- "Now who wants to get shit-faced?!"
- — Ellis Robinson
Ellis Robinson is a main character in Mafia III.
History[]
Background[]
Ellis Robinson was born on January 17, 1946, to Sammy and Perla Robinson in Delray Hollow. At the age of 12 his parents took in an orphaned Lincoln Clay, and the two became brothers and close friends. At the age of 15, Ellis' mother Perla passed away, leaving him and Lincoln to be raised by their father.
A few years later, Lincoln enlisted in the U.S. Army, going off to fight in the Vietnam War. During this time Ellis began selling marijuana in the Hollow through his friends Marty Langford and Ron Langford from Empire Bay. These friends later moved into heroin and wanted Ellis to be their distributor in New Bordeaux. Ellis had not told his father about the marijuana, considering it a penny-ante racket, but knew that he could not sell the heroin without Sammy's approval.
Sammy quickly rejected the idea, afraid of the heat it would bring down on them and the impact such a hard drug would have on the neighborhood. Despite his father's objections, he didn't drop the idea, and he spoke with his friend Giorgi Marcano about it. The two decide to go ahead with the plan, deciding to stay away from Delray Hollow and Frisco Fields to go behind their fathers' backs, and especially focusing on the French Ward, where Giorgi's Uncle Lou will keep his mouth shut as long as they give him a taste of the action. This endeavor is still in the planning stage when Lincoln returns from the war.
Lincoln's Return[]
When Lincoln returns home, Ellis picks him up from the Southdowns train station and the two catch up on things as they drive home to Sammy's Bar. Ellis explains that their father has been nervous ever since they got Lincoln's telegram about coming home. He's been worrying about Lincoln's plane crashing, or his train being delayed, or even the Army calling him back. He'd spend hours sipping his whiskey in front of the kitchen window like he was expecting Lincoln to come strolling up the sidewalk.
Ellis mentions his drug deals and their father's objection to the heroin plan. Lincoln agrees, telling Ellis that while Giorgi may be a cool cat, heroin isn't the kiddie pool, and it can easily get them both killed. As they continue to head home, Ellis suggests the two go on a double date to a new club in the French Ward. Lincoln and Ellis joke if the date is with a frumpy aunt of theirs, then Ellis gets serious, saying a girl from the Hollow named Raejeanne has been asking about Lincoln. She has half the guys in the neighborhood asking her out, but she turns them all down, saying she's only interested in Lincoln. Ellis says that once Lincoln gets one look at her, he'll want to dig right in.
Family Issues[]
The two finally make it back home, where Sammy and some friends have gathered at the bar to welcome Lincoln back. After a night of drinking and catching up, the two stagger off to bed. The following morning, Ellis is upset with his father, who's been having money troubles the last few months. In honor of Lincoln's safe return, Sammy has decided to donate a truckload of food to the Warm Hearts Neighborhood Kitchen.
Ellis complains that they barely have two nickels to rub together, and now they're paying for all that food. He believes they wouldn't be in this mess if his father had listened to him in the first place. As they continue arguing, Ellis storms off just as Lincoln enters the room. Sammy tells Lincoln it's nothing he needs to worry about. Father James comes by to collect the food and requests if Lincoln can volunteer. Sammy encourages Lincoln to volunteer, saying he and the Monsignor have not seen each other for a long time and should enjoy the day together.
The Haitians[]
The money troubles the family is having are on account of the Haitian Mob interfering with the Black Lottery. However, when the Haitians go so far as to assault Lincoln by shooting up the community kitchen, Sammy finally agrees with Ellis and decides to deal with them. Ellis wants to sweep the Hollow by tracking down and killing every last one of them, but Sammy disagrees. He believes the last thing the neighborhood needs to see is colored folks killing one another, so he wants it done quietly and away from there. Sammy sends Ellis and Lincoln to kill the Haitian leader Baka at their hideout in Bayou Fantom. When Lincoln says he needs firearms, Sammy provides the number of a man who can supply them, but warns him to call from a phone booth outside of Delray Hollow. Lincoln suggests an amphibious attack on the Haitians' hideout in Bayou Fantom, where Ellis will drop him off by airboat then return with the car on the other side.
After Baka is dealt with, Ellis tells Lincoln that this thing with the Haitians has been weighing on their father. Ellis has been saying for months that they need to deal with this, and he thinks their father has lost his taste for this life. Lincoln tells him that just because a man doesn't rush to violence, it doesn't mean he's lost something. Ellis agrees, saying that he hopes their father outlives them both, but if he doesn't, everyone in the Hollow is going to be looking to them, or gunning for them. He thinks they need to be ready when that day comes.
The Heist[]
After the Haitians are dealt with, Sammy turns his focus to repaying his debt to Sal Marcano. Sal has a plan to rob the Federal Reserve, which should make them all very rich. While Lincoln and Giorgi enter the main building and break into the vault, Ellis and Danny Burke are in the Underground Canals below. They've used an industrial drill supplied by Danny's father to drill a hole through the vault floor. Once that's done, the two above plan to drop the money down to them, and they'll take it out by boat.
The job doesn't go as planned, and they improvise a plan to get Lincoln and Giorgi out of the vault. Danny decides to use some dynamite they brought along to blow the hole in the floor bigger, allowing them to escape into the canals with them. The blast is larger than expected, and they end up bringing the whole vault down on top of them, pinning Danny's leg under the rubble. They surface from the sewers in the French Ward in the middle of the Mardi Gras festivities, and then have to flee the New Bordeaux Police. Despite all the setback, the heist is a success, and they all meet back at Sammy's Bar to celebrate.
Death[]
As they celebrate their new wealth, Sal Marcano arrives with his son Giorgi and Ritchie Doucet to collect his cut of the money. After they all share a drink to their success, the Marcanos turn on them. Giorgi shoots Lincoln in the head, leaving him for dead, before turning his gun on Danny Burke. Ritchie Doucet pulls out a knife and stabs Ellis repeatedly in the stomach, killing him, while Sammy is shot and killed by Sal Marcano. Giorgi then sets fire to the bar as they leave with the money. Soon after the fire, Father James lays Ellis and Sammy to rest along with Perla in the Robinson family tomb at the Delray Hollow Cemetery.
Appearances[]
Mafia III[]
- The Home Fires Burn (Killed)
- Thicker Than Blood (Flashback)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- A mural of Perla, Sammy, and Ellis will be added to the wall of Sammy's Bar when Lincoln renovates it.
- A portrait of Ellis posing with his father can also be added to Sammy's during the renovation, being placed behind the bar.