Cooper Gang

"We're a team! And we all have each other's backs. That's why we're unbeatable!"

- Bentley

Cooper Gang is the friendship between Sly Cooper, Bentley, and Murray from the Sly Cooper fandom.

Canon
The Cooper Gang's foundations go all the way back to the 3 members' formative years. After an 8-year-old Sly was sent to an orphanage following the death of his parents, he soon became friends with Bentley and Murray, leading to the formation of the Cooper Gang. One of their first heists together was stealing Mrs. Puffin's cookie jar from her office. Though it was nearly a failure, they managed to pull it off, and the success cemented the gang's future as thieves.

Ten years later, Sly had garnered a worldwide reputation as a cunning thief. He and his gang embarked on a quest to steal back his inheritance and avenge his parents' deaths. After defeating the Fiendish Five and recovering his family's heirloom, Sly also acknowledged the help he had from Bentley and Murray, who stuck with him through it all, even though it was not easy for them. Commenting on both of their abilities, he realized how lucky he was to have friends like them, and could never ask for better ones.

The gang remained unchanged until over a decade later when Murray left to pursue Dreamtime studies following an accident that resulted in Bentley's paralysis, though this was a short-lived diversion. Bringing him back to the gang was not so easy, as he had made a promise to his Dreamtime teacher the Guru of the Stone to purify the waters of Venice, Italy before returning to Australia. After both this and helping the Guru stop a dark magic-imbued mask, the Guru joined the gang, becoming the first addition of several.

The Cooper Gang has disbanded three times in the series:


 * The first time was after the epilogue of Sly 2: Band of Thieves, after the fight against Clock-La, as well as Bentley's paralysis, which Murray blamed himself for.


 * The second time was during the epilogue of Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, after Sly feigned amnesia to start a relationship with Carmelita Fox, and the remaining members went their separate ways.


 * The third and final time was in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, following Sly disappearance after defeating Le Paradox.

At first, Bentley, Murray and Carmelita waited for Sly to show up soon like he always did. However, as weeks passed, they had to accept the fact that he was not coming back. In spite of this, they continued their search for Sly, believing that he was still out there.

Moments
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
 * After the culmination of the fourth episode's final mission, the gang was overjoyed to be reunited, all thanks to Bentley. Even the van ride out of town was like a party as they were telling jokes. Murray even had to pull over twice because he was laughing so hard.

However, despite all of the jokes, Bentley realized that something had changed: the trio have never been separated since they met as children, and their recent isolation made them appreciate their friendship even more.

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
 * Once the gang entered the Cooper vault, Sly ventured further inside while Bentley and Murray guarded the entrance. It was then that Bentley started having doubts about the nature of Sly's relationship with him and Murray; he wondered if he and Murray were simply subordinates to Sly since Sly was the only one who went into the heart of the vault. However, Murray reminded Bentley that if the two had switched places, Sly would be happy for Bentley because he was something more than credit or treasure, he was a true friend.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
 * After the defeat of Grizz, the gang congratulated Murray, who sheepishly accepted their compliments, saying that it makes up for his past screw-ups. Sly and Bentley then reminded him that everyone makes mistakes, but it doesn't matter because they're a team.

Fanon
Given the trio's dynamic represented throughout the Sly Cooper games, the Cooper Gang is a popular ship within the fandom, if not as popular as SlyFox. When it comes to fanart, the gang is often depicted pulling off heists, having good times together (usually calling back to their canon moments), or hugging each other, alluding to their "brotherly love."

It is also common for fans to group Carmelita Fox into the Cooper Gang as well. That is likely due to the popularity of the SlyFox ship, as well as how she is the only other main character of the series.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

FAN ART

Trivia

 * Sly, Bentley and Murray all each have something that covers their eyes. Sly has an eye mask (as well as his natural raccoon mask), Bentley has glasses and Murray has goggles.
 * They were all born in 1984.
 * Unlike Sly and Bentley, Murray is the only founding member of the Cooper Gang who never had a cutscene narrative.