"I got to admit, It's tough to keep going. Everyone I loved is dead. Some call them the lucky ones.. the ones that died on E-day, they never lived to see how much we've lost and how many principles we've compromised. But whenever I doubt what we're fighting for I just look to my squad. I mean maybe it's a good thing we lost everything. It's like a clean slate. We can make the world we always wanted to. Without repeating the same mistakes. I look at guys like Jace and Dom and realize we'll inherit this world. We're the ones who will make Sera beautiful again. That's a world worth fighting for."
Protagonist of the series. Marcus Fenix is a quiet, stoic guy, who prefers to do his talking with his gun, and is best friends with Dominic "Dom" Santiago. His best friend had been Dom's older brother Carlos Santiago, who was killed at the Battle of Aspho Fields in the Pendulum Wars. Regarded as the defining hero of the Pendulum Wars, he fought on the frontlines of the Human-Locust War until he abandoned his post in an attempt to save his father Adam Fenix from death, taking with him the targeting locator for the Hammer of Dawn, and costing the COG its capital city of Ephyra. He failed, and was sentenced to prison for his dereliction of duty, being spared only by the fact he was a former war hero. Four years later, Dom breaks him out of prison, and Marcus rejoins the army, being pardoned due to the need for soldiers, as the Locust are inching closer and closer to putting humanity into extinction.
" I JUST LOST MY FUCKING BROTHER! YOU HEAR THAT?! MY BROTHER!!! YOU, YOUR TOWER AND ALL THIS FUCKING IMULSION CAN GO TO HELL!!!"
Failing to perform an Active Reload across all game modes will also happen: while most of the time he merely expresses annoyance and frustration when it happens, sometimes he'll elicit a very vehement "GOD DAMN SON OF A BITCH!!!". It's practically the only time he ever broadcasts his emotions that much other than Dom's death scene and the event with Griffin.
Break the Badass - By the end of the trilogy, Marcus finally cracks, taking off his armor and lying completely and utterly defeated emotionally on Azura's beach. He's spent his entire adult life at war, and he's lost everyone he's ever cared about, save Anya.
Cannot Spit It Out - His affections for Anya; the fact that Everyone Can See It since the Pendulum Wars doesn't help. Thankfully, she realizes it and tells him she feels the same way. They begin a quiet relationship.
Nice Hat - He's always wearing that do-rag in the games. It's lumped in with the symbolism of him taking off his armor at the end of the third game, as he takes the do-rag off as well.
"Look, Marcus is busy saving the world again, so I gotta be there for him."
Marcus' best friend, Dom lost his brother Carlos during the Pendulum Wars, his parents and two children on Emergence Day and his wife Maria disappeared several years later after falling into severe depression from losing her family. When Marcus got sent to jail for abandoning his post to save his father, Dom was the only person who would defend him. As the war with the Locust Horde continues, Dom still remains somewhat cheerful and caring throughout the conflict, eventually breaking Marcus out of jail to assist in a major push against the Locust. At the same time, he continues to search for Maria whenever possible. When he found her lobotomized beyond recognition in the Locust Hollow, Dom was forced to euthanise her.
Call to Agriculture - In Gears of War 3, it's implied Dom has spent most of his time aboard the Sovereign growing plants. When called away to the CIC, he gets annoyed and just wants to hurry up so he can get back to them. The attacking Lambent end up ruining them in a battle, though they probably would've been anyway even if the Lambent were nowhere near them since the ship gets toppled.
Despair Event Horizon - After having to kill Maria, Dom dedicates himself to cultivating a fruit and vegetable garden on the Sovereign just so he can sort of distract himself. He'll still fight the Locust, but the burning hatred he showed for them in Gears of War 2 is almost buried under his depression...until they ruined his tomatoes.
Determinator - Never gave up hope searching for his wife. Occassionally frustrated, but it didn't hold.
Happily Married - For the brief time he and Maria were together before their kids died.
Heroic Sacrifice - In order to save the rest of the team, Dom takes control of an old junker and rams it into a gas pump to destroy the massive waves of Locust AND Lambent that were about to overwhelm them.
Ink Suit Actor - Somewhat: Dom doesn't look like exactly like Carlos Ferro, but by the time Gears of War 3 was in production, Dom was growing a Beard of Sorrow; Ferro was growing one himself and looked just like Dom.
Kill The Ones You Love - Dom euthanizes Maria after finding her catonic, scarred and malnourished in the Hollow.
Ship Tease - With Samantha in Coalition's End. He decides not to pursue it because he doesn't believe he can move on after Maria.
Undying Loyalty - To Marcus and Hoffman: to the former because he is his best friend, and to the latter since he was Dom's CO in the commando's during the Pendulum Wars.
"Our enemy talks to worms. If they're outsmarting us in this war, then we probably deserve to be extinct."
A snarky, Jerkass Gear who's constantly being promoted and demoted due to his skills and always being an ass to his superiors. An expert at all things technical, Damon Baird's very proficient at science and the inner workings of the Locust Horde, as well. Every squad, ship captain, and helicopter crew want him to be transferred to their command for his skills, something which he knows and relishes. He is best friends with Augustus Cole.
Aggressive Categorism - For Baird, all officers (except Anya and Hoffman) are idiotic parasites, and most people who aren't in Delta Squad are idiots.
"I suppose you want me to say I've always loved you. But I don't! I really, really don't!"
Captain Ersatz - The Cid Highwind of Gears of War: both look physically similar (aside from Baird's musculature), the only tech-savvy people of their respective parties, gets by with sarcasm and snark, but deeply care about their friends. The only thing Baird needs is a spear.
Character Development - Starts off as a know-it-all jerkass who only cares about himself and Cole, but eventually becomes a know-it-all jerkass who secretly cares about everyone he knows and hates himself for it.
Ink Suit Actor - Although Fred Tatasciore is a bigger guy and older and Baird is pretty skinny in the Gears universe, put him in fighting shape and give him blonde hair and you can see the resemblence.
Limited Advancement Opportunities - His technical skills have gotten him several promotions, but he has repeatedly gotten himself busted back down to Corporal. In Anvil Gate, Dom comes to believe that while Baird is happy knowing he's smart enough to be a sergeant, he doesn't believe he has the neccessary command ability.
Noodle Incident - Implied in Gears of War 3 regarding a certain event with him and his bladder...
That or a Call Back to Gears of War 2, when Marcus makes a long jump over a pit with a Centaur in the Hollow and Cole jokes that he thinks Baird pissed himself.
Only Sane Man - Often considers himself this compared to the rest of Delta Squad.
Reluctant Warrior - His interests always lay in the academic field but his parents forced him to enlist as a Gear or else have no access to his inheritance, once the Locust war started his single tour of duty became a career. This actually explains his jerkass nature, he figures his mechanical skills are more valuable than money now and thus no one is willing to kick him out.
Ship Tease - With Sam, making it a point to tell her personally to take care of herself after he, Marcus, Anya and Cole split off to find Adam and his superweapon on Azura.
Vitriolic Best Buds - Type 2 with nearly everyone in Delta Squad, especially Bernie. Averted with Cole, as the two never come close to an argument.
Though Baird's still bitter about the Hanover Cougars beating the Sharks.
Augustus Cole (Voiced by Lester Speight)
"Can't stop the Train, baby!"
A former all-star Thrashball defensive lineman turned Gear from the town of Hanover, Augustus "Cole Train" Cole is a loud, cheerful presence on the battlefield, inspiring confidence in his fellow Gears. However, much of the good cheer he projects is for the benefit of everyone else, as Cole considers it his duty to keep his squad's spirits up. He's extremely thoughtful and intelligent, and is quick to notice problems others are having and help them through it.
Emotional Bruiser - Cole's reminiscing of his Thrashball days in Gears of War 3, along with the following quote, is practically a lampshade of this trope:
Cole: "Do you ever feel like you're dead, but nobody ever told you?"
Hidden Depths - He comes across as a shallow Boisterous Bruiser who obsesses over his glory days as a star athlete but he does what he does out of an intense loyalty to his nation, fans and buddies. Gears 3 especially shows him with some emotional undercurrents, a good degree of people skills and is a very competent squad leader.
Hometown Hero - Well-loved in his hometown Hanover where he used to be the star player for the Cougars. The stadium even has a giant bronze statue of him, which Baird notes, with surprise, the Stranded in the area didn't melt down for scrap.
Lightning Bruiser - He became a Gear at the height of his Thrashball career, and still hasn't lost his speed.
Limited Advancement Opportunities - Refuses every promotion, with the reasoning that a higher rank won't help him kill Locust any faster, plus he'd much rather stay with his buddies.
Scary Black Man - Arguably a positive example; his Big Damn Heroes moment in Gears of War 2 certainly shows sign of this, judging by the fleeing Locust Drones.
Submissive Badass - He dislikes being put in positions of authority, causing him to turn down many promotions.
Anya Stroud (Voiced by Nan McNamara)
"Oh, I'm fine. That's the scary thing. I want to do it again. I'm not finished. Ad all this hilarity- I hear it all the time in Control. But now I've done it myself. Tell me it's normal. Tell me I've not got some terrible thing in me waiting to get out and kill and joke about it."
A controller in the CIC, Anya Stroud provides guidance and direction in the first two games, before transferring to the frontlines in the Expanded Universe and the third game. She's in love with Marcus, and the two finally begin dating on the island of Vectes after Jacinto sinks.
Action Girl - Becomes one of three playable female Gears in Gears of War 3. Expanded Universe states she heads to the frontlines during the novel Jacinto's Remnant. Interestingly, she regrets not doing this earlier than she should have.
Adrenaline Makeover - Dom notes in Coalition's End that several months of wearing full battle gear has caused her to walk and act like a soldier, as well as getting a bit more muscular from its weight. She also cuts a lot of her long hair off towards the end of the book, when an exploding Lambent Polyp singes the ends.
Undying Loyalty - To Hoffman: even in situations where she's supposed to report to Chairman Prescott first, she makes sure Hoffman winds up with the information beforehand.
"Well Done, Daughter" Girl - When her mother Helena Stroud was alive, she was absolutely terrified of disappointing her. Luckily, Helena managed to tell her how proud she was of her before she died.
Victor Hoffman (Voiced by Jamie Alcroft)
"Guns and bombs don't kill people. Clever scientists who want to build a better method of destruction kill people - lots of them. Most of my Gears couldn't make anything more lethal than a blade or a bow. So you'll forgive me if I think it stinks that my Gears get your "baby-killer" crap and your educated colleagues get research grants. And that's before you start inventing other shit you can't control."
The highest ranking member of the remaining COG army, Victor Hoffman worked his way up from the bottom to the head of Special Forces. He hated the promotions, worried the higher in rank he got, the worse he would screw up, and was fearful he would no longer be able to fight alongside his men. Hoffman was the one who ordered Marcus out of prison, as the number of Gears were dwindling. Restarted a relationship with Bernadette Mataki after she returned to the COG fifteen years after Emergence Day.
Anti-Hero - Type 3, sometimes dipping into Type 4.
Asskicking Equals Authority - Hoffman's in charge of the COG military because he's the highest ranking officer that was Badass enough to survive against the Locust.
The Atoner - He feels he needs to make up for all of the horrible choices he had to make during the Pendulum Wars, and for the fact he left Marcus in prison to die, when the war hero could've saved more lives and killed more Locust.
Authority Equals Asskicking - Second-in-command of what remains of humanity, and still just as capable as the rest of the heroes.
Limited Advancement Opportunities - Holds the rank of Colonel, despite being the head of the COG armed forces, for a couple of reasons: first, he insulted Chairman Prescott's predecessor, who made sure he would never get promoted again; second, everyone ranked higher than him died so quickly during the Locust War that it simply made Hoffman the highest ranking officer left; there was no need for a promotion. Before all that, he also worked to avoid promotions, fearing he would get promoted so high he wouldn't be able to fight on the battlefield alongside his men, and many of the higher ups didn't want to promote him because of his unorthodox ideas.
Military Maverick - Promoted commando tactics over traditional warfare, which annoyed the hell out of his superiors, but worked very effectively. This is also what leads to much of his conflict with Marcus: both are this trope, and are very alike in many ways. The sad part is they can't stand each other before the first game.
Bernadette "Bernie" Mataki (Voiced by Tess Masters)
"And I'm fucking Bernie Mataki, Two-Six RTI! And I will rejoin my fucking regiment!"
A South Islander Gear and sniper, Bernie is sixty years old and still fighting. She crossed half the planet, fighting the Locust and Stranded to return to the COG, which she views as the last bastion of civilization on Sera. She and Hoffman are a couple, and she has a dog named Mac.
Pintsized Powerhouse - She leveled Baird with one punch to the jaw when he annoyed her enough, though she also realized that if the much stronger Baird retaliated, he would have beaten the crap out of her.
Vitriolic Best Buds - Type 2 with Baird. By Jacinto's Remnant, they're more-or-less friends.
Tai Kaliso
"Some have said that War Is Hell. War is not Hell... for in Hell, innocence is spared."
A friend of Marcus from the Pendulum Wars, he saw his entire home village wiped out by Indie forces, and joined the COG to gain revenge. He has a tendency to survive where others didn't, but that didn't help him when he was captured by the Locust in the Hollow and tortured into committing suicide.Tai appears as one of four playable characters in the second Downloadable Content for Gears of War 3 called "RAAM's Shadow", where he and Zeta Squad must evacuate and protect surviving citizens of Ilima City from a Locust Kryllstorm.
Break The Bad Ass - Loses the fight against Skorge, is captured, and is tortured so painfully and horribly that both his body and his mind are broken and utterly violated, and he commits suicide out of insanity.
Heroic Sacrifice - Fights Skorge to give Delta and Dizzy Wallin enough time to head down to the Hollow, but ends up captured and tortured. When Delta Squad extracts him, he immediately kills himself.
Improvised Weapon - Tai is noted for doing this in the Expanded Universe; notably, it's he who creatively used a chainsaw against the Locust after his Retro Lancer's bayonet broke, leading to the invention of the modern-day Lancer assault rifle.
"Something's wrong with this thing! It keeps jamming!"
The second youngest Carmine brother, he first appeared onboard the Raven that picked up Marcus after he was released from prison, and marveled over Marcus' being a legend among the COG. Apparently an already established member of Delta Squad, he gets very little development until he gets killed very early on in the first game.
"Sergeant Fenix? Are you Sergeant Fenix? Delta squad? I'm your new Trainee!"
The youngest of the Carmine brothers, he is a fresh recruit sent to Delta Squad to be trained by Marcus (allowing you the option for a Justified Tutorial). He sticks around for a good portion of the game, gradually learning the ropes of being a soldier and being praised by Marcus for how quickly he picked it up.
Pyro Maniac - While never shown in the campaign, Marcus and Dom stated he likes fire, and his multiplayer quotes when using the Scorcher flamethrower are suitably crazy.
Weapon of Choice - He is seen using the sniper rifle more often than not.
The third Carmine brother, Clayton is the eldest brother to Anthony and Benjamin, and much more muscular and badass. First showing up in the third game (and the comic prequel leading up to it), at that point he had been a long established member of Delta Squad and chatted with the others on very friendly terms.
Gatling Good - Most promotional materials for Gears of War 3 have him wielding a Mulcher minigun.
Hot Blooded - He becomes really fired up in combat. Of note is he also gets pissed off a couple times during the campaign and speaks his mind (though it was justified each time), something his brothers never did.
Running Gag - Clayton's multiple brushes with death are some of the funniest moments in Gears of War 3.
Take That - In Versus multiplayer, Clayton's skin may sometimes shout "Who's expendable now?!" after achieving a kill as a strike against the Carmine family's Running Gag.
Trademark Favorite Food - Coalition's End and Gears of War 3 indicate Clayton has a rather unsettling obsession for bacon.
You Can't Fight Fate - Both of his brothers died at the beginning and middle of the first two games, respectively. Clayton arrives via Big Damn Heroes moment to aid Delta Squad in the final battle, but Myrrah has her Tempest take down his chopper.
Original leader of Delta Squad, Kim shares Hoffman's dislike for Marcus. He gets killed by General RAAM near the end of Act I of the first game. Kim is one of four playable characters of Zeta Squad in "RAAM's Shadow," up to establishing a certain rivalry between him and RAAM.
Cutscene Power to the Max: Can barge right through a swarm of attacking Kryll without getting torn to Ludicrous Gibs as long as the camera isn't over his shoulder.
Honor Before Reason - Even with orders to evacuate and the impending Kryllstorm minutes away, he refuses to give up on rescuing the civilians from the Ilima City orphanage.
"I hate myself. All I could think at first was that he left me and Mum to stay with his mates. But I'm a Gear. I know it's not that simple."
An explosives expert, Samantha's the daughter of Samuel Bryne, a Gear who served alongside Hoffman at Anvil Gate, while her mother was a Kashkuri native. She met Delta Squad at the Vectes Naval Base during the events of Jacinto's Remnant and joined up with them during the Stranded insurgency at New Jacinto. Samantha's an avid tattoo artist and was the one who gave Dom the angelic tattoo of Maria on his right arm.
Badass Biker - Her favorite mode of transportation; she even ran a Stranded insurgent over with a motorcycle.
Belligerent Sexual Tension - With Baird; their bantering throughout Act I in Gears of War 3 is one of the best examples out there.
Samantha: "Oh, Baird, that house over there. I can see it now: you, me, a couple of kids and a dog."
Baird: "Yeah, and my great big bottle of suicide pills."
Samantha: "That'll save me from poisoning your dinner."
Heads to Ship Tease in the final act where after Baird is informed of Dom's death, in a moment of playing against his usual demeanor, Baird tells Samantha to take care of herself. She responds in the same way.
"Well Done, Daughter" Girl - Grew up hearing stories about her father and tries to live up to his reputation, but worries she might have disappointed him somehow.
Richard Prescott (Voiced by Charles Cioffi (Gears of War 2) and Dwight Schultz (Gears of War 3)
"The Coalition of Ordered Governments still exists, the rule of law still exists, and our social covenants still exist. We may no longer be in a state of war, but we still have a battle ahead to survive and rebuild, and in these difficult days there will be no tolerance of lawlessness and antisocial behavior. Unity defeated the Locust. But disunity will be the certain end of us all."
Chairman of the Coalition of Ordered Governments for the time frame of the games, Prescott took over the position after his predecessor died of a heart attack. He employed ruthless tactics in his efforts to defeat the Locust, including burning a majority of Sera's surface to deny the Locust equipment, killing millions. As things got worse it became evident he hid government secrets even when they would be useful in defeating the Locust, with his reasons for doing so kept ambiguous.
Badass - He fights against the Lambent invading the Sovereign armed with nothing but a Snub pistol and without armor, while not losing his calm, collected manner.
Character Development - Started off hating keeping secrets and being honest with his advisors and the military, but became very secretive and lied a lot over his fifteen years in office.
Chest of Medals - Which people wonder how he got, considering the fact that he was only in the army for 18 months and never saw combat.
Killed Off for Real - Just one chapter after you re-encounter him, he dies from severe wounds sustained following the Lambent Leviathan explosion, but not before telling Marcus where his father is.
I Did What I Had to Do - One of his defining character traits. He hates himself for ordering the Hammer counterstrikes as well as many other decisions he's made since E-Day, but believes them all to have been absolutely necessary for humanity to survive.
While Marcus can't stand the guy and the things he did, even he had to admit there were some logic to it however morally shady it may have been.
Reasonable Authority Figure - When a battle or military crises is about to break out, Prescott knows to step back and let Hoffman do his job without interference.
Rousing Speech - He's very good at these, and even Hoffman has to acknowledge he can motivate people like nobody else he has ever seen. The opening of Gears 2 is straight out of a Hollywood action movie.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here - He abandons the COG only a few months after the sinking of Jacinto, and without a leader, it disbands. However, he is insistent that he has a reason to leave, and wants the others to come with him, but they don't trust him and refuse. His return with information about Adam Fenix is what kicks off the plot of the third game.
What an Idiot - Yeah, Prescott, hide the fact that information on the Locust capital is at a secret base, and the location of vital fuel supplies. Oh, and the fact that an island the population of Jacinto could have evacuated to is not contaminated like everybody else thought. That will be real helpful to the war effort.
Dizzy Wallin (Voiced by Peter Jason)
"Our government's doing more than abandoning us. They're killing more of us than the damn grubs have."
A former Stranded who became a Gear through Operation Lifeboat in order to feed and protect his family. Drinks heavily, but is a good father and soldier, which surprises many Gears and COG citizens who hate Stranded. He was a derrick operator in Gears 2 and avoided capture because of Tai's actions, showing up later in Gears 3 as the leader of an outpost and helping the rest on their way.
The AlcoholicParent - He does drink a lot, but it never affects his work as a Gear, nor is he an abusive parent because of it.
Badass - This is noted in the third game: Delta Squad accidentally rendezvous with Dizzy after hijacking a Locust Barge. They wonder if he's fighting the entire Locust army at a supply depot; Dizzy replies he'd learned his lesson against Skorge. When he's held hostage by Griffin's men in Char to force Delta to get Griffin's fuel, Marcus worries he'll attempt to escape. He winds up holding off Myrrah's Royal Guards singlehandedly.
Survivor Guilt - Felt this after his first wife and child were killed on Emergence Day, and later after his second wife died. However, the need to care for his twin daughters pulled him out of it.
What Happened to the Mouse? - His disappearance from Gears of War 2 was not followed up on, unlike Tai. The graphic novels reveal he managed to escape and survived, and returns as a supporting character in the novels beginning with Jacinto's Remnant. He reappears in Gears of War 3, working with Delta Squad to be the driver and engineer of the naval transportation they'll need to get to Azura.
Michael Barrick (Voiced by Rick D. Wasserman)
"Lemme tell ya something about war... War... ain't always about fightin'. Blood, bullets, death, yeah, yeah, that's part of it... but it sure as hell ain't all of it. Sometimes, it's knowin' when to turn tail... and run your fuckin' ass off. Storm's about to hit..."
A former Stranded who joined the COG via Operation Lifeboat, except he didn't have a family to benefit and just wanted to kill some Locust. Dies holding off a large army of Locust to allow the rest of Delta to escape. Even if he hadn't done that, he would have died because of rustlung eventually. Originating in the comics, Barrick is one of four playable characters in Zeta Squad for "RAAM's Shadow".
"I’ve tried to stay in the light… I’m trying every day. It’s tricky, though. So much pain in the world, you can’t help but feel it. And tough as it is you realize that feeling is the key to everything. Being hollow is the danger… feeling is the key. It’s tough sometimes. Hell, it’s tough most of the time. But feeling is what makes us human."
A young Gear who saw his family murdered by the Locust on Emergence Day, Jace has nevertheless grown up to be a kind, caring individual who puts others first and has a strong moral center. He started in the comics and made a vocal cameo in Gears 2, later to become a member of Delta in Gears 3. He shows up as a teenager in "RAAM's Shadow" and depicts him going into combat for the first time.
The Other Darrin - Had a few lines in Gears of War 2 (with a borderline Aussie accent) before the graphic novels turned him into an Ascended Extra and not just a generic Gear in a helmet.
Drake was originally signed on to voice him in Gears of War 3 before scheduling conflicts came up to prevent it.
And he also gets a new voice actor for his younger self in "RAAM's Shadow".
Replacement Goldfish - In the Gears of War 3 campaign and "RAAM's Shadow", he replaces the Player 2 character after they die.
Smart Guy - He impresses Baird with his levels of analysis and thinking.
Take Up My Sword - Jace picks up Valera's Lancer in "RAAM's Shadow" to assist Zeta Squad.
Wise Beyond Their Years - Baird considers him to be this a bit, considering what he went through in his childhood.
Part of Zeta Squad, Alicia Valera called Ilima City her hometown, until evacuations were underway as Emergence Day had hit and she was called into service to help scuttle survivors out of the city. Alicia appears exclusively in "RAAM's Shadow".
What the Hell Is That Accent? - Alicia's definitely Hispanic, but sometimes her words give a resounding Greek/Eastern European accent rather than a Spanish one.
Adam Fenix (Voiced by Charles Cioffi (Gears of War 2) and Peter Renaday (Gears of War 3))
"I rarely see Marcus most days. I just don't know who he is, and it's all my fault. I lied to him about what happened to Elaine, and the longer I lie, the harder it is to come clean. Kids know when you're lying. Then their trust withers and dies."
A retired Gear-turned-scientist and the father of Marcus Fenix, Adam developed weapons for the COG, including finishing the Hammer of Dawn. Considered the greatest military scientist on Sera, during the Human-Locust War, he disappeared in the Battle of Ephyra when his son failed to extract him and was assumed killed-in-action. Mysterious recordings of his voice were found in the Locust capital Nexus and a strange radio transmission was heard from him after the Hollow was flooded.
Blue Eyes - Like Marcus, he has an icy and piercing gaze. However, Adam's noticeably freaked out by their intensity, and once decided to sell all of his ancestors' portraits hanging in his home because he felt their cold blue stares were judging him.
My Greatest Failure - Two of them: failing to be close to Marcus and be a better father than his was, and not finding a way to make peace with the Locust and avoid the Hammer of Dawn counterattack.
Professor Guinea Pig - In an attempt to see how the Imulsion infection spreads, Adam injected himself with it to determine its effects and build his superweapon accordingly.
Adam was never killed when Marcus failed to extract him at the Battle of Ephyra: Prescott had him kidnapped and sent to Azura.
He was fully aware of the inevitable Emergence Day, due to Queen Myrrah personally asking for his assistance to solve the Lambent problem plaguing the Locust. Unfortunately, Adam didn't have enough time to find a solution to wipe out the Lambent, while preserving the Locust. Left with no choice, Myrrah had the Locust invade the surface, kickstarting the war.
Science Hero - Is the inventor behind the Hammer of Dawn and the modern-day Lancer (although Tai is credited for demonstrating why a chainsaw fares far better than a bayonet).
The head of the COG Navy and a personal friend of Hoffman's from their time working together during the Pendulum Wars. He, Hoffman, and Trescu were often forced to deal with Prescott's under-the-table dealing of secrets and runarounds. After Prescott abandons the remainder of the COG and Hoffman leaves for Anvil Gate, Michaelson commands the recommissioned battleship CNV Sovereign with Delta Squad and COG loyalists.
Seadog Beard - Had one during his pirate catching duties, but shaved it off when he became head of the Navy.
Miran Trescu
Leader of the remaining population of the Republic of Gorasni, Trescu led his people in joining the COG on the island of Vectes after the sinking of Jacinto, and quickly rose to a position of power alongside Hoffman and Michaelson, working with them to try and deal with Prescott's obstructiveness.
The Cavalry - Arrives with a Gorasni ship and reinforcements at Azura to assist the COG for the assault on the island in Gears of War 3.
Cold-Blooded Torture - Is very willing to do this to get the information he needs, though his methods tend to be more of a psychological nature than a physical one, at least until he shoots one of the subjects to get the others to talk.
Exalted Torturer - Played with: his men and half the COG have no problem with him torturing Stranded Insurgents, while the other half view it as crossing the Moral Event Horizon.
Shoot the Dog - Executes two captured Stranded Insurgents, a father and his 14 year-old son, after the war is over, reasoning that Hoffman couldn't kill them himself, but he couldn't let them live because they killed several Gears.
Dom's wife, who went missing four years after Emergence Day due to her depression over her childen's death. Dom spends the next ten years looking for her, eventually finding her as a lobotmized Locust prisoner in the Hollow, and was forced to put her out of her misery.
Short for "Jack-of-All-Trades", JACK is a floating robot that assists Delta Squad in getting past locked doors, hacking computers, staying in contact with Mission Control, and shining a flashlight along their path to their objectives.
Do Any Thing Robot - To a point where Baird installs a stun gun for JACK to use in Gears of War 3. In fact, JACK will help out during firefights and give Locust infantry trouble.
Robot Buddy - Notably averted throughout Gears of War 3: JACK's been taken offline before the game begins because Baird needs spare parts to repair it. The final act brings it back to resume its usual duties.
Took a Level in Badass - Baird repairs JACK to full function and adds an electrical tazer weapon to help the other in combat.
The Locust Horde
Queen Myrrah (Voiced by Carolyn Seymour)
""The Humans of Sera built a glorious civilization, but Humans are not destined to create. They ultimately did what they do best. Destroy. But this was nothing, compared to a new threat, from below. An enemy that will force Humanity to take their last, inevitable steps, toward extinction."
The leader of the Locust Horde, who outwardly resembles a human woman. Precisely why she looks almost human is not made clear, and neither her motivations for attacking mankind. Gears of War 3 reveals Emergence Day resulted when the Locust realized their Lambent counterparts were becoming active and attacked them, and they had to flee the Hollow before it overwhelmed them. Myrrah led the Locust to attack humanity in order to reach the surface and escape the Lambent.
Adrenaline Makeover - In Gears of War 3, she's leading the Locust Horde personally. She switches her outfit and even her skin seems to be of a different color.
Big Bad - Gears of War 3 makes it clear she IS the overall Big Bad of the trilogy being the Final Boss.
Cute Monster Girl - Although given Myrrah's appearance, "monster" might be an understatement. Then again, considering how genocidal she is, "monster" might refer to a different use of the term.
Well-Intentioned Extremist - The Lambent existed years before Emergence Day; the Locust were losing more ground and Myrrah had to turn to Adam Fenix for a solution to the problem. Since he couldn't find a way to destroy the Lambent without harming the Locust, Myrrah was left with no choice and ordered her forces to invade the surface, beginning the Human-Locust War.
You Have Failed Me - In Versus multiplayer, one of the losing quotes for the Locust team is Myrrah expressing these exact words, with an added, bitter emphasis of "utterly".
A Locust Drone who worked his way up the ranks in the Locust Horde, RAAM led the Locust army during the Lightmass Offensive and served as the Final Boss of the first game. RAAM returns prominently in the second Gears of War 3Downloadable Content called "RAAM's Shadow", a prequel taking place long before the first game, where he and a few Locust elite infantry place strategic Seeders to ink the sky black over Ilima City for an impending Kryllstorm.
Cool Sword - Carries one, and kills Alicia Valera and Lieutenant Kim with it. Could qualify as a BFS, but since he's the one using it, it looks small, almost akin to a dagger.
Elemental Baggage - There's no explanation in Gears of War or "RAAM's Shadow" on why he seems to be able to summon Kryll out of thin air to protect him. Either that or he's keeping them all under his coat.
Hero Killer - Kills Kim during his first appearance, while the Locust under his command take out a ton of Red Shirts at the same time. In his first chronological appearance ("RAAM's Shadow"), he kills a squad of Onyx Guards (the most elite of COG troopers), and later, Alicia Valera.
Finger Poke of Doom - In "RAAM's Shadow", players controlling RAAM can direct his Kryll shield with a point of a finger and turn enemy Gears into a fine, bloody paste.
Implacable Man - Nothing can slow this Locust down. In-universe, if he enters the battlefield, retreat is A MUST. In "RAAM's Shadow", he doesn't just open open gates, let alone even kick them down: he backhands them into rubble.
Large and in Charge - While a Drone, RAAM's the size of a Boomer (at least 9 feet tall, he towers over the already big main characters). This is averted in multiplayer, where his skin is downsized to the height of a normal Drone for obvious reasons.
That One Boss - In contrast to the other, relatively easy bosses in the series, RAAM can be an extremely tough one. This is due to a fairly narrow battle section, the Kryll shield and the Troika turret he is carrying. Then again, he is the game's Final Boss.
Anticlimax Boss - Compared to the very threatening RAAM, Skorge's Boss Battle is little more than a few chainsaw duels. But he also counts as a...
Climax Boss - He's fought right before the final act, after Delta Squad discovers not only the real plans of the Locust, but the fact their Queen looks human.
High Speed Battle - The second fight against him, where he chases down Delta Squad on Reavers with a gigantic Hydra.
Informed Ability - Marcus labels Skorge as being so tough that he makes RAAM look like a "goddamn pushover", yet doesn't put up much of a fight in-game.
An old Stranded who owned a gas station in Ephyra, until it was accidently destroyed by Delta Squad. Chaps then led a group of Stranded underground, hoping to evade both the COG and Locust, until he was found by Delta Squad.
Badass - Fights alongside Delta with a Boltok pistol, and can actully take down Locust Drones. Naturally, he complains the whole time.
"You fuckin' COG bastards! Everywhere you go, everything you do it's always nothin' but death, pain, and miseries! You piece of shit motherfuckers!"
A Stranded leader in the destroyed city of Char, who Delta Squad meets in Gears of War 3. Formerly president of Griffin Imulsion.
Ascended Fanon - According to Word Of God, Ice T jokingly asked Cliff Bleszinski over the phone why he wasn't in Gears of War 3, when Michael B. Jordan was cast to voice Jace. Cliff later met with Ice T personally and said Epic Games could make that into a reality, thus was born Griffin.
Jerkass - He cares solely about his employees even though he treats them like crap, is an Ungrateful Bastard and takes every opportunity to shit-talk the COG. Even worse, according to the collectibles, even his ex-employees called him an asshole.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In his defense, before the Hammerstrikes, Griffin Immulsion was noted for having no processing fatalities in its history largely because of Griffin's approach to running the company. His attitude was that keeping his employees safe — whether they were happy or not — was all that mattered, even so much as calling his employees family.
Ungrateful Bastard - So much so he's the only person in the series who has actually made Marcus angry at him.
Expanded Universe
Carlos Santiago
Dom's older brother and Marcus' best friend, Carlos was the first to join the COG army during the Pendulum Wars. He was extremely reckless, and ended up paying for that at the Battle of Aspho Fields.
Overshadowed by Awesome - Marcus joined the COG army after him but was promoted faster, and was the one Anya was attracted to the most. In a twist, Carlos felt this was alright, since he was happy seeing Marcus, who's the Perpetual Frowner, be happy for once.
Bai Tak
A Pesanga scout and commando who served alongside Hoffman for fifteen years during the Pendulum Wars.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold - After Bernie loses her dog Mac, Gill's determined to find him so that one of her friends doesn't lose another thing she cares about.
Not That Kind of Doctor - She gets rather annoyed that Bernie keeps bringing her dog Mac to her to be patched up, and Prescott having her examine the remains of Lambent animals.
Pet the Dog - Has a soft spot for amputees, and for Dom after he was forced to euthanize Maria.
Wheelchair Woobie - Lost his legs to the Locust, forcing him to be stuck in the CIC instead of fighting, to his great frustration.
Padrick Salton
South Islander sniper who fought in the Pendulum Wars, killing over four hundred Indie soldiers. During the Locust War, the death of his best friend and the Hammer of Dawn counterattack pushed him over the edge, and he disappeared without a trace. He showed up again at Anvil Gate during the Lambent Invasion, having gone to live with the Pesanga.
What Happened to the Mouse? - He went into a depression after the Hammer of Dawn counterattack and disappeared, with many thinking he was Driven to Suicide. He shows up in Coalition's End and is revealed to have gone to Pesang, where he joined the remaining Pesanga people in trying to survive the Locust.
Drew Rossi
The sergeant in charge of Echo Squad, a tough veteran who really likes to snark at others.
Embarrassing Tattoo - Samantha gave him a skull tattoo on one of his shoulders that apparently has something hilarious in its eyes. She eventually fixed it for him.
The Lancer - Serves as Anya's Lancer when she is put in command of a garrison in a small town.
Captain of the Onyx Guard and one of Prescott's most trusted secret advisors. He does not like some of the things he has to do for Prescott or the secrets, but understands perfectly the need for it all.
One of the few frontline female Gears after E-Day, Alex lived on a COG "farm" until she was 18, where women were raped or artifically inseminated until they became pregnant. After it was discovered she was barren, Alex was shipped off to boot camp and made into a soldier. She became a sniper and scout, and quickly rose through the ranks. She worked with Delta when they went to the farm where she grew up after a distress signal was detected there.
Chekhov's Gunman - First showed up in the background of the second issue of the Hollow arc, he got a name and was heavily involved in the story of the stand-alone fourteenth issue.
