Cain the Messiah

Cain the Messiah, dressed in his usual clothing.

Overview

Affiliations: Torchwood

Status: Alive

Appearance

Cain’s clothing is the religious habit of Torchwood; most often militaristic black clothing that is ritualistically maintained. His beret was taken from Damien White’s corpse after the Day of Martyrs, denoting his role as the acting messiah.

Origins

Seth Meyer was 12 years old when the apocalypse started. After losing his parents, an older man named Cain became his mentor. As time went on, he became extremely cold, manipulative and apathetic as a survival mechanism, compensating for his lack of physical strength. While out hunting, Seth returned home to discover his mentor Cain had been slain by bandits. Honoring his name by adopting it as his own, Seth (now Cain) dedicated his life to getting justice for his mentor.

Eventually saved from starving in an alley by Torchwood, he reluctantly took the role of Messiah to repay his debt. Both impressionable and fueled by the death of his mentor and father figure, Cain adopted the teachings of Damien and Torchwood as his own, completely radicalizing the existing members and promoting the use of violence and extremism to accomplish their goals.

Three Torchwood members in their traditional uniform.

Demeanor

Calculating and dangerous, Cain spent his formative years mastering the art of manipulation, a skill of which was only sharpened upon gaining a cult following. His non-imposing stature and calm tone is often a red herring, serving to distract from his cunning and unpredictable nature.

Despite his intelligence and notoriety, those who manage to know him personally often describe him as ‘child-like’, noting his fascination with sugary foods and playing games designed for children. While unspoken, it is understood amongst veteran Torchwood members that Cain was emotionally stunted at a young age, making conversational nuance such as subtext or sarcasm particularly difficult.

Actions

- Joined Torchwood and became The Messiah.

- Created the Firemace.

- Formalized The Light as an official religion & expanded upon its doctrine.

- Success in McCoy Civil War.

Notable Relationships

The Arsonist - Many of Cain’s mentors in Torchwood believed him to be a false prophet. Despite being the closest to Cain’s predecessor, The Arsonist defended him at every point, risking his own life to ensure Cain reached his potential. Along with them both being the oldest members of Torchwood still alive, their relationship is complex and very close.

The Vanguard - The first person that Cain ever recruited to Torchwood, The Vanguard is believed to be the reincarnation of The First Vanguard. Throughout several war campaigns, both civil and foreign, The Vanguard has continued to honor his legacy and been a close friend to Cain, primarily serving as an emotional backbone. Whereas The Arsonist may be officially second in command, The Vanguard has more than earned his role as Cain’s left hand.

Cleetus McCoy - One of Cain’s original mentors and left hand of his predecessor, Cleetus McCoy led up to a dozen Torchwood members in a staged coup designed to assassinate and displace Cain as the next Messiah, instilling Cleetus as his replacement. Only saved by the loyalty of The Arsonist & Vanguard, they along with other members fought back and won the civil war. Despite seeing victory, the scars it left on Cain's psyche continue to fuel his paranoia and erratic nature.

Harry Churches - Cain’s fascination with Harry Churches derives from his own projection. He sees Harry as a reflection of himself, but believes Harry to be ‘behind the curve’. Originally allies due to their shared moral philosophies, their friendship was cut short when Cain brought the child known as Zirka to the Firefly compound in an attempt to rehome her. While this was seen by the Fireflies as slavery and inevitably led to conflict between them, the problems between the groups, and by extension their leaders, had more to do with how they wanted to achieve their goals, as opposed to having different goals entirely. Still, the turbulent relationship between them both has seen ups and downs, with both setting their differences aside to achieve a mutual goal on many occasions.

Reverend Alessandro - While they met later in Cain’s life, the Christian Reverend Alessandro was extremely influential on Cain’s perspective regarding other faiths. When they met, Cain was shocked at how tolerant Alessandro seemed to be, even when he was violent. Piquing his curiosity, he would regularly be welcomed into Alessandro’s home, where the pair would spend hours theorizing and discussing the finer details of their respective faiths. Many believe Alessandro to be solely responsible for Torchwood’s, at the time, unexpected policy of religious tolerance.

Where are they now?

Cain is alive and well, with his location changing dynamically due to his nomadic and fickle lifestyle. When he isn’t actively hunting or pursuing leads on cannibals or banditry, he can either be found studying religious texts or preaching to his followers.