Carmen Sandiego

Name: Carmen Sandiego

Hair: Thick, wavy, voluminous hip-length maroon-red hair with slightly side-parted bangs.

Eyes: Blue-gray eyes with small-yet-prominent eyelashes.

Features: Carmen is a tall, beautiful young woman around 20 of Argentinean-Mexican descent. She has rakuda skin and a slender-yet-athletic physique, which forms into a rather shapely and curvy figure. She sports thick, wavy, voluminous hip-length maroon-red hair with slightly side-parted bangs and blue-gray eyes with small-yet-prominent eyelashes. Her face is accentuated by thick black brows and perpetual red lipstick.

Personality: As a child Carmen was a very curious individual. She enjoyed learning and consuming knowledge provided to her by her nannies, specifically in regards to foreign culture and geography. She was also mischievous and had a penchant for throwing pranks, enjoying the chaos she inflicted upon the students and staff of V.I.L.E. Academy.

Alongside her displeasing lack of respect for authority, Carmen was also quite stubborn. She refused to partake in any activities she did not enjoy (such as eating Dr. Bellum's experimental rice) and was persistent in pursuing her own desires first.

Carmen grew more ambitious and self-assured as she made her way into her teens. She was tired of waiting around for her moment to strike and wanted to achieve her goals in the present, confident in her own abilities. This ambition went hand in hand with her growing ignorance. Carmen did not understand what she was striving for was wrong, and her lack of awareness shaped much of her aspirations and treatment of others.

Despite some changes in demeanor, Carmen retained her liking of mischief and geography. She hadn't necessarily changed, just grew into herself.

Carmen is a highly intelligent and knowledgeable individual, this quality being in part what makes her such a immense threat to V.I.L.E.. Having been raised by a revolving door of nanny's, Carmen was exposed to a wide variety of diverse places, learning of their language and culture as she grew. On top of what was taught to her, Carmen is also a gifted thinker in the practical sense. She has a keen intuition towards thievery and problem-solving, learning how to escape tight situations even as a child through her penchant to throwing pranks and avoiding getting caught. Her ability to consume information and natural inclination towards mischief sculpted Carmen into a well-rounded, formidable thief as she aged, transforming mere facts into information she could actually use in the field.

Carmen is also greatly defined by her empathy, as seen when she fought off her graduated classmates to save a dig-site crew after developing an appreciation of art[13]. Or when she learned of the cultural value of Uluru to the native peoples of the Outback, and how a V.I.L.E. plan would be devastating to them[14]. As well as the time when Doctor Pilar Marquez explained the 1830 Ecuadorian 8 Escudos doubloon's historical value, Carmen did not want to deprive the Ecuadorian people of a cultural treasure; something resonant to her, as she herself knows nothing of her past. Carmen raced to retrieve it and directly gave the coin to Marquez out of trust that she'd keep the coin safe in a museum.

She is also a humanitarian, donating the money she steals from V.I.L.E. to children's hospitals, orphanages, museums, and various other charities. Carmen is sympathetic to these causes as she knows nothing of herself, and wants to ensure others have opportunities and knowledge of the world which she believes is their right to know and have a chance to appreciate.

Carmen is also shown to be selfless, as when Devineaux is kidnapped by V.I.L.E. believing him to be her secret partner, Carmen risked her own safety to rescue him, even though she knew it was a trap as Coach Brunt and Shadowsan were in the area hunting for her.

When she is without her true memories and empathy, Carmen acts more like her classic counterparts, retaining her wit and concern for V.I.L.E. members, and taking risks for the mental challenges. However, the biggest change is that she is fully willing to kill any obstacles that stand in her way, displayed when nearly sends Zack to his death if not for Shadowsan rescuing him mid-fall. Even her attachment to her parents has less meaning next to her devotion to V.I.L.E.; except for a burning desire to seek revenge against Shadowsan when she was made to believe he was a traitor and was responsible for her father's death.

Clothing: In terms of attire, Carmen is always seen dressed in clothing with red and black as its color schemes. When out of her thief wear, Carmen usually kept her hair in a messy bun, and her clothing remains being colored with red, followed by additional colors. While she owns many different casual outfits, her preferred outfit is that of a black choker with a pendant that resembles her stealth-suit's zipper, a two-toned red jacket with small black buttons on each side of the front of the hood, a V-neck black T-shirt with two red stripes around the short sleeves worn underneath, dark navy-gray rolled-up jeans and red high-top sneakers, with white shoelaces, soles and toes.

Backstory: Carmen is the biological daughter of former Faculty member Dexter Wolfe, and Vera Cruz. Wolfe taught Stealth 101 during Shadowsan's time at V.I.L.E. Academy, though was frequently absent due to his ambitions as a thief. At an unknown point in time he met Vera Cruz and fathered a child with her. Wolfe's time as a father changed him, so he planned to give up his life of as a criminal and settle down with his family. He began going off-grid from V.I.L.E. at an increasing frequency for greater periods of time in preparation for his departure.

The Faculty grew suspicious of these disappearances, and began to believe that Wolfe's excursions were no longer crime related. They were proven correct when they discovered that Wolfe had been secretly moving V.I.L.E. assets into personal Swiss bank accounts. Coming to the conclusion that Dexter Wolfe had been planning to leave V.I.L.E., the Faculty hand-picked a young Shadowsan to track Wolfe, gather information of his betrayal, and assassinate him for his disloyalty.

When Shadowsan arrived at Wolfe's home outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina, to carry out his mission, he discovered Dexter Wolfe's real motive for defecting from V.I.L.E.: he had a daughter. Seeing how being a father had changed Wolfe, Shadowsan hesitated in taking out his target. After strengthening his resolve, Shadowsan was still intent on carrying out his mission, but was interrupted by Interpol agents arriving at Wolfe's estate.

In order to protect his child, Wolfe hid Carmen in a closet and gave her a set of Matryoshka dolls to pacify her cries as he left. He made his to his car but was cornered by a young Interpol agent (later revealed to be the Chief of A.C.M.E.). As Wolfe was putting his hands up, he simultaneously pulled out what he was reaching for in his coat pocket. The agent, assuming it was gun, shot Wolfe dead. It turned out he was only reaching for his keys.

To cover up any incriminating evidence that could lead to exposing the existence of V.I.L.E., Shadowsan set fire to Wolfe's estate before the police could enter. Unable to leave Carmen to burn alongside it, Shadowsan brought her back to the Isle of V.I.L.E.. For his efforts, the Faculty awarded Shadowsan his former instructor's position. They also voted to allow Carmen to stay on the island to be raised as a future operative, having demonstrated her potential to them.

Neglecting to disclose Carmen's true lineage, she was told that when she was found abandoned in Buenos Aires, Argentina, by a member of the high council of V.I.L.E. and taken to the Isle of V.I.L.E. along with her Matryoshka dolls, which Carmen considers to be her first belongings.

Carmen's real name is unknown, so she was given the codename Black Sheep growing up. Unlike the other students, she did not choose her codename, it was instead given to her.

As a child, Black Sheep was raised by a series of nannies from around the world. They gave her a broad education of fundamentals such as reading and writing as well as cultural and geographic exposure. Simply by being raised on an island that trained thieves, she became adept at the techniques practiced at V.I.L.E. Academy on her own, despite being the youngest person on the island. Despite the nannies, Coach Brunt and Shadowsan served as parental figures to Black Sheep; Coach Brunt was maternal to her during off time and Black Sheep enjoyed Shadowsan's stories of Japan.

Though she had a cheeky streak, she was mostly allowed to get away with whatever she wanted thanks to her guardians. Black Sheep liked to pull pranks, using her pick-pocketing skills to swipe belts or tease the Cleaning Crew. Every year on December first, V.I.L.E.'s accountant, Cookie Booker, would arrive on the Island with her boat's Captain. Black Sheep would greet the visitors by throwing water balloons at them.

One year, when Ms. Booker and the The Captain visited, the Captain had enough and chased Black Sheep into V.I.L.E. Academy, when Black Sheep slipped on a wet floor. Just when the Captain was about to finally discipline the child for years of harassment, Coach Brunt grabbed him and punched him so hard that his smartphone flew out of his pocket. Intrigued by the device, Black Sheep took the phone for herself, and hid it in her largest doll, since V.I.L.E. Academy has a strict "No Cell Phones" policy.

Time passed, and the now teenage Black Sheep began to realize how boring life was on the island and how she wanted to see the world, which a lot of the graduates from V.I.L.E. Academy got to do once they learned how to become international master thieves.

Then, one night a few years later, the device she had stolen began to vibrate. She answered it and spoke to the person on the other end of the line; a boy who introduces himself as "Player". He explains he lives on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and had managed to break through the encryption on the phone, which allowed him to place a call to it.

Inspired by making contact with the outside world for the first time, Black Sheep decides that it's time to see it for herself and volunteers herself as a V.I.L.E. Academy cadet.

Black Sheep gathered the V.I.L.E. Faculty to state her case, arguing that while her age would normally put her beneath consideration, she still has more than enough background to be a candidate for acceptance. Coach Brunt, Professor Maelstrom, Countess Cleo, and Dr. Saira Bellum were somewhat skeptical, but also recognized that her upbringing does indeed give her the sort of talents that are sought after in V.I.L.E. operatives, Shadowsan was the most outspoken member and was highly unconvinced that Black Sheep has the qualifications for a professional thief. Black Sheep remained resolute that her future lies with V.I.L.E. Academy, prompting a vote from the other faculty members. The council outvoted Shadowsan at a ratio of four to one, granting Black Sheep full admission to the academy.

Black Sheep moved into the dorms of V.I.L.E. Academy and met four other students: Antonio, Jean Paul, Graham, and Sheena.

Immediately after meeting Black Sheep, Sheena began harassing her, but Graham stepped in and settled things in the interest of order between roommates. While socializing with Graham in the halls, Graham explained to Black Sheep that he had been a junior electrician at the world-famous Sydney Opera House until he realized he could use his skills for burglary, which is how he caught V.I.L.E.'s attention. The two formed a strong friendship through their various courses at V.I.L.E. Academy, Carmen giving him the nickname "Gray" somewhere along the way. Black Sheep began formally cultivating talents in thievery, combat, identification of rare items, gadgetry, and deception with the help of the instructors at the academy.

Black Sheep excelled at all her classes, proving herself to be part of the team. Despite now being a cadet, Black Sheep's tendencies didn't go away and she continued to pull pranks. After roping in her fellow dorm mates into the annual water balloon prank, they were caught and brought before the faculty for discipline. As before, Shadowsan was particularly displeased and demanded that Black Sheep face expulsion for her actions. Gray stepped forward and said that the entire group was responsible, against Sheena's protests, and the five were sentenced to detention.

Making the best of their situation, Gray suggested they pitch code names to adopt. After a round of unsuccessful suggestions, Gray combines his first name with the word "crackle" to create "Graham Crackle", which he shortens to "Crackle" after the other students talk him out of it (due to the bad pun). Jean Paul goes with the name "Le Chevre" (French for "The Goat"), because of his affinity for coming in from above. Antonio adopts the codename "El Topo" (Spanish for "The Mole"), due to his use of drill claws that allow him to approach from below. Sheena takes the name "Tigress", due to her sharp claw gloves and optical hardware that lets her see as well as a cat in the dark. Finally, there is the quiet mime, who takes to the name "Mime Bomb".

Graduation approached and the only thing that remained was for Black Sheep to pass her final exams. Shadowsan's final exam, a pickpocketing exercise, was for the student to find a dollar bill hidden in one of the pockets on his coat within two minutes while dodging his martial arts attacks. The exam was passed by Tigress, due to her taking advantage of her claws and optics to rip open Shadowsan's pocket to steal the target. Then Black Sheep tries, but discovers she is unable to successfully pickpocket her instructor. The results for the exams came in and everyone from Black Sheep's dorm graduated, except for Black Sheep herself. Black Sheep confronted Shadowsan and demanded a second opportunity, accusing him of rigging the exam against her by not having the object on his person at all, but was refused and told to study for another attempt in a year.

Frustrated with the situation, Black Sheep decided that if she can't graduate, she'll simply join a mission by herself. She snuck out one night and boarded the chopper taking the other graduates to their first caper. However her escape was not unnoticed, as Mime Bomb spotted her leaving.

As the chopper Black Sheep had stowed away on flew out to the job site, Black Sheep's phone rang. Player had been able to track Black Sheep for the first time since he made contact, thanks to the phone leaving the vicinity of V.I.L.E Island's encrypted frequencies. Black Sheep cut the conversation short as the mission's entry point approached. Noticing that the graduates are going to parachute into the site, Black Sheep realized she didn't have a way off the helicopter. El Topo, Le Chevre, and Tigress bail out but Crackle was caught off guard by Black Sheep diving onto him before he jumps, forcing him to jump with her.

Back at V.I.L.E. island, Mime Bomb, who had followed Black Sheep when she made her escape through the sewer system, gave a report to the faculty members. Though they had trouble grasping his charades, Black Sheep stowing away with the graduating class was made clear. Fearing a possible mission compromise, Professor Maelstrom dispatched the Cleaners to remedy the situation.

On the ground, Crackle regrouped with the others after lecturing Black Sheep on her recklessness but Black Sheep remained undeterred and followed the thieves to their objective.

At the mission site, Black Sheep took in her first look at the outside world of Casablanca, Morocco and was mesmerized by it all. She followed a bright light that lead her to a large pit that was actively being dug out. A man approached her and asked what she's doing at such a late hour, which prompted Black Sheep to inquire about her whereabouts. It was an archaeological dig site that had recently uncovered "the Eye of Vishnu", a large jewel thought to be lost centuries ago. While the value of the item is without question, the man was more interested in preserving it purely for its own sake in the interest of maintaining a record of history. However, when the lights went down at the dig site, Black Sheep realized that the dig site was the mission objective and that V.I.L.E. was here to steal the Eye of Vishnu.

Le Chevre and Tigress descended on the dig site and took out all the personnel as El Topo retrieved the object itself from under the earth. The site manager realized Black Sheep was one of the thieves and tried to take back the Eye of Vishnu, but was cut off by Crackle. He was overpowered and thrown to the ground, at which point Crackle pulled out his EMP rod and attempted to eliminate the dig site manager. Black Sheep dove onto him and wrestled the weapon away as the manager evacuates, his life still intact. Tigress tried to break up the fight but only got smacked with Crackle's weapon when Black Sheep took possession of it. Black Sheep direly tried to get answers out of her friend, but before she could, the Cleaners suddenly appeared from behind and neutralized Black Sheep with chloroform.

Black Sheep was returned to V.I.L.E. Island after her interference in the mission, and while she was welcomed back without any severe punishment, the staff at V.I.L.E. kept an especially close eye on her from then onwards. Now without the rest of her class, "Black Sheep" felt painfully alone and lost access to the phone that allowed any sort of communication beyond the shores of the island. Fed up with all things V.I.L.E., Black Sheep quietly went about her days on the island until the moment arrived when she could finally escape for good.

As usual, Cookie Booker arrived on the first of December with her typical drop of the hard drive containing intel on possible high-value targets for V.I.L.E. to focus on for the coming year. Black Sheep, knowing this from years of pranking the bookkeeper on her arrival, decided that this is the best opportunity to escape V.I.L.E. Island, leaving behind her treasured Russian nesting dolls in the process in order to travel light. Before setting out, Black Sheep stole back the phone she had originally taken from the bookkeeper's bodyguard.

She called Player, her computer-savvy contact on the mainland, in order to solicit his help with her escape. Believing V.I.L.E. can't be allowed to continue wantonly thieving with no regard for anyone but themselves, Black Sheep decided she needs to steal the hard drive containing their intel to disrupt their operations. Before she could steal the drive, however, Cookie took the drive to be uploaded to V.I.L.E.'s servers. Black Sheep followed Cookie, but ran across Mime Bomb, who was hanging around the halls. After a brief "conversation", she tried to move on, until realizing that Mime Bomb was stalking the halls in order to get the drop on any suspicious activity. She went after him and threw him into a broom closet, taking away any means he might have to escape.

Black Sheep chased Cookie to the elevator, a secure transport to the server room, preventing anyone from getting inside without authentication. Black Sheep was forced to catch the elevator by throwing the toolkit she took from Mime Bomb into the door of the elevator so she could board as well. Masquerading as an IT trainee, she impressed Cookie, who praised her on the growth she'd demonstrated from being a wild and unruly prankster. After offering some good advice on where to take her career, the pair separated amicably. However, when Cookie discovered that she's been had and Black Sheep had switched the hard drive with the toolkit she was carrying, she put the facility into lockdown, which compromised Black Sheep's communication with Player. Player listened and gave facts to Carmen.

Black Sheep tried to escape the same way she did when she stowed away, through the sewers, only to discover that thanks to Mime Bomb's reconnaissance from that escape, V.I.L.E. bolted shut the sewer grate. The other faculty members realized that Black Sheep was probably responsible for the theft and ordered her capture while she snuck back into the facility. Now with the main door being the only way in or out and being guarded by the Cleaners, Black Sheep realized she'd have to find some way to slip out unnoticed. Sneaking around the facility, she overheard an argument between Ms. Booker and Professor Maelstrom. Maelstrom, although highly upset with Ms. Booker for letting such a thing happen in the first place, acceded to her demand to be let off the island. As she ran through the facility, Black Sheep came across Ms. Booker's highly distinctive red coat and hat, which gave her an idea of how to get out.

In the main hall, the Cleaners were told by Professor Maelstrom to do with Ms. Booker as they please; either by letting her pass or eliminating her "if the mood strikes them". As the order came through, a tall woman in a red coat and fedora strode by slowly, her head down. Beneath the hat, Black Sheep looked out from her disguise, fearful of what might happen if she was found out. However, the Cleaners were fooled by her disguise and wished her well, allowing Black Sheep to leave the campus unabated. Back in the facility, however, Professor Maelstrom came upon Ms. Booker, who was bound and gagged in a closet, and ordered the Cleaners to eliminate the woman in red.

Shadowsan joined the Cleaners at the front of the school and ordered them to take to the sky to chase down Black Sheep as she ran to the shoreline to catch the boat Ms. Booker came in on. The captain of the boat was notified by Professor Maelstrom to the identity of the woman in red but before he could do anything, Black Sheep used one of the telescopic stilts she was wearing to imitate Ms. Booker's height to knock the boat captain unconscious. As the Cleaners tried to start the helicopter to give chase, they discovered that the engine had been sabotaged, preventing them from pursuing.

Black Sheep tried to start the boat, but discovered it needed a key, which was still attached to the boat captain's belt. As Shadowsan closed in, she managed to start the boat and pull away from the dock just as he reached the dock's end. The two made eye contact one final time before she sped off into the night. Now out of range of the island, Black Sheep's phone began working again and she contacted Player, who helped her determine she was near the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa. Realizing she would need an identity to survive in the world beyond V.I.L.E. Island, Black Sheep co-opted the name "Carmen Sandiego", inspired by the label of the hat she stole from Ms. Booker, which reads "Carmen Brand Outerwear" from "San Diego". After reaching the mainland, she mailed the hard drive to Player and together they began their mission to defeat V.I.L.E.

Abilities:

Due to spending the majority of her early life at V.I.L.E. Academy, learning from her large pool of nannies, and being personally tutored by the V.I.L.E. Faculty members, Carmen has an assortment of relevant combat gear and skills relevant.

Coordination - Carmen appears to be very fast and agile. She can run at incredible speeds as well as leap fairly long distances, performing amazing parkour attributes.

Martial arts - Carmen is also shown to be very agile and a skilled fighter, being agile enough to free-run across steep rooftops, perform complex acrobatic maneuvers with considerable ease and defeat many experienced V.I.L.E operatives.

Thievery - As a professional thief, Carmen steals items without her opponents knowing or sensing the act. She was even praised by Shadowsan to be one of his finest students and best in the class by Graham.

Stealth - Carmen is skillful in stealth, given her ability to sneak into multiple high-security complexes to perform her heists and disappear in broad daylight, allowing her to evade capture by Interpol, A.C.M.E., and V.I.L.E.

Driving skills - Carmen can operate a wide range of vehicles, including but not limited to cars, motorcycles, and boats. She even engages in a high-speed chase using her motorcycle against a veteran car thief stealing an electric supercar.

Multilingualism - Due to her exposure to various cultures due to her upbringing, Carmen is able to speak and understand various languages, including Mandarin, Portuguese and Italian.

Master tactician - Carmen's strategic planning and mental prowess seem to be her greatest asset. Whether it be her strong leadership skills, her ability to adapt to a situation in a fight, she almost constantly being able to triumph in difficult positions or against foes who are numerically superior.

Weaknesses:

In spite of her confidence, Carmen does have her weaknesses. Due to her mysterious past, she has shown to be insecure when she tried to avoid the topic when Graham asked for her real name during her academic year, or experienced visions which caused her to be distracted when she learned it was Shadowsan who discovered her as a baby, not Coach Brunt as she had assumed. Professor Maelstrom had tried to take advantage of this by getting Coach Brunt to reveal details of her past, hoping to sow discord between her and Shadowsan's partnership. She also has difficulty in facing foes who are vastly superior in strength and durability, such as facing Coach Brunt in France.

Coach Brunt and Shadowsan, prior to his betrayal, were the two members she had the utmost caution for, more so than the other faculty members, as they were only two who could fight her one-on-one and have an advantage. She would rather have them go on a wild goose chase then face either of them directly.