Vladimir "Vlad" Glebov (Russian: Владимир Глебов) (1967-2008) is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series who appears as the quinary antagonist in Grand Theft Auto IV, appearing as the main antagonist during the first portion of the storyline. He also makes a cameo in The Lost and Damned end credits , though it doesn't really count as a actual appearance .
Vlad was a senior member of the Faustin Family operating in Hove Beach, a local community to Russian mobsters. He made his income from loansharking and racketeering in Broker, mainly aiming at weak Russians. Vlad was a local customer at Comrades Bar which he owned and operated from. Vlad was a frequent user of cocaine which was usually controlled by his boss, Mikhail Faustin and described as "good stuff". His downfall came when Niko Bellic soon arrived in Liberty City and took a big interest in Roman Bellic's personal life as he owed Vlad money from his massive gambling debts, and was later executed by Niko when Vlad was having an affair with Mallorie Bardas.
Biography
Early life
Vladimir "Vlad" Glebov was born in 1967 in Russia. He has a sister. His childhood and teens life are mostly unknown. Sometime during the mid-to-late 1980s Vlad met Mikhail Faustin and Dimitri Rascalov, two mobsters that Vlad joined to their gang later. Vlad also became a close worker to Ivan Bytchkov, a professional burglar of the Bratva. Vlad raised ranks in the Bratva until he became one of the most high ranking members, second only to Mikhail and Dimitri.
Liberty City
In the late 1980s, Vlad moved along with Mikhail, Dimitri, Ivan and most of thier associates to United States of America, setting in Liberty City and moving to Hove Beach. Vlad opened a bar called Comrades Bar, and hired a man named Mickey as the bartander. Vlad was arrested in 2002 for public nudeness, in 2003 for sexual assault and in 2004 for extortion.
Sometime in 2005 Vlad met Roman Bellic, who was in debt for gambling. Vlad lent Roman a lot of money and since then he was waiting for Roman to pay. Vlad started an affair with Mallorie Bardas, Roman's girlfriend.
Vlad also protected Roman from Dardan Petrela and Bledar Morina, two Albanians that Roman is in debt for them, although he never took them seriously.
2008
- Roman: "I'll get you the money."
- Vlad: "I know. And Roman... tell this fucking yokel here if he doesn't stop staring at me, I'll have his head chopped off and put a film of it on the internet!"
- ―Vlad threatens Roman and his cousin, Niko.
In 2008 Vlad met Roman's cousin, Niko Bellic, and forced him to work for him in order to pay off Roman's debts. Vlad's work was, taking protection from a Chinese shopworker, and later from Muscovski, a laundromat owner. Vlad also told Niko to steal a Blista Compact from a man that didn't pay Mikhail. Vlad's last mission for Niko was to kill Ivan, who angered Mikhail. Niko can either kill or spare Ivan, the latter option making him appear in a random encounter later on. Niko called Vlad about the mission and Vlad revealed to Niko that he has an affair with Mallorie, making Niko very angry and threatens him that he will break him if he says that to his face.
Death
"I guess I'll find out."
"You think this worth it? You're throwing you and your fatty cousin's lives away for that bit of Puerto Rican chocha."
"I'm throwing you away, prick. We'll do alright."
"My friends will track you down. You won't last a moment!"
"I'll last longer than you will, shithead."
"Fuck you! I wish I could be there to watch Mikhail cut your peasent balls off!
After Niko learns that Vlad has been having an affair with Mallorie behind Roman's back, Niko confronts Vlad at Comrades Bar. After a brief chase through the neighborhood, Niko shoots Vlad in the left eye under the Algonquin Bridge before tossing his corpse into the Humboldt River, ignoring the fact that his boss, Mikhail Faustin, will certainly track down the man responsible for his murder. Mikhail later admits that Vlad was an idiot, and the only reason he was still been employed in his organization was that Mikhail had sexual intercourse with Vlad's sister. Since Vlad has not been found after being killed, the LCPD database lists him as "missing".
Mission appearances
- GTA IV
- It's Your Call
- Easy Fare
- Bull in a China Shop (Boss)
- Hung Out to Dry (Boss)
- Clean Getaway (Boss)
- Ivan the Not So Terrible (Boss)
- Uncle Vlad (Betrayal/Killed)
- The Lost and Damned
- Credits (Killed)
LCPD Database record
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Trivia
- On the first cut scene of Clean Getaway there's a reference to the movie 'Midnigth Cowboy' where Vlad yells to the taxi "I'm walkin' here!". the part of the movie wich can be seen here .
- In Russia, the nickname for "Vladimir" is "Vova" and "Vlad" is for "Vladislav". It may be that "Vlad" is just easier to pronounce for Americans and because Vova can be confused by Latin people for "boba", an informal word in feminine for stupid in Spanish.
- Vlad is the first of his former employers that Niko kills.
- During the mission Do You Have Protection?, Dimitri mentioned that Vlad was the debt collector in Faustin Family. It could be his official rank.
- There is a reference to another Rockstar game in one of his lines: he said "Bang Bang, you are dead" to Niko. This is a reference to Vladimir Lem from Max Payne, who often said this.
- In the opening cutscene of It's Your Call, Vlad threatens Niko by saying that he would cut his head off and post a video of it on the internet if he wouldn't stop staring at him. This could be a reference to the graphic video where Russian neo-Nazis behead a person.
- In Easy Fare, he threatens Niko again, saying he will "burst one of his eyeballs." Ironically, this is the way he is executed in Uncle Vlad.
- Later in the game, Mallorie calls Niko revealing that Roman took credit for Vlad's death, and thanks him for helping Roman dispose of Vlad's body. Rather than tell her what really happened, Niko plays along, calling Roman an old school romantic.
- There is a possible reference to Vlad in a competing game, Saints Row 2. There is a commercial featuring a man named Vlad with an East European accent (Jason Zumwalt, the same voice actor that voices Roman), with hints that he is a human trafficker, and states that he is willing to have the player's family killed.
- The only time Vlad appears outside of cutscenes is in the mission Uncle Vlad.
- Vladimir Glebov shares his name with the youngest son of Lev Kamenev, a Bolshevik revolutionary and a prominent Soviet politician. Vladimir Glebov was the name of Lev's youngest son, and the only immediate relative to survive after Lev's execution, as the rest of his family was executed as well.
- As shown in the mission Clean Getaway, Vlad was a user of cocaine.
- After Vlad is killed if you go out drinking with Roman to the Comrades Bar, Roman will make mention of Vlad's death.
Gallery
