The only thing more dangerous than being on Vaas’s side is opposing him. He’s unpredictable, violent, merciless, sadistic, coked up to his eyeballs, and is fond of acting reasonable for just long enough to make his inevitable outbursts of rage that much worse by comparison.
He was born as a high-ranking member of the Rakyat tribe, with his sister in line to become its leader. He could have been the most powerful warrior on the island, but instead, he became Hoyt Volker’s right-hand man. Hoyt had everything Vaas thought he wanted: money, respect, and an immense amount of drugs. Now Vaas is Hoyt’s enforcer, and runs most of Rook Island like his personal non-stop party. No one is safe from Vaas, whether they’re with him or against him, and the occasional glimpses of his remaining humanity and decency just underscore his psychosis.
For anyone from outside the island who falls into Vaas’s clutches, their life is subsequently either short and brutal or long and painful. He’s fond of raising extra cash by kidnapping random tourists from around the Pacific Rim, holding them for ransom, and then selling them into slavery regardless of whether or not the money comes through.
That was his plan with Jason Brody and his friends, but it didn’t quite go as Vaas expected. Jason escapes his cell, and instead of being eaten alive by the jungle or killed by Vaas’s men, he falls into the Rakyat’s hands. Vaas wanted an easy payday, but now he’s got a rival—one who could very easily pull Vaas’s entire operation down around him. Enraged that a “pretty boy” would dare challenge him, Vaas screams, “If the jungle doesn’t eat you alive, I will!”
Bull character concept developed (brutish, aggressive, intimidating)
Script revisions cause Bull to be shaped into Pyro (volatile, explosive, rage-filled)
Casting Mando implies further adjustments to the character; Vaas is born.
Vaas is a more subtle version of Pyro. We decided that his psychopathic nature was best portrayed through Mando’s acting, so we removed the more obvious cues (red hair, facial burns, etc.). Some of Vaas’s “insanity” is still captured in his rough-shaved hair and the bandages on his fingers, covering scabs he incessantly picks at. Few are aware that the three white straps hanging loosely across Vaas’s chest are actually an allusion to the three white stripes worn by military generals.
