Big Red (Snake Plissken foe)

big_red-sp-full big_red-sp-face BIG RED

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Alternate Reality (Earth-81710) human conventional weapons-user;
at least former citizen of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (see comments)); it is unrevealed whether he has USA citizenship or dual citizenship);

Occupation: Racketeer, professional criminal

Group Membership: Led a local crime organization

Affiliations: Brusilov, Petrov, Wilhelm, others (all presumably deceased)

Enemies: Atlantic City Police Department, Ron Hill, Snake Plissken, "Jackie" (a tour guide dressed like Jacqueline Kennedy)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Big Red was his alias

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly a region on the USA's east coast in proximity to Atlantic City, New Jersey;
formerly Armenia

First Appearance: John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#2 (September, 2003)

Powers/Abilities: Large and well-built, Big Red was presumably quite strong, although he preferred to use underlings to follow his orders, shooting whom he instructed and driving his car.

He is experienced at using a handgun.

Wealthy, he wore a lot of gold jewelry, including multiple necklaces and rings as well as a pair of hoop earrings.

Apparently inspired by the movie Saturday Night Fever, he tended to frequently reference disco terms and songs.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'10"; he was a whole head taller than Snake Plissken, who presumably was 5'11", the height of Kurt Russell)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 300 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Bald (black mustache and stubble on chin)

History:

(John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#2 (fb) - BTS) - Sometime around 1988, the Armenian known only as Big Red apparently either fought alongside "Mother Russia" in its alliance with China against the USA or he just knew enough of the war to recognize Snake Plissken as a US war hero.

(John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#2 (fb) - BTS) - Immigrating to the USA and allegedly inspired by life in the movie Saturday Night Fever, Big Red came to be a local crime boss in the vicinity of Atlantic City, New Jersey, achieving wealth, women and fancy cars.

(John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#2 (fb) - BTS) <1997 A.D.> - Big Red charged protection money to local businesses, including the fisherman Ron Hill.

(John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#2 - BTS) - Ron rescued Snake Plissken after he had escaped from an undersea death trap set by his former ally, Marrs. While Plissken sought to use Ron's boat to complete his former mission -- stealing the car in which President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated -- and gain vengeance on Marrs, Ron had declined, not wishing to get involved in crime. As they headed back into Ron's building, Snake prepared to kill Ron and steal his boat.

(John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#2) - Backed by two of his men, Big Red confronted Ron, reminding him that he was to pay him monthly in order to keep living. Ron told Red to drop dead, at which point Red noted Ron's companion, whom he recognized from the war. Pleased that he could make an example of both Ron and this Yankee war hero, Big Red instructed Wilhelm to send Snake to the "big disco ball in the sky."

Informing Big Red, "Death before disco," Snake sliced off Wilhelm's gun hand (with the knife with which he had been going to kill Ron). As he rushed back to his own car, Snake caught Wilhelm's gun and began shooting, Red fled back to his car and ordered his men to kill Snake. As Snake progressively took out Red's men, Red ordered Petrov to run him down. big_red-sp-copter

After Snake hurled a harpoon that slew the approaching Petrov, Big Red ordered his driver to get him out of this "disco inferno," and he drove away.

(John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#2 - BTS) - With his place of business destroyed in the previous conflict and needing to get away from Big Red, Ron accepted Snake's offer.

(John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#3 - BTS) - Snake and Ron stole the car from the Dead Presidents Casino in Atlantic City, bringing with them the tour guide (dressed as Jacqueline Kennedy) for the car's display as the escaped. big_red-sp-crash

(John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#3 - BTS) - As they drove the car onto Ron's ship, Big Red ambushed them, shooting Ron through the chest while his men grabbed "Jackie."

(John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#4) - After Big Red called to the "war hero" to get back on the dock, "Jackie" mocked Big Red, telling him he thought he was so "Saturday Night Fever" but that he was more of a "Thank God It's Friday" type of guy. Smacking her across the face, Big Red told her, "Silence. I not be speaking to you."

     Big Red then told Snake that he would kill the captain first and then the peasant girl (presumably so Snake could watch them die) and then Snake. When Snake got in his face, Big Red told him to back up, as he was not one of the Village People, but Snake --seeing the approaching Atlantic City Police helicopter -- told him that he was screwed.

    As the police shone a bright light on them, distracting Big Red, Snake jumped and pulled his one arm behind his back and then grabbed his gun hand and forced him to shoot his own man Brusilov in the forehead. Big Red apologized to the deceased Brusilov, but the police, hearing the shot fired back at them.

    While his men took bullets, Red futilely complained that this was not how it was supposed to happen, while Snake and "Jackie" got back on Ron's boat and took off. When the police ordered them to stop, Snake fired a harpoon gun into the tail propeller, causing it to crash back into the dock, where Big Red could only comment "My goose is now cooked," before he was presumably killed in the crash and ensuing explosion.



Comments: Created by William O'Neil and Tone Rodriguez under CrossGen Entertainment and Hurricane Entertainment.
    After CrossGen filed for bankruptcy in 2004, Disney purchased CrossGen's assets, and Disney transferred CrossGen to Marvel in 2010.

Earth-81710In 1988 A.D., amidst war between the United States and an alliance of China and the USSR, Manhattan has been converted into a maximum security prison to address a 400% increase in crime. In 1997, decorated war hero and former Special Forces soldier Snake Plissken, who was being imprisoned in Manhattan after being convicted of robbing a Federal Reserve Depository, was granted a pardon in return for rescuing the president. Escape from New York (1981); (Marvel) The Adventures of Snake Plissken #1 (1997)

Continuity Comics Courtesy of Loki:

Given the comics were all written after both movies had come out, and there have been no subsequent movies to potentially contradict anything they established, I think we can assume the comics and movies are the same continuity.

Looking at the Marvel one-shot and the four Crossgen issues, I don't see anything that would prevent them being the same continuity. Based on the Crossgen one starting in New Jersey and with the line "the next day" it looks like that's meant to be what happens immediately after the ending of the original movie, with the one-shot then seeing him having made his way to Chicago.

The Boom Studios series at first glance isn't the same continuity as the other comics, since it very explicitly starts immediately around the end of the first movie, and ends seeming to set Snake up for going into the second movie given he's travelled as far as "New Vegas." However, if we assume that the Marvel one-shot wasn't the immediate sequel to EfNY, but actually a bit later (the comic hints at being immediately after, but doesn't outright say it), and that Snake circled back round to the East Coast during the big time jump between #12 and 13 of the the Boom series, then they could all still fit. Every four issues of the Boom run is a new story, but the ends of #4 and #8 clearly lead directly into the next segment so these are fairly continuous. #12's ending seems to see Snake choosing to quit and go into hiding for a quiet life, giving up fighting, and #13 starts fourteen years later and includes a flashback that seems to follow on from the last page of #12. However, that's not guaranteed, and indeed we could also assume there's a time gap between most of #12 and the last page.

Timeline as best I can see it:

Escape from New York movie, set in 1997
Boom series #1-12 barring the very last page - cutting off prior to that last page would see Snake leaving New York once again
Crossgen run, which starts as "the next day" just outside of NYC.
Big Trouble in Little China crossover, explicitly set in 2001, four years after the first movie. This ends with Snake stuck in another timeline, so there's an unseen adventure where he returns to his home reality.
Marvel's Snake Plissken one-shot, which ends with him suggesting he might go to Cleveland next.
Last page of Boom's #12, where Snake is looking to retire.
Boom's #13-16, which sees him living just outside Cleveland, just like Marvel's one-shot suggested, and ends with him heading towards L.A.
Escape from L.A. movie, set in 2013

There'd be a slight problem with the crossover being set in 2001, since Snake should have retired by 1999 for Boom's gap between #12 and 13 to be the stated fourteen years, but we could assume Snake's retirement wasn't as complete as suggested and that he sometimes returned to action, or that the fourteen years was really 12 OSLT.

As Snake's reality was based on a future projected from the late 1970s to early 1980s, and this story took place in that reality's 1997 or shortly thereafter, we don't know if the USSR was still in existence. Regardless, Armenia at least was part of the USSR.

Captain Ron Hill was presumably a nod to the 1992 movie "Captain Ron," which also featured Kurt Russell.

This profile was completed 07/24/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25^th anniversary 's celebratory event to represent Snake Plissken's stories and characters.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Big Red should be distinguished from:

BIG ROCK ( ) - Maggia, agent of the Top Man--Fantastic Four I#101
BIG ROY ( ) - Super-villain at the Raft, killed by Mr. Hyde during an escape attempt--Thunderbolts II#159
other "Big" or "Red" characters, groups, items, events, races or places...

images: (without ads)
John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#2, pg. 11 (full);
       pg. 12, panel 6 (face);
    #3, last page (squatting down with gun);
    #4, pg. 6, panel 4 (watching helicopter);
       panel 5 (crash/explosion)

Appearances:
John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#2 (September, 2003) - William O'Neil (writer), Tone Rodriguez (penciler), Digital Chameleon (inker), Paul Storrie (copy editor), Jan Utstein-O'Neill (Hurricane CE/editor-in-chief)
John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles#3 (November, 2003) - William O'Neil (writer), Tone Rodriguez (penciler), Kim Werestiuk (inker), Jan Utstein-O'Neill (Hurricane CE/editor-in-chief)

First posted: 09/28/2026
Last updated: 08/21/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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