The Devil, Beelzebub, Anti-Christ, El Diablo. Different names for a being feared by millions because of what he is. El Diablo is the dark lord, the king of all demons, and the personification of punishment for mistakes people have wrought through their lives. It’s no wonder various names of Satan have been used throughout fiction and reality for people who want to, and do strike the fear of retribution in people. The aim of the name is to make sure that you know that you brought whatever punishment falls upon you yourself. It’s the reason why the main antagonist of Army Of Two: The Devil’s Cartel picks El Diablo for himself.
The third entry to the series introduces a couple of new recruits to the Trans World Operations (T.W.O) organisation, who are given the not so fear-inducing code names Alpha & Bravo. They go on a mission with the former main protagonists Salem and Rios in Mexico to save hostages that are being held by a cartel. It’s a hugely dangerous mission where the four are out gunned by the sheer number of people who are protecting the area, and in the end only one hostage is saved. Her name is Fiona. Salem wants to cut the mission short and leave because he knows the odds are against them in surviving.
Of course the other TWO operatives are against such a move because they must complete the mission, at which point the facility is overrun by cartel members. In the ensuing fight Salem is hit and the others assume he didn’t make it, but his sacrifice helped get Fiona out. As the other three fly off Salem finds himself abandoned after surviving the onslaught, and realises that neither Rios, Alpha or Bravo tried to check if he was alive and retrieve. At this point you can’t really blame Salem for surrendering to the cartel, and eventually becoming one of their best assets.
After all he has trusted Rios for many years, they were partners is some of the most dangerous missions the TWO had. There was almost a brotherly bond there, and Salem thinks that Rios didn’t care enough for him to even check if his oldest partner was alive. Instead Salem believes he was unwillingly sacrificed to save Fiona, and he did not have a choice in the matter. He blames her for his new situation, as well as Alpha and Bravo for not heeding his words about the mission. Salem doesn’t bother trying to get in contact and ask for help because of this perceived betrayal.
This notion of betrayal is somehow enforced in Salem’s mind due to the fate of Alice Murray, who was his and Rios’ mission coordinator in the previous games. In the 40th Day Alice was killed after a helicopter she was in was shot down, which made Salem angry. He can’t cope with that loss and it begins to give him a mental breakdown. This breakdown is the main driving force for all his mistrust of TWO, and even Rios, though Rios wanted revenge for Alice’s death just as much as Salem did. But why does Salem join the cartel of all people?
You have to assume that after being captured he would have received some torture so the cartel got information. Then again it is likely that Salem may have given the information freely and this would have led to the cartel trusting him and vice versa. Bautista, the cartel’s leader, would have seen how valuable an asset Salem would be so brings him in to his inner circle and manages to gain more power with the help of Salem aka El Diablo.
When TWO eventually show up again, Salem is ready. He more than likely knew that the organisation would be hired to come back and overthrow Bautista and his cartel. Knowing this, Salem made sure he became a feared man, almost a legend so when he eventually revealed himself to TWO they would know that some of the things that happened, and were done by him was the organisation’s fault for turning their back. He is ready for a new war with no mercy for his former comrades.
This conflict sees the deaths of quite a few TWO operatives but possibly the biggest death is that of Fiona, the same woman who was rescued at the expense of Salem. As Alpha and Bravo whittle down the cartel’s members, and Fiona kills the leader Bautista, Seeing that the end is essentially near for him anyway Salem inflicts a major emotional blow by shooting Fiona in cold blood, angering Rios, Alpha and Bravo. Salem does try to make his escape but is soon captured alive by Alpha and Bravo. They really want to kill Salem, but they refrain from doing so and instead get him put in jail.
Salem is left here for a while to obsess over the death of Alice, and it could take a toll on him. However as the end credits appear someone comes to free him from jail, and he smiles. He believes the TWO operatives should have killed him but by leaving him alive he can once more try to exact his revenge on the whole organisation. He wants to make them all pay.