Jack Crowley

Jack Crowley is a character exclusive to the PlayStation 2 video game Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir, wherein he is the main antagonist and final boss.

Appearance
In his younger years, Crowley wore his hair closely cut and wore a white shirt with dark trousers. However, after becoming a Golem and assuming his human form, he chose to lengthen his hair and add a ram tattoo to his chest. His clothing changed to a long dark leather jacket and dark slacks. In Golem form he is muscular and uses red energy wings to fly. However, this form comes at the cost of most of his sense of reason.

History
Formerly known as The Silver Bullet Alchemist (銀の弾丸錬金術師 Gin no dangan renkinjutsu-shi), Crowley is a former State Alchemist who was stripped of his certification long ago. He had a girlfriend named Elma who died of a mysterious illness, prompting him to attempt human transmutation in an effort to save her. It failed, but gave him the ability to transmute without a circle (what was taken from his body in exchange remains unknown), and he subsequently began researching the alchemical technique of Golem creation in order to build the perfect new body for his fallen lover's soul.

During his time searching for the lost city of Lebis, which once flourished by the use of Golems, Crowley met an archeologist named Arlen, who had already found Lebis, and formed a friendship with him. Pooling his knowledge of alchemy with Arlen's knowledge of Golem creation, Crowley succeed in creating a Golem that housed Elma's soul. Deciding to excavate Lebis with Arlen, Crowley stayed and helped with Elma, forming a deeper friendship between the three of them. However, after half a year, Elma turned back into a pile of dirt, horrifying Crowley that his beloved had left him again. Crowley succeeding in bringing Elma back twice more. However, unbeknownst to him, Elma begged Arlen to stop Crowley from repeatedly resurrecting her and their friendship ended, with Arlen leaving Crowley to continue his maddened quest.

In time Crowley found the Crimson Stone and learned that it grew in power by sacrificing lives to it. However, prolonged exposure to the stone weakened his physical health to the point of death, forcing Crowley to transfer his soul into a Golem as well. In time the Homunculi (2003 anime) encountered him and struck a bargain for pieces of the Crimson in exchange for helping him power it. Crowley supplied Crimson Stones to both Father Cornello and Mr Tucker, uncaring of their intentions.

In time, he planned on using the lives of the residents of Resembool for more Crimson Stones and sent Elma in her deranged Phantom form to oversee it. He arrived soon after she had been burned by the Elrics in battle, healing her wounds and leaving before they had a chance to attack them again.

Crowley next appeared in Arlen's village, using the other residents as components for the Stone. He later appeared after Ed and Al had destroyed his Dragon Golem to find Arlen there, now 50 years older, reminding Crowley of their friendship and sadly reminding him of how he had ended it, forcing him to flee. By this time, Crowley had rebuilt Lebis using the Crimson Stone's power via transmutation.

It was not until Elma had been freed of her Golem form in a final battle with the Elrics in the Queen of Lebis's chamber that Crowley confronted the Elrics in battle himself in the King's Chamber. He fought with them evenly in alchemic transmutations, but was forced to revert to his Golem form to absorb more power from the Crimson Stone. However, the Elrics defeated him again. Unfortunately, Crowley came back again as a formless blob that was kept occupied by Mustang, Hawkeye and Armstrong while Ed and Al destroyed the Crimson Stone, allowing his soul to be free of his obsession and join Elma in the afterlife.

In a final scene after Ed, Al and Major Armstrong board a train for Central, Ed glances at the station as the train starts to leave, and glimpses what looks like Jack Crowley with his arm around Elma. Ed pulls himself slightly out of the window to gawp, but they have disappeared, suggesting that Ed has seen their ghosts.

While the information about Crowley's status as a State Alchemist is confirmed in information with the game (and the strategy guide), it is not made clear in the context of the game. No one ever tells Ed and Al that Crowley had been a State Alchemist, although given that he was stripped of his title fifty years before the events of the game, it isn't surprising that the main characters are unaware of this.

Powers And Abilities
As a former State Alchemist, Crowley has a considerable understanding of Alchemy and uses it to create a considerable army of Golems to do his bidding. He is also skilled in Soul Binding, as he bound his own soul a Golem Body to keep himself alive and used his knowledge of the Philosopher's Stone to enhance his alchemy. He also committed human transmutation, meaning he can now use alchemy at will and without drawing a circle when needed.

Trivia

 * Like Van Hohenheim and Dante before him, Crowley is likely named for a famous Alchemist/Occultist, namely Aleister Crowley.
 * Coincidentally, he also shares his exact name with a one off Simpsons' Character.