War

Voiced by Liam O'Brien

Backstory

Before even the Archangels, the Creator's first warriors were the Nephilim. Although they fought against Evil with great ferocity, they were flawed, corruptible, and ultimately they were exiled from Heaven and replaced with the Angelic army.

The Nephilim expected to be given the Garden of Eden instead, that their species would be the one to inhabit the Third Kingdom and keep Balance between Good and Evil in the universe. Instead, a brand-new race, Humanity, which was created from dust, and mortal no less, was given the Third Kingdom and one of the most important destinies of all. The Nephilim were outraged and fought back against the side of Good... but the Archangels nearly wiped out the entire species. All but four individuals. Death, Strife, Fury, and War. These four survivors were taken in by the Charred Council, made agents of the Balance, the Four Horsemen, sworn to fight both Angel and Demon if that's what it took to keep the peace.

At some point during the countless centuries he served the Council, War grew angry with their control over his life and tried to leave, to take his own destiny in hand. In response, the Council sent the other three Horsemen after him. He held his own at first against Strife and Fury, but then Death stepped in, taking away War's signature weapon, the evil blade Chaoseater, and chopping off his left arm at the elbow to boot. After this, War had the hand replaced with a magical prosthetic. While much, much bigger than his right hand, the false one is enchanted with the ability to absorb and store life energy, allowing War to absorb Green and Yellow souls, which restore his Life and Wrath, respectively, as well as allowing him to store Blue souls, which he can trade to the demonic shopkeeper Vulgrim in the manner of currency. In addition, the Watcher prefers to become intangible, to hide inside War's arm in the form of pure energy.

Modern War

War, the Second Horseman, has charged into countless battles astride his spectral steed Ruin, leaving a trail of blood and bones in his wake. His eyes and hair are as white as the chill he casts on angels and demons alike, for the fury of his massive sword, Chaoseater, is unmatched in combat. As unyielding as time itself, War is both honourable and savage. Like all the Horsemen, War bears no allegiance to either Heaven or Hell, but is an agent of order and balance.

When summoned to the Final War, the Horseman's task was to purge the Earth and bring the Kingdoms of Heaven and Hell into a new era. But he was betrayed. Tricked into causing the Apocalypse prematurely, his actions wrote the end of the chapter of man, and eventually, Hell won the Final War.

For his actions, he was summoned before the Charred Council to be judged. He was bound and stripped of his powers, and sentenced to death. War was able to convince the Council to send him back to Earth to discover who was truly responsible. As a condition, a spirit known as the Watcher was bound to him to act as warden and guide. But more importantly, he had the power to kill War at any time. The Horseman now seeks redemption, and revenge, and will do whatever he needs to meet that end.
 

The Future

Darksiders II takes place concurrently with the first Darksiders, meaning that the events of the second game take place at the same time as War's journey for redemption in the original game. As such, the player character is not War, but his brother, Death, the First Horseman. While War seeks to clear his good name and prove the premature Apocalypse wasn't his fault, Death seeks to undo its most important effect: the extinction of Humanity. The Apocalypse was meant to come on a day when Humanity had grown powerful enough to fully take part in the End War; to join the side of their choosing, Good or Evil, and finally bring an end to the war between Darksiders and Lightsiders forever. However, because it occurred millenia too soon, Humanity was completely wiped out by the merciless Demons who walked the Earth, and now it seems the great stalemate could last for all eternity, leaving the universe locked in a senseless war with no hope of ever ending. Death seeks the resurrection of the Human species so that they can re-take their place in the Balance, and so that one day, they will be able to bring peace to the universe after all. At the same time he takes on his quest, he seeks to protect his brother War from afar so that he can complete his own journey.