Characters Starter Villain John Scalzi

Tobias the Stabber: The Man Behind the Knife

Overview

Tobias Paris, known to most as Tobias the Stabber, is a professional assassin working within the world of super-villainy in Starter Villain. He first appears as an anonymous figure sent to confirm Jake Baldwin’s death by stabbing the corpse, but over the course of the story he is revealed to be a triple agent: ostensibly working for various members of the Lombardy Convocation, he ultimately answers to Mathilda Morrison and Anton Dobrev. Tobias is a pragmatic, skilled killer who values his own survival and his relationship with Morrison above loyalty to any single employer. His actions serve as a bridge between the novel’s comic moments and its violent, high-stakes conspiracy.

Plot Role

Tobias’s primary function is as a tool of manipulation. He is initially dispatched by Gratas and Petersson to verify that Jake is truly dead. After Charlie Fitzer physically intervenes, Tobias later delivers an invitation to the Lombardy Convocation. During the Bellagio Gathering, he is present with Dobrev and later frames Charlie for the murder of Dobrev and an ex-CIA operative. At the climax, Tobias executes five Convocation members on Gratas’s orders, then reveals he is secretly working for Morrison and Dobrev. He prevents Charlie’s death and ultimately helps dismantle the old guard of the Convocation. His shifting allegiances are the mechanism by which Dobrev and Morrison orchestrate the Convocation’s downfall.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Tobias is driven primarily by self-interest and a professional code that separates business from personal grudges. He attempts to assassinate Dobrev three times in the past, yet still sits with him as a friend. This suggests he views murder assignments as impersonal jobs, not personal vendettas. He allows Charlie to push him away from the casket, choosing not to harm an innocent—a calculated decision that reveals he is not a reckless killer. He controls situations through intimidation and precision, as seen when he forces Morrison to lick the invitation envelope and when he expertly shoots Jacobs. His calm demeanor under pressure, even when Morrison fires a warning shot between his feet, indicates a high tolerance for risk. He is also pragmatic: he switches sides when it benefits him or protects his relationship with Morrison.

Chronological Arc

  1. First Encounter (Chapter 5): Tobias attempts to stab Jake’s corpse at the funeral home. Charlie pushes him, and Tobias lets it happen. He explains he was sent to verify death.

  2. Delivering the Invitation (Chapter 7): Tobias arrives at the Airbnb where Charlie is staying. He gives Charlie an invitation to the Bellagio Gathering, after Morrison makes him lick the card to test for poison. He and Morrison exchange barbs, hinting at a past romantic relationship.

  3. At the Bellagio Gathering (Chapter 14): Tobias is seen sitting with Anton Dobrev. Dobrev jokes about Tobias having tried to kill him multiple times, showing their complicated relationship. Tobias is present when Dobrev asks to speak privately with Charlie.

  4. Framing Charlie (Chapter 19): After the explosion at the Imperial Suite, Tobias enters Charlie’s room, shoots Evan Jacobs, and gives Charlie the murder weapon. He claims Charlie killed Dobrev and Jacobs, setting up a false narrative to blackmail Charlie later. Morrison arrives and Tobias leaves.

  5. The Storeroom Betrayal (Chapter 25): Tobias accompanies Gratas and the other Convocation members to the hidden vault. On Gratas’s order, he executes Petersson, Arcement, Weiss, Kim, and Harden.

  6. Revelation and Final Confrontation (Chapter 26): When Gratas discovers the crates are empty and tries to attack Charlie, Tobias reveals he has been working for Morrison and Dobrev all along. He shoots Gratas’s ankle, preventing Gratas from harming Charlie. Gratas is later killed by dolphins.

  7. Aftermath (Chapter 27): Morrison explains that Tobias was a double agent pretending to work for Petersson and Gratas while actually following orders from her and Dobrev. His role was to protect Dobrev and frame Charlie for the murders.

Relationships

Mathilda Morrison: Tobias and Morrison were once in a romantic relationship, as confirmed by Dobrev when he notes that “he tried to murder her”—though Morrison corrects that it was assassination, not murder. By the story’s end, Tobias reveals they are dating again. Their dynamic is hostile and sarcastic on the surface, but Morrison trusts him enough to include him in the Convocation takedown plan. Tobias’s final allegiance is to her.

Anton Dobrev: Despite having been hired to kill Dobrev three times, Tobias maintains a friendly rapport with him. Dobrev treats Tobias as a colleague, and Tobias agrees to help Dobrev’s plan to dismantle the Convocation. This relationship exemplifies the villain world’s code: business is separate from friendship.

Charlie Fitzer: Tobias initially views Charlie as a mark, but over time shows a grudging respect. He refrains from killing Charlie when he could have, and he delivers the invitation through Morrison’s protocol. He later saves Charlie’s life by shooting Jacobs. In the storeroom, he prevents Gratas from killing Charlie and ensures Charlie’s survival.

Robert Gratas and the Convocation: Tobias presents himself as a loyal employee to Gratas, executing the other members on command. In reality, he was betraying Gratas the entire time. His willingness to follow Gratas’s evil orders without hesitation highlights his amoral professionalism.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  • Allowing Charlie to push him at the funeral (Chapter 5): This decision avoids a confrontation that could have exposed his mission. It also earns Charlie’s trust later, as Charlie remembers him as the “stabber” but not a killer.

  • Shooting Evan Jacobs and framing Charlie (Chapter 19): Tobias eliminates a rival agent and creates a believable narrative of Charlie as a murderer. This gives Morrison and Dobrev leverage over Charlie and protects the true conspiracy.

  • Executing the Convocation members (Chapter 25): By following Gratas’s order, Tobias clears the stage for Gratas to seize control—but he knows Gratas will fail when the crates are empty. This eliminates multiple enemies in one stroke.

  • Revealing his true allegiance to Morrison (Chapter 26): By turning on Gratas publicly, Tobias ensures Charlie’s safety and helps Morrison complete the plan. The consequence is the collapse of the Convocation and the preservation of Charlie’s life.

Theme and Symbol Connections

  • Villainy as a Profession: Tobias embodies the professionalization of evil. He treats assassination as a job with its own etiquette. His willingness to switch sides for payment or loyalty underscores the novel’s theme that villainy is a career like any other.

  • Moral Flexibility and Transformation: While Tobias never undergoes a moral epiphany, his actions demonstrate a flexible moral code. He kills without hesitation but also protects innocents when ordered. He is not a hero, but he is not a cartoon villain either—his transformation is one of allegiance, not character.

  • Family Estrangement and Redemption: Tobias does not have a family arc, but his relationship with Morrison parallels Charlie’s reconnection with his uncle’s world. Morrison becomes his anchor, suggesting that even a mercenary can find a form of redemption through personal bonds.

  • Animal Intelligence and Agency: Though Tobias is human, his subordination to Morrison (and through her, the dolphins and cats) shows that intelligence in this world isn’t limited to humans. His role as a tool mirrors how the dolphins and cats are also agents with their own plans.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why does Tobias try to stab Jake’s corpse?

Tobias was sent by the Lombardy Convocation (specifically Gratas and Petersson) to confirm Jake was truly dead, since Jake had faked his death in the past. Stabbing the corpse was a brutal but reliable method.

2. Is Tobias working for Morrison from the beginning?

Yes. The text in Chapter 7 shows Morrison already knows Tobias, and Chapter 27 reveals that Tobias was always working for Morrison and Dobrev, pretending to work for Gratas and Petersson.

3. Did Tobias really try to kill Dobrev three times?

Dobrev confirms this in Chapter 14, saying Tobias tried to kill him three times. However, Tobias seems to have been employed by others at those times, and he and Dobrev remain friends—a reflection of the professional ethics among villains.

4. Why does Tobias frame Charlie for the murders?

Framing Charlie serves multiple purposes: it gives Gratas a reason to keep Charlie alive for blackmail, it protects the real conspiracy, and it allows Dobrev to appear dead while secretly surviving. Morrison and Dobrev orchestrated this to dismantle the Convocation.

5. What happens to Tobias by the end of the novel?

Tobias survives and resumes his relationship with Morrison. He helps clear Charlie of the murder charges and participates in the dissolution of the old Convocation. His final status is ambiguous, but he remains a professional assassin now loyal to Dobrev and Morrison.