The Assassin's Creed pits Assassins and Templars against each other to retrieve Pieces of Eden. While most of the games focus on an Assassin protagonist, the beginning of Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed: Rogue both feature playable Templar protagonists, with Haytham Kenway and Shay Cormac respectively.
The Templars are known to be brutal and have no regard for any person that might get in the way of their mission. Despite this, a few Templars have marked their place in the Templar Order, either by wiping out Assassin cells or by giving their lives for the Order. Here are Templars throughout the series, ranked.
10 Lucy Stillman
Lucy Stillman was born an Assassin but silently defected to the Templar order in 2011. Lucy is first seen in Assassin's Creed where she helps Desmond while he relives the memories of Altair. In Assassin's Creed II, Lucy helps Desmond break out of the Abstergo facility and introduces him to the Assassin Order.
Despite seeming like an ally, it is discovered in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood that Lucy is a Templar. Under the Roman colosseum, Desmond has his body taken over and is forced to stab Lucy in the stomach.
9 Warren Vidic
Warren Vidic is a Templar who works at the Abstergo facility in Rome. When he is first introduced in Assassin's Creed. it is assumed he is just a doctor running tests on Desmond, but it is discovered he has a far worse scheme. Warren Vidic is in charge of having descendants of Assassins relive their ancestors' memories to discover where Pieces of Eden are.
Warren Vidic makes his last appearance in the series in Assassin's Creed III, where he kidnaps Desmond's father, William. Desmond assaults the facility and quickly kills Warren Vidic with the power of the Apple of Eden.
8 Maria Thorpe
Maris Thorpe first appears in Assassin's Creed, where she acts as the body double of Robert de Sable. When Altair discovers she is not de Sable, he allows her to live. It is later revealed in Assassin's Creed II that Maria Thorpe has become the love interest of Altair.
Maria marries Altair and has children with him. While away on a mission, a coup forms in the Assassin stronghold of Masyaf. When Altair and Maria confront the leader of the coup, Maria is stabbed and killed.
7 Rodrigo Borgia
Rodrigo Borgia is featured in Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. Rodrigo is based on the real historical figure and is revealed to be the mastermind behind the execution of Ezio's family. Ezio slowly hunts him down, finding him in Rome after Rodrigo became Pope Alexander VI, but lets Rodrigo live.
Rodrigo plays a smaller role in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, instead focusing more on his role as Pope. Rodrigo is killed by his son, Cesare, who forces a poisoned apple into Rodrigo's mouth. Maybe if Rodrigo focused more on being a Pope and less time on being a Templar, he would have lived longer.
6 Élise de la Serre
Élise is the daughter of Grand Master Templar François de la Serre and the adopted sister/lover of Assassin's Creed Unity protagonist Arno Dorian. Élise has the hope to bring Templars and Assassins together, ending the fighting between the two groups.
Sadly, Élise does not get her dream. She helps Arno during his missions as a way to hopefully bring the Templars and Assassins together. Élise is killed during the final mission against François-Thomas Germain, bringing her life and dream to an end.
5 Daniel Cross
Daniel Cross is an Assassin-turned-Templar who is featured in Assassin's Creed III. Daniel is used as a personal hitman for the Templars, killing the mentor of the Assassins in 2000. Daniel is also the great-grandson of Russian Assassin Nikolai Orelov.
Daniel Cross is tasked with retrieving Pieces of Eden during Assassin's Creed III, running into Desmond in New York City, Brazil, and at the Abstergo facility in Rome. When Daniel had Desmond cornered, the bleeding effect caused him to lose his grip on reality, allowing Desmond to kill him.
4 Cesare Borgia
Cesare is the son of Rodrigo Borgia and is the main antagonist of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. Cesare uses his father's power and influence to go on military conquests across Europe, something that angers the people of Rome. Rodrigo had a plan to poison Cesare, but Cesare found out and killed his father instead.
Cesare is also revealed to have a relationship with his sister, Lucrezia. Despite his weird relationship and patricide, Cesare is shown to be a cunning leader and a cutthroat Templar. He should have known better than to go against Ezio, as Ezio kills Cesare while the latter was on a military expedition.
3 Haytham Kenway
Haytham Kenway is the son of Assassin Edward Kenway and the father of the Assassin Connor. Haytham is an Assassin-turned-Templar and is featured in Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed: Rogue. Haytham is responsible for bringing the Templars to the new world and takes part in the eradication of the Colonial Assassin Brotherhood.
Haytham is shown to have somewhat of a heart, as he rescues the Native American woman Kaniehtí:io and has a child with her. Haytham helps his son Connor hunt down Benjamin Church during Assassin's Creed III, where he tries to persuade his son to join the Templar cause. His reunion with his son proves fatal, as Connor is forced to kill Haytham in self-defense.
2 Juhani Otso Berg
Juhani Otso Berg is a member of the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order and is also the leader of the Abstergo paramilitary unit, Sigma Team. Juhani proves himself as a capable fighter, not being afraid to go into the action to fight Assassins such as in Assassin's Creed Syndicate when the Assassins discover where the Shroud is.
Juhani becomes the Black Cross, a secret inquisitor for the Templar Order. Juhani is last seen fighting Layla Hassan at the gates of Atlantis. Layla impales Juhani with the Staff of Hermes, leaving him for dead.
1 Shay Cormac
Shay Cormac is an Assassin-turned-Templar who is the protagonist of Assassin's Creed: Rogue. Shay was an Assassin until he is sent on a mission that causes an earthquake in Portugal, killing hundreds of civilians. Shay tries to keep the Assassins from killing more civilians, causing the Assassins to turn on Shay. Shay is shot and falls off a cliff, only to be saved by a Templar.
Shay goes on to kill many of his former comrades, eradicating the Assassin Brotherhood in the colonies. It is revealed in Assassin's Creed: Rogue that Shay is the person responsible for the death of Arno Dorian's father at the Palace of Versailles. Shay said this was done so the Templars could get a grasp on France.