<P> The Saint of Killers first appeared as a heartless murderer , who is transformed into the Angel of Death under the condition that he takes up the role of collecting the souls of those who die by violence . Following his reanimation , Heaven arranged for him to be put into a deep slumber , until he was needed to kill people . The Saint was a primary antagonist in the Preacher series , who is tasked by Heaven to kill protagonist Jesse Custer due to his possession of the entity Genesis . Aside from Ennis and Dillon 's Preacher , the Saint was featured in his own four - issue limited series , Preacher : Saint of Killers , which expanded on the Saint 's background and motivation , and has appeared briefly in the DC Comics series Hitman , centered on a `` wise - cracking assassin plying his trade in Gotham City '' , and is portrayed by Graham McTavish in the television series adaptation of Preacher . </P>
who plays the saint of killers on preacher
Graham McTavish