Changes: Paul Moses (Red)

I am haunted by everything I have done. I have shot women in the back. I've blown men's brains out over their wives. I've made children watch their parents bleed out in the street. I did these things because it was explained to me that America would not remain safe otherwise. These are the hard choices. And make no mistake, I will go to my grave regretting the horror I have spread. But I am not a monster because I kill. Killing is easy. I am a monster because I accept the hard choices. I am a monster because I see that my actions in the service of my people will cause nothing but terror and pain. And I do them anyway. I am very good at terror and pain.

— Paul Moses ^src

History

Paul Moses was a former operative for the Central Intelligence Agency, and a trained killer. His career lasted over forty years, most of which was spent acting as an international assassin for the United States government, and he was considered the best in his field. The crimes he committed in the name of his country were too great to forget, and he eventually retired to a life of seclusion away from others.

Career

Moses started working for the CIA when he was nineteen years old. His official position was in foreign acquisitions which meant destabilizing foreign governments and foreign groups antithetical to the needs of the United States. He killed leaders, politicians, soldiers, and even women, although he would never touch children. He is responsible for a number of important political assassinations, including John F. Kennedy and Malcolm X. There was an incident during the Carter administration where he was asked to run a dummy operation to test White House security. The most secure installation in the country was put on full alert in the middle of the day, and it took Moses one hour to infiltrate the Oval Office, limiting himself to only incapacitating twelve security guards.

Retirement

After a forty-year career, he retired to a secluded villa with a sizable pension, under the agreement that he would never speak of his past to anyone. Having almost no family, Paul lived alone, happy and complacent in his own way. His greatest struggle was trying to live with himself after all of the people he murdered. During this period he only kept in contact with two people, his friendly retirement handler Sally, and his niece who wrote him a letter every week.

Red

Main article: Red Vol 1

Many years later, the agency elected a new director Michael Beesley, a politician with little actual experience. Immediately after seeing Moses' records in a briefing, he was horrified at the sheer number of atrocities the man had carried out under orders. Beesley decided that the monster had to be silenced before he could cause any more harm, if only to put an end to the witness of all of those crimes. His deputy director Adrian Kane sent out a strike team to murder Moses in his home at night. They underestimated him, and the old man easily and brutally dispatched the three younger operatives sent to kill him.

He easily recognized them as members of the agency by the tactics they used, and placed a phone call confirming himself as back on active status before going to kill the men who had betrayed him. Taking himself out of retirement, Paul Moses took himself off of green and became red again.^[1]

After eliminating all of the other men sent to kill him in his estate, he learns the identities of the men who placed the hit with another phone call. He informs Beesley and Kane that despite the fact he had been completely loyal to his government, they have disturbed his peace and he now has no choice but to kill both of them and anybody else in their employ who knows his name. Paul visits Sally in her apartment to use her computer's connection to the agency, and reveals his past to her. She is horrified to find out about his violent history, but he apologizes and thanks her for her kindness. Pulling his gun out, he almost kills her without thinking from sheer force of habit but remembers not to, and tears run down her face as he walks out the door.^[2]

Finally, Paul makes an assault on CIA headquarters itself at Langley. Making a direct attack, he drives onto the property shooting everyone that he sees, and sending his car filled with demolitions careening into the front of the building. There is a massive explosion, and in the middle of the fighting he calls up Beesley and asks him to come outside like a man instead of cowering in his office. Instead, the director threatens to have the man's niece butchered in her home if he doesn't drop his weapons. Then suddenly, Moses walks through the door behind them with his cellphone and a gun, having killed the rest of their defenses during the conversation. Placing a gun to Beesley, he explains that in his time men acted like men instead of like cowards. Although he might be a monster, this is because he did what he needed to do and made the hard decisions that nobody else could. Right before murdering him, he casually asks if the politician thinks his family will miss him, then splatters his brains across the carpet with a single bullet. Kane explains that after this incident, he's going to become the most wanted man alive, and that the only way out of the situation is to continue his status as a reactivated agent and start working for them again. But Paul doesn't want to go back to his old life, he wants to be left alone, and he shoots Kane fatally in the chest. Reinforcements have gathered outside, and he finds himself facing down a small army of heavily equipped trained soldiers, while carrying nothing but a handgun. Instead of surrendering, Moses steps out and points his last weapon at the men, loudly shouts that he is the monster, and tells them to do their best.^[3]

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

Paraphernalia

Weapons

SIG Sauer Handgun

Appearances in Other Media

Bruce Willis plays Moses in the Red film adaptation.

External Links

Template:Red Links

Footnotes

Wildstorm Character

This character exists under the Wildstorm Imprint, and their continuity takes place within the Wildstorm Titles. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Wildstorm Characters."

[1] Red #1

[2] Red #2

[3] Red #3

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 | OtherMedia              =
-* [[Actors:Bruce Willis|Bruce Willis]] plays Moses in the '''[[Red (Movie)|Red]]''' film adaptation.
+* [[Bruce Willis|Bruce Willis]] plays Moses in the '''[[Red (Movie)|Red]]''' film adaptation.
 | Notes                   =