Lieutenant James Steven Patterson
- Badass Bookworm: Attended the University of Michigan, got straight As in numerous fields such as calculus, engineering, religion, philosophy and medieval poetry. Also very athletic and proficient with all kinds of firearms and explosives. If it wasn't for his apparently subpar German (achieved a C- in German but argues he'd rather let bullets do the talking anyway), he would qualify for The Ace.
- Chekhov's Skill: His training as an aeronautical engineer, mentioned in the briefing to the first level, comes into play twice: first to steal the Ho.IX prototype by flying it out of the Gotha facility during the ending of Frontline, and later, to sabotage the V2 rocket's gyroscope in the penultimate level of the first game. Lampshaded in the briefing.
- Do-Anything Soldier: He goes from transport pilot, to frontline soldier, ultimately settling with becoming an OSS operative. Justified Trope, given that Col. Hargrove had noticed that Patterson achieved high scores in college, was noted to be very athletic, was already proficient in firearms during his basic training, and had the necessary leadership and technical skills required for the dangerous missions that the OSS regularly carried out.
- The Dreaded: Towards the end of the first game and midway into Frontline, when he's already gunned down hundreds of Nazi soldiers, destroyed multiple U-boats, and several German tanks, the Germans begin to outright fear him. This gets to the point that they even place a "Wanted!" Poster with a huge bounty for anyone who can capture or kill him.
- Dressing as the Enemy: He's often forced to don a German officer's uniform and pose as one of their own, in order to get closer to his objectives and accomplish his missions.
- Elites Are More Glamorous: During the Normandy landings, after his transport plane is shot down, he volunteers to help the 2nd Ranger Battalion secure Omaha Beach. Eventually, this gets him noticed by Col. Hargrove, who promptly recruits him into the OSS as a full-time agent.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: He goes from being a random transport pilot in the USAAF to one of the OSS's best field agents, and by extension one of Nazi Germany's biggest problems on the Western Front late in World War II.
- Hero of Another Story: In Allied Assault, where Col. Hargrove mentions Patterson's actions at Fort Schmerzen to Lt. Powell.
- Grand Theft Prototype: He ends up stealing the Ho.IX Super Prototype jet fighter to escape the Gotha facility during the ending of Frontline.
- Implacable Man: Stormed Omaha Beach, retrieved an important attaché case while being chased by the Gestapo, destroyed the railgun Greta, scuttled the U-4901 and the U-4902, the latter of which he used to infiltrate a German port in Lorient, which he left a smouldering wreck, infiltrated Kleveburg and the highly-guarded Dorne manor in order to free Dutch resistance operative "Gerritt", stopped the production of the Ho IX fighter jets and killed SS Haupsturmführer Rudolf Ulbricht von Sturmgeist and his bodyguards, gassed Fort Schmerzan, sabotaged the Rjiukan Hydro Plant, saved numerous works of art and treasures from the Germans, and destroyed a V-2 rocket facility... Nothing can stop James Patterson.
- One-Man Army: When the OSS need something done, they send him. In fact, this trope is precisely why he becomes The Dreaded to the German Forces as a whole, with the latter even putting up several Wanted Posters of him.
- Player Character: Of the first Medal of Honor game, Frontline, and Heroes. He's also the player character in the Underground bonus mission, which was originally meant to be in the first game.
- Previous Player-Character Cameo: He's the pilot who flies Manon out of North Africa in Underground, and is mentioned in Allied Assault.
- Significant Birth Date: He was born on November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I, aka Armistice Day/Veterans Day.
- Trapped Behind Enemy Lines: Most of his missions take place deep in Nazi-occupied territory, and the games he's in revolve around him accomplishing his missions despite being heavily outnumbered and outgunned.
Colonel Stanley Hargrove
- Voiced by: William Morgan Sheppard
- Big Good: He's the highest ranking officer present in the games he appears in, and gives Patterson, Manon, and Powell their missions as well as what they'll be up against.
- Cool Old Guy: For a senior officer, he's notably rather casual and calm when it comes to briefing both Patterson and Powell, treating both of them as friends and equals. He even wishes both of them the best of luck in their increasingly dangerous missions.
- Expy: He is essentially "Wild Bill" Donovan
with a beard. - Hidden Depths: His major in college was art history, which is why he is angered by the Nazi plunder. He even remarks that he knows he doesn't look like the art history type.
- It Has Been an Honor: He says this to Powell in the briefing to "Storming Fort Schmerzan".Hargrove: No matter what happens, I consider myself honored and privileged to have served with you.
- Mission Control: For Patterson, Manon and Powell. He sometimes switches with Manon when his operatives are in France.
- Mr. Exposition: He's the one who briefs Patterson, Powell, and Manon the overall nature of their upcoming missions, which soldiers or resistance members will be helping them accomplish their objectives, as well as the overall strategic situation of the battlefield they're going to be operating in.
- Non-Action Guy: He's not a frontline soldier. Instead, he's a staff officer supervising the actions of OSS agents and resistance fighters they're in contact with.
- Oireland: He's of Irish descent.
- Old Soldier: Has graying hair, is noted to have served far longer than Patterson or Powell, and helps the latter two by providing them with vital intelligence and even tips on how to accomplish their missions.
Manon Batiste
A French Resistance leader and fighter in league with Hargrove and the OSS. She serves as Patterson's main contact in the field, and briefly serves as Powell's during his mission behind German lines in Normandy. In Underground, she serves as The Protagonist and Player Character during the main campaign.
- Action Girl: Manon is a recurring protagonist who has taken out scores of Nazis over the series. She's tough, smart, burningly patriotic and predates the modern hubbub about "female characters in WWII games" by
about twenty years, merci beaucoup. - Ascended Extra: In Underground, Manon goes from a supporting character to the main character, with virtually all of the main story's missions being told from her own point of view.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Lt. Jimmy Patterson is a male officer in the United States Army who started out as a transport pilot in the Army Air Force, and ends up getting recruited into the OSS in 1944 following his actions on D-Day. He ends up fighting both on the frontline and behind enemy lines. Manon, on the other hand, is a Frenchwoman from Paris who is forced to become a resistance fighter in order to survive, gets into contact with the OSS thanks to her brother's connections, and mainly fights behind enemy lines.
- Cool Big Sis: To Juliette in Above and Beyond. She's fiercely protective of her sister and does her best to protect her, even though Juliette is perfectly capable of handling herself too. Juliette later notes the irony that Manon is the one of them who winds up getting shot.
- Expy: is based on real life OSS operator Hélène Deschamps-Adams (who also served as Underground's technical adviser). Which makes it weird when Helene herself appears to give Manon her mission briefing in the game's last levels.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The Responsible to Juliette's Foolish.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Starts out as an unassuming French civilian, ends up becoming one of the OSS' most talented agents and thwarted many German plans.
- La Résistance: She's starts out as a member of the Trope Namer, serving directly under her brother and Rebel Leader, Jacques. Following the first level, her Resistance connections prove key numerous times, with both Patterson and Powell owing their lives to Manon and her Resistance cell's intel, weapons provisions, and timely rescues.
- Major Injury Underreaction: Her reaction to realising she had been shot in the gut after the Gestapo HQ shootout is a muted "Oh, merde". She soon recovers.
- Maybe Ever After: It is hinted that Patterson proposed to her, but her reply was unclear.
- Although if we go by Patterson's grandson in the 2010 reboot, this may be true.
- Mission Control: For Patterson once he's in the field, and briefly for Powell when the latter is temporarily assigned to assist her Resistance cell in France.
- Older Than She Looks: The first level of Underground takes place on her 30th birthday. Her photo during the briefing looks younger than that.
- One-Man Army: Possibly the biggest example in the franchise as her game introduced vehicles but still predates when the series started consistently giving the player allies meaning she faces tanks singlehandedly, with the biggest example being the mission Operation Marketplace where she takes out four tanks and a horde of Waffen SS in a giant ambush all on her own.
- Player Character: Of Medal of Honor: Underground.
- Previous Player-Character Cameo: Appears in Allied Assault and European Assault.
- Rebel Leader: Following Jacques' untimely death, she serves as the leader of her respective French Resistance cell. Under her command, the Resistance successfully evacuate their old headquarters, save Allied pilots and soldiers from getting killed by German Forces and Gestapo agents, and, eventually, help liberate Paris.
- Revenge by Proxy: Patterson and Powell wrecking shop in Fort Schmerzen, considering its Kommandant Col Hermann Muller was responsible for the kidnapping of her sister Juliette. Powell killing him was icing on the cake.
- Significant Birth Date: Her birthday is on May Day. Which makes Midnight Rendez-vous all the more painful.
- Spell My Name With An S: Going by the correct spelling of the French word, her name should be spelled "Baptiste". Since the English spelling for that word is baptist, that mistake seems particularly strange.
- Tragic Keepsake: Her brother's locket, which she recovered from the burning munitions truck he crashed.
- You Are in Command Now: She's forced to assume command of her French Resistance cell following Jacques' death.
Colonel Hermann Müller
- Arc Villain: Of the fourth level in the original, and of the final level in Allied Assault.
- Bald of Evil: He's bald, but it can't easily be seen under his hat.
- Beard of Evil: Sports a beard of red hair.
- Big Bad: Becomes this in Allied Assault, having rebuilt Fort Schmerzen following Patterson's raid. Thanks to the Fort and it's mustard gas production facilities remaining intact, he and his fort become the final major threat for the Allied advance into Germany, and, consequently, for Powell and the 2nd Ranger Battalion.
- Dirty Coward: His first action once he hears Patterson fighting his way into Fort Schmerzen is to get the hell out of there and leave his subordinates to do the fighting. And he doesn't fight Powell either when he and the 2nd Ranger Battalion make their attack later on, once again leaving it up to his subordinates to attempt to stop them.
- Fat Bastard: He's described by Manon as "a pig of a man, a gluttonous creature foul in both appearance and temperament", which his multiplayer character model reflects.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: While he survives Patterson's assault on Fort Schmerzen in the original game, he meets his demise a mere 2 months later thanks to Powell and the 2nd Ranger Battalion, who destroy the Fort and the remaining mustard gas production facilities with explosives, killing Muller in the process.
- Killed Off for Real: He was presumably killed when Powell brought Fort Schmerzen down above his head.
- Killed Offscreen: Implied to have been killed when Lt. Powell blew Fort Schmerzen to smithereens, as subsequent games set in 1945 have never brought Muller back nor mentioned him again.
- Non-Action Big Bad: See The Unfought and The Unseen below.
- The Unfought: Originally, Patterson was supposed to fight Müller, but it was cancelled. And Powell never encounters nor fights him either during his and the 2nd Ranger Battalion's raid.
- The Unseen: His character model is only seen in multiplayer in the original Medal of Honor.
Sturmbannfuhrer Ratter
- Arc Villain: Of "Capture the Secret German Treasure", being the commander of the Waffen-SS unit stationed in and around the mine, and being the one to carry out the order to destroy the artworks stored in the mine.
- The Cameo: In Medal of Honor: Frontline, he's mentioned during "Operation Repunzel", and was scheduled to make a speech about the Horten 229 prototype at the Dorne Manor...at least before Patterson raided the mansion.
- Karma Houdini: He manages to escape the Salt Mine with his life. This was after he attempted to destroy it, the artwork inside, and the nearby town, as well as murdering the mine's Curator.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He chooses to flee the mine when Patterson reaches the lowest level, rather than confront the OSS agent.
- The Unseen: He never makes a personal appearance in any of the games he appears in, with appearance only known via portraits of him.
Curator
The unnamed Curator of the Steinburg Salt Mine.
- The Faceless: We never get to see his face.
- No Name Given: His name is never mentioned in both the briefings and during the level itself.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Mentioned by Manon to be working against his will, constantly being held at gunpoint and threatened by the Waffen-SS. It's made explicit during "Treasure Caverns", when he first argues with Ratter against destroying the mine. Finally, he outright tells Patterson to stop the SS from destroying the mine, before getting killed by Ratter.
- Sound-Only Death: His death by gunshot via Ratter is heard from a distance.
