Menace II Society / Characters

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Main Characters

Caine

Kaydee "Caine" Lawson

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlc_mtvcizjolh.png

"My grandpa asked me one time, if I cared whether I lived or died. Yeah, I do. Now it's too late."

Portrayed By: Tyrin Turner

"Went into the store just to get a beer; came out an accessory to murder and armed robbery. It was funny like that in the hood sometimes. You never knew what was gonna happen, or when. After that, I knew it was gonna be a long summer."

The film's protagonist. Caine is a young man living in the ghetto of Watts, California, recently having graduated from high school. Growing up with a junkie mother and a drug-dealing, gunslinging father, it's no surprise he grew up to be a drug dealer and gangster in his own right. People in his life are nudging him to not waste his potential in the hood, while others encourage him to give into the streets. He struggles with his consciousness throughout the whole summer.

Anti-Villain: Caine after a certain point has been completely corrupted by the streets, but he still genuinely looks out for the woman he loves, Ronnie, and her son, Anthony, even committing some crimes specifically to make money for them, even if Ronnie doesn't accept it.
Character Development: As he gets into more trouble and his romance with Ronnie develops, Caine starts to realize that the hood isn't as glamorous as he once thought. The exact moment he turns his life around could arguably be seen during the party at Ronnie's house, in which he denies Anthony the chance to drink beer, like he got to as a child.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: Shielding Anthony with his body when Ilena's cousin and his gang shoot at him could've easily increased the risk of Anthony getting shot considering they were clearly aiming at Caine and not Anthony.
Died in Your Arms Tonight: In Stacy's.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He clearly cares deeply for his grandparents, Ronnie, Anthony, and his friends from the hood.
Even Evil Has Standards: Not really evil per se, but he doesn't want any collateral damage as he gets revenge on Harold's murderers, specifically children or the elderly. He also shows utter disgust at O-Dog for constantly showing the videotape of the Korean store murders and robbery, notably being the only one not laughing and angrily shoving away O-Dog's hand when he tried to give him a handshake on one occasion while showing the tape to his friends.
Foil: To Tre Styles. As explained by the Hughes Brothers, the film itself was made to be the Spiritual Antithesis of Boyz N The Hood, so it's only natural that the protagonists would also be direct archetypes of each other.
- Tre had the privilege of being raised by a smart, loving father who was very involved in his life and guidance. Caine had a drug-dealing murderer of a father who died very early into his life, and while he was sent to be raised by his loving grandparents, he still grew up with a toxic father in an even worse environment than Tre to the point where his grandfather's advice is null and void.
- Tre is a pretty dorky guy, most likely due to his bookworm father, and sticks out like a sore thumb alongside most of his friends, who are hardened gangsters. Caine by the Time Skip is selling drugs, and is therefore able to blend in with the thugs very easily.
- Tre has no blood on his hands and was denied his first chance to kill somebody, even denying his second chance last minute. Caine has killed at least one person before, even if it didn't bring him much enjoyment.
- Tre by the end of his story leaves the Hood and moves to Atlanta with Brandi and they attend different colleges. Caine plans to straighten his life by moving to Atlanta with Ronnie and Anthony but ends up getting murdered on the very day he was leaving.
Generation Xerox: He's a direct parallel to his father, selling drugs, robbing, and killing people.
Harmful to Minors: He was raised around his drug-dealer father murdering people and his junkie mother shooting up heroin, most of it his father's own, which got her beaten up. They both died when he was young. Into his adulthood, Caine casually teaches Anthony how to use a gun.
Heel Realization: Caine realizes late into the movie that his criminal ways will eventually get him arrested or killed, and that he should start over in Atlanta with Ronnie.
- Heel–Face Door-Slam: He is unfortunately shot and killed before he can leave Watts.
Heroic Sacrifice: He rushes to shield Anthony from gunfire when Ilena's cousin and his gang fire at him.
Like Father, Like Son: Caine turns out pretty similarly to his father, though nowhere near as Ax-Crazy.
The Lost Lenore: For Ronnie by the end of the film.
Morality Pet: Ronnie and Anthony are pretty much the only things keeping him a semi-decent person. His grandparents could also count.
Morton's Fork: Caine was doomed either way. Even if he had, say, left a day earlier, even before he stomped out Ilena's cousin, he would still be wanted by the police after they find out about his presence at the scene of O-Dog's murder and robbery of the Korean store couple.
My Life Flashed Before My Eyes: He experiences this while he dies at the end of the film.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Stomping out Ilena's cousin makes said cousin come back with some goons and murder him in a drive-by. Some could say getting involved with Ilena at all was his undoing, as she's a known floozy.
- He also decides to beat up Ilena's cousin when, unbeknownst to him, O-Dog was reaching for his gun. Had he waited a bit longer, O-Dog could've killed Ilena's cousin and, presumably (as in, hypothetically-speaking, word doesn't get back to Ilena's cousin's gang and they take revenge), he would still be alive. Then again, read Morton's Fork above.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: He delivers a vicious one to Ilena's cousin, curb-stomp style.
Parental Substitute: To Anthony, as Pernell is serving a life sentence. Could double as a Promotion to Parent after he starts dating Ronnie.
Protagonist Journey to Villain: The film is all about his corruption living in the ghetto.
Redemption Equals Death: He has an epiphany after some heartfelt conversations with Ronnie and Pernell, and decides to leave the criminal life behind to leave with Ronnie and Anthony to Atlanta. Ilena's cousin kills him before that can happen.
Those Two Guys: Usually with O-Dog, but otherwise with Sharif.
Trauma Conga Line: His whole life is just one tragic event after another.
Vengeance Feels Empty: Caine kills at least one of Harold's murderers, but it doesn't satisfy him at all, and keeps him up at night.
Villain Protagonist: He's the protagonist of the film, but he's definitely not a good guy. Then again, who really is in the ghetto?
Would Not Hurt A Child: He makes it clear during his revenge quest that he doesn't want to kill or even harm any kids.

O-Dog

Kevin "O-Dog" Anderson

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlc_ibs2y5q8gd.png

"Nigga, I'll smoke anybody, nigga, I just don't give a fuck."

Portrayed By: Larenz Tate

"..What you say about my mama? You feel sorry for WHO?!"

Caine's best friend. He is, as Caine describes him, "young, black, and [doesn't] give a fuck", being "America's nightmare". True to his description, he is an unrepentant, sociopathic thug who murders people for fun and looks for any reason to do so.

Ax-Crazy: He'll murder anyone without much provocation.
Bash Brothers: With Caine.
Berserk Button: As volatile as he already is, killing people without much provocation, insulting his mother or offering him homosexual favors are the cause of two of his murders over the film. It also seemed like he was ready to kill Ilena's cousin when he threatened Caine.
The Dreaded: Much like DeVito, everybody is terrified of O-Dog's mere presence and for a very good reason. The Korean store clerk and his wife are visibly uneasy around him and the former becomes deadly afraid after unintentionally insulting him. O-Dog's closest friends are similarly wary of him due to his callousness and unpredictability, especially whenever O-Dog is jokingly pointing a gun at them for fun.
Even Evil Has Standards: Mostly, and horrifyingly averted. Aside from being genuinely devastated over Caine & Sharif's fate in the ending, O-Dog is almost entirely out of touch with human decency. To the extent that he watches a tape of himself murdering a couple for fun and proudly claims that he'll "smoke anybody", including kids and old people.
Expy: He was intentionally designed to be this film's version of Tommy DeVito.
Foil: Just like Caine is to Tre Styles, O-Dog is this to Doughboy.
- Doughboy was a bit chubby, hence his nickname, but makes up for it with his Stout Strength. He was also a pretty decent person, gang activity aside. O-Dog is Lean and Mean with barely any sympathetic qualities.
- Doughboy would only kill people who do him or anyone he cares about wrong, as in threatening or committing actual violence. O-Dog will kill anybody without much provocation.
- Doughboy could be a bit fierce but was mostly easygoing and reserved. O-Dog is Hot-Blooded and Ax-Crazy.
- Doughboy understands when Tre asks to get out of the car when they ride around looking for Ricky's murderers, knowing that he's not cut out for that life. O-Dog loudly barks at Caine for setting reasonable moral boundaries in their revenge plot, and warns him not to "[act] like no pussy".
- Doughboy is sadly murdered two weeks after getting revenge on his brother's murderers. O-Dog gets sent to jail for his murder of the Korean store couple.
Karma Houdini: He never has to answer for his crimes. He was brought in for questioning about the Korean store murders but was let go due to lack of evidence and him still being a minor.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: Amongst all of the flashbacks Caine has in his final moments, the sole new scene has O-Dog finally being arrested for the robbery.
The Lancer: To Caine.
Morality Pet: Caine, even though he's a thug just like him. He's also noticeably softer around Caine's grandparents and Ronnie, though these are all pretty downplayed considering none of them stop O-Dog from being a monster.
Rage Breaking Point: The Korean store owner's comment about his mother. Based on O-Dog's comments ("Always think we gonna steal something.." and "Every time I come around this motherfucker.."), him and his wife have been harassing the pair for a while, so this comment was just the boiling point.
The Sociopath: He clearly takes great joy in causing chaos and taking lives. A videotape of him murdering an innocent married couple is casual entertainment for him.
Those Two Guys: With Caine.
Undying Loyalty: To Caine. He'll do anything for him at the drop of a hat, and wastes no time shooting back at his murderers.
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: He was about to shoot Ilena's cousin when he comes to the hood starting trouble, but Caine literally takes matters into his own hands and beats him up. Even after Caine is done beating Ilena's cousin up, O-Dogg just gives him one last stomp and leaves.
Younger Than They Look: He's still a minor despite looking 18 at least. Larenz Tate actually was around O-Dog's age by the time of filming, being 17 during production and 18 by the time of release.

Ronnie

Portrayed By: Jada Pinkett

Pernell's ex-girlfriend. She lives in a house he bought for her, along with their son, Anthony. She's been looking after Pernell's prodige, Caine, and is slowly developing feelings for him. She wants to convince Caine to leave the hood behind with her and Anthony.

All Girls Want Bad Boys: Despite her disapproving of the criminal lifestyle, both of her romantic pursuits are with unrepentant thugs.
I Can Change My Beloved: Pernell is jailed for life, and only comes around when he's locked up. Similarly, Caine eventually realizes through her that the criminal life isn't a life worth living, but by the time he's ready for that fresh start, he is shot and killed.
The Lost Lenore: She loses Caine in the ending of the film.
Love Redeems: This could be what she was trying to invoke on Pernell and Caine, as they are two thugs with sympathetic qualities.
Morality Pet: To Caine, alongside Anthony. He often slips them money, which she turns away because it's unclean.
Only Sane Woman: She noticeably has her head on straight amongst all of the thugs she hangs out with.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: "Good" in that both Pernell and Caine have a Hidden Heart of Gold that she can see.

Anthony

Anthony Richards

Portrayed By: Julian Roy Doster

Pernell and Ronnie's young son. Caine likes to get him toys and look after him in the same way Pernell looked after him as a child. On the flip side of that parallel, Anthony is slowly becoming a tad bit too curious in the way the hood lifestyle works..

Broken Bird: One Missing Trailer Scene has Anthony bawling his eyes out after seeing Caine get shot and killed. It would be a miracle if this doesn't scar him for life.
Children Are Innocent: But children don't stay innocent for very long in the ghetto. Anthony seems to be on his way to becoming the new Caine.
Expy: In-Universe, he is one to a younger Caine. His story arc is very reminiscent of Caine's when he was his age. He even asks to use a gun and to take a swig of beer much like Caine did.
Harmful to Minors: The hood is no place to raise a child, and both of his parents know that. This is exactly why Pernell approves of Caine leaving with Ronnie to Atlanta.
History Repeats: It seems like Caine's story is being set up to be repeated with Anthony.
Like Father, Like Son: It's implied that Anthony will turn out exactly like both his biological father and his father figure.
Morality Pet: To Caine, alongside his mother. Caine does most of his criminal activities to make money for them.
Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Anthony is very interested in Caine's hood pursuits, asking to play with a real gun and to have a drink of beer.

Sharif

Sharif Butler

Portrayed By: Vonte Sweet

A former thug and reborn Muslim who hangs out with his friends from his knucklehead days.

The Atoner: He realized eventually that the gang life was wrong and found Allah. He is trying to get his friends to follow in his footsteps but to no avail, except for Caine, in a way.
Fatal Flaw: Sharif saw the lifestyle he once lived for what it was and left it behind, as in he stopped engaging in criminal activities but he still hangs out with the thugs. He speaks about leaving to Kansas with Stacy but never does it by the end of the film, which costs him his life.
For Want Of A Nail: If he had left the hood with Stacy earlier, or just disassociated with his friends even sooner than that, he would've still been alive.
Malcolm Xerox: He's always pushing his Muslim beliefs on his friends, who couldn't care less and often tell him to put a cork in it.
Those Two Guys: Usually with Stacy, but otherwise with Caine.

Stacy

Portrayed By: Ryan Williams

One of Caine's friends. He used to play football, and plans to pick it back up in Kansas, moving there with Sharif. He tries to convince Caine to come along, but he refuses.

The Big Guy: He's a big dude, as expected from a footballer.
Fluffy the Terrible: "Stacy" is not the kind of name you'd expect from a big black guy.
The Generic Guy: He's not the most developed member of the bunch. He's mostly just a laid-back, normal guy.
Only Sane Man: He shares this role with Sharif and by extension, Ronnie, being the only people in the crew trying to convince Caine not to waste his potential in the hood and leave.
Please, Don't Leave Me: He tells Caine to hold on and "fight it", as he bleeds out and dies in his arms.
Where da White Women At?: He wants to settle down with a white woman when he gets to Kansas.

Chauncey

Portrayed By: Clifton Powell

One of the local thugs and a... "friend" of Caine's. He spends most of his time lounging around while the others do all the dirty work.

Chekhov's Gunman: He bought the robbery tape off of O-Dog earlier and turns it over to the police after Caine beats him up.
Hero Killer: In a way. He's not the cause of Caine's death, but he would've been responsible for his arrest. He is responsible for O-Dog's arrest, though.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Absolutely nobody likes him, and everybody is constantly insulting him to his face.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: He tries to sexually harass Ronnie in front of the entire party, even Caine.
Sore Loser: He doesn't take his well-deserved beating like a man, instead deciding to get Caine and O-Dog arrested with the robbery tape.
The Stool Pigeon: He sells out Caine and O-Dog to the police after the former beats him up in front of everybody.

Pernell

James "Pernell" Richards

Portrayed By: Glenn Plummer

An OG and someone who looked after Caine when his parents wouldn't. He was Ronnie's boyfriend and the father of their son, Anthony. He's currently serving a life sentence.

Amicable Exes: Averted. He seems to still hold feelings for Ronnie, but Ronnie barely wants to speak with him.
The Atoner: He clearly isn't proud of his days as a gangster, not like it matters much, as he's doomed to serve a life sentence.
Expy: Of Glenn Plummer's most famous role, OG Bobby Johnson.
Open-Minded Parent: He's perfectly fine with Caine's romance with Ronnie, as there's not much he can do about it. He believes Caine to be a better boyfriend and father than he ever was, and encourages him to leave with his family.
Parental Substitute: He looked out for Caine when his parents neglected him. For that, Caine feels as though he owes him a great debt.

Other Characters

Korean Store Couple

'Portrayed By: Toshi Toda (husband) and June Kyoto Lu (wife)

A Korean couple who runs a convenience store in Watts. They are extremely suspicious of Caine and O-Dog when they come in to do business, with the wife "cleaning up" just to stalk them and the husband clearly feeling threatened by their presence. One slick comment costs them their lives.

Asian Store-Owner: Koreans, as per usual for '90s South Central.
For Want Of A Nail: All the husband had to do was reserve that comment for when O-Dog was out of earshot.
Small Role, Big Impact: They die in the prologue, but their murders and the subsequent robbery is what gets O-Dog booked, and most likely would've gotten Caine too had he not died right before.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: The husband's snark about O-Dog's mother gets both him and his wife killed. Based on O-Dog's comments, they've both been harassing him and Caine long before that fateful night.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Their deaths are the first in a long list of them, and they only have a brief exchange with Caine and O-Dog beforehand.

Caine's Parents

Tat and Karen Lawson

Portrayed By: Samuel L. Jackson (Tat) and Khandi Alexander (Karen)

Caine's late mother and father. Tat is a scary, brutish man who sells drugs and takes his money very seriously. Karen is a heroin junkie who usually uses up her husband's supply, which makes him beat her up.

Awful Wedded Life: They don't have the most healthy relationship in the world.
Berserk Button: Doesn't appreciate people coming up short on his money and especially having the nerve to disrespect him afterwards.
Drugs Are Bad: Karen is absolutely hooked on heroin, and it's made her a disheveled, shaky wreck.
Harmful to Minors: Just as you'd expect from a murderous drug dealer and a heroin junkie. Tat shoots a man dead in front of his young son, though, to be fair, he didn't know he was there at the time.
Karmic Death: Tat's eventual death could be seen this way.
Messy Hair: Karen's hair is wild and ungroomed.
Revolvers Are Just Better: Tat owns a Colt Detective Special, which he uses to fill some poor sap with lead. His badassery causes him to shoot two more bullets than the six-round chamber would allow.
Scary Black Man: Did you expect any different from Samuel L. Jackson?
Stress Vomit: Karen hurls into a sink after watching her husband shoot somebody dead.
There's No Kill like Overkill: Tat shoots a man who owes him money with eight bullets, taunting him the entire time. Notably, his gun was a six-shooter. He must've been pretty angry.

Caine's Grandparents

Thomas and Mrs. Lawson

Portrayed By: Arnold Johnson (Thomas) and Marilyn Coleman (Mrs. Lawson)

Caine's grandmother and grandfather. He was sent to live with them after his father's death. It was supposed to be temporary, but then his mother died.

As the Good Book Says...: Thomas loves to quote Bible passages, usually to make a profound statement.
Get Out!: When Thomas realizes that Caine is far too dangerous to keep inside his house, he kicks him out.
Good Parents: Or grandparents, rather. They clearly have Caine's best interests at heart and show nothing but love and kindness towards him.
No Name Given: Mrs. Lawson is only ever referred to as "Grandmama".

Harold

Harold Lawson

Portrayed By: Saafir

Caine's cousin. He met up with Caine at a party, and took a drive with him down Crenshaw, only to be met with some thugs attempting to steal his car. He refuses to budge, and gets shot for his trouble.

Pride: This is his undoing. He refuses to "go out like a chump", so he spends way too much time trying to pull a gun on the gangsters which gets him killed.
Small Role, Big Impact: His death encourages Caine to get revenge, resulting in his first (and only) kill and a major factor of his indoctrination into the hood.
Tempting Fate: He gets filled with bullets after refusing to just get out of the damn car. Then again, who knows if those friendly gentlemen would've just let him and Caine on their way if they complied.
There's No Kill like Overkill: One of the thugs empties pretty much an entire pistol magazine into his skull.
Too Dumb to Live: He doesn't give up his car to the gangsters, instead attempting to pull out a gun as slow as possible while there's a pistol and a shotgun aimed at his head.

A-Wax

"A-Wax"

Portrayed By: MC Eiht

One of the OGs and Caine's friends. He's a fun-loving, laid-back dude who spends most of his time gambling, selling drugs, and kicking back with the crew. After Caine recovers from his shooting, he tags along with him and O-Dog to get revenge.

Even Evil Has Standards: He's a bit disturbed by O-Dog's murder of a basehead.
Hand Cannon: He wields a Desert Eagle when he gets revenge on Harold's murderers. If you look closely, it blows out his victim's fucking heart.
Hypocrite: Downplayed. He beats up a basehead for coming up short, but he is disgusted by O-Dog killing him. Then again, who wouldn't be?
Jerkass: He's not a pleasant guy. He's seen badmouthing a gas station worker, hassling and beating up a basehead for coming up short on his money, and he apparently cheated on his girlfriend. Oh, and he's a cold-blooded murderer.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He forces a hospital worker to get Caine some medical assistance for his wounds faster than he would've gotten it otherwise, assists Caine in getting revenge on his cousin's murderers, and is shockingly disgusted by O-Dog's murder of a basehead.
Pet the Dog: In a way, his assistance in Caine getting revenge on Harold's murderers can be seen as this, as Caine has never killed anybody before. He also forced a hospital worker to get Caine some medical attention when he was bleeding heavily from his shooting.
Shmuck Bait: He creeps up to one of the thugs who killed Harold as he limps away, asking if he needs help. What better help than an entire Desert Eagle magazine to the chest?
There's No Kill like Overkill: He empties an entire Desert Eagle magazine into one of Harold's murderers.
Verbal Tic: "Gyeah". This is a trait he shares with his actor, MC Eiht, as well as pretty much every other character he plays, such as a certain other Jheri-curled gang member.

The Carjackers

The gang members who robbed Caine and Harold. They blow Harold's brains all over the windshield and hit Caine with some strays before riding off. They get their just desserts when Caine returns with the help of O-Dog and A-Wax.

Asshole Victim: Who's missing these guys? The restaurant employee screams her head off watching Caine and O-Dog kill one of them, but it's very likely it's just the very deed that's horrifying to her and not the fact that he's dead.
Hate Sink: They rob Caine and his cousin Harold for the latter's car, kill him for refusing to get out, shoot Caine, and bother a female restaurant worker for some free food all while calling her every misogynistic name in the book. Clearly some upstanding gentlemen.
He-Man Woman Hater: Their second scene involves them harassing a female restaurant employee, forcing her to serve them some free food and calling her slurs when she refuses.
Jerkass: They rob some random person, Harold, for his car, for absolutely no reason, and kill him for refusing to cooperate, right in front of his cousin. They also harass an innocent female restaurant worker.
Karmic Death: Caine returns with O-Dog and A-Wax, brutally murdering both of them.

Basehead

Portrayed By: Dwayne Barnes

Some basehead who hangs around Caine and his friends. He's usually short on funds but that doesn't stop him from begging for a handout. O-Dog takes particular offense to him offering some sexual favors as payment and shoots him dead, stealing the cheeseburgers that he previously offered.

Comically Small Bribe: He tries to buy drugs off of A-Wax with two dollars. A-Wax wants twenty. Later, he tries to buy some off of O-Dog with some double cheeseburgers. His last offer:
"Man, man, I'll suck yo' dick.. c'mon, man, just hook me up.."
Drugs Are Bad: He's horrifically skinny, has awful dental hygiene, and is willing to give up food he should definitely be eating or even perform oral sex to gain access to more drugs.
Easily Forgiven: Despite A-Wax beating him up earlier, he still decides to hang around the gang. He also decides to pester O-Dog for drugs later, which costs him his life.
Poor Judge of Character: He actually seems to believe A-Wax and O-Dog would take his ridiculous payment methods. He's especially out of his tree to put his faith in the latter, and if that wasn't bad enough, he offers sexual favors to him. This gets him killed.

The Detective/Interrogator

The Detective

Portrayed By: Bill Duke

A detective who interrogates Caine about the Korean store incident. He picks him apart rather easily and smugly.

Awesomeness by Analysis: He does a spectacular job poking holes in Caine's alibi, tricking him into slipping up by changing the times of the incident.
By-the-Book Cop: In stark contrast to the Dirty Cops who beat up Caine and Sharif later.
Hero Antagonist: He comes very close to getting Caine locked up and very well could've had there been more evidence at the time. However, he is simply an officer of the law doing his job, and Caine, despite not doing anything wrong at the scene of this particular crime, is at this point an unrepentant criminal.
Scary Black Man: Oh, yes, he is. Even Caine seems afraid of him.
Sophisticated as Hell:
"Now listen here, you little bitch.."

Ilena

Portrayed By: Erin Wiley Sands

A young woman Caine flirts with at a barbecue. He has a one night stand with her and doesn't hear from her again until she calls him with news that she's pregnant. Caine denies that the baby is his, which breaks her heart and causes her to inform her cousin about the situation.

Armor-Piercing Question: Whether she was right or not about Caine being her baby's father, this question that she asks is pretty scathing:
"So, what, you man enough to take a life, you ain't man enough to take care of one?"
Everyone Has Standards: She knows her cousin is trying to murder Caine and unsuccessfully tries to stop him. Even if she doesn't love Caine anymore, she either a) doesn't want violence to ensue, or b) doesn't want her child to grow up without a father.
Really Gets Around: According to several of Caine's friends, Ilena is quite promiscuous. This is why Caine doubts that her baby is his.
Small Role, Big Impact: Caine's encounter with her seems like some random event of no real significance, until she rings Caine later about her pregnancy. Caine's denial of his possible paternity is what directly leads to Ilena's cousin coming to check him, later returning with some goons to kill him.
Who's Your Daddy?: It's never known whether her baby actually was Caine's or belonged to one of her many previous partners. Her strong belief that it was Caine's is what leads to his death.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Her angst over Caine dropping her like a bad habit is what leads to her cousin murdering him and even Sharif, someone who had nothing to do with any of that.

Ilena's cousin

Ilena's Cousin

Portrayed By: Samuel Monroe Jr.

Ilena's cousin. He gets word that Caine abandoned her and the baby and wants to check him. He gets his ass beaten for his trouble. He later gets his revenge by murdering Caine and Sharif with his boys.

The Bad Guy Wins: He successfully kills Caine after skipping out on his cousin and beating him up.
Curb-Stomp Battle: On the receiving end of it, dished out by Caine, the very same person he tried to give this to.
Dirty Coward: The only way he gets back at Caine after he beats the living shit out of him is by shooting him to death.
Hero Antagonist: Subverted. He's introduced as a person who's rightfully angry with the treatment of his cousin and her baby by Caine, but then he decides to kill him even after he turned his life around.
Hero Killer: He and his gang murder both Caine and Sharif.
Idiot Ball: Going into an unfamiliar hood looking for someone you didn't even know ("Which one of y'all is Caine?") with no weapons or backup was not the wisest choice. Unfortunately for Caine and Sharif, he learned from this error by the end and returned with both.
Jerkass Has a Point: He's perfectly justified in being pissed with Caine for treating his cousin like a piece of meat and especially for skipping out on a child that might be his. That's where his sympathetic qualities end.
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: He seems like he has some humanity in him with the way he's livid over some thug treating his cousin like a floozy and leaving her with a baby that could be his. However, he decides to murder said possible baby daddy because he beat him up, even after Ilena begs him not to.
Karma Houdini: Because the film ends the way it does, we never know if he gets arrested for his murders of Caine and Sharif. The only people left alive who might know what he looks like is Anthony, who might be too traumatized to give a proper description, and O-Dog, who was arrested some time later and it's never stated whether or not he informed about it.
Sore Loser: Much like Chauncey, he doesn't take his ass beating with dignity and instead decides to come back with some gangbangers to murder Caine.
Would Hurt a Child: It's not clear whether or not he or his goons would've shot Anthony. Anthony was closer to the car than Sharif or Caine, and yet they're the only ones who get shot. They also seem to start ignoring Caine once he covers Anthony, instead shooting at Ronnie's house and O-Dog, who's shooting back.

Characters / Menace II Society

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