhus which decimated the ISA's oncoming military convoy and preventing their advance.^[2]

Radec later captured ISA researcher Evelyn Batton, Dante Garza, and Shawn Natko in the wastelands. He interrogated Batton for the launch codes for the Red Dust nuclear weapons that were stolen by the Helghast from the ISA during the Helghast's failed invasion of Vekta. When Batton refused to divulge, Radec prepared to execute his prisoners but to be thwarted by the intervention of ISA soldiers Tomas Sevchenko and Rico Velasquez. Radec was forced to retreat, but not before one of his soldiers fatally wounded Garza with a gunshot.^[3]

Radec later mounted a surprise attack on the New Sun and its fleet in which he successfully boarded the ISA flagship and reaching the bridge where he confronted Jan Templar and Batton. Radec admitted some respect for Templar, commenting on how they could have met on the battlefield as soldiers before demanding for the Red Dust launch codes. Templar lied to Radec and stating that his access clearance had been revoked. But Radec saw through his deception and killed Batton, who was deleting the code data, and mortally wounding Templar. Radec had his men download the launch codes before departing the ship.^[4]

With the codes now in his hands, Radec regrouped with Admiral Orlock, Jorhan Stahl and Autarch Visari. Radec and Stahl oversaw the delivery of the Red Dust warhead. He executed a Helghast soldier who loaded the nuke so that there would be no witnesses of the fact that an ISA nuke was being launched by the Helghast, blaming the ISA for the incident.^[5] The resulting detonation of Red Dust devastated Pyrrhus, along with the ISA and remaining Helghast forces in the city; in which Radec had previously ordered the Helghast Army's senior officers to move their forces out of the blast zone within ten kilometers from the Corinth River while sacrificing any Helghast troops who are unable to reach to safety.^[6][7]

After the thermonuclear destruction of Pyrrhus, Radec sent an army led by his own personal guard to crush the remaining ISA forces. The ISA launched a desperate attack on the Palace to capture Visari. Radec lead the defense of the Palace against them. Once the ISA survivors pushed through the defenses, Radec and Visari's honor guard fought against Sevchenko and Velasquez. Ultimately, the honor guard were left vanquished and Radec was mortally wounded by Sevchenko. A loyal soldier of Autarch Visari and the Helghan Nation to the end, Radec committed suicide by shooting himself in the head, a code of honor, giving no one else the honor or pleasure of killing him or taking him prisoner.^[8]

Characteristics

Radec was one of the most feared and finest (if not the finest) soldier in the Helghast army. His elite squad is always at his side and tend to enter rooms before he strolls in if he is breaching. Even higher ISA officers like Captain Jason Narville respect him, his abilities, and his squad, knowing that there is a high chance of defeat if he is in the area.

A brilliant soldier noted for leading from the front, he shares his ruler's political delusion, but not his passion for conquest and genocide. Visari still trusts him with his life despite these 'shortcomings'.

True to his nickname, Radec is the human personification of the hound. He is highly evolved for his specific function and utterly focused on his duties. It is almost as if he has willingly burned out any personality, education, or characteristics that do not contribute to the swift and resolute execution of his duties. It is this quality that makes him a vicious opponent in any confrontation.

Radec is a gifted tactician, but merely a competent strategist. His genius is not in the planning, but in the fighting of battles. He combines situational awareness with a near-perfect assessment of the capabilities of both his own men and the opposing force.

He is supremely skilled in the meshing of the various arms of combat, being capable of meshing Armour, Infantry, Air, and Artillery forces into a single tactical operation with precision and flair. In personal combat he is ruthless, vicious, and overwhelming. He is the epitome of the Helghast.

He is very intelligent, somewhat villainous, and menacingly calm. He speaks in a sly, sharp tone. He is quick to anger, however, and will make sure that he gets what he wants.

He does have some sense of battlefield honor, preferring to fight in combat, and wishing that he could have defeated Templar like a soldier. When talking to Templar, he spoke in a lax, polite and refined manner before Templar lied about the codes. He is also extremely ruthless with his men. He was known to have executed two men for uniform violations.

In addition to his tactical genius, Colonel Radec is also an exceptionally skilled personal combatant, being highly agile as well as greatly skilled with both small arms and his combat knife. He also possesses immense physical strength, as shown in his brief hand-to-hand fight with Colonel Templar, one of the ISA's best soldiers.

Description

Radec is quite tall and wears a very decorative, high-ranking uniform; it appears to be modeled after heavy-duty Spartan armor. He requires the same breathing apparatus as the other soldiers he commands, making him one of the only known senior officers of non-elite status (the other being Tendon Cobar, also a Colonel). He wears a unique Colonel's helmet, and his face is never seen apart from a part of his mask which is moved back automatically and his eyes are shown when he is talking to Templar.

His grizzled voice is partially distorted by his re-breather. Like most Helghast, he has pale skin and ruby-red eyes. He is also most likely bald.

His suit enables him to cloak himself, giving the impression of invisibility, and also teleport from one spot to the next. It's interesting to note that Radec, despite not being the highest ranked soldier in the Helghan military, seems to possess the most advanced combat technology. This is most likely because he is personally entrusted with guarding Scolar Visari.

He always carries with him a handgun and combat knife. When fighting Sev and Rico, he uses a StA-3 LMG along with his knife and grenades. He is also depicted holding an Arc Rifle, though he is never seen using this.

Conversations

Quotes

• "Why didn't second platoon...? I'll deal with these two myself. Didn't I kill "ALL" of you yet!? Cut them off." (Radec to personal guards)
• "The essence of combat: kill or be killed!" (Radec during the final confrontation)
• "Think of me as your surgeon!" (Also during the final confrontation)
• "You seem to want this to be personal. It will be my pleasure." (Radec to Sev and Rico)
• "You are merely a speed bump in the road to destiny." (Radec in the final confrontation)
• "Don't let them use cover. Smoke them out!" (Radec in the final confrontation; to his own troops)
• "Advance! Get nose to nose with them!" (Radec in the final confrontation; to his own troops)
• "Flank them! Flank them, you idiots!" (Radec in the final confrontation; to his own troops)
• "Push forward! Show them aggression!" (Radec in the final confrontation; to his own troops)
• "Assassination! Find the target, and eliminate him!" (multiplayer mission)
• "Bodycount. Slaughter the ISA scum. Leave no-one alive!" (multiplayer mission)
• "Search and retrieve! Find the target, and bring it to the designated area." (multiplayer mission)
• "The mission is won! You have fought with great valor, and crushed our enemies!" (multiplayer victory)
• "We have failed. The target still lives! The ISA will pay for this indignity!" (multiplayer loss)
• "One minute remains. Failure is unacceptable!" (multiplayer countdown)
• "Ten seconds remain. Fight to the end! Victory...or death!" (multiplayer countdown)
• "Victory is ours! The ground is littered with their dead!" (multplayer bodycount)
• "Defeat is Unacceptable! Envy the dead who escape this shame of failure." (speech)

Gallery

Concept Art

Radec unmasked

Concepts of Radec's shoulder armour.

Screenshots

Radec about to commit suicide.

Radec and Jorhan Stahl in Killzone 3.

Trivia

• Radec is voiced by Sean Pertwee, who voiced Gregor Hakha in Killzone. Sean Pertwee is the only voice actor in the series to play Helghast characters in support of and against Visari. Sean is the son of Jon Pertwee, who played the Third Doctor from the classic Doctor Who series.
• Radec's ability to perfectly analyze a terrain's combat ability is known as Coup d'œil and Fingerspitzengefühl.
• Radec's name is possibly derive from the Czech name "Radek". The name is also similar in appearance to the Cyrillic "Гадес", which translates from Russian to "Hades", the Greek god of the underworld.
• The symbol on his helmet and body padding bares a striking resemblance to the Schutzstaffel, the elite soldiers of the Third Reich. This symbol can also be seen on the leadership of all Helghast.
• Radec has a brief and non-speaking appearance in the Killzone 3 intro, showing him and Chairman Stahl sending the Red Dust nuke to Pyrrhus (and with Radec then executing a soldier). It is possible the two high-ranking officers were friends or acquaintances judging from the scene. This could also explain why Radec has access to such advanced equipment.
• Radec's left shoulder pad is an eagle clutching a wreath. This symbol bears a striking resemblance to the breast eagle worn by the Wehrmacht.
• Radec's uniform looks very similar to General Metrac's uniform from Killzone: Liberation.
• Every Helghast Colonel in the series before Radec served as the right-hand man for a Helghast General; Colonel Cobar was the right hand of General Metrac and Colonel Hakha was the right hand of General Lente (before defecting to the ISA). Radec is the only Colonel shown in the entire series who does not serve as the right-hand man for a General. This is because he only serves directly under Visari and Orlock.
• In the Killzone 2 menu, if you go on campaign, then click on mission select, and then select Salamun Bridge, the description for Radec Academy refers to Radec as "General Radec," despite the fact that he's actually a Colonel.
• His voice is used as an announcer for the Helghast faction in skirmish and multiplayer in Killzone 2.
• In PlayStation Home, there is a costume which users can buy in the Mall which will make users look like Colonel Radec.

  

• Radec is a playable character in the crossover fighting game PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. He wields various Helghast weaponry including his personal cloaking device, and is most suited to 'zoning' (keeping enemies at a distance while using superior ranged attacks to dispatch opponents). His rival is Sir Daniel Fortesque from MediEvil.
  • Most of Colonel Radec's quotes in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale are taken from Killzone 2, such as Radec's quote to Evelyn Batton, "I'm not a very patient man..." when respawning. His response to Visari's orders, "As you wish" is also said when he is selected at the character selection screen.
  • If Radec kills an opponent in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, he sometimes utters the phrase "Body Count", which is a gameplay sub-mode in the multiplayer of Killzone 2 and 3. Radec's tone of voice also matches the way he says "Body Count" when he is the announcer for players fighting for the Helghast faction in Killzone 2 multiplayer.
• He is mentioned in a few intel documents in Killzone: Mercenary.
• In Killzone Shadow Fall, the multiplayer section allows the player to customize their Helghast character with Radec's personalized voice through the Operation Archangel voice pack DLC, in which Pertwee returned to provide Radec's lines.
• In Shadow Fall, he is available as a player icon. In order to unlock it, players need 50 kills with a Sta-18 Reigner, which is a reference to Radec's suicide with a similar pistol.
• He is the only antagonist to not die by the hands of the protagonist; instead, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

References