Arthur Bishop

**Arthur Bishop**, sometimes referred as the **Mechanic** as his job title, is the titular villainous protagonist and the main character in the *Mechanic* film franchise. He is portrayed by actor Jason Statham in the 2011 film and *Mechanic: Resurrection*, and Charles Bronson in the 1972 film.

He is a highly skilled hitman who specializes in making his kills appear as accidents or natural causes. Throughout the series, Bishop is shown to be a methodical and meticulous assassin, often taking on dangerous and difficult jobs for wealthy and powerful clients.

## Throughout Mechanic

Arthur is not only the sole character to appear in all three films of the franchise, but he is also the only character to appear in the 2011 film and its sequel. Note that the 2011 film is a remake of the 1972 film, so the biographies tend to be similar.

### The Mechanic (1972)

Being a highly skilled contract killer, known as "the mechanic," he works for a secretive international criminal organization that imposes strict rules. Despite his lavish lifestyle, which includes listening to classical music, collecting art, and enjoying fine wines, Bishop is a solitary figure who cannot show emotions or trust others due to the emotional pressure of his profession. He even takes anti-depressants for depression and resorts to paying a call girl for a simulated romantic relationship.

Bishop's life changes when he is assigned to assassinate "Big Harry" McKenna, one of the organization's leaders. Bishop fakes a sniper attack, causing Harry to suffer a fatal heart attack while running away. At Harry's funeral, Bishop meets his narcissistic, ruthless, and ambitious son Steve, who becomes intrigued by Bishop's skills. Bishop sees potential in Steve and agrees to train him, teaching him that every person has a weakness that makes them easy to kill.

However, Bishop did not obtain his superiors' prior approval for involving Steve in the assassination. Following a botched job, the organization warns Bishop that he has been deemed selfish. Despite this warning, Bishop involves Steve in a mission in Italy but discovers that Steve has a file containing information about Bishop, much like the files Bishop prepares for his targets.

Despite his reservations, Bishop allows Steve to accompany him to Italy, where they are ambushed by their supposed target. The duo fights back, killing their attackers, but Steve poisons Bishop's celebratory wine with a deadly alkaloid, causing Bishop's demise. Steve taunts Bishop, revealing that he had not been ordered to kill him but rather acted out of revenge for his father's death. Steve returns to Bishop's home to retrieve a car, only to find a note warning of a deadly trap that ultimately kills him.

### The Mechanic (2011)

Being a renowned hitman who carried out his work with precision and efficiency, his latest assignment involved drowning a Colombian cartel boss in his own pool, a task that he executed flawlessly. Upon returning home to Louisiana, Bishop met with his friend and mentor Harry McKenna, who paid him for his work. However, Bishop was shocked to learn that his next assignment was to kill Harry himself. His employer, Dean, confirmed the contract's legitimacy over the phone and Bishop requested a face-to-face meeting.

During the meeting, Dean revealed that only he and Harry knew the details of a failed mission in South Africa, where several assassins were killed. Harry had been paid for the contract details, and Bishop reluctantly killed him with his own gun, making it look like a carjacking. At Harry's funeral, Bishop encountered his son Steve, who attempted to take revenge on a would-be carjacker.

Feeling responsible for Steve, Bishop took him under his wing and trained him as a hitman. He instructed Steve to take a chihuahua with him to a coffee shop every day at the same time and escalated their training from there. Their first joint contract involved killing Burke, whom Steve ended up killing in a fight, deviating from Bishop's instructions.

Dean disapproved of Bishop's usage of Steve, which violated the rules of contract arrangement. Bishop's next assignment was to kill cult leader Andrew Vaughn, but they were discovered and forced into a shootout with the guards. After the hit, Bishop learned that Dean was behind the South Africa mission and Harry's death. He was ambushed by Dean's henchmen and helped Steve to kill his attackers before discovering that Steve had been ambushed too.

After Bishop helped Steve, he found his father's gun and realized that Bishop had killed Harry. Steve killed Dean in an ambush and drove away with Bishop's Jaguar, which was rigged with a bomb. Bishop's house was destroyed in an explosion, but he was revealed to have escaped before it happened. Steve died in the explosion, but Bishop left him a note explaining the truth and that he was alive. Bishop got into a spare truck and drove away.

### Mechanic: Resurrection

Being a skilled assassin who had faked his own death, he had been living in Rio de Janeiro under the name Santos. He is approached by a courier, Renee Tran, who knows his true identity and wants Bishop to kill three targets and stage their deaths as accidents. Bishop manages to escape and flees to Thailand, seeking refuge at the beach house of his friend, Mei. Mei informs Bishop that Tran works for Riah Crain.

While staying with Mei, Bishop rescues a bruised woman, Gina Thornton, who was being beaten by a man on a nearby boat. Bishop and Mei rescue Thornton, but the man accidentally dies during the rescue. Bishop suspects that Thornton is connected to Crain and that she was used to lure him into taking the assassination jobs. Bishop and Thornton develop a romantic relationship, but Crain's mercenaries abduct them.

Crain holds Thornton hostage to ensure Bishop completes the assassinations. Bishop successfully completes the first two jobs, and for the final job, he teams up with Max Adams, an American arms dealer, to take down Crain. Bishop fakes Adams' death and reports his success to Crain, who directs him to the submarine pen to find Adams' body. However, Bishop had escaped and secured Crain to the boat with a metal chain before detonating it.

Thornton returns to Cambodia to continue teaching at a children's shelter while Bishop joins her there. Adams discovers how Bishop survived and destroys the evidence as a token of gratitude for sparing his life and enabling him to monopolize the arms trade by taking market share from Bishop's main victims. Bishop and Thornton continue their life together while staying under the radar.

## Appearances

* *The Mechanic (1972)*
* *The Mechanic (2011)*
* *Mechanic: Resurrection*