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This is the characters page for everyone in Escape from L.A.. Tropes pertaining to characters who first appeared in Escape from New York may be added to this page.

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    Snake Plissken 

For tropes pertaining to Snake Plissken in both films, please visit this page.

    The President (2013) 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/escapefromlapresidentpic1.jpg

Played By: Cliff Robertson

An unnamed fundamentalist Christian theocrat who accurately predicts that Los Angeles will get washed away due to its sins, and uses the resulting publicity to become President three years after Snake's mission in New York. By the time the events of L.A. begin, he has created a "Moral America" and is attempting to mold the world in his image.

  • All for Nothing: The President planned to use the EMP Super weapon to rule to the world; however, due to the events of the film and using Snake to do his dirty work, Snake humiliated him on international television and used the super weapon against him shutting the whole world causing the world's technology to be shut down. The President's dreams of world domination is long gone. The President is very upset about this defeat.
  • Blasphemous Boast: When he plans to murder Utopia, he talks about how he sacrificed his only daughter, so that we may be saved, in an obvious rip-off of John 3:16.
  • Didn't Think This Through:
    • By abusing his power and taking away rights in the United States caused many innocent people to not want to live in the US.
    • By Creating a Superweapon to shut down the world's technology and easily losing it and causing the whole planet's technology to shut down. He didn't have a device to reserve it just in case.
  • Dirty Coward: The moment things don't go according to plan, he begins to freak out and pray to God for forgiveness. It takes his Co-Dragons to snap him back to reality before he composes himself.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Chronologically, he appears for the first time (as The Faceless, being seen looking out a window) in the final issue of the Escape from New York comic series by BOOM! Comics, which is set several months before Snake is arrested in New Vegas.
  • Evil Old Folks: He's the aging, corrupt leader of the United States, who seems to think of himself as a god and has no love for anyone, only craving absolute power.
  • The Fundamentalist: He's a religious nutjob who ascended to the highest political office, and uses his power to turn the country into a "Moral America", complete with widespread banning of anything he deems to be immoral.
  • General Ripper: Well, President Ripper, but the mentality is the same. Not only is he a maniac who has made an executive order to arrest anybody who doesn't fits his extreme views and sent to the island of the damned that is L.A., but when he thinks he has run out of covert options to fix his problem, he immediately talks about ordering a full mobilization of the Air Force with the objective to wipe the island (and everybody in it) from existence.
  • A God Am I: He has this view of himself, going so far as to corrupt a passage from the Bible and put himself in the role of God when he sentences his daughter to be executed.
  • Hate Sink: Racist, petty, and a tyrant.
  • Hypocrite: Despite outlawing all supposedly sacrilegious language/activity, he uses the Lord's name in vain at one point, and makes an outright Blasphemous Boast near the end.
  • I Have No Son!: He makes it very clear to Snake from the get-go that he's disowned Utopia, and is visibly disappointed when the latter reveals that he brought her back to the mainland rather than kill her in Los Angeles.
  • Jerkass: He bans anything he finds immoral for insanely petty and racist reasons, appears to suffer a God complex, and cares about himself and his image.
  • Knight Templar: By the time the events of the film begin, he's effectively stripped most free will from the population and restricted them to "moral" Christian values.
  • Lack of Empathy: He seems to have trouble understanding why anyone would have a problem with him and his administration, and damns people to LA due to finding them immoral.
  • Large Ham: Lapses into this frequently, most notably during his Motive Rant at the beginning of the film and the final scene where he orders Malloy to follow his commands.
  • A Nazi by Any Other Name: If the fact that he outlaws just about everything in the name of a "Moral America" wasn't enough, he even uses the term "Final Solution" to precede what is intended to be a complete wiping of a Cuban attack force coming to the U.S. shores.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: His character is a thinly-veiled parody of Pat Robertson, a televangelist who made many potentially life-threatening predictions on live television.
  • No Name Given: He's only referred simply as The President or Mr. President.
  • No Party Given: His party isn't given either, though it's obviously a very theocratic far right.
  • Offing the Offspring: Orders his own daughter, Utopia, to be executed at the end of the film, for betraying him and the United States. When it's revealed that Snake (unintentionally) brought her back to the mainland instead of killing her, the President chides him. Utopia then attempts to appeal to her father... who then orders her to be executed via electric chair. Due to Snake's actions, though, the power shuts off before the act can be carried through.
  • Parental Neglect: His neglect of Utopia after her sister died is implied to be the reason Cuervo was able to get to her.
  • President Evil: As evidenced by his actions since taking office, this President has more-or-less turned the U.S. into a totalitarian state, where all religions except Christianity (and likely just his particular version of it) are outlawed and he uses terms like "Final Solution" to describe his own plans.
  • President for Life: Shortly after the 2000 earthquake, a Constitutional amendment is ratified that gives him a lifetime term. He's held the job for 13 years as the story begins.
  • The Purge: His first command as President is to initiate a directive where anyone who loses their citizenship is permanently exiled to Los Angeles.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He attempts to flee on his jet once Jones' revolutionaries seize the government chopper, but Malloy convinces him to stay and face down the armada heading for their shores.
  • Sinister Minister: He was originally an evangelist who accurately predicted that L.A. would be "washed away" due to its sins, and rode on the ensuing popularity to the highest political office.
  • The Sociopath: A God-obsessed dictator who punishes people for any minor crime or even just for being non-Christian by sending them to a living and rotten prison or condemning them to the electric chair. As we see not even his own daughter is safe from his madness as he shows disappointment when he finds out Snake didn't kill her as he ordered.
  • Underestimating Badassery: When Snake returns from the island, the President calls him "dumb" for wanting to get the Plutoxin-7 antidote. He then proceeds to lambast Snake for being an Unwitting Pawn and following his commands. Then Snake reveals that he has the real arming device...

    Commander Malloy 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/escapefromlamalloypic1.jpg

Played By: Stacy Keach

The commander of the United States Police Force, the ruling military group in the country. Malloy acts as Mission Control for Snake during his journey to L.A., and acts as the President's right-hand man.

  • Blatant Lies: Goes into detail about what the Plutoxin-7 virus does to the body in order to motivate Snake to complete his mission. It turns out that the Plutoxin-7 virus is just a manmade, short-term case of the flu.
  • Boring Yet Practical: He outfits Snake with a set of classic, multi-functional items, including a blowdart, two revolvers, an assault rifle... and a box of standard wooden matches.
  • Co-Dragons: He, along with Lt. Brazen, are part of the President's inner circle.
  • Crazy-Prepared: He's well aware of Snake's mindset and plans accordingly, including the usage of holograms to speak with Snake in their first interaction (knowing that the latter will attack the President), infecting Snake with Plutoxin several minutes before telling him so, loading the Coreburner with a clip full of blanks (and correctly predicting that Snake will try to gun him down when given the opportunity) and correctly (or so he thinks) pilfering the stolen prototype back from Utopia when he catches onto Snake's ruse.
  • Da Chief: Of the United States Police Force.
  • Expy: Of Bob Hauk from the original film. Both men are in charge of a large police force, outline the mission for Snake's benefit, give him what he needs and act as Mission Control for the duration of the operation. This is made much more notable in the original 1987 script treatment for the film, which had Hauk in the same role and had some sequences carried over nearly verbatim (including Hauk's discussion with Snake about the Coreburner firing blanks).
  • Hidden Depths: While he's a stringent commander of what is essentially a fundamentalist Culture Police organization, he's also shown to have a great affinity for a collection of cacti in his office.
  • Hoist by Their Own Petard: Unknowingly gives Snake the means to the country's downfall by using a hologram to trick him in their first meeting, then hands over a holoprojector which he tells him to save for when it's most important. Snake ends up using the device to trick him and the President at the end of the film.
  • Large and in Charge: He's the heavy-set Commander of the country's police force, to such an extent that he's referred to in the script as "Big Dog" Malloy.
  • Mission Control: For Snake during his mission.
  • Pragmatic Villain: When the President talks (in grand fashion) to mobilize the Air Force and wipe out Los Angeles, Malloy stands up to the President and barks a Big "NO!" to shut him up before explaining that if Cuervo sees planes coming in, he will instantly use the "Sword of Damocles" to shut down the United States.
  • Smug Snake: Throughout the film, he's shown to be one step ahead of Snake, and naturally figures out his ruse during the climax when he finds the real arming device for the Sword of Damocles on Utopia. It turns out that Snake gave her one of Eddie's "Map to the Stars" narration devices, and had the real arming device all along. Malloy and Brazen promptly freak out.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Bob Hauk from the previous film. In the earliest scripts, Hauk was intended to return, but his role was phased out and his character traits were given to Malloy.
  • Tempting Fate: Immediately sets about goading Snake when he has him in custody, leading the latter to state that "You'd better hope I don't make it back (from L.A.)". During the climax, once it's revealed that Snake has the real Sword of Damocles, he goads Malloy by saying, "I told you you'd better hope I didn't make it back."

    Cuervo Jones 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/escapefromlacuervopic1.jpg

Played By: Georges Corraface

The leader of the Shining Path revolutionary group, Cuervo Jones rules over L.A. and seeks retribution against the U.S. by invading its shores. As the film begins, he has obtained the Sword of Damocles device from Utopia and plans to use it to kickstart a revolution, forcing the President to dispatch Snake in an effort to neutralize him.

  • Badass Boast: Delivers one to Snake before forcing him to play in a Deadly Game of basketball.
    Cuervo Jones: You might have survived Cleveland. You might have escaped from New York. But this is L.A., vato. And you're about to find out that this fucking city can kill anybody!
  • Big Bad: Is the final adversary Snake fights before escaping the island.
  • Expy:
    • Of Che Guevara — a Cuban revolutionary who seeks to wrest power from the hands of the government.
    • He is also an expy of The Duke from the original film — the charismatic leader of a gang who is trying to pull one over on the government, forces the hero into a Deadly Game in order to entertain a crowd, offers several boasts about how L.A. is not like the mainland, and engages Snake in a fistfight before being shot down by a previously-meek character.
  • Cold-Blooded Torture: Briefly tortures Snake (who is dealing with the effects of Plutoxin-7) by forcing him to walk on a treadmill while dealing with a severe fever.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: The mere appearance of Snake in L.A. causes Jones to freak out and order his men to kill the latter, unaware that Snake is attempting to kill him.
  • Man Bites Man: He bites Snake several times during the final fight.
  • Taking You with Me: Attempts to shoot down the escape chopper Snake is on, although he's (somewhat) thwarted by Eddie.
  • Underestimating Badassery: He initially writes off Snake the first time he sees him, only bothering to order his men to kill him when Utopia points out that he's showing him up. As the film continues, he gets more and more outraged by Snake's inability to die.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: Within L.A., he has a parade set up in his honor, is lauded by the crowd at the Deadly Game and seems to command the respect of most (if not all) of the residents within.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: He intends to liberate the people of Los Angeles by seizing the Sword of Damocles and coercing the President to allow them to leave, under threat of activating the device and wiping them out for good. Events in the film reveal that for all his bluster, he's not any better than the current administration.

    Utopia 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/escapefromlautopiapic1.jpg

Played By: A.J. Langer

The President's daughter. She kicks off the plot by stealing the Sword of Damocles arming device and giving it to Cuervo Jones, who she has been seduced by via an online chat program. The President orders Snake to execute her when he finds her on the island.

  • All Girls Want Bad Boys: Ultimately subverted. She was seduced by Cuervo Jones due to the belief that she'd be doing the right thing by rejecting her father's theocracy. Once she actually sees Jones' methods in action, she realizes she made a grave mistake and sides with Snake.
  • Corrupt the Cutie: Due to a combination of her sister's death, distant father and Stockholm Syndrome, Utopia is seduced by Cuervo and switches sides to be with him.
  • Defector from Decadence: The plot is motivated by her rejecting her father's philosophy, stealing the Sword of Damocles device and hijacking Air Force Three in order to make off with it.
  • Horrible Judge of Character: She chooses to steal the superweapon her father was planning to use as leverage to force the rest of the world to comply with his demands ... and delivers it into the hands of a Cuban revolutionary who is hell-bent on attacking the U.S.
  • Hostage MacGuffin: Is initially this, as Snake's secondary mission is to find and kill her. However, he refuses to do so and she does a Heel–Face Turn in order to aid him.
  • Motive Rant: Delivers one regarding her father and the corrupt nature of the U.S. to a group of reporters on Air Force One, just before jettisoning herself in an Escape Pod.
  • Ms. Fanservice: She spends the majority of the film running around in leather shorts, a shoulder-length mink wrap and little else.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Once she realizes that she's delivered a superweapon into the hands of a terrorist, and caused her own father to put out an assassination order on her, she lapses briefly into this.
  • Right for the Wrong Reasons: She was correct in not wanting to have a superweapon fall into her hands of her father, the Fundamentalist President. However, she counters this by stealing the Sword of Damocles and giving it to Cuervo, who is just as bad (if not worse).
  • Virginity Flag: Is seen sporting a "True Love Waits" pin during the scene where she hijacks Air Force Three, a reference to the pledge by the Christian abstinence group of the same name.

    "Map-to-the-Stars" Eddie 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/escapefromlaeddiepic1.jpg

Played By: Steve Buscemi

A hustler who narrates automated tourist guides of the island, Eddie is conscripted into Snake's plan to find the Sword of Damocles. He also happens to be working for Cuervo Jones, and has no problem screwing over others if it helps him stay alive.

  • Chekhov's Gunman: He's the one who comes up with the idea to use Hershe's nail polish to paint one of the map devices to make it look like the Sword of Damocles arming device. Snake eventually uses this "fake" arming device to deceive the President at the end of the film.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Though he claims to be on Snake's side, he double-crosses everyone at one point or another in order to save his own skin.
  • Crazy-Prepared: Has a tranquilizer gun in his vehicle that can subdue passengers, deployed from the dashboard.
  • Drives Like Crazy: He has very little experience piloting a hang-glider, and promptly crashes it into a abandoned storefront just after he calls to Cuervo near the climax of the film. Ironically, this same crashed glider ends up saving his life when he bails out of the chopper as Cuervo shoots the missile at it.
  • Expy:
  • It's All About Me: Holds this attitude at the end of the film, when he yells for Snake (who is piloting a flaming gunship) to come back and rescue him.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He bails out of the departing government chopper once he sees the missile headed towards it, and without bothering to warn anyone else.
  • You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: His reaction once he sees Snake surfing on a tsunami, just minutes after he thought he'd killed him.

    Hershe Las Palmas 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/escapefromlahershepic1.jpg

Played By: Pam Grier

An acquaintance from Snake's past, whom he runs into again — but isn't who he was originally expecting. She aids him in his fight against Cuervo and escape from the island.

  • Action Girl: Proves to be very capable with a gun, leading the charge to secure the government helicopter during the final confrontation against Jones' army.
  • Conspiracy Theorist: She brings up several black-ops programs the government is supposedly responsible for during her initial conversation with Snake.
  • Contrived Coincidence: Counting the Expanded Universe, Snake (who knew Hershe when she was named "Carjack Malone") just happens to run into her a couple hours before his countdown clock is set to expire, having discovered her role as the leader of a faction within L.A.
  • Enemy Mine: Hershe refuses to work with Snake (given that she double-crossed him in Cleveland and he's got a gun to her head) until he claims that anyone who helps him bring the Sword of Damocles back will receive a sizable cash reward.
  • Face–Heel Turn: In the BOOM! comic series, Hershe (then known as "Malone") is one of Snake's only contacts, who is genuinely trustworthy and is the first person he goes to for help after arriving in Cleveland. Once the theft of the Federal Vault begins, however, Malone quickly makes a break for it and sells out the crew to the USPF.
  • Man on Fire: She, along with several of her henchmen, are burned alive when the fleeing government chopper is struck by the dying Cuervo's launched missile.
  • Mauve Shirt: She only shows up in the third act of the film, is given backstory in the form of having known Snake under another identity, and abruptly dies before the final confrontation when she and her men are engulfed in flames due to their helicopter being hit by a rocket.
  • Old Friend, New Gender: Hershe was formerly a male criminal named Carjack Malone who previously teamed with Snake. Plissken himself is unfazed to find his old frenemy has transitioned.
  • Only in It for the Money: She refuses to help Snake until he reveals that anyone who helps him escape will receive $1 million each in government "blueback" currency. Notably, she knows he's lying, but decides to aid him anyway.
  • Properly Paranoid: In her first conversation with Snake, she claims that the Plutoxin-7 virus is a made-up piece of government propaganda, and implies that the government lied to Snake. She turns out to be right — the virus is a fake, and it's really just a short-term case of the flu.
  • Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: A long-term example running across multiple media, complete with Irony. In the "Escape from Cleveland" comic arc, Hershe (as Malone) betrays Snake and sells him out to the USPF, causing the latter to lose nearly his entire team (save for one female teammate). In L.A., just two hours after meeting Snake, Hershe and her henchmen are burned alive just as they are attempting to flee to safety on the helicopter, leaving Snake and Utopia as the only survivors.
  • Sassy Black Woman: Has plenty of snark to spare while dealing to Snake, to the point that she knows he's telling Blatant Lies and still follows him into battle against Cuervo.
  • Trouser Space: Hides a small pistol between her legs. Leads to a Double Entendre when Snake pulls it out and comments on it.

    Taslima 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/escapefromlataslimapic1.jpg

Played By: Valeria Golino

A woman who was deported to L.A. and becomes an ally for Snake, helping him escape the plastic surgery cult and giving more background on the city and its inhabitants.

  • All Girls Want Bad Boys: She indicates that she broke up with her boyfriend earlier that day, and tells Snake that she'd have no problem "taking care of him" if he wants to rest after completing his misson.
  • Damsel in Distress: Briefly, when she and Snake are caught by the surgery cult. Somewhat subverted, in that Snake is fine with leaving her behind until she reveals that she knows how to get around the city. He then orders one of the nurses to cut her restraints.
  • Died in Your Arms Tonight: Dies in this fashion after being shot in the back.
  • Dies Wide Open: Her death scene.
  • Expy: Of the unnamed woman hiding in the Chock Full O'Nuts store in New York. They both serve similar roles — a potential female ally who gives Snake some information about the respective area (Manhattan/Los Angeles) before being unceremoniously killed off not long after.
  • Illegal Religion: One of the few things she reveals to Snake is that she was a Muslim woman living in South Dakota, who was deported to Los Angeles after the President outlawed all religions other than Christianity.
  • Nice Girl: She's the most level-headed inhabitant in L.A., having stayed voluntarily after she was deported there due to her ethnicity. She's friendly (warning Snake to stay hidden as soon as she meets him), helps Snake escape, and later on comes back to find him despite not having any reason to do so.
  • Sacrificial Lion: She dies not long after being introduced, just after she finishes explaining why she came to L.A. in the first place.
  • Ship Tease: She hints that she would be happy to have Snake stay with her once his mission is completed, but she dies soon after this.

    Pipeline 
Played By: Peter Fonda

A laid-back surfer who encounters Snake when the latter first makes it to Los Angeles, and tells him a bit about the area and his own philosophy. He encounters Snake again later on, and helps him ride on a tsunami that is passing through the Wilshire Canyon.

  • Chekhov's Gunman: He meets Snake as soon the latter makes it to L.A., and tells him a bit about his goal to find the biggest wave he can. A few hours later, Snake washes out into a canal right beside him, gets a quick lesson on surfing from Pipeline and gets the help he needs to catch up to Eddie.
  • Contrived Coincidence: Snake washes into the Wilshire Canyon right beside him as he's getting his gear ready to ride the massive tsunami. He even has a spare board to give to Snake.
  • Cool Old Guy: He's a Surfer Dude who's clearly past his prime, but this doesn't stop him from aiding Snake and riding waves around Los Angeles. Besides Taslima, he's also the only other unambiguously good character in the film.
  • Dull Surprise: The sight of a decorated war hero and Living Legend brandishing a giant rifle in his face doesn't cause much reaction, if any, from him.
  • Handshake Substitute: He high-fives Snake once they're both up riding the tsunami, just before the latter launches himself onto Eddie's car.
  • Mr. Exposition: His main role is to explain a bit about the world, remark on Snake's exploits and talk about tsunamis in the city while aiding Snake with his mission.
  • Stealth Hi/Bye: Pulls this twice on Snake in quick succession when he introduces himself at the shoreline and near Mulholland Drive.
  • Surfer Dude: Were it not for the fact that he's past his prime and carrying a rifle on his back, he would be a prototypical example of this trope. He's in search of "the big one", talks in Totally Radical language and has a very laid-back attitude, to the point that Snake brandishing a gun in his face doesn't even faze him.

    The Surgeon General of Beverly Hills 
Played By: Bruce Campbell

The leader of a group of augmented plastic surgery junkies who live on the island, and make a living by kidnapping and harvesting the body parts of others to keep themselves alive.

  • Bio-Augmentation: Has surgically grafted parts of other patients onto himself, becoming an exaggerated caricature of a human in the process.
  • The Dreaded: To the point that Taslima is aware of his reputation and nearly freaks out upon seeing him in person.
  • The Cameo: Played by Bruce Campbell, who only appears on-screen for a couple minutes (at best), yet manages to be memorable.
  • I Have You Now, My Pretty: Resorts to fondling the tied-up Taslima as a way to demonstrate how depraved he is, to the point of acting surprised that her breasts aren't augmented.
  • Mad Doctor: He makes his trade by kidnapping people on the island and harvesting their bodies in order to graft onto himself and his brethren in order to keep themselves alive, and comes across as a Large Ham in the process.
  • Uncanny Valley: Runs into this, not only because the character is a recognizable actor (Bruce Campbell) under a ton of prosthetics, but also because the General barely resembles a human, having grafted parts of other people onto himself over the years.
  • Plot-Irrelevant Villain: Despite the threat he faces to Snake and Taslima, he has nothing to do with the main conflict between the President Evil and the Shining Path terrorists. He's content to rule his own little corner of LA Island so he can conduct his experiments and the protagonists just happened to wander into his territory.
  • What Beautiful Eyes!: He's entranced by Snake's blue eye.

     Lieutenant Brazen 
Played By: Michelle Forbes

One of the Lieutenants stationed at the United States Police Force base outside Los Angeles, alongside Commander Malloy.

  • Bullying a Dragon: It's made clear that she really doesn't like Snake, and takes the opportunity to verbally disparage him at several points when he arrives at the USPF staging area. At the end of the film, Snake goes out of his way to give her an Ironic Echo after she loses it upon realizing that the Sword of Damocles is no longer under U.S. control.
  • Co-Dragons: She, along with Malloy, are part of the President's inner circle.
  • Expy: Of Dr. Cronenberg from the original film — a character who acts as a exposition "catch-all" to explain who Snake is, along with introducing him to his equipment.
  • Mrs. Exposition: Has several minor functions, acting as The Profiler for Snake (in a Deleted Scene), commenting on the virus that was used to infect Snake, and detailing part of his weapon lineup. At the end of the film, she helms the terminal controlling the Sword of Damocles satellites and explains to the President and Malloy what's happening.
  • The Profiler: In a Deleted Scene only seen in the trailer, she reads off Plissken's psychological profile, commenting that he was "the bottom of the curve" in a lineup of 5,000,000 similar subjects.
  • Tempting Fate: She comments that Snake "catches on quick" when it takes several minutes for him to figure out that he's been poisoned with Plutoxin-7. At the end of the film, when she realizes that Snake is a hologram, he tells her the exact same thing, causing her to freak out.
  • Underestimating Badassery: Upon seeing Snake in person for the first time, she is unimpressed, commenting that he looks "retro, like something out of the 20th century". Later on, she scoffs at him taking several minutes to figure out that he's been infected by Plutoxin-7.

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