Lance Vance

Revision as of 15:35, 22 May 2010 by Paperworktemple (talk | contribs) (Undo revision 227325 by Bero2105 (talk). See section below about his age. As a result, don't put it yet.)
Character
Lance Vance
GTA Vice City game art of Lance Vance.
GTA Vice City game art of Lance Vance.

GTA Vice City game art of Lance Vance.
Appearances [[Appearance::Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories]]
Full Name Lance Vance
Aliases Quentin, Q
Gender Gender::Male
Place of Birth Unknown
Date of Death [[Error: Invalid time.|1986]][[DOD::1986| ]]
Nationality [[American|American]][[Nationality::American| ]]
Home Vice City
Family Janet Vance (mother)
Unnamed and deceased father
Victor Vance (brother)
Pete Vance (brother)
Aunt Enid (aunt)
Main Affiliations Victor Vance
Vance Crime Family
Mendez Cartel
Ricardo Diaz
Tommy Vercetti
Bryan Forbes
Earnest Kelly
Vehicles White Infernus
Biker Angel
Black and Yellow Maverick
Businesses Cocaine Trade
Voiced by Philip Michael Thomas
ADVERTISEMENT

Lance Vance (? - 1986) is a cocaine dealer who soon becomes the partner-in-crime of protagonist Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Lance worked in the cocaine trade with his brother, Victor (the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories). Lance piloted the helicopter and Victor conducted the deals themselves. In GTA Vice City Stories, the two make up the main members of the Vance Crime Family, with Victor as the boss.

Background

Lance T. Vance was born sometime between 1956-1958 to a white mother (Janet Vance) and an unnamed father who immigrated from the Dominican Republic. He and his two brothers, Victor and Pete, grew up in poverty. Because their mother had a drug addiction, they were raised by their Aunt Enid who, especially Lance, sees as their sole maternal figure. Lance was often teased about his name in school, which he is still very sensitive about (when he works with Ricardo Diaz, an extremely powerful, important drug lord, he lies and says his name is Quentin). According to Vic, he was also kicked out of the Boy Scouts in his youth. Vic always treated Lance like a little kid and Lance would get them both in trouble, patterns that continued well into their adult lives.

GTA Vice City Stories

Lance Vance's during the first half of GTA Vice City Stories.

In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, set 2 years before events in GTA Vice City, Lance is first mentioned by Vic (telling his sergeant that Pete is sick with asthma, and Lance is sick in a psychological way), as well as messages from their Aunt Enid.

Lance arrives from his home (which is not stated) and slowly ushers Vic into drug trafficking. They work with Bryan Forbes, before he reveals he's an undercover cop with VCPD and the brothers take him hostage. Forbes often attempted escape and tried to trick the brothers, even leading them to a gay bar called White Stallionz (ironically, all the homosexual men in the bar were dually part of a violent biker drug ring and attacked the brothers).

Lance then suggests stealing a large shipment of drugs from Jerry Martinez. After Vic calls Jerry to mock him, Jerry reveals that he was allied with the Mendez Brothers, two powerful drug lords who were now out for the Vance's blood.

Lance also becomes addicted to his own cocaine, as does Vic's girlfriend Louise Cassidy-Williams who both hide their habit from Vic. Lance often blamed the missing drugs on their addict mother or a biker gang. Vic finds out and first accuses them of an affair, which they respond that they only get high as friends and call him judgmental (a criticism Vic often receives).

When Louise is kidnapped and eventually killed by the Mendez brothers (who they briefly made peace with before a second war), Lance shows little feelings for her and tries to console Vic by saying family is more important (namely, himself). He only becomes involved with the Mendez war after his car gets destroyed. At the end of the game, Lance arrives at the Mendez penthouse to back up Victor, but he arrives so late that the shootout is already over.

File:This-is-the-Lance-Vance-Dance.gif
His infamous Lance Vance Dance

GTA Vice City

Lance Vance in GTA Vice City.

In GTA Vice City's opening cutscene, Lance flies Victor to a cocaine deal with Sonny Forelli's men when Victor is shot by a third party ambushing the deal. Lance, still in the helicopter, flies away unscathed.

Lance meets Tommy Vercetti, the surviving Forelli mobster from the deal, when he kills Leo Teal (a cook/hitman who knew something about the deal, silenced when Tommy beat him to death). They agree to help each other get revenge, though Tommy is slow to accept Lance, which he calls "lonely tough guy crap".

While and after the two of them overthrew Ricardo Diaz, their boss who also betrayed them in the first place, Lance becomes irritated by Tommy's attitude and dominance in the gang. Eventually, Lance betrays Tommy to his old boss, Sonny Forelli, before Tommy kills them both.

Lance on the surface appears cool and collected, but he is very impulsive, and his quest for vengeance against Ricardo Diaz lands Tommy in a great deal of trouble.

Trivia

  • In a PC World article, Lance was voted as #17 of the top 47 "most diabolical videogame villains of all time."
  • Lance Vance owns a white Infernus.
  • There is an age discrepancy between Victor and Lance Vance on who is older. In GTA Vice City, it is been stated that Lance is the older, being 32 years old as of 1986. However, in GTA Vice City Stories, Victor is portrayed as the older one, being 28 as of 1984 and 30 in 1986, and explicitly stating Lance is the younger one. The two brothers are two years apart in age. As a result, Lance would be 26 in GTA Vice City Stories and 28 in GTA Vice City. It is possible GTA Vice City Stories retconned the discrepancy, so that Victor is the older sibling.
  • Lance Vance is voiced by Philip Michael Thomas, the co-star of Miami Vice.
  • He can be seen as an action figure at Zero RC along with Tommy, James Earl Cash, and Piggsy from Manhunt.
  • During the final cutscene of Last Stand in Vice City Stories, he is seen flying a unique Black and Yellow striped Maverick.
  • A Lance Vance look-alike appears in GTA San Andreas on bilboard in Los Santos.
  • Lance claims his middle initial (T) stands for trust, but this could also be a reference to traitor, as he betrays Tommy Vercetti in GTA VC.

Mission appearances

GTA Vice City
GTA Vice City Stories

Murders committed

  • Ricardo Diaz (killed by him and Tommy Vercetti to exact revenge)