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[sociopath-analysis]

Sociopath Profile: Mercury Black

From the animated web-series RWBY (2014-present(valid as of late April 2020)) Voiced by J.J. Castillo (EN Vol. 2), Yuri Lowenthal (EN current), and Hikaru Midorikawa (JP) Requested by @queenofcandynsoda​

Mercury is one of Cinder’s associates. Much like Cinder herself, he doesn’t care much about the potential casualties that could be caused by her plan. But he doesn’t have as much to gain from it either other than some sick enjoyment.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

Most likely, his upbringing had something to do with his condition. Or at very least, it helped to cultivate the already present tendencies. He was abused by his father, Marcus, and beaten by him often. He was training Merc to be a mercenary like himself, and even stole his Semblance after he unlocked it. Things only got worse after Merc killed him. When Cinder and Emerald came to the aftermath, all he did was spit at his father’s corpse. Marcus was the only one of his victims that actually deserved it.

The rest, however, were actually more innocent. Autumn was one of the first of his targets after he was taken in by Cinder. The first on-screen casualty of his was Tuckson, a White Fang defector. It certainly shows how much of a lack of empathy he has when he can casually joke about it later on and simply talk about a comic book he stole from the owner that he just killed literally a few moments earlier.

He’s casually manipulative of others as well. Not to the extent of Cinder, but he is quite adept at it. He and Emerald both try to put Tuckson on edge since he knows exactly why they’re here. He also gets in a fight in class with Phyrra to figure out her semblance. And lying is something that comes easily to him as well. Part of Cinder’s plan was to pretend that Yang had broken his leg. His prosthetic legs. Obviously, he had to put up a good front since they could be easily repaired.

Mercury also displays a pathological need for excitement. He often gets bored easily when not directly involved in Cinder’s larger machinations. He even joined Cinder because there would be something in it for him to keep him occupied. He’s not inherently murderous, but he sure does like a good fight. The fight to discover Phyrra’s semblance is one example. He enjoyed it as long as it served a purpose, but he immediately dropped it once he got what he needed.

“Learning is so much fun.” - “Extracurricular” (Vol. 2, Ch 3)

After faking being injured by Yang, he was told to lay low as to keep up the ruse. However, he went out to deliberately get caught by Ruby just to pick a fight with her and waits just long enough for her to realize what Cinder’s plan is. This also ties with his sadism as well. When the Grimm beasts are attacking Vale, his response is to record people dying in the attack. And when Cinder tells him to continue doing so, he does so with much pleasure.

In spite of this sadistic personality, he can be superficially charming. Mercury almost always has a kind of jokey, laid-back attitude about things. A good example would be his aforementioned jokes about murdering Tuckson. Him childishly bothering Emerald is one other display of this. There’s also his interaction with Emerald after him faking his injury. He acts less convincingly as a joke once the other witnesses are gone.

Mercury: [“dramatically”] Oh doc, tell me! Will I ever walk again? [Emerald punches him] Ow! What’s your deal?

Overall, he displays confidence in just about every interaction he has. Whenever he’s faced with an opponent, he never drops his smug smile. His overconfidence only disappears in Volume 4 when faced with Salem’s creations and realizing that he’s in way over his head for what he initially signed up for.

And while he has a lack of empathy for most other people, he does show some concern for Emerald despite the constant insults. He shows concern when Emerald breaks down over Cinder’s death and defends her when Tyrian gets a little too close for comfort. He also tries to inform her that Cinder is an even bigger sociopath than he is and doesn’t care about either of them. This has been the only exception for his otherwise heartless nature.

But overall, Merc makes for a pretty clear example.

Remnant Sociopath List