The Roark family is a fictional dynasty from Frank Miller's graphic novel series Sin City.
The family is made up of corrupt officials and landowners of Irish descent, who hold absolute power in Basin City. They are the main antagonists in the series, and are frequent catalysts to various plots and storylines. Several of their associates also serve as villains within the stories.
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The family founded what would become Basin City during Gold Rush, when a Roark ancestor brought with him a large number of foreign prostitutes to the gold mining camp. The prostitutes were immediately popular, turning a small camp into a thriving city. Over the years, the prostitutes themselves eventually split from the family and formed their own district reserved specifically for prostitution. This red light district would later be known as Old Town.
In the time period of the comics, the Roark dynasty is currently thriving, with family members in the United States Senate, an Attorney General and a Cardinal.
Patrick Henry Roark, otherwise known as Cardinal Roark, appears in The Hard Goodbye as the brother of Senator Roark and Attorney General Roark and the uncle of Roark Junior. According to Marv, he was once a doctor and priest serving in the medical corps during either World War II or the Korean War. He earned significant praise as a result and later became a Cardinal, gaining much political influence and extending the corruption within Basin City. Marv also mentioned that the Cardinal's influence is what allowed his brother to be become a Senator.
While serving the clergy, Cardinal Roark met Kevin, a cannibalistic young serial killer who mutilated and ate Old Town's prostitutes, believing he was devouring their souls. Convinced that Kevin has been spoken to by God, Cardinal Roark shelters him at the Roark family farm outside the city. He also joins in on Kevin's crimes, consuming parts of his victims' corpses.
The Old Town prostitute Goldie learns of these shocking crimes and prepares to inform the other prostitutes; she spends a night with Marv to gain his protection, but Cardinal Roark sends in Kevin to murder Goldie, and then frames Marv for the crime. Marv then hunts down several members of the city's underworld to find Goldie's killer, eventually killing Kevin at the farm. In the end, he finally breaks into the Cardinal's bedroom. Cardinal Roark calmly and resignedly explains the story to Marv, who then proceeds to murder him. It is never actually shown how Marv kills him, but it's implied he breaks Roark's jugular with his thumbs.
In the 2005 film adaptation, Cardinal Roark was portrayed by Rutger Hauer. Hauer was one of the last actors to be cast, completing his role several months after Mickey Rourke, who portrayed Marv, had finished shooting. The only time they appear on-screen in the same shot is during their final confrontation, which was later edited in post-production utilizing both of their performances.
While not an actual member of the Roark family, Kevin nevertheless plays an important role in The Hard Goodbye as the hitman of Cardinal Roark. An intentionally mute serial killer, Kevin hunts down and cannibalizes prostitutes in an attempt to "inherit" their souls. He confesses these crimes to Cardinal Roark, after which the Cardinal begins to join in with him, believing that they are doing God's work. Goldie soon learns of their rituals and seeks safety with Marv, but Kevin is nevertheless able to find Goldie and kill her. When Marv goes on a violent search for her killer, Kevin is one of his many casualties. Marv knocks out Kevin, feeds most of his body to his hungry pet wolf, and finally beheads him with a hacksaw. Kevin does not utter a sound throughout the torture, dying with a serene smile on his face.
Kevin also makes a cameo appearance during the climax of That Yellow Bastard, taking place four years before the events of The Hard Goodbye. As John Hartigan murders Junior's guards, Kevin is seen quietly reading a Bible on the side porch.
Kevin was portrayed by Elijah Wood in the film adaptation, who never met Mickey Rourke on-set during filming. As with Hauer, his shots were edited together with Rourke's.
Senator Roark is a rich and corrupt politician, who largely holds Basin City in his grip. These privileges are inherited by his son, Roark Junior. Senator Roark once murdered his wife with a baseball bat, for which he was never arrested, even though (by his own admission) he left his fingerprints all over the crime scene. He is the younger brother of Cardinal Roark; the third brother serves as the US Attorney General (not featured in the story).
Senator Roark hopes for his son to become President of the United States, but Junior presents a serious problem: he enjoys raping and murdering pre-teen girls. Senator Roark frequently uses his police connections to cover up his son's crimes, but when Junior kidnaps 11-year-old Nancy Callahan, Detective John Hartigan intervenes and shoots off Junior's ear, hand, and genitals.
Senator Roark then visits Hartigan in the hospital, smugly explaining that he actually has no intention of killing him. Instead, he plans to finance Hartigan's medical treatment to keep him alive; his ultimate plan is to frame Hartigan for Junior's crimes while Junior slowly recovers from surgery. He also says that he is able to kill anyone whom Hartigan tells the truth. Hartigan serves eight years in prison until he finally confesses to Junior's crimes, with the Senator personally appearing at his parole hearing. During these years, the Senator had recourse to alternative medicines in order to heal his son and restore his reproductive organs, to eventually obtain an heir for his dynasty.
By the end of the story, Hartigan exacts his revenge on Junior; he then commits suicide, rendering Senator Roark unable to have his own revenge. In the final narration, Hartigan mentions that the Roark family line is ended, and the Senator's plans for a legacy destroyed.
Senator Roark was portrayed by Powers Boothe in the movie. The role was also offered to Christopher Walken and Willem Dafoe, who both turned it down.
Roark Junior, later known as the Yellow Bastard, is the son of Senator Roark and nephew of Cardinal Roark. His public profile is that of a handsome young playboy; he is in fact a sadistic pedophile with the hobby of raping and murdering pre-pubescent girls (it's implied that he "came by his proclivities" at the Roark family farm). These atrocities are frequently covered up by his father and the Basin City police department, but Detective John Hartigan is nevertheless determined to bring him to justice. When Junior kidnaps the 11-year-old Nancy Callahan, intent on making her his fourth victim, Hartigan pursues him and kills his thugs before shooting Junior himself, blowing off his hand, his ear, and his genitals. Junior lapses into a coma as a result of these traumatic injuries.
As Junior undergoes years of surgeries to repair his limbs and genitals, Hartigan is framed for Junior's crimes and serves eight years in prison. The surgeries leave Junior horribly disfigured; he now has bright yellow skin and emits a disgusting stench. When Hartigan is freed from prison, Junior follows him to Kadie's Bar, where a 19-year-old Nancy is working as a stripper. Hartigan wounds him in the neck as he follows them to a local motel, but he nevertheless bursts in, kidnaps Nancy and leaves Hartigan to die from hanging.
Junior takes Nancy to the Roark farm and begins lashing her with a whip, trying to make her scream before he rapes and kills her. When Nancy refuses to scream during the torture, however, she realizes that Junior is impotent unless he hears the victim's cries of pain. At this moment, Hartigan arrives and stabs Junior in the chest before tearing off his genitals a second time — this time with his bare hands — and smashing his head into a bloody yellow pulp.
In the film, Junior was played by Nick Stahl.
The Roark family's farm is located on the corner of North Cross and Lennox, in an area of open farmland bordered by woods; it appears in several stories, including The Hard Goodbye, That Yellow Bastard, The Babe Wore Red and Hell and Back. As well as many previous generations of the family, it was also home to Kevin since at least four years before the events of The Hard Goodbye; he is seen living there during the climax of That Yellow Bastard. It is suggested by Hartigan that the deviant behavior of Junior and Kevin has been going on at the Farm for generations, as every cop in Basin City knows better than to stray too close to it.
The Farm consists of the following buildings and areas:-
The following battles have also occurred at the Farm:
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