Jonathan Reiss

Dr. Jonathan Reiss is the main antagonist of the 2003 action-adventure film Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life and is portrayed by Ciarán Hinds.

The owner of one of the top selling bio-mechanical weapon industries in the world, he is ruthless, ignoble leader with a low tolerance of betrayal and interruption in his never ending quest for power which ultimately gets in the way of Lara Croft.

Early life and career
Not much is known of Jonathan Reiss' early life but it is implied that he excelled in academics and earned doctorate degrees both academically and honorably.

Reiss was a well-respected English scientist who won 1995 noble prize for his impressive discoveries and technological creations benefiting from finds. A shrewd and intelligent businessman, he founded Reiss Technologies, which is based in both Hong Kong and Shanghai, China.

Following his 1995 win, Reiss fell in with a great deal of money and became one of the most successful billionaires. Sometime later, he entered the criminal world and gained control of the Chinese Gang The Shay Ling. As time passed, he seized control of most country bureaucrats and developed an insatiable appetite for power.

Since 1997, he was one of the main owners of the world's most dangerous Bio-Mechanical Weapons, eventually securing his place on the MI6's most wanted list.

Encounter with Lara Croft
In 2003, Reiss learned of the confirmation of the mythological artefact Pandora's Box and began a ruthless crusade to obtain the artefact.

He learned of a map known as Mati which would point the way, positioned in an underwater temple known as the Luna Temple positioned in Greece which he dispatched three of general leaders of the Shay Ling to retrieve. They did so successfully but met minor trouble with archaeologist and the Countess Of Abbington, Lara Croft, who then began a crusade herself to retrieve the Box before him.

Lara succeeded along with prison breakout companion Terry Sheridan in retrieving the Mati but Lara ended up in the captive of Reiss who forced her to accompany him to Africa to the Cradle of Life. Once inside many of Reiss' Shay Ling military mercenaries were killed by mysterious beasts known as the Shadow Guardians which were released from the box at the time it was first opened by Pandora.

Death
Reiss made it to the very heart of the cradle after Lara positioned the Mati where it needed to be and the two duelled it out over the pool of burning liquid for which the box was placed upon. He then met his demise when Sheridan showed up and assisted Lara in causing Reiss to topple of a ledge into the acid pool which slowly melted away all his skin and organs, he still attempted to open the box even though he was melting but he ultimately failed.

Trivia

 * Although Reiss is British, he is implied to be of both Irish and German heritage. This is proven by fact that his surname is a German in origin.

Appearances

 * Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life