Craig Marduk

Overview

Craig Marduk was introduced in Tekken 4, and he has returned for all subsequent releases.

Story

Tekken 4

Craig Marduk was an undefeated Vale Tudo fighter for four years, but when he was involved in a minor scandal, his sponsors were glad to release him. He was imprisoned in Arizona for accidentally killing someone during a bar fight. Marduk was suddenly released thanks to an anonymous benefactor. Upon his release he received a mysterious package containing a newspaper clipping regarding The King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 and an airline ticket.

The man that Marduk killed in the bar brawl was Armor King, and Armor King's protege, King, was the one who paid for Marduk's release, wanting him to enter the tournament in order to find him and exact revenge for killing his mentor.

In Marduk's Tekken 4 ending, his victory at the tournament catapulted him back into fame. The new Vale Tudo champion challenged him to a fight, and without even accepting, Marduk headbutted him, instantly knocking him out.

Tekken 5

King and Marduk met in the previous tournament, and Marduk was beaten by King. Enraged over his loss, Marduk began training harder than he ever had before, and managed to turn his body into the ultimate weapon. Upon the announcement of The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, Marduk entered, knowing King would be there, he hoped to even the score.

Marduk's Tekken 5 ending cinematic opens with two boxers getting ready to fight each other in a boxing match. After the boxers begin to fight, Marduk comes into the ring and interrupts the match, decimating both boxers. Marduk goes on to taunt the audience in front of the camera and even began tearing up the ropes. In the audience, Steve Fox watches with a look of disgust on his face and gets out of his ring side seat, looking to confront Marduk. King's own Tekken 5 ending depicts Craig joining the world of professional wrestling as King's tag-team partner.

Tekken 6

During The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, Marduk and King fought once again, but this time the two battled to a draw, and in defeat, they found friendship. While returning to the waiting room, Craig was ambushed. Craig, who caught a glimpse of the attacker as he fled, swore that it looked exactly like the man he was believed to have killed in a bar fight, Armor King. Determined to learn the assailant's true identity, Craig set out with his new friend, King, to participate in The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6.

In Marduk's ending, he is at the graveyard of Armor King. Marduk confirms the corpse of the man he murdered and turns to demand who the man behind him is. The camera pans around to reveal his attacker, wearing the same attire as Armor King. This scene is continued in King's ending, in which Marduk is joined by King to confront this black-jaguar masked wrestler. The attacker reveals that he is intent on avenging his brother, both of them holders of the title Armor King.

Other Appearences

Craig appears as King's tag-team partner in the 2 on 2 crossover game, Street Fighter X Tekken. In trailers they are matched up against fellow wrestlers and Street Fighter representatives, Hugo and Poison (originally of Final Fight).

Trivia

• Marduk killed the first Armor King during a brawl.
• It is believed that Craig Marduk may have been modeled after Australian wrestler Nathan Jones. Both would be about the same size, Australian, served prison time, and are often portrayed as crude muscle-heads. In the 2010 live action film Tekken, Marduk was played by Jones.
• His injured left ear is believed to be a reference to the Tyson-Holyfield fight where Tyson bit Holyfield's ear.