Lyle Tiberius Rourke

Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke is the main antagonist in Disney's 2001 feature film Atlantis: The Lost Empire. He was the Commander of a previous mission to Iceland where he assisted Milo Thatch's grandfather in locating the Shepherd's Journal. He is voiced by James Garner.

Role in Atlantis: The Lost Empire
In 1914, he is hired by Preston B. Whitmore in another expedition to Atlantis with his second-in-command Helga Katrina Sinclair. After escaping from a robotic Leviathan in the city's gates, Rourke and the team are taken to the King's room, where he asks to spend the night. After Milo and Kida swim while learning about Atlantis's heart, they re-surface only to discover that Rourke became mercenary. After Kida is fused with the Heart, he takes off with Helga and his soldiers, but Atlantis's citizens, Milo and the rest of the team chase him to a volcanic crater. Rourke attempts escaping in a balloon, trying to shoot the Atlantians with his Lewis Gun, trowing Helga out to "relieve weight", while fighting Milo with an axe. He gets scratched by a crystal shard and turns into a statue, but still manages to move towards Milo. He is finally destroyed when Milo overweights the metal structure he's standing, crushing Rourke in the balloon's propeller.

House of Mouse
Roark appeared in Donald Wants to Fly.

Dossier
LYLE TIBERIUS ROURKE

Expedition Commander

Age: 54

Height: 6'4

Weight: 250

Birthplace: Beaumont, Texas

Parents: Lt. Col. Jackson and [Rachel Lee Rourke.]

Expertise:

Joined U.S. Army in July 1875. [Promoted to] Artillery Sgt. 1877. Fought at Wounded Knee uprising 1890. Censured for use of excessive force and refusal to acknowledge white flag of surrender. Graduated second in class from West Point Academy, 1886. Tour of duty with Army Rough Riders, 1888-1901. Wounded seven times in battle, commendation for valor, commendation for saving the life of a superior officer, commendation for leadership of C Company under fire, censure for summary execution of prisoners. Rose to rank of Captain on battlefield of Spanish-Amiercan War. Ranked expert marksman (awarded Golden Rifle dour consecutive years). Retired from Army 1901 to become hand-to-hand combat instructor at Fort Dix, Missouri. Also taught courses in survival tactics, strategy, and chess. Began freelance career in May 1903 for British National Museum. Led expedition to Valley of Kings in Egypt, 1903. Led return expedition to Egypt, 1905. Led expedition to Bolivia and Peru under Professor Thatch to retrieve Idol of the Sun, 1906-1908. Led expedition to Antarctica 1909; credited with discovery and destruction of lost city of Shub Nigruth. Led expedition to iceland to retrieve Shepherd's Journal 1911. Currently on retainer.

Background:

Born the son of a Calvary Officer, Lyle T. Rourke learned the transitory life of a military man at an early age. Rourke Sr. was killed at Battle of Spotsylvania, leaving behind his wife and only son, Lyle. After repeated expulsions from boarding school (fighting), Rourke determined to follow in his father's footsteps and joined the military at the age of fifteen by lying to his induction officer about his age. Rourke exhibited a remarkable talent for leadership, owing to his analytical mind and charisma. He was married in June of 1887, but his wife left him after only four months of marriage. He does not make friends easily. He is a pragmatist both personally and professionally; he tends to take what he needs and discards what he considers "useless baggage."


 * NOTE: Text appearing in [ ] is obscured in source and was assumed using the Atlantis timeline.

Trivia
Official Timeline

1860 - Lyle Tiberius Rourke is born in Beaumont, Texas to Lt. Col. Jackson and Rachel Lee Rourke.

1864 - Lt. Col. Jackson Rourke is killed at the Battle of Spotsylvania during the Civil War.

July 1875 - Lyle T. Rourke joins the U.S. Army.

1877 - Lyle T. Rourke rises to the rank of Artillery Sergeant.

1881 - Lyle T. Rourke fights at the Wounded Knee uprising and censured for use of excessive force and refusal to acknowledge the white flag of surrender.

1886 - Lyle T. Rourke graduates second in class from West Point Academy.

June 1887 - Lyle T. Rourke is married, but his wife leaves after four months.

1888-1901 - Lyle T. Rourke does a tour of duty with the Rough Riders. He is wounded seven times in battle, receives commendations for saving the life of a superior officer and for the leadership of 'C' Company under fire, and is censured for summary execution of prisoners.

1898 - Lyle T. Rourke rises to the rank of Captain while fighting in the Spanish-American War.

1901 - Lyle T. Rourke retires from the Army. Helga Sinclair is introduced to Lyle T. Rourke. She begins tactics and firearms training under him at the behest of her father.

May 1903 - Lyle T. Rourke begins a freelance career with the British Museum.

August 1903 - Helga Sinclair tours with Lyle T. Rourke to continue her training.

1903 - Lyle T. Rourke leads an expedition to the Valley of Kings in Egypt.

1905 - Lyle T. Rourke leads a return expedition to Egypt.

1906-1908 - Lyle T. Rourke leads an expedition to Bolivia and Peru under Professor Thaddeus Thatch to retrieve the Idol of the Sun.

1909 - Lyle T. Rourke leads an expedition for the Smithsonian Institution to Antarctica. He is credited with both the discovery and destruction of the lost city of Shub Nigruth.

1911 - The Shepherd's Journal is retrieved by an expedition funded by Preston Whitmore and led by Lyle T. Rourke under Thaddeus Thatch. The crew includes Helga Sinclair, Dr. Joshua Sweet, Vincenzo Santorini, Manuel Ramirez, Wilhelmina Packard, Gaetan Moliere, and Jebidiah Farnsworth. The Journal is brought to Washington D.C. for study.

1914 - Movie events.