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Protagonists and Supporting Characters
Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale
- Voiced By: David Kaye
Nathan Hale is the protagonist of Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2. Hale is one of the soldiers sent by the United States to repel the Chimera invasion in England. He squad is wiped out, but Hale somehow manages to resist infection by the Chimera virus. In Resistance 2, Hale fights the Chimera while trying to fight off the Chimera virus that is overtaking him.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: He succumbs to the Chimeran infection at the end of Resistance 2, forcing Capelli to Mercy Kill him.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: Hale is arguably the biggest danger to the entire Chimeran invasion force in both Britain and America, and barely says a word.
- Character Death: Shot in the head by Capelli at the end of 2 when he is overcome by his infection and Daedalus' powers.
- Death Seeker: According to army psychological profiles, Hale's fearlessness in combat and his eagerness to help fight the Chimera are because deep down he actually wants to die.
- Determinator: In Resistance 2 he refuses to take any time away from fighting to get the inhibitor treatment that can stop him from turning into a Chimera. When Dr. Malikov is finally able to administer it, it's too late.
- Fire-Forged Friends: With most of the British Army forces, especially Stephen Cartwright. Most of them didn't take too kindly to the idea of Americans swooping in thinking they could just save the day, but after Hale stood by their side throughout numerous intense conflicts and proved his skill, they warmed up to him and they became good friends. A big factor in Hale's decision to join the Sentinels was because the US Government was lying about what was really happening in Europe to keep the population from panicking, and Hale wanted to know how Parker, Cartwright and the others were faring over seas.
- Happily Adopted: He was adopted by the Farley family. His adoptive father became a close friend, and exchanged letters frequently with his sister, who kept close track of his whereabouts and actions until he fell off the grid to become part of Project Abraham.
- Headbutting Heroes: Occasionally with Joseph Capelli.
- Healing Factor: Because of his Chimeran infection, he gains their light healing factor.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Hale succumbs to Chimeran infection because he refuses to slow down and take medication for his condition.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: He's still a local legend in his home state of South Dakota because his childhood shooting competition accuracy rating has still never been topped; and his aim only got better after he joined the army.
- Jumped at the Call: Volunteered to be a member of the attack force heading into Europe to fight the Chimera, and again, volunteered to become a member of the Sentinels and join Project Abraham so he could learn about the Chimera's movements and keep updated on the situation in Europe, which was otherwise being censored in the US.
- Meaningful Name: Has the same name as the soldier that said: "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country"
- My Greatest Failure: When he was in basic training, he attempted to lead his squad in a non-conventional formation in a training exercise that lead to the death of every person in his squad and several judges watching, as well as injuring himself. Even after the cause was narrowed down to faulty munitions, he never really got over it.
- The Quiet One: In the first game. He doesn't even get in a line of dialogue until the fourth chapter.
- Power at a Price: Near the end of the second game, he gains the ability to blow up Chimera with his mind. Not more than a few moments later, he has lost himself to the Chimeran virus, forcing Capelli to Mercy Kill him.
- Sacrificial Lion: He doesn't survive the events of Resistance 2, to further highlight just how hopeless things have become for humanity.
- Sole Survivor: He's one of the only members of the American reinforcements sent to aid Britain that survives first contact with the Chimera.
- Super-Soldier: As a member of Project Abraham, Nathan Hale has enhanced strength, reflexes and skills, plus a regenerative healing factor and special insight into the use of Chimeran technology.
- The Stoic: He rarely shows emotions.
- Unwitting Pawn: A victim of The Plan of Daedalus.
- Weapon Specialization: Despite the added firepower of the Chimeran weaponry, Hale always preferred to use the standard issue Carbine whenever he could. When he switches his primary weapon to the Bullseye during the events of Resistance 2, it's one of the first signs that he's losing control to the virus.
- Zombie Infectee: Spends most of the first two games carrying the Chimera virus
Fyodor Malikov
Fyodor Malikov
- Voiced By: Greg Ellis
A scientist working in Russia when the Chimera first invade. He was rescued and brought to the United States, where his attempts to help stop the Chimera have mixed results. He is responsible for the creation of Daedalus, but also responsible for the vaccine that stops the Chimera virus. In R3 he persuades Joe Capelli to go to New York and stop the Chimera from freezing the planet.
- Badass Bookworm: During a short segment where you fight alongside Dr. Malikov against several Chimera waves, Hale remarks that he's surprised at how Malikov's actually a pretty good fighter. Dr. Malikov replies that he was defending his hometown in Russia from the Chimera for 16 years before an American force "liberated" him, and that he had to be badass to survive in the Crapsack World in which the games take place.
- Driven to Suicide: The last piece of collectible intel in Resistance 2 is a diary entry by Dr. Malikov strongly hinting that this has happened to him due to humanity seemingly about to be wiped out because of his work. The beginning of Resistance 3 shows he must have changed his mind at the last minute, which actually works out well because he ends up helping to pull humanity back from the brink.
- Sacrificial Lion: When he dies, the sheer hopelessness of Capelli's mission really hits home.
- Not Quite Dead: While it is mentioned that Malikov committed suicide in R2, he either survived the attempt or didn't go through with it since he returns in R3 only to die anyway.
- Off with His Head!: Mick Cutler cuts off his head for little reason other than that he can.
Joseph Capelli
Joseph Capelli
- Voiced By: David Boat (R2), Robin Atkin Downes (R3)
Another soldier that can resist the Chimera virus. Capelli works with Hale through most of Resistance 2, acting like a Jerkass the entire game until the end where he has to kill Hale when Hale finally succumbs to the Chimera virus. In Resistance 3 Capelli is hiding in Oklahoma with his wife and son when Malikov finds him and tell him that the Chimera have built a giant tower that is freezing the planet, which Capelli agrees to help destroy.
- Action Dad: By the events of Resistance 3, he has a son named Jack, and a good deal of Capelli's motivation in fighting against the Chimera this time is to provide a safe and hopeful future for his family.
- Badass Normal: He survives getting swallowed by the Mother Spinner. We repeat: He survives. Getting swallowed whole. By a giant alien spider.
- Empowered Badass Normal: In R2, he's a Half-Human Hybrid and only survives due to his advanced regeneraton.
- The Berserker: Get him angry, and he'll tell you off. Get him pissed, however, and he will kill you.
- The Big Guy: He's 6' 5" and is noticeably well-muscled. By the time R3 rolls around, he's lost some of the bulk, possibly due to his settlement's desperate food situation.
- Brooklyn Rage: Mostly in R2. It's gone by R3.
- Brought Down to Badass: By the beginning of the third game, he's lost his Sentinel powers due to the vaccine. It doesn't stop him from kicking Chimera ass.
- Character Development: Capelli's attitude and appearance soften considerably between the 2nd and 3rd games, having mellowed out after raising a family, as well as having grown out his hair and lost a significant amount of his muscle mass due to poor supplies. By the time the 3rd game gets going, he's much more of a straight protagonist than the hardass thug he was in the 2nd game. He's still a ass-kicking badass, though, which is doubly impressive since he's lost his Sentinel powers and is a mere standard human now.
- Dull Surprise: His facial expression through most of the R2 campaign.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Dishonorably discharged from SRPA after the end of R2 for killing Nathan Hale, even though he may have turned into a new Daedalus.
- It Has Been an Honor: When he is forced to executed a fully-turned Hale.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Shows signs of this trope at the end of R2. By R3, most of the Jerk part of him is gone.
- Perma-Stubble: Sports a noticeable five-o-clock shadow in the third game.
- Perpetual Frowner: His facial expression in R2 seems to be locked into a permanent scowl.
- Retired Badass: In the third game. After killing Hale, he was dishonorably discharged from the Army and drifted until he got to Oklahoma where he met and married Susan Farley, Hale's sister. He also had a son named Jack with her. He doesn't want to fight anymore, but because of the Chimera's plan, he's forced to travel to New York with Malikov to see if they can finally put an end to the Chimera once and for all so his family won't die in the coming months.
- Took a Level in Badass: Capilli's attitude changes for the better after he's discharged in the third. Don't think that just because he's traded his loud voice and gung-ho attitude for a wife and kid means that he will not hesitate to shoot a HE.44 Magnum into your head and blow it into little bite-sized pieces. Just ask Mick Cutler. Or the Satan Chimera.
- Took a Level in Kindness: He's far less abrasive in R3, having settled down with a wife and kids.
James Grayson
James Grayson
- Voiced By: Robin Atkin Downes
The hero of Resistance: Retribution. James Grayson deserted the British Army after he had to Mercy Kill his brother Johnny who was turning into a Chimera. Grayson destroyed twenty-six conversion centers on his own before the army arrested him for desertion and sent him to death row. At the beginning of Resistance his sentence is commuted in exchange for helping the Maquis take back Paris from the Chimera.
- Badass Normal: Unlike the Sentinels, Grayson has no healing factor or other Chimeran abilities.
- Colonel Badass: Applies for the position of colonel in the Maquis. As of his last mission under SRPA contract around the time of Resistance 2, he was accepted.
- Deadpan Snarker: Particularly with the Bond One-Liners, in contrast to Hale.
- Empowered Badass Normal: After the time skip after the end of the game.
- Jerkass: Killing his brother made Grayson a very bitter man.
- Red Baron: "The Cloven Killer" as of the time skip.
Tom Riley
Tom Riley
- Voiced By: Bryce Johnson
The protagonist of Resistance: Burning Skies.
- Always Save the Girl: As soon as he meets her, he's constantly throwing himself into danger to save Ellie, even when she's more than capable of handling herself.
- Ancestral Weapon: Riley's fire axe was once carried by his father, who entrusted it to him in his will.
- Action Dad: Fights fires, saves lives, kills Chimera like a Sentinel super soldier, all on the way to finding his daughter.
- Action Survivor
- Badass Normal: He's just a firefighter; he's not a super soldier like the Sentinels, a powered-up infected like Hale, or even a military man like Grayson.
- Break the Badass: After Natalie's death, Riley takes Rachel and completely disappears, giving up on everything except keeping his daughter safe.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Riley is constantly throwing away his own safety, his plans and even common sense to dive into Chimeran fire and save lives. He sends his family to the protection camps while staying behind to fight, he throws himself into burning buildings to pull soldiers and civilians back to safety, and he even runs into a bombing run on the George Washington Bridge to rescue soldiers trapped in a crashed VTOL before they get caught in the explosion.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: He single-handily kills the Abomination, a massive Chimeran strain dwarfing every other save for the Leviathan dropped on Hale near the end of the Chimera invasion of America, and he kills it with standard issue firearms and an axe without support or super powers.
- Hope Bringer: The Minutemen use him as a propaganda tool after he quietly disappears with his daughter- they turn "Remember Riley" into a slogan, the stories of his heroism and the people he saved inspire people to raise arms and fight the Chimera, and Henry Stillman spreads word of his deeds across the American airwaves to inspire the troops to victory.
- Jumped at the Call: Before the Chimera invasion of the Americas, Riley was a member of the Minute Men, an organization that prepared and trained for the inevitable attack, so that he could protect his family and save lives.
- Kill the Ones You Love: When he finally finds Natalie, she's already been infected by the Chimeran Virus, and she begs him to kill her.
- Lower-Deck Episode: There's a character named Tom in Resistance 3, who's seen sharpening a Fire Axe before the fight years after the event of Burning Skies. This is likely a retroactive example; development of Burning Skies would have been far enough that adding the main character to Resistance 3 as a cameo before that game's release wouldn't have been too hard.
- My Greatest Failure: His decision to send Natalie and Rachel to the protection camp, which ultimately leads in Natalie's death, leaving him to raise and protect Rachel alone.
- Pursuing Parental Perils: Tom's father died from third-degree burns received as a firefighter. You'll never guess what Tom grew up to become.
- The Faceless: Unlike other games, the camera never leave's Tom's perspective, keeping the player from seeing his face until the final cutscene.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Ellie. They have numerous moments of Ship Tease and Does This Remind You of Anything?, and she gets somewhat more terse whenever the subject of his wife is brought up. It ultimately doesn't go anywhere.
Ellie Martinez
Ellie Martinez
- Voiced By: Tara Platt
The secondary deuteragonist of Resistance: Burning Skies.
- Action Girl: She's in charge of the Minutemen, and more than capable of handling herself in a firefight.
- Badass Normal: Like Riley, she's not actual military personnel, a Sentinel or infected; she gets by with her self-trained skills and guile.
- Master of Unlocking: Her lockpicking skills are vital to saving both her and Riley's life on the George Washington Bridge.
- Military Brat: Her father was a military man up to his death, and inspired Ellie's membership of the Minutemen.
- Spicy Latina: Ellie is much more hot-blooded than Riley.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Riley, as detailed above.
- You Killed My Father: Her father was one of the many, many American casualties during the initial landing in Britain to fight the Chimera in Resistance: Fall of Man.
The Chimera
The Chimera in General
Chimera
The villians of the series. They are an alien race hell-bent on replacing humanity with their own kind.
- Alien Invasion: Arrived on Earth during the Tunguska event, though it is mentioned in the games they existed on Earth millions of years ago.
- Assimilation Plot: They appear to have no purpose other than to replace every one with their own kind.
- Big Bad: The main threat in the series.
- Cursed with Awesome: Infection drives up the victim's metabolic rate by a factor of roughly twelve, leading to stronger healing abilities, at the expense of a higher body temperature.
- Extra Eyes: Most Chimera have extra eyes, usually six, rather than a human two.
- Healing Factor: Their transformation gives them greater healing capabilities than humans.
- Hive Mind: Their minds are linked to that of whoever is their designated commander.
- Keystone Army: Taking out their commanders weakens them to the point where they can be defeated.
- Meaningful Name:
- In Greek mythology, a Chimera was a Mix-and-Match Critter with body parts from different animals, usually a lion, a goat and a snake.
- In genetics, chimerism involves a single organism possessing traits from different genomes.
- Ninja Zombie Pirate Robot: Monsters of alien nature with a hive mind that reproduce like zombies.
- The Virus: New Chimera are created using a virus-type bioweapon, which paralyzes victims, driving them into a coma, before changing their bodies from the inside out.
- We Have Reserves: Their attitude to losses on the battlefield.
Hybrid
Hybrids
The foot soldiers of the Chimeran army.
- Meaningful Name: So-called because they most resemble humans out of all Chimera.
