Index
- Coalition Of Ordered Governments
- Locust Horde
- Lambent
- Stranded
- Gorasni
The Coalition of Ordered Governments
"Order, Diligence, Purity, Labor, Honor, Loyalty, Faith, and Humility."
— Austere Canon of the COG
An imperialistic communist / fascist alliance of nations, the COG warred with the Union of Independent Republics for 80 years during the Pendulum Wars, fighting for control of Imulsion deposits and to advance the governing philosophy of the COG Allfathers. The nation of Tyrus is the center of COG power, with the capital city of Ephyra being the headquarters of the COG military and office of the Chairman. After winning the Pendulum Wars with the Hammer of Dawn, the COG enjoyed six brief weeks of world domination before the Locust emerged.
- Blue Is Heroic: Blue seems to be the national color of the COG, as per the flag above. Most of their military equipment features blue stripes and coloring, as well as blue Tron Lines on the Gears' weapons and armor. Played With, however, the more you dig into the COG's past and their actions during the games, you'll see they're not as "heroic" as their leaders like to think they are.
- The Commandments: The Octus Canon:"I am responsible for myself and my actions; I shall conduct myself honorably, and live a clean and frugal life. I have responsibilities to my fellow citizens. I shall be loyal to them, and humble, because we are elements of a greater whole, and without them I am nothing, I have responsibilities to our society; I shall understand and respect my place in it, defend it, and work to make it prosperous, so that I may receive society's protection, and that we may hand on safety and prosperity to future generations."
- Commie Nazis: The COG takes many elements from both Communism and Fascism. It's pretty much an idealized version of both.
- On the fascism side, it advocates absolute loyalty to the state and nationalism, along with revering the army (with proportionate focus on its expansion), and requiring citizens (whether societally or by law) to support the military and the state in some way.
- On the Communist side, people within the COG are encouraged to value the many over the few, as you can see in the Octus Canon. Acting for the greater good, living frugally, and seeing yourself as equal with others are also values that the COG holds.
- Then there's the most evident part of both ideologies: Expanding your borders and ideals through military or political pressure.
- Create Your Own Villain: COG scientists created the Locust Horde, first by trying to cure Immulsion sickness, then trying to turn the resulting mutant creatures into Super Soldiers to win the Pendulum Wars.
- The Empire: Originally made up of a number of different republics and kingdoms, the COG is expansionistic during the Pendulum Wars, with a huge military that is fighting to expand its influence across the rest of the world. It succeeds, too, for around six weeks. Then E-Day hits and it rapidly becomes a Vestigial Empire as it's forced to stay on the Jacinto Plateau because everywhere else is too vulnerable to the Locust.
- Fun with Acronyms: Coalition of Ordered Governments, you say?
- Gone Horribly Right: Gears Tactics reveals that fringe elements of the COG secretly helped Niles take the subjects at the New Hope Research Facility to Mount Kadar to continue his research, so that they could obtain Super Soldiers that could help them finally win the Pendulum Wars. Said subjects would eventually slaughter all of the scientists, retreat underground, become the Locust Horde, and eventually rise up to take Sera, almost wiping out the COG right after the UIR was finally defeated.
- Grey-and-Grey Morality: The conflict with the UIR.
- Hidden Elf Village: The COG had a top-secret island sanctuary called Azura, intended as a refuge for the COG's best and brightest. Azura is a combination luxury resort, research facility, and military base protected and concealed by an artificial hurricane. Originally built during the Pendulum Wars as a sanctuary for the COG elite in case the UIR won the war, it ended up being the place where the rich and powerful sat out the Locust War while the common folk suffered and died on the mainland. At least, until the events of Gears 3...
- Idiot Ball: After spending two entire decades fighting the Locust, what did the COG do with all the bodies of their ancient enemy? Decide, that since the bodies could not be destroyed due to being covered in indestructible cocoons, to just bury them by the thousands or hundreds of thousands in certain areas after the war, and then just leave them there with nothing to monitor them. Given that the Locust were known to attack anywhere without warning, not to mention the Locust had survived their prior doomsday weapons, just leaving them there with no way to raise the alarm if anything moved was incredibly bad, especially since several Locust forms could appear to be dead and still be alive.
- Meaningful Name: They certainly picked a good acronym for themselves since every citizen is expected to view themselves as a cog in a greater machine and conduct themselves accordingly.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
- In addition to the Idiot Ball moment above, the second the Swarm start making their attacks, rather than realize the Locust could be back, they decide to throw the blame on their own humans. This allows the Swarm to build up a large army, which sets the stage for Gears 5, even if the protagonists did buy some time.
- At least one of the Locust burial sites was an osmium mine, and supplemental material explains that the smoke emitted by Scions to buff Swarm troops is actually osmium dust, which clearly has a favorable reaction with Swarm biology, which is probably very similar to Locust biology. The osmium might be the whole reason the dormant Locust even woke up in the first place.
- Hell, the entire Locust Horde and its successors can be blamed on them - rogue elements of the Coalition secretly helped create the Locust so that they could get an edge against the UIR during the Pendulum Wars.
- Putting on the Reich: A lot of the COG's symbols invoke Nazi Germany, although the COG is more fascist than racist. Any discrimination is due more to nationalism than anything else, as they have no issues with different skin colors or religions, so long as your nation is part of the COG. Even allies like the Pesanga are subject to discrimination despite providing the COG's best commandos because their nation is not an official part of the COG.
- Skeleton Government: The Locust War is not kind to the COG government. By 15 AE, only Chairman Prescott is left. Oh, and all of those VIP's who were secretly evacuated to Azura while the Gears and civilians died fighting the Locust.
- Take Over the World: The COG managed to do this just a few weeks before the Locust invaded the surface.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: The leadership of the COG during the Pendulum Wars will stop at nothing to ensure their philosophies are implemented worldwide. Assassination, bombing of civilians, torture, invading neutral nations, terrorism, etc. are all accepted tactics. Not that the UIR was any better, as they employed those same tactics to fight the COG to a standstill. Even after the Locust threat is finally handled, it's implied that the new leader Jinn's methods may have a better social standing on the surface but ultimately are only a step above the pre-wars COG's merciless nature.
Gears
The backbone of COG society, Gears embody everything the COG should stand for. Due to the 80 year Pendulum Wars, COG society evolved to revolve around the military. In comparison to the COG government, the Gears care less about spreading COG doctrine and Imulsion supplies, and more about ensuring the safety of their countrymen and fellow Gears.
- Just Following Orders: The Gears don't have a choice once they're in the COG army, even well after The Locust War. Either you follow orders or you die.
- My Country, Right or Wrong: Most Gears take this point of view. By the time the third game begins, not so much. The Gears loyalty lies only with each other and what civilians remain, the philosophy of the COG be damned.
- Red Shirt Army: Especially true with regards to The Onyx Guard.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: By the time the third game comes around, they pretty much shunt themselves from the COG to protect what civilians are left.
- True Companions: The essence of any Gear is undying loyalty to their fellow comrades. By the time of Gears of War 3, this is especially true, since there are so few Gears left they know most of their remaining fellow comrades very well.
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COG High Command
Colonel 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."
Hoffman is the highest ranking member of the remaining COG army fourteen years after Emergence Day. Hoffman worked his way up from private to become the head of COG Special Forces at the end of the Pendulum Wars. 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. He restarted a relationship with Bernadette Mataki after she returned to the COG fifteen years after Emergence Day, and later led a group of survivors at Anvil Gate following the sinking of Jacinto.
- A Father to His Men: Particularly Dom, who along with Marcus and Bernie are the only survivors of 26 RTI's battle at Aspho Field.
- Anti-Hero: Type 3, sometimes dipping into Type 4.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Hoffman's in charge of the COG military because he's the highest ranking officer that was tough enough to survive against the Locust. Also because several other higher-ranking officers had their deaths faked and were sent to Azura. Hoffman was not selected to be sent away because Prescott knew he would never agree to it and because he beleived Hoffman was the best choice to defeat 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.
- Battle Couple: With Bernie. It's revealed in Anvil Gate that they were also a couple when they were younger, but he broke up with her under pressure from his superiors when he started officer training. They get back together in the aftermath of the sinking of Jacinto.
- Brutal Honesty: Despises liars in general, possibly due to his faking a surrender at Anvil Gate (a lie). When he tells you something, it's the truth as far as he knows it. This is one reason why Prescott keeps him in the dark for so long, because he knows Hoffman wouldn't react well to the truth and also wouldn't hesitate to tell anyone. Lampshaded by Trescu, who tells one of his men that Hoffman knows the truth's "power to shock".
- It's subtly showcased in Gears 2 when Delta investigates New Hope Research Facility. Hoffman goes through the typical "chains of command" need-to-know boilerplate language...only to confide with Marcus that even he doesn't know what's going on, and he won't pretend otherwise.
- The Chains of Commanding: His actions and thoughts make it clear on more than one occasion that he wishes he was still just a frontline soldier, though he is self-aware enough to acknowledge that if he wasn't in command, things would go a lot worse.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: In the Gears 4 campaign he is confined to a wheelchair due to his old age. This version of him is playable in multiplayer (minus the wheelchair).
- Good Is Not Nice: He's one of the most straight-up heroes in Sera, but when push comes to shove, he'll activate an orbital laser grid or execute one of his own people for theft.
- Grumpy Old Man: A lot of this seems to be a facade, as he's noticeably more laid-back with people he knows well.
- I Surrender, Suckers: How he won the Siege of Anvil Gate. Unfortunately, he hates himself for it. And as a kicker, it wasn't even necessary, as COG reinforcements arrived literally only two hours later.
- The Last DJ: See Limited Advancement Opportunities.
- 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.
- The McCoy: Is grumpy and snarky next to Trescu's cool and logical The Spock and Michaelson's raffish The Kirk.
- 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.
- My Greatest Failure: Not stopping his wife from trying to rescue her sister in an area that would be hit by the Hammer of Dawn counterattack. In addition, he as a lesser one in deliberately trying to leave Marcus Fenix to die in the prison Marcus was rescued from in Gears Of War 1.
- He's also not proud of his actions during the Siege of Anvil Gate.
- Old Soldier: He is in his 60's during the events of the games. By Gears 4, he has become wheelchair bound in his advanced age, but that didn't stop him from becoming a playable character in multiplayer.
- Principles Over Promotion: He was not happy when the Pesang commando Bai Tak, who'd served with him for years, was denied a posthumous Embry Star after dying at Aspho Fields (the reason being that Pesang was only an ally and not an integrated member of the COG). When Hoffman accepted his award, he threw this hypocrisy back in the chairman's face, knowing it would mean he'd never be promoted again. Then he went home and sent Tak's widow a check and his own medal with instructions to hock it and use the money to support herself and her children.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: After being forced into retirement, Hoffman used his military connections to secretly form a strike force outside of the COG's jurisdiction, in order to counter the Swarm in a more decisive and effective manner.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Most of the time. His memories even note that he would have forgiven Marcus for decking him during the Battle of Ephyra, but he couldn't overlook Marcus' other mistakes in that instance(commandeering a helicopter, endangering the lives of his squadmates, and causing the loss of Ephyra because he had part of the Hammer's targeting laser with him when he left).
- Reluctant Retiree: Forced into retirement by First Minister Jinn after butting heads with her over her handling of the Swarm.
- Tritagonist: The novels turn him into one. He gets more page time than any other characters in most of them.
- You Are in Command Now: After all of his superiors are supposedly killed.
Chairman 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."
Prescott is the Chairman of the Coalition of Ordered Governments for the time frame of the games, taking over the position after his predecessor died of a heart attack a year after Emergence Day. 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.
- Armchair Military: He was a Gear in the Pendulum Wars...for all of 18 months as a staff officer, who never saw combat or fired his weapon in anger.
- Back for the Dead: He shows up on the Sovereign at the beginning of Gears 3 after an 18 month absence from what's left of the COG. He doesn't survive the first act.
- Blue Blood: He came from a prestigious political dynasty and his father was even a Chairman of the COG during The Pendulum Wars.
- The Chains of Commanding: He had to do a lot of things he didn't care for when he became Chairman.
- Character Death: Just one chapter after you re-encounter him in 3, he dies from severe wounds sustained following the Lambent Leviathan explosion, but not before telling Marcus where his father is.
- Character Development: Not the positive type, mind you. He 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.
- Exact Words: He considers it a point of honor that he's never actually lied to anyone; everything he's ever told someone in his career is 100% true. But there is a great deal he doesn't tell people.
- Godzilla Threshold: He ordered the Hammer strikes to scorch Sera and stop the Locust invasion when it was clear there was no other viable strategy to stop them.
- Good Is Not Nice: Prescott is literally doing everything he can to keep the COG together, but he still comes across as a dick.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Takes a lot of flak for ordering the Hammer of Dawn used to scorch the surface of Sera to stem the tide of the Locust onslaught, but as horrific as that decision was, it did give humanity a chance and ultimately allowed them to triumph after fifteen years of conflict. Later he abandons the COG and nobody believes him when he says he has a good reason for doing so. Then it turns out, he did.
- 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. And he has a point, using the Hammer of Dawn bought the COG 15 more years to battle the Locust, when at that point, it was going to be a matter of weeks before a complete Locust victory. 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. Of course, then there was Azura, which... well, it's best you see for yourself.
- I Have Your Wife: His reason for having Marcus Fenix locked up in Jacinto Prison rather than executed for going AWOL. By that point Adam Fenix was safely in Azura, and to ensure his cooperation on the anti-Lambency project, Prescott kept his son under lock and key and away from the front lines of the Locust War, relatively safe so long as Adam played ball and followed Prescott's orders.
- I'm Dying, Please Take My MacGuffin: Hands Marcus a recording from his "dead" father Adam and the code to access information on where he's hiding before he dies.
- Jerkass Has a Point: No one in or out of universe will argue that using the Hammer Of Dawn on The COG's own cities were horrible, but Prescott did have a point in their usuage. Around the time He made that decision, victory was in The Locusts grapse and many of the cities that were destroyed in the Hammer strikes were eventually going to fall at their hands anyways. It didn't help that with the time limit they had before victory was unachievable for the COG no one else could come up with a better plan. So while the move earned him the scorn of many, (both COG and Stranded) In the long run it did prove to be beneficial to the survival of humanity.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: A fairly small one, but it's there nonetheless.
- He has a lot of Pet the Dog moments, like expressing deep remorse that so many people had to die in the Hammer of Dawn counter-attack against the Locust that he ordered, which is something he views as borderline unforgivable. He even warns his secretary in a subtle manner to make sure she gets her family to Jacinto Plateau before he makes the announcement, and when she does that, he sadly muses that at lease one person won't hate him for what he's about to do. There's also the implicit fact that he didn't fake his death to go to Azura with the other surviving members of the COG's government and military, opting to stay behind and lead the fight with Hoffman. He ultimately dies telling Marcus his father is alive and gives him some crucial info, proving that his heart was always in the best interest of the surviving humans.
- Knight Templar: Views it as his personal responsibility to ensure humanity's survival, no matter what the cost.
- Moral Event Horizon: In-Universe, he has two. When he ordered the Hammer strikes to destroy the Locust, all while sacrificing millions of survivors with it certainly was the first time he crossed it. However, it's when he apparently deserts the COG after the loss of Jacinto that he becomes vilified in the eyes of those who remained.
- Nerves of Steel: In the few times he comes under fire, he handles himself well and never drops his composure. A key example is the Hammer of Dawn Counterattack that created Char. When it became obvious that there was no way to beat the Locust with conventional warfare, he decided to use the entire Hammer of Dawn system to destroy as much of Sera's infrastructure as possible, while unfortunately also killing tens of millions of people. Though three keys had to be used to release the safety locks on the system, Prescott stepped up and pushed the activation button himself, reasoning that since it was his idea, it was his responsibility to carry it out.
- Nice to the Waiter: He has a few Pet the Dog moments to his subordinates, notably his secretary Jillian when he covertly warns her about the imminent Hammer of Dawn attacks so she can get her relatives to Jacinto. In general, he tries to treat even low ranked soldiers and citizens with the respect due to their positions, though he can't quite shake a certain haughtiness when doing so that tends to grate on people.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: One example that sticks out is hiding the fact the COG knows where the Locust came from, even from Hoffman.
- Permanent Elected Official: There are no more elections after Emergence Day. Though, little things like a genocidal campaign from another race to wipe out the human species has a funny way of throwing democracy to the wayside.
- 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. Outside of that...
- 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.
- Secret-Keeper: Contrary to Adam's beliefs of Prescott being in the dark about the Locust before Emergence Day, Tactics reveals he is aware of the genetic experiments that led to their creation. If someone somehow confronts him about this, he's quick to deny any knowledge and go as far as to unleash a Hammer of Dawn strike on that person's location.
- 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.
- Shout-Out: His passionate speech in preparation of Operation Hollow Storm in the beginning of Gears of War 2 is reminiscent of Federation leader Sky Marshall Dienes' speech in Starship Troopers. this was likely intentional considering the similarities between the Coalition of Ordered Governments, and the United Citizen Federation, along with the fact that that Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski has openly expressed his appreciation of the movie.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: While it's never clarified if Adam Fenix was going to be able to create a cure for the Locust against Imulsion disease in time, it's Prescott's kidnapping of Adam that caused the latter to fall short on time and be completely unable to deliver on his promise to Myrrah - which led to Emergence Day. Prescott's short-sighted paranoia of interaction with the Locust effectively caused the entire war and almost all of humanity to be wiped out.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Has some elements of this in the flashback portions of Jacinto's Remnant.
- You Are in Command Now: Went from Deputy Chairman to Chairman after Tomas Dalyell had a fatal heart attack about a year after E-Day.
Colonel Ezra Loomis
Voiced by Bruce Thomas
Loomis was the COG officer in charge of defending Halvo Bay not long after Emergence Day. Loomis tried Lt.Damon Baird and Kilo Squad for treason during the middle of the battle after they disobeyed orders and used a secret COG weapon against the Locust.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: His strategy against the Locust, who he views as nothing more than animals. The results of his "strategy" can be seen in the dozens of bodybags inside the courthouse.
- Colonel Badass: His signature Boltok Pistol was pried from the hands of the first Drone he killed. When the Locust infiltrate the courthouse, he kills every single Locust soldier that Kilo Squad missed.
- Fantastic Racism: Clearly takes a dim view of the Gorasni (though he does offer to shake Paduk's hand after they've all killed Karn to which Paduk declines it). He also considered the Locust as nothing more than animals and not serious opponents.
- Freudian Excuse: His Fantastic Racism toward the Gorasni comes from being a twenty-year veteran of the Pendulum Wars. He also heard of much mistreatment toward POWs at the hands of them.
- General Failure: He never actually orders his troops around in the campaign so much as tells them to fight or he'll shoot them for cowardice. It, naturally, doesn't seem very helpful. In spite of this, his multiplayer character claims his military records are unparalleled - we can only assume he just didn't consider the Locust a real opponent to reconcile this.
- Implausible Deniability: The text for the Declassified Missions in Act VI: The Courthouse reveals that his reports of the attack leave out or deny details that occurred, such as Kilo's physical condition and combat achievements, the numbers and capabilities of the Locust, enemy Locust interfering with the fight with Karn, and that all ammunition is secure and certainly not on fire and did not explode. These reports are made in spite of both contradictory reports from other eyewitnesses and the fact that, in the case of the Karn fight, it happened right in front of him and also involved him. This can be interpreted as either him saving his own record by continuing to understate the threat of the Locust, or doing so to diminish Kilo's own capability and credibility.
- The Inquisitor General: Towards Kilo Squad.
- Jerkass: Particularly towards Paduk, telling him at one point that he would shake Karn's hand if he could for nearly wiping out the Gorasni.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Sure, holding an impromptu trial in the middle of a warzone instead of leading your men in a battle they're clearly losing has to be one of the dumbest things ever, but he does have a point with several of the charges he levels in Kilo Squad's direction. They went against orders to (without authorization) utilize an important and devastating piece of military hardware on a city where their own forces were actively engaged in combat to neutralize a threat Loomis had only heard about, and it fails to even accomplish that very task. Karn survives and is taken down by Kilo Squad and Loomis himself without any support. You can kind of see why he's pissed. In fact, the main problem many of the other characters have is not the fact that there is a court-martial, but that it's happening right then instead of after dealing with the ongoing battle.
- Last Stand: He makes one in Halvo Bay after the campaign. During Aftermath, the player can find a statue dedicated to him as the "Hero of Halvo Bay" and the characters make some comments about his bravery and dickishness.
- Honor Before Reason: If continuing to conduct a trial while the Locust attack the courthouse outside isn't stupidly and ridiculously principled, we don't know what is. Everyone who isn't him continually brings this up.
- Hypocrite: Berates Kilo Squad for discarding their empty Lancers for Hammerbursts as Gears are not allowed to use enemy weaponry. He exclusively uses a Boltok Pistol.
- The Neidermeyer: When one of his captains tries to get him to halt his trial of Kilo Squad because the frontline has since moved to within ten feet of the courthouse, Loomis simply sneers and tells him to get back to fighting, and that if the Locust are really right outside then 'it will be a short walk.'
- Nerves of Steel: Absolutely nothing that happens during the trial shakes him at all. He has chunks of ceiling falling on top of him and doesn't even seem to notice as he barks at Kilo Squad to continue their testimony. It's only when a Drone takes him as a meatshield that he decides that maybe the battle is more important, and he runs off after being freed.
- Pet the Dog: Offers to shake Paduk's hand after he saves Loomis' life. Paduk refuses, but for an outright bigot like Loomis, that was a pretty big gesture.
- Principles Zealot: He tries Kilo Squad even as his command falls apart and Halvo Bay burns around him.
- Skewed Priorities: He takes the time to try four Gears during the middle of a massive battle to save Halvo Bay from the Locust, taking not only himself away from the battle, but Kilo Squad and the Gears guarding them. Everyone, including the aforementioned guards, continues to call him out on it throughout the trial.
- Underestimating Badassery: Doesn't seem to think the Locust as any particularly serious threat, constantly telling every Gear under his command to fight as though the Locust are just mindless beasts. It takes the Locust breaking into the courtroom and nearly getting killed himself that Loomis realizes that the Locust are a very real threat.
- Upper-Class Twit: Subverted Trope. Despite seeming to lack any sort of care toward tactics or commanding which would easily befit a commanding officer who just got the job because of connections, he states he grew up poor with his father being a schoolteacher.
- War Is Hell: When Sofia Hendrik is stopping Paduk from torturing Karn, citing there's a difference between War and cruetly, Loomis pushes her out of the war, shoots Karn point-blank, and states that "War is cruelty - And this one's not over."
Commander Walker
Voiced by Aisha Tyler
Walker was a CIC controller during the Evacuation of Ilima, she helped direct Zeta Squad during the battle.
- Mission Control: Serves as Zeta Squad's.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: When Kim refuses to withdraw from the city and instead wants to try and rescue a group of civilians, Walker gives her blessing and arranges extraction for them.
- The Voice: Unlike Anya in Gears of War 1, she's never seen in the game.
- Voice with an Internet Connection: Same as Anya in the first two games.
Second Lieutenant Donneld Mathieson
Mathieson is the secondary CIC controller fifteen years after Emergence Day, taking over most of Anya's duties when she switched to the frontlines. He was a rising officer in the COG forces before losing both his legs to a Locust mine.
- An Arm and a Leg: Type II. Lost both his legs to a mine during a battle.
- Artificial Limbs: Both his legs, but not very good ones. Baird makes upgrades to them when he can.
- Handicapped Badass: He was regarded as one of the best and most badass up-and-coming officers before he lost his legs.
- Communications Officer: He refused to retire after his injury. Since he could no longer serve on the front lines, he decided to respecialize. Even Anya, a comms veteran, is impressed by how quickly he picks it up.
- The Determinator: Will stop at nothing to find a way to walk again, even if it kills him.
- Disabled Snarker: To the point where he can give Delta Squad's resident smartass Baird a run for his money.
- Mission Control: Serves thus role for Delta Squad in the novels after Anya begins serving on the front lines.
- Voice with an Internet Connection: He's seldom seen, but is always there on the radio with needed intel.
Staff Sergeant Lennard Parry
Parry is the head of the COG Logistics Core, and a friend of Dizzy Wallin.
- Ascended Extra: He only got a small mention or single scene in the first three books, but then he gets a greatly expanded role in Coalition's End.
- Cool Old Guy: Is probably around Hoffman's age, and nothing much seems to phase him.
- The Engineer: Was trained as this during the Pendulum Wars, getting kicked further and further upstairs as more experiences officers were killed fighting the Locust.
Chairman Tomas Dalyell
Dalyell was the Chairman of the COG at the end of the Pendulum Wars. He died of a heart attack one year after Emergence Day, leaving Prescott in charge of the COG.
- Jerkass: He ensured that Hoffman would never get another promotion simply for daring to speak out against the COG's policy of not awarding Embry Stars to Pesanga Gears.
General Bardry Salaman
Hoffman's predecessor as head of the COG armed forces, Salaman presided over the army at the end of the Pendulum Wars and for the first year and a half of the Locust War. However, he could not live with the civilian casualties caused by the Hammer of Dawn, and killed himself. He was actually relocated to Azura with his wife by Prescott to work on long term planning against the Locust while Hoffman carried on the day-to-day fighting.
- Driven to Suicide: Subverted Trope. He actually faked it and relocated to Azura.
- Faking the Dead: Well, at least until the Locust took Azura. He likely died for real then.
Major Aleksander Reid
Reid is an extremely disliked officer in charge of supplies and EOD teams, and one of two officers in line to take over for Hoffman if he dies.
- Jerkass
- Overranked Soldier: Nobody likes him, and the only reason he hasn't been killed "fighting Locust" is because he is too good at organizing supplies.
- Professional Buttkisser: Towards Prescott.
First Minister Mina Jinn
Voiced by Angel Desai
Mina Jinn is the First Minister who headed the newly reformed Coalition of Ordered Government many years after the Locust War. Originally from a Stranded family, she advanced quickly up the ranks of the reformed COG, becoming First Minister Anya Stroud's protege. Following Anya's death trying for a second child, Jinn became the next First Minister and ruled the COG with an iron fist, converting DB Industries' DeeBees into armed Mecha-Mooks against Damon Baird's wishes, using them to police the settlements.
- Boomerang Bigot: She loathed the Outsiders despite coming from a family of Stranded, who had to survive in the wilds after they failed to reach Jacinto Plateau during the Hammer of Dawn counterattack.
- The Chains of Commanding: She begins to feel the weight when the Swarm attacks in force, overrunning COG and Outsider settlement alike, and pushing humanity to the brink of extinction again. She privately confides to Kait how she envies JD for being a soldier who follows orders without having to make hard decisions for everyone.
- Curse Cut Short: When Marcus in his full-Papa Bear mode takes a Lancer chainsaw to the DeeBee she is commandeering, Jinn isn't able to get everything across.Jinn: SON OF A-
- Hypocrite: Says she had loved and cherished Anya. Didn't stop Jinn from bombarding her family estate (where she was buried, no less) in her attempt to arrest JD and co. under circumstantial evidence at best.
- Iron Lady: As a firm-handed authority figure in post-Locust Sera, she tends to show a stern aura when in front of people.
- Like a Son to Me: As the Minister of Procreation, her fertility treatment programs helped First Minister Stroud conceive her first child, JD, and thus sees the boy like her own son. That didn't stop her from trying to apprehend him with lethal force, but later on she insisted on keeping him on life support following his coma, despite the lack of medical supplies.
- Pet the Dog: Unlike previous COG leaders, she at least spares some thought about the safety of civilians, ordering their evacuation during the Swarm attack and her heavy attack on Kait's settlement was based on an assumption that they had kidnapped COG civilians, merely wanting the Outsiders to return them. She's still willing to pacify protesters with non-lethal weaponry and if they turn violent, order the use of deadly force on them.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Although she did try to attack an outsider settlement an assumption that they were raiding people, she did cease hostilities after she hears out Marcus Fenix's report about the return of Locusts as The Swarm.
- Rousing Speech: She's able to give Prescott a run for his money with this.
- Running Gag: Any DeeBee Jinn commandeers to confront JD and co. are liable to be horribly obliterated about five sentences in, usually in the middle of saying something.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Her actions and policies do not get along well with many veteran and former Gears such as Marcus, Baird and Hoffman, yet she has little choice but to rely on their military experience during the Swarm War in order to stand a fighting chance. On the other hand, the former Gears don't hesitate much to go behind her back to do things they believe will help the war effort.
- Underestimating Badassery: Thinks her DeeBees will be able to defeat the Swarm, despite the Swarm being able to curbstomp and infest DeeBees with hilarious ease, also inflicting grievous losses to both COG and Outsider numbers at the start of the war.
- Vague Age: She's young enough to still be in her childbearing years during Gears 5, but a collectible in her office recounts her remembering meeting Anya toward the end of the Locust war twenty-five years earlier. Given that she was old enough to remember specific details of that meeting, she's probably somewhere in her late 30s to early 40s.
- We Have Reserves: Treats her DeeBees as such, sending hundreds of them just to deal with a few rogue Gears, and vehemently believes throwing more of them at the Swarm is the best way to stop them, despite their ineffectiveness.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Her ideal is benign but her rule tends to be heavy-handed, such as her order to suppress the unrest at Settlement 2, which ended with numbers of protestors being killed that led to J.D. and Walker's desertion.
- Jinn is adamantly against the use of the Hammer Of Dawn because of the massive collateral damage it causes, even if it would give the COG an edge over the Swarm.
Onyx Guard
Cadet Sofia Hendrik
Sofia is a former reporter who objected to COG imperialism, she signed up with the COG army after Emergence Day and was sent to the Onyx Guard Academy in Halvo Bay. During the Locust attack on the city, she was assigned to Kilo Squad and faced charges of treason alongside the rest of the squad during the battle.
- Action Girl: As a female Gear, this goes with the territory.
- By-the-Book Cop: The military version. She objects to Baird disobeying orders, but follows along with his actions anyway.
- Left Hanging: A group of men, at least one of whom was a former Gear, kidnapped her while she was out on patrol. Her fate is currently unknown.
A writer for the game stated it was simply left unclear
. Also counts as either Bus Crash, or Put on a Bus to Hell. - The Medic: What she was training to be and what she functions as in the class-based multiplayer modes. Her specialized weapon is Stim-Gas grenades.
- Relationship Upgrade: After Judgment and before Aftermath, this happened between her and Paduk.
- The Squadette: Is the only female Gear in Baird's squad.
- Tomboyish Ponytail: Doesn't want to cut her longish hair, so she settles for this.
Captain Paul Dury
Dury is the 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.
- A Father to His Men
- Secret-Keeper: One of the few individuals who knows everything that Prescott does.
- The Stoic: He lets out only an occasional smile.
Corporal Rivera and Lowe
Voiced by Brian Blum
Two Gears who become Prescott's bodyguards on Vectes, he brings them into his confidence, telling them everything about Azura and what he has been hiding. They depart the COG with him and join him on Azura, where they become members of the Onyx Guard. When the Locust attack the island, they flee with him to find help in retaking it.
- The Faceless: Lowe. Rivera is seen without a helmet in one issue of the comic.
- Secret Keepers: While both of them are angered by what Prescott has been keeping from the COG, and more specifically Hoffman, they accept his reasons for doing so and continue to work for him.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Baird notes that while both of them were never overly friendly before, they became a lot colder and stand-offish once they began working for Prescott.
Other Gears
Sergeant Alexandra "Alex" Brand
Alex is one of the few frontline female Gears after E-Day. As a child, Alex was sent to a COG "baby farm", where women were artificially inseminated or just plain raped, but she was discovered to be barren after several years of trauma. Alex then got 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.
- Broken Bird: Was raped for the first time at the age of 12, then spent most of her teenage years being raped on a regular basis before someone decided to run a fertility test on her and found out she was barren. Was subsequently shipped off to boot camp and turned into a soldier, and was then ignored when she tried to expose the baby farms. She became a cynical snarky soldier, albeit with a strong sense of loyalty to her fellow soldiers.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She can be pretty abrasive, but she gets along pretty well with most of the other Gears if they don't rub her the wrong way.
- Samus Is a Girl: Much to Delta's surprise after she saves their lives when they first meet her.
- Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: She's the first frontline female Gear introduced and helps shine light on some of the more immoral parts of the COG.
Private Alicia Valera
Voiced by Laura Bailey
- "Every life we save today is something special. It's another chance for someone."
Valera is a member of Zeta Squad and hails from Ilima City, which she helps evacuate nearly a decade after Emergence Day. She has a younger brother who is about to join the COG Army. Alicia appears exclusively in "RAAM's Shadow".
- Cool Big Sis: Had a younger brother who she adored. At some point, Valera confides to Barrick her fear that he'll have to join the COG, with Barrick assuring Valera her brother will be fine with her watching over him. Tragically, Valera bites it before her brother joins the COG, and on top of that, he dies at a much later point during the Assault of Mount Kadar.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: It's subtle, but there are several scars at the top of her left eyebrow.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Knocks Jace out of the path of General RAAM and attempts to fight him, but ends up impaled upon his sword and gets tossed aside.
- 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.
Private Garron Paduk
Paduk is a a Gorasni soldier who was rescued from his homeland by the COG after it fell to the Locust. Initially put in prison, the Open Arms Program allowed him to become a Gear to get revenge against the Locust that had destroyed his people. Paduk was assigned to Kilo Squad, and during a battle in Halvo Bay he was tried for treason alongside the rest of his squad.
- I Call It "Vera": To say Paduk favors the Markza would be a grave understatement. In Judgment he is adamant that the Markza is not a gun, it's a comrade, and is extremely offended once he discovers the Locust have modified it into the Breechshot. In 5, if Kait or Del picks up a Markza from his table, he responds in approval, complimenting them for having "good taste" in guns.
- Covered with Scars: He has large burn scars all over his body which are the result of a Lightmass Missile explosion.
- Cunning Linguist: In 5, he claims to be fluent in 5 languages, fitting for someone with a background in military intelligence. He can speak Gorasni, Tyran, Vasgari, and two other unspecified languages.
- Foil: To Baird of all people. Baird is a Gadgeteer Genius who would rather spend time around machinery than actual people and has a very dim opinion of the Stranded, especially the poor, whom he regards in 3 as "parasites" not worthy of the ration Cole was handing out to them. Paduk on the other hand is Hopeless with Tech, though he has shades of being A Father to His Men, stays true to his words, does not judge people, and had time and again led groups of unaffiliated civilians with great success. As of 4 and 5, Baird is also filthy rich owing to his ownership of DB Industries, while Paduk remains poor, though it didn't bother him much, as he hated the upper class anyway.
- Enemy Mine: Like other conscripts of the Open Arms program, Paduk joined the COG military as a Private, though not to fight in its interests, but rather for revenge against the Locust. It's made blatantly clear through dialogue that he still loathes his new "side" with a passion and would gladly resume war with them once the Locust threat has been taken care of.
- Grumpy Old Man: In 5. Grumpy, condescending, blunt, and has a heart of gold.
- Hopeless with Tech: Mentioned in 5. Paduk is not very well-versed with technology, being barely capable of turning on a computer. His go-to method of dealing with machinery seems to be "throw[ing] the switch, and see what happens", quoted verbatim.
- I Was Quite a Looker: He was a hunk around the time time he was a Major in the UIR, but the injuries he received from a Lightmass bomb didn't do his looks any favors.
- Leave No Survivors: Although the Gorasni were already known to be ruthless fighters, Paduk and his men did not take POWs during the Pendulum War. According to him in 5, they would execute anyone trying to surrender on the spot and prioritize medical staff first.
- Majorly Awesome: His rank in the UIR military, but the COG made him a private. In Aftermath, he is referred to as "Major Paduk" by the Raven pilot from his settlement, meaning he either went back to his old rank after deserting the COG, or that he managed to re-attain the rank within the COG.
- Noble Bigot: Paduk means well, though he still firmly holds on to his prejudices against the rich upper class. He also prefers to refer to minority folks using their ethnic denominations, as per his interactions with Fahz in 5, despite the latter not identifying as Vasgari and is quite annoyed by Paduk's tendency to do so.
- Odd Friendship: With Baird, despite the many differences in their ideologies and personalities.
- Old Soldier: Paduk's well into his late 50s, if not early 60s by the time Gears 5 rolls around, and yet he's still doing a really fine job of fighting the Swarm with the Vasgari nomads in the desert.
- Perpetual Frowner: Paduk almost always wears a scowl on his face and rarely ever smiles. On the occasions that he does, he'd still look like he's upset about something rather than expressing genuine joy.
- Still Wearing the Old Colors: He was issued COG armour when he became a Gear, but seems to have painted it with his old UIR colours. In Overrun, he is equipped with the Markza, a UIR weapon. If you play as him in other multiplayer modes, there is also the UIR weapon skin that you can apply to any starting weapon (although it costs real money). He's still wearing that armor in 5, however battered and busted it is.
- Token Enemy Minority: For the COG.
- Torture Technician: Implied. Him being a Gorasni, this is easily expected, and he mentions his amusement at the torture of POWs during the Pendulum Wars, as well as intending to "take his time" with the dying general Karn should they beat him.
- Tsundere: Despite their less-than-amicable parting in Aftermath, Paduk apparently still keeps tabs on Baird and vice versa, with the latter frequently sending him supplies as well as fresh Swarm leeches to test weapons on. According to Baird in 5, Paduk maintains that every conversation of theirs is their "last one", though he will always pick up the phone whenever his old Kilo squaddie calls.
- Two-Faced: From a burn scar, but not a villain as a result of it.
- What the Hell, Hero?: In Aftermath, he is very angry with the COG for both the Hammer of Dawn counterattack and flooding his coast with the sinking of Jacinto. This leads to an initially hostile interaction with Cole and Baird. The fact that Sofia was kidnapped and likely killed between their meetings by a group that included at least one former Gear does not help matters.
Private Padrick "Pad" Salton
Pad is a 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.
- Drives Like Crazy: He doesn't seem to get the point of roads in Jacinto's Remnant.
- Heroic BSoD: Small one after his best friend Baz is killed, major one after the Hammer of Dawn counterattack.
- Old Soldier: By Coalition's End he is somewhere in his 50's.
- Team Chef: While stationed at Anvil Gate he would often make South Islander dishes for the rest of his unit to try.
- 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.
Sergeant Drew Rossi
Rossi is the commander of Echo Squad and a tough veteran Gear who really likes to snark at others. He's good friends with Delta-One and a former member of the 26th Royal Tyran Infantry.
- 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.
- Really Gets Around: After his girlfriend was killed by the Locust, Rossi went into a depression for several months before deciding to live life to the fullest as a "screw you" towards the Locust and began sleeping with tons of women.
Sergeant Rory Andreson
Andreson is the commander of Omicron Squad and good friends with Marcus and Bernie. He is killed by Stranded Insurgents on the island of Vectes.
- Killed Offscreen: In Anvil Gate.
- Hero of Another Story: As the leader of Omicron.
Sergeant Bai Tak
Bai Tak was a Pesanga scout and commando who served alongside Hoffman for fifteen years during the Pendulum Wars. He was killed saving Dom during the Battle of Aspho Fields.
Sergeant Jonathan Harper
Harper is the commander of Echo-Six, a Gear squad which participated in the Lightmass Offensive and Operation Hollowstorm. He suffers from Rustlung, which he contracted during the Lightmass Offensive.
- Apocalyptic Log: Marcus finds notes he left throughout the Hollow that detail his story as a prisoner of the Locust and his death in Jacinto.
- Blood from the Mouth: Due to Rustlung.
- Death in the Limelight: The comic issue that further expands his story.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Dies saving a family that was attempting to get on a King Raven during the evacuation of Jacitno.
- Hero of Another Story: Which is told through collectibles in Gears of War 2 and a issue of the comics.
Lieutenant Draper
Draper is a Gear officer who commanded Midnight Squad.
- 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.
- Handicapped Badass: He lost an eye at some point.
Corporal Frederic Benten
Benten is an elderly retired Gear from the Duke of Tollen's Regiment who lives in the town of Pelruan on the island of Vectes.
- Retired Badass: He may be in his seventies, but he can still shoot a rifle and defend his town from the Lambent.
Sergeant Gabriel Diaz
The protagonist of Gears Tactics and father of Kait Diaz, the protagonist of Gears 5. Gabriel Diaz was a decorated Gear during the Pendulum Wars, having joined the COG with his brother Oscar and adopted brother Wyatt Callahan, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. However, Wyatt gave his life in a pivotal battle against the UIR, disillusioning Gabriel with COG high command and leading him to demote himself into a motor pool sergeant in order to get away from COG politics. After the start of the Locust War, Chairman Prescott recruited him to assassinate a prominent and highly dangerous Locust known as Ukkon, but was unable to spare Gabriel any reinforcements. Regardless, Gabriel completed his mission, meeting his future wife Reyna in the process, but was forced to leave the COG after learning too much and became a Stranded. After the Locust War, he and Reyna founded an Outsider settlement and became father of Kait Diaz. Unfortunately, he passed away from Rustlung before the events of Gears of War 4, leaving his wife and reconciled brother to lead their settlement.
- Combat Medic: He belongs to the Support class, which focuses on healing and buffing allies but has several offensive abilities, and is armed with the chainsaw bayonet-equipped Lancer Mk 2.
- Disappeared Dad: He and his brother became orphans when they were children, and he later became one to Kait when he dies.
- Doomed by Canon: He doesn't appear in Gears 4, having passed away from Rustlung shortly after Kait was born.
- The Engineer: Joined the COG as a sapper, and later demotes himself to the motor pool to repair vehicles, a skill he retains even after the Locust War.
- Genius Bruiser: Already an established badass, he authored a King Raven maintenance manual while working in the motor pool. One surviving copy becomes a Tragic Keepsake for his daughter after he died.
- Happily Married: With Reyna Torres. Too bad it didn't end well for the whole family...
- He Knows Too Much: Simply mentioning "New Hope" to Prescott causes him to suddenly become generous and promise aid. Gabriel isn't fooled and feeds him fake coordinates, which are shortly bombarded with a Hammer Of Dawn strike.
- Hunter of Monsters: After killing Ukkon, Gabriel and the Gears loyal to him resolved to fight against the Locust on their own terms, now cut off from the COG, hunting down other Locust like Ukkon.
- The Leader
- Locked Out of the Loop: After the Battle of Gatka Bridge where his adoptive brother died, he believes that needless casualties could be avoided if COG command didn't withhold critical information for whatever reason. He ends up a victim of this trope again in Gears Tactics, where he is both in the dark about Ukkon's creation and Sid Redburn's role in New Hope.
- Meet Cute: With his future wife Reyna Torres, after rescuing her from a Locust torture pod.
- Never Got to Say Goodbye: Wanted to meet his estranged brother one last time on his deathbed. Unfortunately, Oscar was a little too late, but decided to carry on his brother's legacy by deserting the COG to serve as Reyna's Number Two and Kait's paternal substitute.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He is the main reason why negotiations with Mikayla's Stranded didn't go belly up, becoming the co-leader of the COG-Stranded group hunting Ukkon with Mikayla. He later becomes the chief of the village he and his wife Reyna established.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Sid's red.
- Uriah Gambit: Possibly Prescott's intention, considering he refused to give Gabriel any supplies or reinforcements while expecting him to assassinate a prominent Locust commander in a top secret operation, then later tried to kill him for learning too much.
- You Can't Go Home Again: Twice, when his motor pool was destroyed by Ukkon's forces and all his men slaughtered, and when Prescott tries to have him silenced for knowing too much.
Major Sid Redburn
A veteran of the Pendulum Wars, Sid Redburn was sent to recruit Sergeant Gabriel Diaz for Chairman Prescott's secret mission to hunt down the Locust scientist Ukkon. However, there was more to Sid than meets the eye. When Gabriel and Mikayla find out that Ukkon personally knows Sid, he betrays the group and tries to abscond with the incapacitated Ukkon, but was stopped at the cost of letting Ukkon escape. In truth, he was once posted at New Hope and initially participated in the increasingly unethical experiments there, where one such subject was Ukkon. Eventually, he grew disgusted and became a whistleblower, which saved him from imprisonment. After learning of Ukkon's survival, he deduced that the Locust were descendants of the Sires made in New Hope, and made it his goal to capture him to expose the COG's crimes against humanity and their role in the Locust's creation.
- The Atoner: He's horrified by the experiments conducted in New Hope, and seeks to make amends.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Becomes this to Mikayla's Stranded after Gabriel forges an alliance with her.
- Early-Bird Cameo: His intercepted whistleblower message to a family friend begging him to use his connections to alert the COG chairman can be found in Gears 5, a year before his debut in Gears Tactics.
- Eyepatch of Power
- The Lancer: Shares the role with Mikayla, but veers into being The Big Guy at times. His primary weapon is also the Retro Lancer.
- Hot-Blooded: Much more gung-ho than Gabriel, and is of the aggressive Vanguard class.
- Manly Facial Hair: Wears a gruff horseshoe mustache and is the most aggressive of Gabriel's crew.
- Old Soldier: Fought for decades in the Pendulum Wars, and what's left of his hair has turned white by E-day.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Gabriel's blue.
- The Stool Pigeon: He tried to expose Niles Samson's unethical experiments at New Hope, but his mail was intercepted, forcing him to escape before he was terminated but not before stealing some documents about Ukkon. Fortunately, other whistleblowers led to New Hope being investigated and shut down, but the COG merely covered it up.
- Walking Spoiler
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Betrays the group and tries to take Ukkon for himself in order to expose the COG's role in the Locust's creation, causing him to be locked up by Gabriel and Mikayla on suspicion for helping Ukkon escape. He manages to redeem himself by revealing a chemical compound that would disable Ukkon's Healing Factor and the locations of the components needed to synthesize it, allowing the group to kill Ukkon for good.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Nothing is said about his fate after the Locust War, but given his advanced age, he likely retired or passed away sooner or later.
Team Scorpio
A private task force created by the retired Victor Hoffman in response to First Minister Jinn's insistence that her DeeBees could defeat the Swarm. Recruiting three of the most desperate/suicidal Gears, the newly formed Team Scorpio would infiltrate Swarm Hives, plant a bomb filled with toxic gas in their centers and escape as the bombs detonate, becoming known as the Hivebuster Offensive. They star in the "Escape" game mode and the Hivebusters DLC, which sets up the Hivebuster Offensive, in Gears 5.
In General
- The Atoner: Each member is trying to atone for something: Lahni for causing the death of her officer, Keegan for sitting out the fighting across Sera and Mac for losing his entire village to the Swarm, including his son.
- Captured on Purpose: As a direct infiltration is too difficult, Scorpio allow themselves to get captured by Snatchers and transported inside the Hive. After a period of time, they are then resuscitated by Adrenaline injectors and will free themselves or each other from their pods before planting their bombs and escaping.
- Damager, Healer, Tank: Based on their passive skills and ultimates, Lahni excels at being aggressive and taking down foes up close, Keegan focuses on keeping his allies topped up on ammo while Mac takes hits and protects the team.
- Fire-Forged Friends: While they had trouble working together at first, their battles together turned them into True Companions.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Team Scorpio consists of a reckless Gear, an Onyx Guard veteran and a suicidal Outsider turned Gear.
- Somebody Set Up Us the Bomb: Scorpio's objective is to plant a Venom Bomb in the heart of a Swarm Hive in order to neutralize its connection to its drones, and escape.
- Suicide Mission: Three lightly armed Gears who must infiltrate behind enemy lines, fight through thousands of enemies and outrun the Deadly Gas behind them? Must be why Hoffman chose the most desperate Gears with a death wish for this team.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: To say that Scorpio was at each others' throats would be an understatement, especially between the professional Keegan and ex-Outsider Mac. They get over it eventually.
- Token Trio: Consists of the white Mac, black Keegan and Lahni who hails from the equivalent of the Pacific Islands.
- Trapped Behind Enemy Lines
Lieutenant Lahni Kaliso
The cousin of Tai Kaliso, she served as a Gear and fought against the Locust much like her cousin but unlike him, survived the war. She was recruited into the Brash Brigade, which aided with the cleanup of Locust cocoons and fought against surviving Locust that managed to avoid the sinking of Jacinto and later the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon. During a mission, she disregarded an order from her superior which resulted in his death, and her imprisonment. Her recruitment into Team Scorpio presents a chance to redeem herself.- Action Girl
- Berserk Button: Abducting and podding her people will quickly drive her into a rage.
- Blood Knight: Easily the most bloodthirsty member in the team besides Mac, relishing combat against the Swarm.
- Dreadlock Warrior: Worn in a ponytail.
- Facial Markings: Much like her cousin Tai, as a member of the Weilehan people.
- My Greatest Failure: Disobeying an order which got her superior killed. Part of the reason for joining Team Scorpio was also to atone for this guilt.
- Spin-Offspring: While not exactly a descendant, she's Tai Kaliso's younger cousin, born at the end of the Pendulum Wars.
- Threatening Mediator: Often breaks up arguments between Mac and Keegan, forcing them to focus on the mission.
- Twofer Token Minority: A female South Islander (Pacific Islands equivalent) of Weilehan descent.
Cpl. Jeremiah Keegan
An Onyx Guard who was assigned to Azura to guard the COG elites hiding there. He was one of the few survivors in the Battle of Azura, and continues serving the COG after the Locust War. However, he bears a great guilt for missing out the thick of battle while his comrades fought and died, leading him to join Team Scorpio in order to make it up to them.- Consummate Professional: Often gets into arguments with Mac about his less-than-serious approach to the mission.
- Desk Jockey: Considered his assignment to Azura as such, where he did not see much action until the place was invaded by the Locust at the end of Gears Of War 3.
- The Leader: Of team Scorpio.
- Last of His Kind: One of the known Onyx Guard remaining after most of them had been killed during the Locust War. Hoffman reveals to him that Paul Dury survived and offers to set up a meeting between them.
- Manly Facial Hair: Wears what's left of his hair and mustache in a thick friendly mutton chops.
- My Greatest Failure: Not fighting alongside his comrades during the Locust War. Hoffman assures him that he should still be proud for carrying out his duty to the end.
- Old Soldier
- Patriotic Fervor: Proud to be a Gear through and through, which causes friction with Outsiders like Mac due to their criticism of the COG.
- Praetorian Guard: A member of the Onyx Guard who protected the COG's top officials and scientists in Azura.
- Support Party Member: His ultimate ability provides ammo to nearby allies, possibly a nod towards his start as a quartermaster before being recruited into the Onyx Guard.
- Survivor's Guilt: Has an immense amount of it due to living in the lap of luxury on Azura while his fellow soldiers were getting ripped apart by Locust.
- Team Dad: As the oldest and most experienced member of the team, he eventually becomes more supportive towards his younger teammates.
Leslie "Mac" Macallister
An Outsider driver who lost his friends and family to the Swarm. With nothing left to lose, he joined the COG in order to take as many of them down with him, making him a potential candidate for the Hivebuster Offensive. As the only one without a formal military background, he often acts in a manner unbecoming of a soldier and gets onto Keegan's nerves because of it. Commonly known by his nickname, "Mac".
- Badass Driver: He was a delivery truck driver before joining the COG, even earning numerous awards and a statue for his service. Ironically, he wanted to be a chef.
- Brave Scot: Or at least the Seran equivalent of one. Mac likes to fight, has temper and authority issues, sounds the part and has a Scottish surname. He's even a Fiery Redhead to boot.
- Car Fu: Rams a Warden with a truck before it can kill Keegan, stabbing its eye out through the window and invoking his son's name.
- Deadpan Snarker: Has plenty of quips and wisecracks about the COG, which puts him at odds with the patriotic and professional Keegan.
- Death Seeker: Became a Gear just to kill as many grubs as he can before dying. His time with Team Scorpio made him grow out of it, seeing them as his new family and gaining a new reason to live by protecting them.
- Deflector Shields: His ultimate skill creates an inpenetrable shield in front of him for a short duration.
- Fiery Redhead: His red hair was also the obvious sign his mother cheated with her husband's brother, who had red hair.
- Grease Monkey: Part of his background as a truck driver and mechanic. In practice, this lets him tinker with electronic devices found in the Hivebuster campaign to open up optional areas, or to progress with the story at all.
- Heroic Bastard: The product of an affair between his mother and her brother-in-law.
- Heroic Build: Subverted. Compared to the average Gear who looks jacked up on a steroid cocktail, he's built rather lean, having been a civilian delivery driver before signing up to be a Gear after losing everything.
- Hidden Depths: Often surprises Lahni and Keegan with his insight, and was the one who deduced that the Hivebuster Offensive was a rogue operation.
- It's Personal
- Ironic Nickname: Named his constantly breaking down delivery truck "Mister Reliable".
- My Greatest Failure: Losing his family and friends to the swarm, and being unable to protect his own son.
- New Meat: The youngest member of Team Scorpio who only recently became a Gear, compared to his veteran teammates.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. He shares his nickname with Bernadette Mataki's dog.
- Outliving One's Offspring: His son was abducted by the Swarm and is presumably dead or transformed into one of them. It's his failure to protect him that motivated Mac to join team Scorpio and try to kill as many of the Swarm as he can, preferrably dying in the process.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: His goal is to go down fighting and kill as many of the Swarm as he can to avenge his son.
- Sole Survivor: Of his village after it was attacked by the Swarm.
- Survivor's Guilt
- Stone Wall: Despite Keegan and Lahni both being more well-built than he is, Mac is the designated tank of team Scorpio due to his Deflector Shield ability. While it's up, Mac and anyone else standing behind him will take no damage from the front, though in practice this is only reliable against enemies with guns, since explosives may still hit behind the shield due to their area of effect.
Jasi Tak
Team Scorpio's pilot and grandson of Pesanga war hero Bai Tak. Usually known by his surname, Tak doesn't participate in missions directly but is responsible for deploying and extracting Team Scorpio in his King Raven.
- Ascended Extra: First appeared as a child in the Gears of War: Dirty Little Secrets comic in 2012.
- Heroic Lineage
- Honorary Uncle: Tak's grandfather was a close friend of Hoffman, who supported the Tak family after the COG refused to recognize the Pesanga commandos' contributions in the Pendulum Wars. As such, Tak addresses Hoffman as "uncle".
COG Navy
Captain Quentin Michaelson
Michaelson is 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.
- Killed Offscreen: He dies during the prologue of Gears 3 when the Lambent attack the CNV Sovereign. By the time Delta reaches him and Prescott, it's already too late.
- Seadog Beard: Had one during his pirate catching duties, but shaved it off when he became head of the Navy.
COG Air Force
Major Gill Gettner
Gettner is the King Raven pilot of KR Eight-Zero and often works with Delta Squad. She's also the highest-ranking and most combat-experienced pilot left in the COG air force fifteen years after Emergence Day.
- Deadpan Snarker: Even more than Baird. Dom considers her the only person who can out-snark Baird.
- Despair Event Horizon: She seems to have crossed it during the Lambent Invasion.
- Stepford Snarker: Most of her snark and venomous comments stem from the toll the war has taken on her, and she tries to use it as a coping mechanism. It eventually starts failing her when the Lambent emerge.
Lieutenant Mel Sorotki
Sorotki is a King Raven pilot who flies KR-239 and often works with Delta Squad.
Lieutenant Kevan Mitchel
Mitchel is the co-pilot and crew chief for Mel Sorotki.
Lieutenant Nat Barber
Barber is the co-pilot and crew chief for Gill Gettner.
- Cunning Linguist: He is one of the few Gears who speak Gorasni, and is used to eavesdrop on their private communications network.
- Deadpan Snarker: This seems to be a recurring requirement to work on a King Raven.
Other Characters
Doctor Niles Samson (UNMARKED SPOILERS)
A geneticist working for a splinter faction of the COG, and the co-creator of the Locust Horde. The COG under Chairman Monroe tried to shut him down, but he fled to a hidden lab near Mount Kadar to continue his work.
Though long dead prior to Emergence Day, he lived on through the creation of A.I. constructs.
- AI Is A Crap Shoot: Nile's A.I. constructs are just as insane and twisted as the real Niles. In both Gears 2 and Gears 5, the A.I.'s try to kill Delta squad.
- Didn't Think This Through: When Myrrah's child, Reyna, was stolen away from Niles by Dr. Torres, Niles told Myrrah that Reyna had been killed in the escape. This ultimately put Myrrah on the genocidal path of leading the Locust to war against humanity.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Niles is essentially responsible for the creation of the Locust Horde due to his twisted experiments, especially those centered on Myrrah.
- Mad Scientist: Niles was originally charged with finding a cure for Rustlung, but his research soon warped into evolving humanity by mutating children into becoming the Sires.
- Posthumous Character: Played With. Niles died decades years before Emergence Day, but his work continued via the creation of A.I. constructs based on his own personality.
- Walking Spoiler: Due to Niles's role in the creation of the Locust Horde, it's hard to discuss him without bringing up said role.
Doctor Isabel Maryon-Hayman
Hayman is the chief doctor of the COG medical corps, and one of the biggest bitches ever.
- Dr. Jerk: Although it's justified in her case: she's the oldest person on active-duty (in her late 70's), she's always overworked, never has enough of the medical supplies she needs, and regularly loses patients to injuries or diseases that could be easily treated if she only had the resources.
- 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.
- Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Doesn't care who she offends or insults.
Doctor Nevil Estrom
Nevil is a key scientist at the Defense Research Agency, working alongside Adam Fenix on the Hammer of Dawn. After discovering that Adam knew about the Locust before Emergence Day, Nevil was sent to Azura to work on finding a solution to the Lambent.
- Badass Bookworm: Nevil had Dury train him to use a Lancer while on Azura, and when the Locust invaded the island, Nevil is the only scientist actively fighting them while most others attempted to collect their research and retreat.
- I Just Want to Be Badass: He wanted to become a Gear, but failed the army medical exam. He went on to make great contributions in weapons development as an assistant to Adam Fenix, but Nevil never really got over his failure to be a soldier. He gets his chance at Azura though; see Took a Level in Badass below.
- Odd Friendship: With Paul Dury: Nevil's a nerdy weapons scientist and Dury's a no-nonsense soldier, but they bond over their hatred of the hypocrisy surrounding them and preference for straight-forwardness.
- Took a Level in Badass: After getting Dury to train him to use a Lancer for the defense of Azura. During the battle, Nevil laments that he never made it as a Gear; Dury said he was one now.
Doctor Hana Cole
Augustus Cole's daughter who was born after the Locust War. Unlike her father, she became a scientist instead of an athlete or soldier, and aids Hoffman's unsanctioned Hivebuster Offensive as technical support. She was also responsible for creating the Venom Bomb that Team Scorpio must deploy in the Hives, using the Deadly Gas Kait and Del found in New Hope, and later enhancing its potency with Wakaatu venom.
- Badass Bookworm: While not a fighter on the level of her father, she can still defend herself in the field.
- Black and Nerdy
- Damsel in Distress: Gets captured by a Snatcher and Team Scorpio must rescue her.
- I Resemble That Remark!: Is offended when asked if she's related to the Cole Train, angrily chewing out the asker before grudgingly admitting that yes, she is.
- Jock Dad, Nerd Daughter: Shares little interest in Thrashball unlike her father, and gets somewhat annoyed when others associate her with the sport due to her family name.
- Locked Out of the Loop: She didn't know the Hivebuster Offensive was a rogue operation, but doesn't object after finding out the truth and continues helping the team.
- Spin-Offspring
- Wacky Parent, Serious Child: The daughter of the Cole Train takes her work seriously and solemnly, sharing little of his antics inside or outside battle.
JACK
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-Anything 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.
- Heroic Sacrifice: The new Jack in Gears 5 sacrifices himself by turning himself into a Hammer of Dawn targeting beacon and letting himself get eaten by the Kraken.
- Master of Unlocking: Defending Jack (or an identical robot with a different name) from waves of enemies while he opens a locked door for you is a frequently recurring element of every Campaign.
- Legacy Character: Baird builds a new Jack to assist Delta in Gears 5.
- Promoted to Playable: Gears 5 allows players to play as Jack for the first time, both in Campaign and Horde. Do note that you cannot play as Jack solo, however, and only the Jack player can upgrade him during co-op.
- 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 new Jack Baird builds in Gears 5 starts out with an electric Zapper, a radar pulse that detects enemies, and a flashbang ability, and throughout the Campaign obtains more abilities and many upgrades for said abilities.
Mac
Mac is Bernie's dog, he is trained to hunt Stranded and fight Lambent.
- One-Steve Limit: No relation to Leslie MacAllister, the lanky Hive Buster from Gears 5.
- Punny Name: Bernie has a dog named Mac. Bernie Mac, anyone?
