Roman Torchwick/History

Background
At some point prior to the start of the series, Torchwick was detained by the Vale Police Department for an unknown reason. Though it was not said whether he was previously imprisoned or convicted, it was stated in a Vale News Network report that he "continues to evade authorities". This suggested that he was a fugitive for quite some time. At some point, he met Cinder Fall and was recruited to her faction.

"Yellow" Trailer
Roman was seen briefly speaking to Junior Xiong before Yang Xiao Long walked up. He was paying Junior for the use of some of his henchmen, but he left the club before the ensuing fight.

Dust Robbery
Roman's introduction was on Salem's narrative words "darkness will return" as he walked down a street at night flanked by henchmen, intimidating bystanders. They entered From Dust Till Dawn, a Dust store. The Shopkeep offered all the till, but it was his Dust that Torchwick intended to take. When Ruby Rose foiled the heist by taking down Torchwick's henchmen, Roman fled to a nearby rooftop to be picked up in a Bullhead piloted by Cinder Fall.

He tried to take down Ruby by shooting a Dust crystal he tossed at her feet, causing it to explode. However, Glynda Goodwitch arrived in time to block the attack. Roman went into the cockpit and informed Cinder about the presence of a Huntress, taking over piloting as Cinder and Glynda engaged in battle. Despite Glynda's efforts, the two made a successful getaway.


 * Episodes Covering These Events
 * "Ruby Rose"

Partnership with the White Fang
Inside a warehouse structure, Roman was next seen on a phone call that he angrily hung up as a White Fang thug came into the room carrying a supply crate.

Roman paid the man before he ordering him to open it, revealing the contents to be Dust crystals. After examining one closely, he stated, "We're going to need more men".

A few months later, Roman arrived at the Vale port along with members of the White Fang to a shipment of Dust from the Schnee Dust Company. His theft, however, was interrupted when Blake Belladonna took Gambol Shroud to his neck, questioning his association with her former organization. He informed her that he and the White Fang were "going on a joint business venture". Taking advantage of her distraction at the arrival of more White Fang troops, Roman fired a shot from his Melodic Cudgel in order to stop her before engaging in a fight between her and Sun Wukong.

Roman nearly defeated the pair when Ruby showed up and called out to him. After attacking Ruby, he was forced to retreat when Penny Polendina's assault on the operation rendered his theft a failure. As he was reviewing the botched heist, Roman got caught off guard by the arrival of Cinder and her associates. He slightly chastised her for pairing him with the White Fang in the first place, but instead was coerced into continuing to work for them, as they have "big plans" for him.


 * Episodes Covering These Events
 * "Players and Pieces"
 * "Black and White"

Phase Two
Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black reunited with Roman at his secret warehouse and there is clear enmity between him and the two teenagers. Having pickpocketed Emerald, he discovered the address of Tukson's Book Trade and learned that the two killed Tukson. Clearly unhappy, Torchwick threatened them, but Cinder's arrival made him stop.

To Roman's enjoyment, Cinder berated her two youngest associates for not following orders on keeping a low profile. However, when Cinder questioned why Roman had not already killed Tukson, he turned it around on her in order to inquire about the "grand master plan". Cinder intimidated him into dropping the subject and then ordered him to cease stealing Dust as they were proceeding to the second phase of her plan. Before she leaving with Mercury and Emerald, Cinder also ordered Roman to inform the White Fang that they needed to move the Dust to a new location.

Roman was later seen addressing several members of the White Fang, including its new recruits, declaring their common enemies and in what ways he can help them take what was rightfully theirs, showing off an Atlesian Paladin-290 as an example. After recognizing Blake and Sun in the midst of the crowd, Roman gave chase in the mech throughout the town and onto a highway, where he confronted Neptune Vasilias and the rest of Team RWBY. After a lengthy battle, Roman was defeated by the four girls, the stolen paladin destroyed. Neopolitan came to his defense and enabled their escape on a Bullhead.

Roman next appeared in the underground railway of Mountain Glenn when Ruby was knocked out brought before him by two White Fang members. Noticeably worried about the implications of her sudden presence, Roman interrogated her, with great enjoyment at her lack of fighting skill without Crescent Rose. When she attempted to use her Sembalnce to escape, Roman hooked onto Ruby with the grappling handle of Melodic Cudgel. She literally pulled the wool over his eyes with his own hat when Doctor Oobleck and the rest of her team arrive, enabling her to escape. Angered, Roman ordered the members of the White Fang to kill Ruby, They all fired and missed.

Making his escape on the train, Roman was confronted by Blake and engaged her in combat. He lost due to Blake's elemental clones, granted to her by Weiss Schnee's Dust cartridge. Defeated, Roman futilely attempted to persuade Blake to join him, but was knocked out instead.

Roman was next shown being arrested following the Grimm attack on Vale, personally delivered into custody by Mercury and Emerald. Later on, while in his cell on James Ironwood's airship, Roman refused to cooperate with Ironwood's interrogation. The general let Torchwick know that he was granted indefinite custody over him.


 * Episodes Covering These Events
 * "Best Day Ever"
 * "Painting the Town..."
 * "Mountain Glenn"
 * "No Brakes"
 * "Breach"

The Battle of Beacon
During the Battle of Beacon Roman was broken out of prison by Neopolitan. Together they use the prisoner airship to destroy several other Atlesian Airships, while he declared "It is good to be back!"

Roman Torchwick played with the control room buttons on the airship, first setting off an explosion of some sort, and second deploying a squadron of Atlesian Knight-200 soldiers midair. Neopolitan gave him a Scroll with Cinder's virus on it, and he promptly plugged it into the control board panel. It infects every AK-200 with a hostile AI, turning them against the Huntsmen fighting against Grimm at Beacon Academy and in Vale. At the sound of something impacting the roof of the airship, Torchwick instructed Neopolitan to find out the cause.

Once Neo reported that Ruby is on the top, he immediately headed out to join them, assisting Neopolitan in gaining the upper hand against Ruby. When Neo has her on swordpoint, Roman monologued about how he could not afford to lose and therefore must help his employers—only to see Ruby cause Neo to fly off the ship by opening her parasol, left at the mercy of the raging winds, much to his shock and seeming concern.

Death
When Ruby declared that she will stop them, Roman overpowered her with ease. Angry, he cudgeled her while pontificating about how cold and cruel the real world is, and how he plans to survive - until the negativity of his speech caused a Griffon to swallow him whole. Ruby promptly kicked it, sending the Griffon and Roman into the hull of the exploding airship.


 * Episodes Covering These Events
 * "PvP"
 * "Battle of Beacon"
 * "Heroes and Monsters"

Legacy
In the middle of Team RNJR's fight against Tyrian Callows, Ruby asks why Tyrian has come to retrieve her. When she mentions Roman Torchwick as a possible cause for Tyrian's actions, he dismisses the deceased criminal as a pawn.


 * Episodes Covering These Events
 * "Tipping Point"