Cortez and Murdoc.
Cortez is Murdoc's raven seen throughout Phase 2 and throughout Phase 4 - 5.
Prior to Phase 2 (2002-2003):[]
They met while Murdoc was in jail down in Mexico, but a raven with a very similar appearance can be seen on Murdoc's stroller from when he was a child, which may indicate an earlier acquaintance of the two.
Phase 2 (2004-2008):[]
Cortez can be heard in the track "O Green World" “belching all over the microphone” as Murdoc puts it in “Rise of the Ogre”. Cortez has jet black feathers with bright red eyes. Murdoc often feeds him eyeballs, as depicted in the picture to the right. During Phase 2, on the Kong Studios website Cortez could be seen in the intro to the website, then in Murdoc’s Winnebago. He was later seen on the cover for Rise Of The Ogre. Although this was the last main appearance of Cortez for a long time, he could still be seen in Murdoc's room until 2008. Later in October 2006, he was nowhere to be seen on the Phase Two: Slowboat To Hades DVD, which was the most updated version of Kong Studios at the time. He could only really be heard when on the outside of the studio but this hasn't been confirmed that was him.
Phase 4: (2016-2018):[]
Although Cortez wasn't seen through out Phase 3, he can still be found in some artworks for Phase 4's Humanz.
Phase 5 (2017-2018):[]
In Phase 5, Cortez was implied to be dead, after Murdoc apparently accidentally cooked him, stating when asked about him over messenger: "Cortez, best pal I had in the world. Important life lesson: don't try and cook a roast dinner after absinthe night."
Phase 6 (2019-2020);[]
However, it was revealed during Phase 6 in the Gorillaz Almanac that Cortez escaped the oven while Murdoc wasn't looking and now works at the Tower of London. The story goes that Murdoc was drunk and unknowingly put Cortez in the oven. Murdoc woke up the day after and saw feathers all over the kitchen floor, he cried his heart out. In reality, Cortez broke his way out of the oven. Cortez now works at the Tower of London.
Appearances[]
He is shown as a statue in "DoYaThing". He also appears as a statue on the Gorillaz iOS/Android app. He is also likely the raven in the On The Island G-Bite.
Gallery[]
