Marcus Kincaid

Background

Marcus Kincaid was originally a weapons dealer allied with either the Dahl or Atlas corporations before the Vault Hunters made their way to the planet. Current affiliations are unknown, but it is possible that he is allied with the four main characters. He is between 30 and 50 years of age, and sells weapons from all except the Eridian and Gearbox weapon manufacturers. It is to be noted that he is the only current purveyor of weapons. It is also speculated that he has a complete monopoly on all weapons/ammunition related sales on Pandora (as hinted at in the Firepower mini-quest line).

Involvement

Marcus is the driver of the bus that brings all of the four Vault hunters to Fyrestone at the beginning of the game. After the player completes some tasks around Fyrestone, Marcus opens up his weapon and ammo vendors in town. He runs and maintains the weapon and ammo vendors found throughout Pandora. Marcus himself lives in New Haven and has a few tasks for the player when he arrives there.

In the bus, next to Marcus, is a Marcus bobblehead. During Borderlands, some lockers and tougher enemies will have a Marcus bobblehead with the usual yellow dollar sign overhead, and these are always much larger bundles of cash, usually from $400 to around $13,000.

In the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned DLC, Marcus actually affects the storyline, as he is the one who hacks Ned's Claptrap and leaves you the message to go to the abandoned lab. (As stated and shown in the ending cutscene.)

In the trailer for Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot it is hinted that she was at one time married to Marcus. It is presumed that he was her favorite husband, as he was one of the two that were not killed.

There is also a portrait of Marcus, (along with Marcus II, III, and IV), hanging on the wall of the bank in the Underdome.

The entire game could very possibly be a story told by Marcus, as he narrated the opening, and Zombie Island had many story cliches anyway, and also because he changed Dr. Zed's name to Dr.Ned and made him an evil version of Zed (as people who cannot think of brand new characters off the top of their heads tend to do when making up a story on the spot). This is implied even further in the fact that, as stated above, Marcus is hinted to have been Moxxi's "favorite" husband as well as his ownership of the bank and the surplus of paintings of himself.

The opening narration in particular supports this, as four children are seen amongst the drawings, each resembling one of the Vault Hunters(Roland is seen with a trashbin lid on his arm, Mordecai is seen holding a slingshot, Brick is seen petting his dog and wearing gloves, and Lilith is seen walking around). This would imply he is simply telling a story to the children, and Marcus made the Vault Hunters resemble the children to put them in the midst of the story.

Quotes

"You can never be too rich, too good-looking, or too well-armed."
"Ah, excellent, another valued customer!"
"Don't be shy, come right in."
"Remember me when you get some more credits to burn."
"Don't worry about saying goodbye; I'm sure we'll do this all again soon enough." - said in the bus, this is a reference to the 2nd Playthrough
"I understand that believing in the improbable gives us hope, but if that Vault existed, someone would have found it decades ago." - before Seek Out Tannis
"Far be it from me to put a damper on chasing a dream, but that Vault's about as likely as having Skags invite us to a tea party. One lump or two?" - before Seek Out Tannis
"I'm pretty sure I've seen this rock from top to bottom - if that Vault did" - before Seek Out Tannis
"So maybe I was wrong about the Vault, but I'm sure glad I was!" - after Seek Out Tannis
"Well, it's like I've been saying... each day brings new possibilities. Yesterday: no Vault, today: Vault!" - after Seek Out Tannis
"Hell, I'd give half my stock to charity to get a peek in that Vault - I bet I'd make double back just off one piece of what's in there!" - after Seek Out Tannis
"I'm extremely connected here - people want something, they go through me. Tannis, though... she's got support from someone else - someone even I can't track down." - after The Next Piece
"You gotta admire the kind of drive she's (Tannis) got, but I think she'd hiding something." - after The Next Piece
"Tannis? I hear she's a little, you know, out there. Keeps to herself mostly." - after The Next Piece
"Well, those Crimson Lance fellows came with nice stuff, but stuff breaks - and when it does guess who they'll need?" - after Smoke Signals: Shut Them Down
"One thing's for sure - if the Lance are here, Atlas hasn't abandoned this planet." - after Smoke Signals: Shut Them Down
"Hey, new soldiers means business, can't be bad." - after Smoke Signals: Shut Them Down
"Dude made zombies, okay?" - During the intro scene for Dr.Ned's Zombie Island.
"You're adopted!" - to the child in the intro scene of Dr. Ned's Zombie Island.
"Goodnight... Dirty little orphan." - The last words said in Dr. Ned's Zombie Island.
"If I can't find you what you need, it can't be found on Pandora."

Marcus' Vending Machine Quotes

"Only buy the best... if the Vault is real, you'll be able to afford it!"
"Don't know who to trust? You can always trust the gun at your side!"
"In a world of no guarantees, you can always count on Marcus guns!"
"Teach those Lance guys a thing or two about firepower!"
"The Lance are the best-armed mercs out there. You need something better!"
"The Crimson Lance got nothing on my weapons!"
"The S&S philosophy is: Tech plus Ammo capacity equals I WIN!"
"If you find that your gun just doesn't hold enough bullets, then S&S has the solution: More bullets! All S&S guns have extended magazines."
"Is shooting bullets not cool enough for you? Buy a Maliwan, and light some people on fire!"
"Maliwan's guns shoot more lightning than the next leading competitor!"
"Hyperion asks: what good is a gun that doesn't shoot where you point it? Get a gun that's as accurate as you are!"
"Enemies only die if you hit 'em. So buy Hyperion today!"
"Vladof: you don't need to be a better shot, you just need to shoot more bullets!"
"Want to shoot a lot of bullets really fast? Vladof has your needs covered!"
"If you are on a budget, Tediore is always the way to go."
"Cheap, reliable, lightweight, and incredibly fast reload speeds - Tediore makes an easy-to-use gun!"
"Dahl makes guns for professional mercs. They're heavy, accurate and effective, assuming you're strong enough to hold one!"
"Dahl's guns absorb a lot of recoil, allowing you to stay accurate throughout the fight!"
"Torgue combines good damage, high fire rate, and recoil reduction into one lethal weapon."
"400 percent more awesome! Also, Torgue doesn't make their guns out of freakin' wood." (Reference To Jakobs weapons)
"Atlas spares no expense in making guns that excel in every area."
"Buy an Atlas, and you too can see what it feels like to hold the power of the Gods in your hands."
"Jakobs guns do one thing really well: Power! And honestly, what else do you need?"
"If it took more than one shot, you weren't using a Jakobs!"
"A sniper without a sniper COM is just a guy with a gun. Buy the COM that's right for you."
"COMs can improve accuracy, regenerate ammo, or even heal you. Get yours right here!" (This and the previous advertisement are strange, as, like shields, Zed's vending machines, not Marcus's, sell class mods.)
"The best defense is not a good offense... it's a good defense! So get yourself a shield!"
"Even the best gunman gets hit from time to time, so make sure your shield is up to par!"
"Even the best gun jams once in a while, so make sure your shield is up to par!" (Why he advertises shields is unknown, since Zed's machines sell Shields, not his own.)

Missions

New Haven:

T-Bone Junction:

Trivia

Not only does Marcus sell all the guns and ammunition on Pandora but he even has his own set of playing cards. In Treacher's Landing where you get the You're on a boat! achievement there is a box with several playing cards on top of it, suggesting that the Bandits were playing poker. One side features Marcus's business emblem (his face), while the other shows the card number and suit (a pair of queens can be seen).
"Mark Kincaid" is the name of a detective in the movie Scream 3.
Marcus speaks with an Eastern European accent.
The Image of Marcus shown on his vending machines bares a resemblance to Joseph Stalin's Propaganda.
In The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned his name is spelled with a "k".
In The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, in his shop, there is a toy car on his desk, with a miniature 'living' NPC inside.