The Torso is the ghost of Jimmy "The Gambler" Gambino, and the second ghost to be featured in The Black Zodiac.
Biography
Life
Jimmy Gambino was obsessed with gambling, and would spend his days at the track instead of at school, and his nights gambling in seedy bars. Jimmy eventually opened his own booking business, and developed a reputation due to his refusal to turn down a bet.
Jimmy's inability to turn down a bet eventually caught the attention of Larry "Finger" Vatelo, who bet heftily on a boxing match. Jimmy agreed, and sealed his fate. When Jimmy's fighter was defeated, he fainted.
When Jimmy awakened, Larry and his gang arrived to collect Larry's winning from Jimmy. But because Jimmy was cleaned out, instead, they cut Jimmy's body up, wrapped the pieces in cellophane and dumped them into the ocean.
The symbol of the Torso.
After Death
Following his death, Jimmy's spirit remained bound to earth, and was captured by Cyrus Kriticos to become The Torso. The Torso was then moved to the basement of Basileus's Machine with the other eleven ghosts.
The Torso is the fourth ghost to be released. He appears before Bobby Kriticos in the basement, scaring him off.
Later, a Latin chant causes The Torso, along with the other eleven ghosts, to go to the center of the machine and power it up. When The Torso and the other ghosts are freed from Cyrus's trance, they throw Cyrus into a rotating crest of rings. The house then explodes, destroying its walls and freeing The Torso and the other eleven ghosts.
Trivia
- The video narrated by Cyrus that explains The Torso's backstory states that he was killed by Larry "The Finger" Vatello, his gang and his fighter right after he came to from fainting when he lost the bet. However, most other, less direct sources state that he was killed when he tried to renege his bet with Larry and slip out of town.
- The sounds that signal the Torso's presence are muffled screams.
- In the film, The Torso was portrayed by Daniel Wesley, a double amputee.
- The Latin inscription beneath The Torso's symbol in The Arcanum, "Truncus," translates to "Trunk", which is another name for the human torso.
- The Torso appears to be one of the weaker ghosts encountered, as he can't harm anyone, as he's never seen harming anyone.
- He is the second male ghost to appear in the zodiac.
- His ghost file is represented by poker cards.