Fan Casting (Anthony “Big Tone” Rivers, 44) in Empire Divide: Streets of Red & Blue

Affiliation: 41st Reds Role: Original founder / OG Mentor / Saint’s older cousin Nickname Origin: Got “Big Tone” at sixteen for his deep voice and the way he could calm a whole block with one word. BACKGROUND Back in the late-90s and early 2000s, Big Tone helped build the 41st Reds from nothing. He wasn’t the loudest or the flashiest—he was the one who kept order. While his partners wanted fast money, Tone wanted structure: codes, safe zones, rules about who never gets touched (kids, elders, working people). He rose fast but refused to chase fame. His downfall came when a rival crew framed him in a gun-running case that tied him to two murders he didn’t commit. He took the charge in silence—fifteen years in Stateville—so his younger soldiers could walk free. Prison changed him. He read law books, religion, philosophy, even started mentoring inmates on conflict resolution. By the time he got out, the streets had changed: Phones out for every fight, dis tracks turning death into marketing, loyalty traded for likes. That broke his heart. During the final act—the interstate dock battle—Tone rides with the alliance despite Stone begging him to stay back. When Holt’s men flank the Reds, Tone spots a gunman about to hit Saint from behind. He throws himself between them, taking two rounds to the chest. He still manages to return fire, saving Saint’s life. Bleeding out beside the shipping containers, he laughs weakly and says: “Told you, lil Saint… old heads still got purpose.” Saint tries to drag him to cover, but Tone waves him off, whispering: “End the show, don’t repeat it.” He dies there—quiet, eyes open, looking at the dawn over the lake.