GTA Wiki
Register
Advertisement
GTA Wiki
19,723
pages
Site-logo
Spoiler Warning: Plot details, ending details, or both are in the text which follows.
Spoiler Warning: Plot details, ending details, or both are in the text which follows.
Warning
Warning

So, Victor, Lance, who has been ripping us off? All of us, because now we are partners. A team, as it were. Four brothers.
— Armando trying to discover who stole his coke shipment

Armando Mendez is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series who appears as the secondary antagonist of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

History[]

Background[]

In 1984, Armando and his brother, Diego, are the two most powerful drug kingpins in Vice City, but are also well known for their philanthropist views. The brothers, who are of Bolivian descent, also control their own crime organisation.

Events of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories[]

In GTA Vice City Stories, Armando and Diego are first mentioned by Jerry Martinez in Brawn of the Dead, when he informs Victor Vance that the cocaine shipment that he and his brother Lance had stolen from Martinez actually belonged to the Mendez Brothers.

Because of this, Lance and Victor are summoned by the Mendez brothers to explain the disappearance of their cocaine. The Vance brothers pin the theft on Martinez, and provide fake evidence to prove this. Victor and Lance continue to work for the brothers, including taking over a local biker empire site and killing rival drug dealers. Eventually, the Vance brothers outlive their usefulness to Armando and Diego, who order the Vance brothers to surrender their businesses to the Mendezes and leave the city in exchange for their own safety. Victor refuses to do so, so the Mendez brothers attack the Vance brothers and leave them at a fuel depot in Viceport. A Mendez hitman accidentally starts a fire at the depot, but the Vance brothers manage to escape.

With their ties severed, some Mendez Cartel members unsuccessfully try to take over Victor's businesses. Victor, with the help of Ricardo Diaz, hacks a Domestobot owned by the brothers and uses it to destroy the contents of their safe. In retaliation, the Mendez Cartel kidnap Victor's girlfriend Louise. The Vance brothers chase some Cartel members through the city to the Mendez Mansion. Victor forces his way inside, where he confronts and kills a flamethrower-wielding Armando. Following this, Victor finds that both Lance and Louise have been injured by Armando. Lance survives but Louise later dies. Victor would later kill Diego, wiping out the Mendez Cartel in the city.

Character[]

Personality[]

Of the two brothers, Armando is the more "charismatic" of the two. According to Armando, both he and his brother are utilitarians, with Diego being a fan of Plato's work and Armando being a fan of Aristotle's work. Utilitarianism is the theory that mankind should always look towards finding pleasure, which is highlighted by both brothers becoming drug dealers for personal gain.

Character Design[]

Armando seems to be based on Scarface's Alejandro Sosa, as he bears a striking resemblance to him both in appearance and personality. What differs is that Armando did have a brother while Alejandro Sosa never had any siblings.

Murders Committed[]

Mission Appearances[]

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories[]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Interestingly, if the player uses the flamethrower against Armando in the mission "Light My Pyre", he will not take any form of damage; this may simply be a glitch .
  • In the beta version of Last Stand, Vic originally also had to kill Armando as well, not just Diego Mendez and Jerry Martinez.
  • Gilberto Rodriguez, who ran the Cali Cartel with his brother Miguel, may have been a source of inspiration for Armando Mendez. Both Gilberto and Armando were leaders of their respective cartels, both were charismatic, both were the brains behind their cartels and both had brothers who they ran their businesses with.

See Also[]

Navigation[]

[ ve ]Characters in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
ProtagonistVictor Vance
Main
characters
Lance Vance† | Phil Cassidy | Louise Cassidy-Williams† | Jerry Martinez† | Bryan Forbes† | Reni Wassulmaier | Gonzalez† | Ricardo Diaz† | Armando Mendez† | Diego Mendez† | Phil Collins | Umberto Robina | Marty Jay Williams
Minor
characters
Barry Mickelthwaite | Carlos | Mary-Jo Cassidy | Aunt Enid | Fernandez | Frankie | Hank† | Hilberto | Javier | Jesús† | Juan | Mary | Mona | Sergeant Peppah | Alberto Robina | Ronaldo | Marty Williams' cousin† | Spitz | T.J. Sucker | Janet Vance | Mary-Beth Williams | Welfare Woman | Jerry Martinez's Dealer† | Welfare Man | Unnamed Cholo Thug† | Cuban 1
Radio station
employees
Trish Camden | Maurice Chavez | Couzin Ed | Adam First | Jonathan Freeloader | Heinrich Havelock | Hector Hernandez | Phil Herrick | Larry Joe | Lazlow | Luke | Lionel Makepeace | Michelle Montanius | Bryce Parker | Pepe | Bobbie Ray | John Sickerman | Chuck Summers | Teri | Dwayne Thorn | Tina Jane | Toni
Radio Show
characters
Lily Banbury | Pete Banbury | Chief | Ernest Keigel | Molly Malmstein | Gordon Moorehead | Pablo | Richard
Radio guestsBryony Craddock | Kenny Crane | Martin Graves | Pedro | Jeremy Robard | Thorton | Forbes Waverly III
Multiplayer
characters
Colin Allcars | Agent Alman | Harry Balzac | Robin Banks† | Candy Barr | Anita Bath | Bishop | Bub | Des Buratto | Officer Butts | Officer Cracker | Decjuan DeMarco† | Duane DeVane | Kanye Diggit | Martha Fokker | Dee Generate | Gabe Hiker† | Jose | Daryl Lect | Moe Lester† | Harris Mint | Ron A. Muck | Pearl Neklass | Joaquin Noff | Beau Nurr | Buster Nutt | Cam O'Flarge | Juan Ovzem† | Abe Ozo | Chris Packet | Private Parts | Private Places | Poop Dawg | Pops | Agent Provocateur | Stacy Rhect | Abe Rudder | Boyd Schidt | Hayden Seek | Fidel Sistaxez | The Specialist | T.J. Sucker | Sue E. Sydle | Leo Tarred | Tess Tickle | Jenny Tulls | Tate Urchips | Lee Vitout | Dylan Weed | Hugo Zehr
Mentioned
characters
Oliver Biscuit | Cousin Bob | Juan Cortez | Jock Cranley | Derek the Dodo | Destiny | Diaz' Girlfriend | Doris | Dot | Eileen | Betty Feeley | Giorgio Forelli | Trent Hopkins | Abner Horowitz | Jack Howitzer | Stonewall J | Bonnie Knight | Linda | Marie Sue | Beverly McFadden | McGinley | Jenny Mitchell | Mystique | Clay Parsons | Puddles | Smithy | Tim | Trev | Troy | Chris Van Angel | Pete Vance
Deleted
characters
Leo Teal
† denotes Deceased, Italics denotes a status determined by the player's choice
Characters in GTA Vice City Stories | Category:Characters in GTA Vice City Stories | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories | Category:Characters
Advertisement