Thug Leader

"I'm going to kick your ass into the next galaxy!"

- Thug Leader to Ratchet and Clank

The Thug Leader, also known as the Thugs-4-Less Leader and nicknamed Lizard-Boy by Angela Cross, was the leader of the Thugs-4-Less, a major mercenary company based in the Bogon Galaxy that offered its services as hired guns. Both aggressive and dimwitted, the Thug Leader would faithfully serve his paying client—unless someone offered higher pay, in which case he had no qualms about betraying his clients.

Early life
"My ex-wife once told me I had a bad temper, and now I'm really mad!"

- Thug Leader The Thug Leader was born on planet Snivelak, a volcanic world in the Bogon Galaxy and the homeworld of his species.

The Thug Leader was once married; however, he and his wife divorced because she apparently could not stand the Thug Leader's bad temper. The Thug Leader at one point in his life founded Thugs-4-Less, which became a major criminal organization in the Bogon Galaxy, and beyond.

Bring the Cash, We Bring the Trash
"You bring the cash, we'll bring the thrash."

- Thug Leader

One day, the Thug Leader was contacted by a masked thief, who was in the market for some security. The Thug Leader agreed to have his men serve the Thief, in return of lots of bolts. With a partnership forged, the Thief requested a team of Thugs-4-Less agents be sent to the MegaCorp Outlet on planet Oozla to act as support while the Thief looked inside the MegaCorp Outlet for some maps of the local Quadrant.

Encounter on Endako
"Peek-a-boo!"

- Thug Leader, to Ratchet

As part of the deal, the Thug Leader attempted to have his goons "bump" off MegaCorp Commando Ratchet, who was attempting to track down the Thief. Much to his annoyance, Thugs-4-Less failed to kill him in the Wupash Nebula and at Maktar Resort in the Maktar Nebula; in addition, they lost their Jamming Array which they had used to lure Ratchet into said deathtraps. The Thug Leader decided he needed to take care of matters himself, and he flew to planet Endako, where he would ambush Ratchet in Megapolis, whom was busy looking for Clank.

Ratchet later arrived in Megapolis, where he trekked throughout the city, attempting to obtain some of his gear that resided at Clank's Apartment. The Thug Leader popped out of nowhere in his helicopter, saying "Peek a boo!" before fleeing, only to pop up again and vanish. Just before Ratchet was about to reach Clank's Apartment, the Thug Leader blocked his escape on a balcony. He greeted the "moron," and informed Ratchet that he planned to kill him personally after his own men had failed to. He then opened fire on Ratchet with a barrage of weapons. Ratchet; however, was a much harder opponent than he had previously believed, commenting he would have to raise his price on the Thief. A short while later, the rotors for the Thug Leader's chopper began to fail, and the Thug Leader plummeted down into the depths of city, screaming for back up while he fell 800 ft before he hit the pavement. Help would arrive, but by then, Ratchet along with Clank had fled the planet.

Company Picnic
"…and don't forget to bring your own juice boxes this time . . . Hey, I saw that Cletus! You just earned yourself a write up!"

- Thug Leader responding to Cletus' annoying game.

Returning to his ship, the Thug Leader began to prepare for an important event that was about to occur this … the Company Picnic.

He addressed Thugs-4-Less agents all over the Bogon Galaxy in his bridge, having all the lights off to promote good Feng shui. He first complained that someone was eating up all the Choochi Bars, and warned that someone should stop stuffing their face or planned to punish them. The Thug Leader didn't get to reveal the punishment however, as Cletus turned on the overhead lights, stunning the Thug Leader. The Thug Leader told Cletus to turn of the lights, as he claimed having them on was bad Feng shui. Deciding to get to the main point for his address, the Thug Leader informed Thugs-4-Less agents that the Company Picnic was set to occur this Sunday. The Thug Leader told his agents to pay attention, as he told them the location of their meeting place, which would be the Feltzin Space System in Sector 12345. He suggested that Thugs-4-Less agents whom were awful at math should find a buddy to help them remember the name of the sector via counting its name. He also reminded agents to bring their own Juice Boxes. It was around this time Cletus turned the lights on again, causing the Thug Leader to get furious, informing Cletus he was writing him up for his trouble making.

The Client is Mad
"I'm paying top dollar for your protection, and your moron employees are off at some… picnic!"

- Thief

"Hey that was a Bonding Exercise…"

- Thug Leader

"Enough!"

- Thief

While the Company Picnic was being trashed by Ratchet and Clank, the Thug Leader was dealing with numerous calls being sent to him aboard his ship. The Operator he was talking to informed him that a Mr. U.R. Gonnadie had called for a fifth time, and asked whether he would accept the charges for a collect call. Mistaking U.R. Gonnadie name as death threat, the Thug Leader said "you are gonna die." to the Operator. The Operator took his comment as an approval for the collect call, and the image shifted as he answered the call. Much to Thug Leaders shock, Mr. U.R. Gonnadie was in fact the Thief, whom was furious at the Thug Leader. The Thief complained about all the cash that had been spent for Thugs-4-Less security, yet instead of protecting the Thief, they were all at some picnic. The Thug Leader insisted the picnic was used as a bonding exercise between members of Thugs-4-Less, but this only angered the Thief more. The Thief warned the Thug Leader that if is men didn't arrive in Canal City pronto, the Thug Leader could kiss his contract goodbye. Furious at the Thief insults, the Thug Leader attempted to send an insult back toward the Thief, but the Thief had already hung up, causing the Thug Leader to sulk in anger.

The Thug Leader later dispatched his forces to Canal City, planet Notak in time to protect the Thief, who was collecting several various chemicals for a rocket that was under construction at a secret base on planet Siberius.

Dual in Lunar City
"I'll get you Ratchet, if its the last thing I do!"

- Thug Leader

The Thug Leader continued plan his of "bumping" of Ratchet and Clank, unaware that the Angela Cross (the Thief) was no longer interested in having the duo taken out, realizing they were unaware of diabolical plot that was about to occur. The Thug Leader decided to ambush them in Lunar City on the Testing Facility Moon as part of the MegaCorp Games. Waiting inside a mech, he waited for Ratchet and Clank to enter in the MegaCorp Games.

As suspected, the duo did arrive in Lunar City. the Thug Leader did not; however, suspect Clank was able to transform into a massive robot. Giant Clank and the Thug Leader and dozens of Thugs-4-Less Helicopters attacked battled within Lunar City, obliterating the city during their firefight. Victory would not be his however, and the Thug Leader screamed he would kill Ratchet if it was the last thing he did. With that, his mech exploded and Thug Leader fell to the ground.

The Thug Leader would later return to his flagship.

New Employer
"You want us to what? Wo… wait a minute! That be an unethical conflict of interest."

- Thug Leader

While aboard his starship, the Thug Leader received a phone call from MegaCorp. Much to his surprise, MegaCorp wanted Thugs-4-Less to undue their obligations to the Thief and instead serve MegaCorp in protecting their CEO, Abercrombie Fizzwidgit. The Thug Leader insisted that be unethical conflict of interest. The MegaCorp representative insisted that Thugs-4-Less betray the client, causing the Thug Leader to exclaim why MegaCorp viewed them as the sort of scum who would betray their own client. The Thug Leader soon had a change of heart however, as MegaCorp offered boatloads of bolt in return for his service. The Thug Leader quickly decided that betraying the Thief was a more economical advantage to his business, and he informed MegaCorp they would undue previous obligations and thanked them for choosing Thugs-4-Less.

Following his conversation with MegaCorp, the Thug Leader informed Thugs-4-Less agents across the Bogon Galaxy that they now had a new employer.

No longer working for the Thief, Thugs-4-Less later seized the Flying Lab, transforming it into the Thugs-4-Less Prison.

Protect Fizzwidget, Kill Ratchet and Clank (Free Pizza Party Included)
"Now Fizzwidget is a kinda of old fashioned, so I what everything handled with a… (Thug Leader spits into the ground) Pride and courtesy, people have come to expect from us."

- Thug Leader

Later on, the Thug Leader addressed Thugs-4-Less agents across the Bogon Galaxy. He informed his employees they now worked for MegaCorp, who needed their services in protecting Abercrombie Fizzwidget. MegaCorp insisted Fizzwidget was getting old and kooky, and they feared he would get himself hurt (this was all lies, as MegaCorp under, Qwark disguised as Fizzwidget, merely wanted to lure Ratchet and Clank to their deaths, though the Thug Leader was unaware of this truth). The Thug Leader insisted Thugs-4-Less agents handle Fizzwidget with pride and courtesy, as Fizzwidget was kinda of old fashioned and Thugs-4-Less had a "reputation" to uphold. Their first mission was to protect Fizzwidget in Silver City on planet Boldan while he gave out free Protopet samples to citizens (in reality, they were protecting an Abercrombie Fizzwidget Bot). The Thug Leader also informed his men to be on the lookout for Ratchet and Clank, has he personally wanted them rubbed out. His incentive was to throw a free Pizza Party to the Thugs-4-Less squad that bagged them, adding this party would include both drinks and deserts. He then ended the transmission aboard his ship and headed toward Boldan.

Thug Leader Saves "Fizzwidget"
"Freeze knuckleheads!"

- Thug Leader

"Oh no!"

- Clank

"The two of you are under arrest, for attempting to bump off Mr. Fizzwidget."

- Thug Leader

"But this isn't…"

- Ratchet

"Save it fuzzy, you're not fooling anyone!"

- Thug Leader

While on the hunt for Ratchet and Clank in Silver City with two Thugs-4-Less Elite Henchman, he managed to arrive in time to stop Ratchet from bashing "Abercrombie Fizzwidget" (Abercrombie Fizzwidget Bot). He informed the duo they were under arrest for attempting to …"bump off…" "Mr. Fizzwidget." In disbelief, Ratchet attempted to inform the Thug Leader it was merely a robot, but the Thug Leader cut him off, claiming Ratchet wasn't fooling anyone. He informed the two heroes they were going to be sent to their new prison, pulling out a Telescreen showing an infomercial for the Thugs-4-Less Prison.

After they had shown the video, the Thug Leader along with his henchmen chuckled at Ratchet and Clank. Ratchet claimed it didn't sound too bad, while Clank asked if they had provisions for vegetarians. The Thug Leader responded that the Thugs-4-Less had vegetarian meals, vegan meals and fruitarian meals. The Thug Leader soon realized they were stalling for time, and ordered his men arrest them and impound their ship too.

Trip to Smolg
"A secret shipment that large can mean only one thing, MegaCorp is up to no good. I will confront them as soon as possible and demand… a bigger cut of the action."

- Thug Leader

With the heroic duo locked away in prison, he had his Flagship stop by the Distribution Center on planet Smolg.

''The reasons for why the Thug Leader was visiting the Distribution Center on planet Smolg in the first place remains unclear. Most likely, he was collecting his organization's pay for successfully taking care of Ratchet and Clank as part of his contract with MegaCorp.''

His trip to the facility had made him suspicious of MegaCorp's recent actions. He began to doubt MegaCorp's claim that the facility crates were holding Extra Large Decorative Paperweights, believing instead they were filled with Protopets given the large number of Two-Headed Smolgian Snappers and Grulchs guarding the crates. He believed MegaCorp's Warehouse Ship held over as many as 10 million crates, each containing 100 Protopets. The Thug Leader incorrectly calculated the ship held over 3.5 zillion Protopets (in reality it held 1 billion). He correctly guessed that such a large and secretive shipment of Protopets had a nefarious meaning to it. Determined to get to the bottom of this, he planned to confront MegaCorp as soon as possible and demand… a bigger cut of the action. All of this was recorded for his Log E.

That's Not a Cat!
"Uh… Uh Choo!"

- Angela Cross

"Hey! Who's there‽"

- Thug Leader

"Meow!"

- Angela Cross

"Aww… Wait a minute‽ What are you doing here‽ Ah ha ha! Sending a message to to your little pals, huh? Well say goodbye, boys! Take her to Headquarters!"

- Thug Leader The Thug Leader's Flagship soon joined the Thugs-4-Less Fleet in the skies of Gorn. The Thug Leader was unaware he had a stowaway aboard the ship since his trip to Smolg, who happened to be none other then Angela Cross. While she contacted Ratchet and Clank at the Thugs-4-Less Prison, the Thug Leader happened to stroll by that very same hallway that Angela Cross was in. He then heard someone sneeze, causing him to turn toward Angela Cross's hiding spot. Angela Cross quickly meowed like a cat, causing the Thug Leader to gush, as he believed Angela Cross was a cat. He; however, soon realized he wasn't staring at a Cat, but rather Angela Cross the Lombax. He promptly grabbed her to prevent her from getting away, and he demand why she was aboard his ship. His gaze turned toward the camera screen, showing an image of Ratchet and Clank. Grinning with pleasure, he remarked that Angela Cross was chatting with her "little pals", taunting Ratchet and Clank to say goodbye to her because he planned to make sure they never saw her again. He then ordered a nearby Thug to send her to the Thugs-4-Less Headquarters on planet Snivelak, where she wouldn't posse a threat to their business operations.

His Flagship promptly left the Thugs-4-Less Fleet on planet Gorn, taking his capture by the Thugs-4-Less Headquarters back on his homeworld of Snivelak.

Rage Rant
"Ratchet and Clank, isn't? Look, if you two don't hightail back to you own galaxy, I'm going to blast you into so many pieces you'll need a… um… um… well theres gonna be a lot them, I can tell you that!"

- Thug Leader

No sooner had he left Gorn's Quadrant, he learned that the majority of the Thugs-4-Less Fleet had been destroyed Ratchet and Clank. Furious at the losses induced by the heroic duo, he immediately sent a transmission to the duo's Star Explorer. He ranted to Ratchet and Clank that he couldn't understand why they had to be in his, claiming they were messing everything up. He then proceeded to threaten Ratchet and Clank, warning them they should return to the Solana Galaxy or he'd vaporize them into so many pieces. He attempted to describe how many pieces he would create by blasting the duo, but he was unable to think up a good answer before simply saying there would be a lot of them. The Thug Leader then insisted they return to the Solana Galaxy because he had "wind", before quickly correctly himself and insisting he was like the wind, claiming you never know where he would strike next. He also added that he blew hard and could make it cooler on a warm summer day. He then proceeded to say something else comparing him to the wind, but he simply gave up after he couldn't think up an answer and he send goodbye to the two "morons." He then ended his transmission.

During the transmission, Ratchet and Clank noted the camera shifting toward a monitor on Thug Leader's bridge, with coordinate numbers 53.147-48.035-62.660 dashed upon the screen. Realizing the Thug Leader was heading to that location, the duo mocked at the Thug Leader's stupidity at inadvertently giving away his position. They then proceeded to hightail to the location the Thug Leader was at.

In reality, the Thug Leader wasn't acting stupid, he had put the coordinates toward his base on planet Snivelak in full view of duo, knowing they would likely hunt him down for kidnapping Angela Cross. When they would arrive however, they would walk right into a deathtrap.

​Showdown on Snivelak
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

- Thug Leader

"What's so funny?"

- Ratchet

"Uh nothing, I guess. Prepare to die!"

- Thug Leader

The Thug Leader eventually reached the Thugs-4-Less Headquarters on planet Snivelak, and he prepared for Ratchet and Clanks arrival. He then got out a massive Giganto-Mech, which he planned to use against Ratchet and Clank when they reached the inner sections of his base. He also locked Angela Cross inside the mechs chest, unaware she had stole the Telescreen with Log Entry 4792 stored inside it.

Eventually a Star Explorer carrying Ratchet and Clank arrived on Snivelak, storming into the Thugs-4-Less Headquarters with guns blazing, laying waste to Thugs-4-Less toughest. Eventually the Thug Leader spotted them aboard his Giganto-Mech, causing him to break out into laughter. Ratchet looked up toward the Thug Leader and asked him why he was laughing. Unsure of why he was laughing in the first place, the Thug Leader said he was laughing at nothing. He then exclaimed the duo were about to die. With that, the Thug Leader tore up the Thugs-4-Less Headquarters as he attempted to obliterate the heroic duo, who were unable to flee as the Bridge for the Thugs-4-Less Headquarters had been drawn up to prevent their escape. While it was tough and long battle because of the Giganto-Mech's numerous weapon systems, Ratchet and Clank managed to defeat the Thug Leader in his mech with Thug-4-Less Turrets located around the base. Ironically defeated with his own base defenses, his mech blew up after a prolonged beating, resulting in the legs being blown of and having the upper torso smash into the Thugs-4-Less HQ.

With the Thug Leader defeated, Ratchet and Clank freed Angela Cross from her cage inside the Giganto-Mech, the trio left to stop the Protopets from being shipped across the Bogon Galaxy, leaving the Thug Leader behind.

Life in Prison
"Hi yah knucklehead, you remember me?"

- Thug Leader

"Oh, uh…sure."

- Ratchet

Following his defeat, the Thug Leader was later arrested for his actions during the Protopet incident. He was later sent to Prison Planet in the Solana Galaxy, where he would serve his sentence. No longer the CEO of his own company, the Thug Leader; however, formed a prison gang consisting of Thugs-4-Less convicts, Tyhrranoids, Reapers etc. from various criminals that had been locked away because of Ratchet's actions.

When Ratchet was framed for theft of the Eye of Infinity, he too was sent to Prison Planet to serve his sentence. The Thug Leader saw a chance to teach the Lombax a lesson, and the corrupt Prison Warden was more than happy to grant him his wish. Bring him to Ratchet, the Prison Warden introduced Ratchet to his old "friend." The Thug Leader greeted Ratchet with suppressed rage, asking if Ratchet he remembered who was. A very shocked Ratchet responded he remembered who the Thug Leader was. The Thug Leader recalled that Ratchet had shot his helicopter back in Megapolis, causing him to smash into the pavement 800 ft below, (obviously suffering from memory loss, the Thug Leader had forgotten the last time he met Ratchet was on planet Snivelak, not Endako). He asked Ratchet if he knew how much a fall like that would hurt, before drawing a blaster, exclaiming Ratchet was about to happen.

What exactly happens to the Thug Leader after he sent his goons loose Ratchet is unknown, though its known Ratchet took care of the Thug Leader's goons.

Trivia

 * According to his ex-wife, the Thug Leader had a nasty temper.
 * The Thug Leader was terrible with numbers, as he stated in his logbook entry that the Distribution Facility on planet Smolg contained 10 million crates, each with 100 Protopets inside, claiming the facility held 3.5 zillion Protopets. However, the facility actually held only 1 billion Protopets.

Behind the scenes
Steven Jay Blum voiced the Thug Leader, he also voiced the Loki Master/Mr. Dinkles and the Mathematician.

Interestingly, the Thug Leader is one of only four characters to swear in the Ratchet & Clank series and not being censored while doing so, claiming that he was going to kick Ratchet's and Clank's asses to another galaxy. The only other characters that fully swear are Qwark, the Abercrombie Fizzwidget Bot and the HelpDesk Girl.

Appearances

 * Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
 * Secret Agent Clank


 * Non-canon
 * PlayStation Home