Registry of the Non-Evolved Database
File #06 Feb 2009 04:22
| Name |
Gilbert Tucker |
Aliases |
Tuck |
| Status |
Unregistered Non-Evolved |
|
|
| Gender |
Male |
Race/Eth. |
|
| Birthdate |
Dec 12, 1971 |
Age |
38 |
| Height |
5'8" |
Build |
Muscular |
| Eyes |
Brown |
Hair |
Brown |
| Profile |
Gilbert Tucker is a fence and a pawnie with connections to the Russian Mob. He runs the Speakeasy Hotel and Casino in the Red Hook neighborhood. |
|
portrayed by
Robert Downey Jr. |
Gilbert 'Tuck' Tucker was doomed from the start. His father was a lowlife and petty thief, his mother an alcoholic. He grew up in a rough suburb of Toronto, surrounded by crime and violence. When his father was put away and his mother deemed too unstable to raise them on her own, Tuck and his young sister were sent to live with their aunt and uncle in New York City. Tuck was eleven and just old enough to be belligerent. He fit in well with the lower class kids. All through high school, he was a constant delinquent and got into his share of violent brawls. His bus driving uncle and seamstress aunt didn't know how to handle him. The only thing that focused him was a band he goofed around with.
By some miracle, Tuck actually managed to graduate, though by the skin of his teeth. What upset his teachers was that he seemed like a smart kid, but his rough background meant he had no desire or ability to apply himself. College wasn't even in the cards and it didn't take long for him to fall in with a local street gang. A Russian mob boss' daughter took a shine to him and he only accepted her advances because he might have ended up face down in the gutter otherwise. Dasha Gorsky was a woman who got what she wanted, and for some reason she wanted Gilbert Tucker.
Their relationship was brief, unfulfilling and awkward - like all of his relationships with women - but Dasha still ended up pregnant. Tuck didn't even know he was a father until Rocket was a year old. Over the next six years, Tuck continued his life of a petty crook and chronic gambler, only very occasionally seeing his son. Dasha ended up arrested and convicted for organized criminal activity. It was a shock to Tuck to find out that she had left custody of her son to him. Suddenly, Tuck found himself a single father.
It was lucky for him that the Gorskys take care of their own. Dasha's father and the patriarch, Alexi Gorsky, set father and son up with a respectable suburban home on Staten Island. Tuck went to work for Alexi primarily as a bag man and a fence. Through this and support from Alexi, Tuck managed to give his son something resembling a normal life. They kept the same house, Rocket went to a good school and remained mostly ignorant of his father's dirty dealings. It was a relief for Tuck to realize that he managed to give his son the stable childhood he never had.
Things continued in relative stability until Rocket was thirteen. Then, the Gorsky family started to deteriorate from the inside. Alexi was killed and a rival family carved up the family's assets. A few remaining friends managed to keep Tuck and Rocket safe, but they were now cut off from their support system.
The house had been bought and paid for years before, so father and son still had somewhere to live. Tuck found himself jobless. He tried to go straight, but found the work unfulfilling and constraining. His criminal record stopped him from gaining any meaningful employment. So he returned to his work as a fence and used what money he had to open a small pawn shop. Things were no longer so steady for Tuck and Rocket. Money was tight, thugs banged down the door and daddy came home with various broken bones and lacerations. Tuck fell back into gambling and drugs and Rocket was often left to fend for himself.
The night of the Midtown explosion, Tuck was at a poker game. The drugs came out and he indulged. The stuff was laced with something that caused him to black completely out for seven hours. When he woke, he had a black eye, no money, there was a hole in Midtown - and Rocket had disappeared.
It was a heavy blow to a man who never wanted to be a father in the first place. He was sure that Rocket was either dead from the explosion or its aftermath, or that his son had smartened up and ran away from a father who was spiraling towards the gutter. Given the latter option meant his son was still alive, he hoped for the latter while fearing the former. The truth was something different, but Tuck doesn't know that yet.
In the two years since the explosion, Tuck's been clean, to a point. He's cut out all hard drugs and alcohol in the hopes that he'd be acceptable to Rocket if he ever does come back. He's been working off his debts and running the pawn shop, trading favours and running money. He still gambles, still makes bad decisions, but he's trying to do better for the kid who might never come back.
Gilbert Tucker isn't really such a bad guy. He's smart enough and capable enough that if he had a better upbringing, he might have become a contributing member of society. Tuck just saw the dirty underbelly too young and grew up too close to it to ever escape a life of crime. He's well-meaning, charming and habitually makes bad choices. He has an addictive, indulgent personality. If Tuck hadn't gotten custody of his son Rocket, he'd probably have died of an OD or a double tap to the head long ago. Having a kid taught him responsibility, even if it was only to be a responsible criminal. He loves Rocket and would do anything for him. It tears him apart to think his kid could be dead. The only thing that keeps him from falling into despair is the hope that he ran away to a better life.
Underneath the thug and fence is a guy who could have been so much more than he is. He has a talent for art and a love of jazz music. He's a good cook and has a decent singing voice. Beneath the roughness is a man who actually cares - although he pretends not to for his own health. There's no room for artists in the world of crime.
Tuck owes money or favours to every lowlife in Staten Island - if not the entire city. Rocket's mother gave him connections to the Gorsky Russian mob family. It also gave him enemies, especially when the family was taken down.
"I stay out of the way, stay out of trouble. I go to ground if things get bad. I get quieter, sneakier or more legit if the Feds come around. Do you how many changes of the guard I've seen on this island? A lot. And I'm still here."
Appendices
Skills:
Firearms - Tuck's a good shot and familiar with most forms of small arms. He's also able to repair them to a certain extent and is familar with many different types.
Appraisal - He wouldn't be much of a fence if he didn't know what things were worth. Years in the 'industry' means he knows how to undercut the value of an item and still make selling worthwhile. Although not a specialist in any one kind of thing (jewelry, arms, etc…) he knows enough to tell the fakes from the real thing.
Street Smarts - He knows who not to piss off and whose ass to kiss. For the better part of his life, he's dealt with lowlifes and crime bosses. He knows drugs, he knows guns, he knows how things work. He's a survivor. Like a cockroach.
Pool Shark - A wasted youth and a love of gambling means he's a hotshot with a pool cue.
Street Fighting - Tuck knows how to throw a punch, take one and how to hold his own in a brawl. He's actually pretty damn tough and knows how to predict which way an enemy might move.
Connections - Even though the crime dynasty Tuck was connected to went down in flames, there's still remnants of support and friendship for the Gorsky family scattered throughout the city. Aside from normal criminal connections, he has a few favours up his sleeve he could pull out in a pinch.
Art - Although he's convinced himself it's highly impractical and will never get him anywhere, Tuck nevertheless has a love of art. He enjoys painting, but will rarely show his canvasses to anyone. He feels embarrassed that he even does it, despite the fact that his work is actually fairly good. He also works at small sculptures on occasion, but these stay hidden as well.
Timeline:
Memorable Quotes:
- "You'd go by 'Tuck' too if your first name was Gilbert."
- "I stay out of the way, stay out of trouble. I go to ground if things get bad. I get quieter, sneakier or more legit if the Feds come around. Do you how many changes of the guard I've seen on this island? A lot. And I'm still here."
Gallery:
Trivia and Notes:
