Newt Plissken

Newt Plissken
Newt artwork from Contra ReBirth.
Alternate name(s)	Chief Salamander
Series	Contra
Role(s)	Military alien soldier Main antagonist (leader of the Neo-Salamander Force)
Affiliation(s)	Contra (infiltrated) Neo-Salamander Force (leader)
Personal information
Species	Alien
Gender	Male
Eyes	Blue
Appearances
Firstappearance	Contra ReBirth (2009)
Appearances	Contra ReBirth

Newt Plissken is a playable character in Contra ReBirth. Although initially posing as a new member of the Contra Force, at the end of the mission he reveals himself to be none other than the leader of the Neo-Salamander Force, Chief Salamander, making him the real main antagonist of the game.

History

Newt Plissken is a reptilian-like alien who joined the Contra resistance force sometime around the year 4444 A.D. He fought alongside a clone of legendary Contra commando Bill Rizer and Genbei Yagyu on a mission to repel an attack from a new alien army known as Neo-Salamander, which had traveled back through time to the year of 1973 on a campaign to attack the Contra Force in a period when their weapons were still no match to theirs.

By their combined efforts, they were able to put an end to Neo-Salamander's evil plans and called the mission a success. However, after Bill was put back into cryostasis (as he initially was prior to the mission), Plissken revealed at gunpoint to the ship's navigator, BR-W9, that he actually was none other than "Chief Salamander", the leader of the Neo-Salamander Force and the mastermind behind all the hostilities, presumably having infiltrated Contra in a covert operation to fight it from the inside.

Seeing herself cornered, BR-W9 offered Plissken to work together instead; whether she was really betraying the Contra Force, or if this was a scheme quickly devised by her to buy some time, or if she was actually proposing him to change his evil ways and permanently join the force, is unknown, as this storyline was never further explored in any sequel (although it should be noted that Contra ReBirth is set in an alternate continuity apart from the established canon).

Notes

• To play as Plissken in Contra ReBirth, beat the game on Normal difficulty.
• Newt Plissken's overall movement speed is slightly faster than any other playable character. This speed increase helps with crossing long gaps.

Gallery

Close-up

An ambiguous photo of Chief Salamander the Galactic President shows Bill during a briefing.

In the Japanese version of Contra ReBirth, Chief Salamander visually resembles Adolf Hitler instead.

Plissken alongside the Contra Force.

Plissken seen during the final communication with the Galactic President.

Plissken unlocked as a playable character.

Audio

Voice clip	Description
	"It's time for revenge!"
	"Let's attack aggressively!"
	DEFEATED

Trivia

• In the Japanese version, Chief Salamander visually resembles former German dictator Adolf Hitler. This was censored out in the North American and European releases, where he appears with a reptilian-like head and right hand, more closely resembling the playable character.
• Plissken's reptilian-like physiology heavily resembles that of the Greeder-like units from the first stage (most likely being the same), foreshadowing him having some sort of connection to the Neo-Salamander Force.
• Plissken's two revival/Player Select phrases, "It's time for revenge!" and "Let's attack aggressively!", are based on Bill Rizer and Lance Bean's famous dialogue from the intro of Contra III: The Alien Wars.
• Plissken bears the distinction of being the Contra series' first playable main antagonist (if not counting Colonel Bahamut, whose a playable incarnation of him appeared in Hard Corps: Uprising).
• The name "Salamander", which is shared between Plissken and his army, is a reference to the Salamander shoot 'em up series, also by Konami.
• The name "Newt" is likely a reference to Rebecca "Newt" Jorden, a character from the Alien franchise, a series that has been of great inspiration to the Contra series.
• The surname "Plissken" is a reference to the character Snake Plissken from the films Escape from New York and Escape from L.A. Furthermore, the post-credits dialogue references the former film's ending.
  • The main protagonist of the Metal Gear series of stealth action games, Solid Snake, at one point used the alias "Iroquois Pliskin", also in reference to the aforementioned film character (with "Snake" itself likely being a double reference). This would be yet another character from a Konami franchise who references this character.
• Plissken makes a guest appearance as a playable character in the "Operation Guns" DLC of the roguelike shoot 'em up game, Vampire Survivors.
  • This marks Plissken's only appearance in a game since his debut in Contra ReBirth.
• Chief Salamander is possibly also a reference to the long running Doctor Who series. In the 1967 episode, "The Enemy of the World", the Doctor gets involved with overthrowing an evil South American dictator named Ramón Salamander. Apart from involving time travel, another similarity to the plot of Contra ReBirth is that Salamander disguises himself as one of the main characters to remain unnoticed.