Sam Burke and Maximilian "Twitch" Williams are two fictional NYPD homicide Detectives, created by Todd McFarlane. Sam and Twitch were originally featured in McFarlane's hit comic series Spawn. Due to their popularity, they were later given their own title in 1999, called Sam and Twitch. In their self-titled series, the duo were the main protagonists in a dark and gritty New York City, similar in feel to NYPD Blue and possibly served as a precursor to DC Comics' Gotham Central. The fictional universe of Sam and Twitch is somewhat different from average comics in which costumed heroes are not the norm.
Detective Sam Burke is often seen as the brawn of the group. Sam is a large, headstrong man with a penchant for foul language and gruff behavior. Sam is usually the one to take "action" against any type of villain they encounter. Though Sam has often been accused of police brutality, the charges have never stuck. In fact, Sam takes great pride in being one of the few honest cops in a precinct he sees as infested with corruption and scandal. Although his style with criminals is rough, and he comes across as boorish to most others, he's actually quite compassionate, beneath his rough exterior, to those in need. He has a real passion for doing the right thing and seeing justice done, even if he has to resort to not-so-civil means. Sam is very protective of those few he trusts and considers friends, especially his partner Twitch. Twitch's dedication to his work despite the corruption of the Police department is shown to be inspiring to Sam, and he often goes to great lengths to protect Twitch from even their fellow officers, who may mean verbal or physical harm to Sam's highly intelligent, diminutive partner.
Despite his down-and-dirty, cynical, and hot-tempered personality, Sam is essentially a good man, with a strong sense of duty and honor. His straightforward ways have often put the detective duo at odds with even their fellow police, but while Twitch is considerably more reasonable than his larger partner, (and often pokes fun at Sam's fiery temperament and statements) he shows a deep trust and respect for him as well. While Twitch often figures out and solves the duo's various cases and predicaments, Sam is unquestionably the drive and conviction which sees the two through.
While Sam himself grudgingly admits that Twitch is considerably better at marksmanship and calculated strategies, many often make the mistake of thinking Sam as dumb or all talk, but this could not be further from the truth. Sam is quite intelligent, and although he is not a calculating genius or a complex thinker like his partner, Sam can actually be extremely insightful of other people. Sam can often see right through deception and get to the bottom of people's actions. There are even some times where he sees truth in things not even Twitch can see. He's also very sharp and streetwise. Despite being quite overweight, as Sam's passion for his work is matched only by his enormous appetite, Sam is very tough as well, and has proven to be quite a fighter, more than a match for many of the criminals they come across in a straight forward fight.
Full Name: Maximilion Steven Percival "Twitch" Williams III
In this duo of detectives, Twitch is mainly seen as the "brains" of the group. He is the one who usually solves or puts the pieces together in the rare crimes the detectives encounter. A brilliant mathematician who excelled at trigonometry, he has used his knowledge of angles to become an excellent marksman. A shooting prodigy, Twitch makes up for his small size with his ability to handle twin pistols with almost machine-like accuracy and efficiency. He claims to have earned the nickname "Twitch," as Sam once said, "because he doesn't, ever!" In reality, "Twitch" was his despised high-school nickname, which Sam learned after intercepting a reunion invitation asking for 'Twitch' Williams. He refers to Sam Burke as "sir," as throughout the years Sam has, time and time again, earned his trust and respect. At the beginning of their story/comic book we find the two employed as a private investigation firm known as "Burke and Williams" however, this does not last, since the two are called back into duty by their old captain.
Twitch was once married and has several children, but due to his busy schedule with crime cases, his wife eventually divorced him, and denies him custody of his kids. This had a great emotional impact on Twitch, but did not seem to hinder him from his work. He eventually reconciled with his wife and since then does his best to spend as much time with his family as his duty allows. Twitch comes from a family with a proud tradition in law enforcement, his father and siblings all being cops themselves. Despite his reserved and soft-spoken manner, he is extremely passionate and proud of his job, in some ways more so than Sam. It is because of this that, despite his incredible intelligence, the apparent rampant corruption of the Police Department which he works for troubles him greatly. In some ways, Twitch is a little more naïve than the street-smart and more realistic Sam, and has had to deal with many harsh truths. Despite this, however, Twitch never loses his resolve to be a good cop, even amongst corruption and a city that generally does not trust the police. Twitch often makes better relations with people than his partner, due to his kinder, more thoughtful way with people.
Twitch has also battled against many super-human foes in his past. Of particular note is OvertKill, a monstrous, mafia-hired cyborg from the Spawn comic series. Despite OvertKill's seemingly bulletproof exterior, Twitch was able to defeat him with a single, well-aimed bullet through OvertKill's ear canal. While Twitch lacks Sam's strength, size, and tenacity, he makes up for it with calm and collected nerves of steel and immensely quick thinking under pressure. Combined with his marksmanship, he's not one to be trifled with.
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