Lance Vance was a character in the Grand Theft Auto series who appears as a central character and secondary antagonist of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and as the deuteragonist in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
Lance is a cocaine dealer who worked in the cocaine trade with his older brother, Victor Vance (the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories). Lance piloted the helicopter and Vic conducted the deals themselves. The two are the main members of the Vance Crime Family, with Vic as the boss.
In GTA Vice City, he is always seen wearing a white soiree suit with purple shirt. An artwork shows him wearing a light-purple suit. In GTA Vice City Stories, his outfit changes from a red shirt with jeans to a double breasted cyan suit.
Lance was voiced by Philip Michael Thomas, who played Ricardo Tubbs in the 1980s television-series Miami Vice.
Biography
Early Life
Lance Vance was born to a white mother, Janet Vance, and his father immigrated from the Dominican Republic and moved to Vice City.
He and his two brothers, Victor and Pete, grew up in poverty while they were living in Vice City. Because their mother had a drug addiction, they were raised by their Aunt Enid who they, especially Lance, see 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, he lies and says that his name is Quentin). During the mission Phnom Penh '86, Tommy Vercetti jokingly laughs at Lance, teasing "Vance? Your name's Lance Vance?!" and then "Lance Vance. Poor bastard." According to Vic, he got them 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.
Events of GTA Vice City Stories
Joining Victor
Lance Vance's during the first half of GTA Vice City Stories.
In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, set two years before the events of 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 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).
Working for The Mendez Cartel
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).
Last Stand
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.
His infamous Lance Vance Dance
Events of GTA Vice City
The Drug Deal
In 1986, 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.
Friendship with Tommy and revenge on Diaz
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 slowly beginning to accept Lance.
Lance on the surface appears cool and collected, but he is very impulsive. His quest for vengeance against Ricardo Diaz, the boss who betrayed them in the first place, results in his capture and torture by Diaz's men, and he is only saved from death in the nick of time by Tommy. Lance redeems himself by supplying the M4 Carbines, on of the few times where Tommy lavishes praise, that the two of them use to finish off Diaz and his Colombian gang.
Betrayal
While and after the two of them overthrew Ricardo Diaz, Lance complains about being treated like a little kid (such as after Cop Land) and becomes irritated by Tommy's attitude and dominance in the gang. Tommy frequently berates Lance for his mistakes, also Tommy never really gives credit to Lance's contributions. Shortly before Sonny Forelli's arrival, Tommy declares the Vercetti business is "my operation mine", implying that he views the criminal enterprise as a sole proprietorship rather than a partnership, and this was perhaps the last straw for Lance.
Eventually, Lance betrays Tommy to his old boss, Sonny Forelli, revealing that the cash payment was counterfeit, which prompts Sonny to come prepared bringing a large number of gunmen to the Vercetti Estate.
Death & Legacy
"I told you I had ENOUGH of that at school!
Tommy kills Lance and several other Forelli mobsters on the roof of the mansion. He proceeds to finish off Sonny and cement his power in Vice City.
Lance can be seen as an action figure in Zero RC along with Tommy, James Earl Cash, and Piggsy, the latter two from Manhunt, in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, circa 1992. His model can also be found on a billboard around the state.
In a PC World article, Lance was voted as #17 of the top 47 "most diabolical videogame villains of all time."
VCPD Crime Tree Record
- Recently arrived in town with his brother.
- Asks a lot of questions.
- Trained helicopter pilot.
- Believed to be in narcotics trade.
- Heard mouthing off in a lot of nightclubs.
- Believed to get aggressive or needy when he drinks. Possibly emotionally insecure.
Trivia
- Lance is the second antagonist that gives the most missions to a protagonist.
- Lance owns a blue Stallion only seen in Rub Out and is never seen in the game after the mission.
- Lance's favourite radio station is Fever 105 as it plays whenever he operates a vehicle and gives Tommy the wheel.
- American.gxt in Vice City (PC) reveals that Lance is the boss of the missions Shakedown, Bar Brawl and Cop Land.
- He is one of two characters to appear in two final missions in two GTA games (The other being Ken Rosenberg).
- Lance Vance is one of three antagonists to wear glasses, the other being the main antagonist of GTA IV, Dimitri Rascalov, and one of the two main antagonists of GTA V, Devin Weston. However, Lance switches to the contacts after From Zero To Hero, and Devin wears glasses only during certain occassions.
- Lance is the only character who actively helps two different protagonists in their rise to power, instead of just giving missions to them.
- Lance is the only antagonist to be friends with a protagonist for the longest time, and betrays at the very end of the game.
- He is one of the seven characters from GTA: Vice City to reappear in GTA: Vice City Stories, the other ones being Victor Vance, Ricardo Diaz, Gonzalez, Umberto Robina, Alberto Robina and Phil Cassidy.
Mission appearances
- GTA Vice City
- In The Beginning...
- Back Alley Brawl
- Guardian Angels
- Phnom Penh '86
- Supply & Demand
- Death Row
- Rub Out (Boss)
- Shakedown (Boss)
- Bar Brawl (Boss)
- Cop Land (Boss)
- Hit The Courier
- Cap the Collector (Post-mission phone call)
- Keep Your Friends Close... (Betrayal/Killed)
- GTA Vice City Stories
- Truck Stop (Post mission pager message)
- Jive Drive (Boss)
- The Audition (Boss)
- Money for Nothing
- Caught as an Act (Boss)
- Leap and Bound
- The Bum Deal
- Snitch Hitch (Boss)
- From Zero to Hero (Boss)
- Brawn of the Dead (Boss)
- Blitzkrieg (Boss)
- The Mugshot Longshot
- Hostile Takeover (Post-mission pager message)
- Turn On, Tune In, Bug Out (Boss)
- Taking the Fall (Boss)
- White Lies (Boss)
- Where it Hurts Most (Boss)
- Home's on the Range (Post-mission pager message)
- Steal the Deal
- Burning Bridges
- Blitzkrieg Strikes Again (Boss)
- Domo Arigato Domestoboto
- Lost and Found (Boss)
- Light My Pyre (Boss)
- Last Stand
Murders committed
- Ricardo Diaz - Murdered by him and Tommy to exact revenge.
Gallery
