Adam Taurus's Vale Branch (Pre-Coup, Under Sienna's Overall Leadership)
Adam Taurus led the Vale branch of the White Fang as a semi-autonomous faction during Sienna Khan's tenure as High Leader. This branch operated with significant independence, allowing Adam to pursue more aggressive tactics than Sienna explicitly approved.
Large-scale Dust thefts in partnership with human criminal Roman Torchwick.
The Mountain Glenn operation (releasing Grimm to overrun Vale).
The catastrophic assault on Beacon Academy during the Fall of Beacon.
These actions aligned with the broader militant shift under Sienna but exceeded her boundaries—she later condemned the Beacon attack for risking global backlash and escalating into unprovoked terrorism.
Adam's personal charisma and frontline presence built strong loyalty here. In the Adam Character Short, hesitant recruits rallied behind him when he donned the first Grimm mask, symbolizing turning human fear against them. Members in Vale viewed him as a bold symbol of resistance, with Adam boasting post-coup that "my followers in Vale already see me as the true High Leader." This branch's radicals preferred his uncompromising stance on violence over Sienna's pragmatic retaliation.
The Coup and Transition to Full Control
In Volume 5 ("Dread in the Air"), Adam orchestrated a coup during a meeting with Sienna and Hazel Rainart (Salem's envoy). He revealed widespread support across branches, including in Mistral, and even turned Sienna's personal bodyguards against her. Adam assassinated her, staging it as a human Huntsman's attack to martyr her and consolidate power.
Reasons for member loyalty shifting to Adam:
His reputation as a fearless warrior and early advocate for extreme measures.
Sienna's perceived restraint (e.g., refusing the Haven attack).
Adam's success in high-profile operations that "proved" strength over compromise.
Many members, especially radicals frustrated with slow progress, saw him as the natural evolution of the White Fang's militant path. As Sienna herself noted earlier, Adam was "a symbol for many in our organization."
The White Fang Under Adam's Full Leadership (Post-Coup)
After seizing control, Adam radicalized the organization further, shifting from Sienna's goal of equality through fear/respect to outright Faunus supremacy—explicitly aiming to overthrow human society and enslave humanity. He continued the alliance with Salem's faction for resources, planning to attack Haven Academy and detonate bombs to destroy the school and surrounding area.
Ordering the assassination of Ghira and Kali Belladonna (Blake's parents) to capture Blake.
The failed Battle of Haven, where White Fang forces (including Atlesian Paladins) assaulted the academy but were defeated by Blake's allies, Menagerie Faunus, and police → Ilia Amitola defected, disabling bombs, and many members surrendered.
Adam was "doing something right" in the eyes of loyalists initially: his charisma, decisive victories (pre-Haven), and promise of total domination inspired fanatical devotion. He commanded large forces willingly, and his coup succeeded because a majority (or critical mass) backed his vision of unrestrained revolution.
However, this loyalty proved fragile. The Haven failure exposed his flaws—impulsiveness, spite (prioritizing personal vendettas, like obsessing over Blake), and poor strategy. Upon retreating, subordinates berated him for abandoning comrades; he responded by slaughtering them in rage. Support collapsed rapidly, with the White Fang fracturing into smaller groups. Ilia and others rejected him entirely, and by Volume 6, he operated alone.
Overall Assessment of "Evil" and Effectiveness
Adam's White Fang was more overtly evil than Sienna's: supremacist ideology, willingness to commit genocide-level acts (e.g., destroying cities with Grimm/bombs), and internal purges. It portrayed the group as irredeemable terrorists driven by hatred rather than justified grievance.
He "did something right" for loyalty by embodying raw anger and power that resonated with embittered Faunus, achieving short-term unity and bold strikes. But his personal instability—sadism, abandonment issues, and ego—made him an ineffective long-term leader, dooming the organization to defeat and dissolution. In canon, this era marks the White Fang's peak antagonism but also its downfall, reinforcing RWBY's theme that unchecked radicalization corrupts noble causes.
