History Characters / DragonAgeInquisitionWarriors

* HeroesWantRedheads: By his own admission, he has a weakness for redheads. Sadly, the game's programming doesn't specify which of the hair colors counts as "red," so he won't acknowledge a ginger Inquisitor as particularly attractive.

->'''Voiced by''': ''Freddie Prinze Jr''

* {{Badass}}: "There are very few things in the world that he can't kill if he needs to, which puts him at ease most of the time." While most companions are obviously martially skilled, Bull is certainly the one who has the most emphasis on being ''cool'' and deadly.

** On another level, if the Inquisitor asks him directly about the more secretive stuff about the Grey Wardens, he's extremely vague and tends to sum it up as "It's a Grey Warden thing." [[spoiler: He doesn't actually know, for example, how someone kills an Archdemon for good, thinking it's just a matter of stabbing it enough times until it's dead. [[Videogame/DragonAgeOrigins It's not.]] This is something an experienced Warden would definitely know. Of course, the real Wardens ''are'' very secretive about their methods; he might just be imitating behavior he's seen before.]]

* LostForever: If you don't recruit him before the siege at Adamant Fortress, you can never get him.

* LostForever: If Krem is not spoken to in Haven [[spoiler:before it gets destroyed]], it becomes impossible to recruit Bull.

* GenreSavvy: He figured that trying to hide his status as a Ben-Hassrath spy from a group called ''the Inquisition'' wouldn't last very long, so might as well be up-front about it.

* AtLeastIAdmitIt: Inverted. When you first speak to him at Haven, Blackwall will tell a non-human Inquisitor that he expected them to be one. The Inquisitor can say that s/he appreciates the honesty, but Blackwall will admonish himself for thinking something so foolish.

* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler:If he was taken to the Grey Wardens after the battle against Corypheus, he will survive the Joining and become a true Grey Warden. In the ''Trespasser'' epilogue, it is stated that between his duties as a Grey Warden, he will continue to do what he did while disguised as Blackwall despite having no reason to continue acting this way. Furthermore, if you romance him, you'll have proof that he become Warden-Constable (second most important Warden in a whole country) which is the same title as the real Blackwall.]]
* BirdsOfAFeather: If you're romancing him as a female Dwarf, you are both [[spoiler:ex-criminals trying to make a new life. Blackwall will acknowledge the similarity himself.]]

* CharacterDevelopment: Both off-screen and during the game. He goes from [[spoiler:an amoral mercenary captain and murderer to a champion of the weak.]] Then, just after he's earned a position in the Inquisition and the respect that goes with it, he gives it all up and [[spoiler: surrenders himself to save one of his men facing execution for following his orders.]] If he doesn't go to the Wardens, then two years later you find [[spoiler: he's started using his old name again and has been tracking down and speaking to his men. And getting punched a lot, but he can take it.]]

* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: If you're not a human, when you first speak to Blackwall at Skyhold, he reluctantly admits that he was expecting you to be one. The Inquisitor will actually praise him for being honest. A Dwarf Inquisitor will, in fact, ''literally'' say, "At least it's not 'I was expecting you to be taller.'"

** When you first recruit him, he makes a very solemn and saddened face while stating that Grey Wardens can inspire someone to be better than they think they are.

** On another level, if you ask him directly about the more secretive stuff about the Grey Wardens, he's extremely vague and tends to sum it up as "It's a Grey Warden thing." [[spoiler: He doesn't actually know, for example, how you kill an Archdemon for good, thinking it's just a matter of stabbing it enough times until it's dead. [[Videogame/DragonAgeOrigins It's not.]] This is something an experienced Warden would definitely know. Of course, the real Wardens ''are'' very secretive about their methods; he might just be imitating behavior he's seen before.]]

* BadassBeard: Was streaked with silver in concept art. Some later party banter between him and the Iron Bull reveals that [[spoiler:he grew the beard specifically to hide his face and make it less obvious that he wasn't the real Blackwall]]. He's fully aware of how the trope applies to him, too:

* EvenTheGuysWantHim: If Bull is romanced and [[spoiler:left the Qun]], a magazine excerpt found in <I>Trespasser</I> mentions that quite a few nobles of both sexes are very disappointed that he is off the market.

* AllThereInTheManual: ''World of Thedas Vol. II'' details the incident that led Iron Bull, then known as Hissrad, to turn himself into the re-educators. [[spoiler:Hissrad's sanity had already been hanging by a thread for several years when one of his oldest friends turned Tal-Vashoth. The resulting bloodbath included many non-combatants and children.]]

* InLoveWithYourCarnage: He gets really turned on watching Cassandra's battle prowess and hints that he is attracted to Blackwall for similar reasons. This also seems to be a large part of why he likes dragons so much, if his shouting "Taarsidath-an halsaam"[[note]] Translation: "I will bring myself sexual pleasure later, while thinking about this with great respect"[[/note]] during a fight with one is any indication.

* AllThereInTheManual: Blackwall's first name, Gordon, is only given in ''World of Thedas Vol. 2''. [[spoiler: The real Blackwall, that is. It's unknown if Thom Rainier even knew Gordon's full name.]]

* BadassGrandpa: He was a Warden-Constable, e.g. second-in-command of the Grey Wardens in Orlais, at the time of the Fifth Blight. That was more than ten years before ''Inquisition''. We don't know how old he is, but he can't be young. [[spoiler: Well, the real Blackwall wasn't young. From what is revealed about Rainier, he seems to be in his mid-forties; not exactly a grandpa.]]

* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Feels that the Grey Wardens' role should not be restricted to fighting Darkspawn, but also protecting the defenseless whenever possible. Not a sentiment shared by most Grey Wardens. Of course, [[spoiler:given that the main threat in Inquisition turns out to be ''the'' darkspawn, he still has an excuse.]]

** On another level, if you ask him directly about the more secretive stuff about the Grey Wardens, he's extremely vague and tends to sum it up as "It's a Grey Warden thing." [[spoiler: He doesn't actually know, for example, how you kill an Archdemon for good, thinking it's just a matter of stabbing it enough times until it's dead. [[Videogame/DragonAgeOrigins It's not.]] This is something an experienced Warden would definitely know. Of course, the real Wardens are very secretive about their methods; he might just be imitating behavior he's seen before.]]

** In one party banter, he asks Sera, who was a child in Denerim at the time of the first game, if she saw many Grey Wardens during the final battle. [[spoiler: A real Warden, especially one as high ranking as the real Blackwall was at that time, would probably know that there were only three or four Wardens in that battle (the Hero of Ferelden, Alistair/Loghain or possibly both if the player did things exactly right though both wouldn't be in the party at the same time, and Riordan) because of Loghain's betrayal of King Cailan at Ostagar.]]

* InsecureLoveInterest: He doesn't believe himself good enough for a Female!Inquisitor, and warns her he should not get too attached as he is just another soldier. [[spoiler: This makes sense considering TheReveal that he is not really Blackwall.]] It's also why, if neither of them are romanced, he refuses to court Josephine, despite Cole's hints that [[TwiceShy she feels some attraction towards him as well]].
* InitiationCeremony: His ceremony for induction into the Wardens was [[spoiler:interrupted when his recruiter was killed by darkspawn.]] Blackwall doesn't understand why [[spoiler:the real Blackwall insisted on stopping and sending him to kill darkspawn and bring back their blood.]] Anyone who's played the first game knows ''exactly'' why that happened.

* LastNameBasis: No one ever uses Blackwall's first name; it's not even revealed in-game until ''Trespasser'', and even then only if his personal quest was not completed. [[spoiler:The most likely explanation is that Thom Ranier never knew the real Blackwall's full name.]]

* LiarRevealed: How straight this gets played during his personal quest varies. [[spoiler: Specifically, it varies with the companion after he gets found out for a fraud. Cassandra, who held him in high regard, is disgusted, and their relationship never quite recovers; judging by Blackwall's own comments if asked about the Inquisition advisers, this is Cullen's reaction to him as well, although it improves by ''Trespasser''. Solas is equally grumpy, though his opinion softens later on. Sera, Varric, the Iron Bull, and Dorian are more forgiving, with Bull in particular trying to raise his spirits by [[NotSoDifferent finding parallels with his own situation]], while Dorian, who previously did not get along with Blackwall, ends up respecting his genuine desire to atone. And Cole, who always knew, tries to make him see [[CharacterDevelopment how much he has changed]].]]

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: [[spoiler:Like all Grey Warden recruits, he was not told what the Joining involves or why he was supposed to kill a Darkspawn and collect its blood. So when his recruiter was killed in an ambush, he didn't know that he did, in fact, have proof that his recruitment was legitimate, and he feared that the Wardens would think he murdered Blackwall.]]

** Iron Bull asks him what's the maximum number of pieces he's chopped an enemy in with one swing.[[note]]Apparently, it's sort of an [[BloodKnight obsession]], see Bull's quote. [[/note]] Blackwall is not amused:

** He and Dorian can't ''stand'' each other. On Blackwall's part, he hates Dorian for being a pampered and spoiled blueblood, and he shows signs of FantasticRacism against him for being both from Tevinter and a mage. To their credit, they try to find some middle ground during late-game banter.

* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: At one point he gets stabbed by poisoned knives [[spoiler:if he decides to leave the Qun]], but since he's been drinking the antidote to that particular poison, all he feels is a sting. Especially impressive, since said poison is ''saar-qamek'', a nerve agent that induces insanity and death.
* AllThereInTheManual: ''World of Thedas Vol. II'' details the incident that led Iron Bull, then known as Hissrad, to turn himself into the reeducators. [[spoiler:Hissrad's sanity had already been hanging by a thread for several years when one of his oldest friends turned Tal-Vashoth. The resulting bloodbath included many non-combatants and children.]]
* AnythingThatMoves: He's pansexual and he will sleep with anyone interested he's reasonably sure he won't break.

** For a Qunari, a race who's known for being rather stoic, Iron Bull is quite boisterous.

** Cassandra and Iron Bull often talk about how similar their roles are in their field, and they playfully flirt every now and then; both acknowledge that they're JustFriends and respect one another deeply. Iron Bull makes it clear that he respects Cassandra a great deal as a warrior and compliments her choice of armor instead of using something impractical.

* TrueCompanions: He's very loyal to people who are on his team. And as much as he hates demons, the Bull has no real problem with Cole, who may(?) be one.

** With extra vitriol. Most of the time he and Solas speak, Solas lashes out against the Qun. But if Bull winds up [[spoiler:being declared Tal-Vashoth, Solas will support him when he worries about going mad. And a rather long chain of party conversations between them later is essentially Solas distracting Iron Bull from his worries by deliberately provoking him into playing a mental game of chess.]]

* YouAreWhatYouHate: His worst fear is "Madness". Since he was a child, he displayed a gleeful affinity for hitting and lying. He is afraid that the Qun is the only thing that keeps him in check, and he hates AxCrazy Tal-Vashoth bandits because they reflect what he could become. [[spoiler:And what he ''does'' become if he chooses the Chargers over the Qun. If asked, he'll admit that one of the reasons being Tal-Vashoth hurts him so much is because he isn't sure if he's become insane like those he hunted, or if those he hunted were actually sane.]]

** The quiet and selfless Blackwall gets along very well with the loudmouthed and selfish Sera. Much of it stems from their mutual dislike of the aristocracy, and [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike rather juvenile sense of humor]]. In the ''Trespasser'' DLC, Sera's journal can be found stating that he hugs harder [[spoiler: as Rainier than he did as Blackwall]].

* ConsummateLiar: It's literally [[spoiler:his name: Hissrad is the Qunlat word for "liar". If Bull is encouraged to leave the Qun, he leaves this part of himself behind and becomes more honest with both himself and others. If he is encouraged to stay with the Qun, than he lives up to his name. It becomes particularly apparent in ''Trespasser'' with how easily he slips into acting like he is still friends, and possibly even lovers, with the Inquisitor even as he is already planning to kill them.]]

* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Feels that the Grey Wardens' role should not be restricted to fighting Darkspawn, but also protecting the innocent on all occasions. Not a sentiment shared by most Grey Wardens.

** On another level, if you ask him directly about the more secretive stuff about the Grey Wardens, he's extremely vague and tends to sum it up as "It's a Grey Warden thing." [[spoiler: He doesn't actually know, for example, how you kill an Archdemon for good, thinking it's just a matter of stabbing it enough times until it's dead. [[Videogame/DragonAgeOrigins It's not.]] This is something an experienced Warden would definitely know.]]

** In one party banter, he asks Sera, who was a child in Denerim at the time of the first game, if she saw many Grey Wardens during the final battle. [[spoiler: A real Warden, especially one as high ranking as the real Blackwall was at that time, would know that there were only three Wardens in that battle (the Hero of Ferelden, Alistair/Loghain, and Riordan) because of Loghain's betrayal of King Cailan at Ostagar.]]
** In the Fade, the Nightmare says, [[spoiler:"Ah, there's nothing like a Grey Warden. And you are ''nothing'' like a Grey Warden."]] Also, the gravestone [[spoiler: in the Fade]] which describes his worst fear simply says "Himself."
** After the Siege of Adamant, when he starts describing what does and does not make one a Warden, he hesitates before saying that the Joining doesn't, [[spoiler: likely because of his claim to be a Warden despite not performing it. Or possibly because ''his'' Joining was the traumatic experience that led to the death of Blackwall and the birth of "Blackwall".]] The next sentence he says is the quote at the top.

* It's also partly [[spoiler: what inspired his decision to adopt the identity of the real Blackwall. When they were ambushed by darkspawn, the real Blackwall died saving Rainer from a fatal blow; Rainer didn't feel he was worthy of the sacrifice and felt he owed it to the late Warden to follow his example]].
-->''"I didn't [[spoiler: take Blackwall's life. I traded his death... I took his name to stop the world from losing a good man]].''

* LiarRevealed: How straight this gets played during his personal quest varies. [[spoiler: Specifically, it varies with the companion after he gets found out for a fraud. Cassandra, who held him in high regard, is disgusted, and their relationship never recovers; judging by Blackwall's own comments if asked about the Inquisition advisers, this is Cullen's reaction to him as well, although it improves by ''Trespasser''. Solas is equally grumpy, though his opinion softens later on. Sera, Varric, the Iron Bull, and Dorian are more forgiving, with Bull in particular trying to raise his spirits by [[NotSoDifferent finding parallels with his own situation]], while Dorian, who previously did not get along with Blackwall, ends up respecting his genuine desire to atone. And Cole, who always knew, tries to make him see [[CharacterDevelopment how much he has changed]].]]

** It's common for Qunari to have nicknames. In his case, the name is an obvious reference to the shape of his horns. At one point, Cole notes that they're not really bull horns, they're ''dragon'' horns, so he could have called himself "the Iron Dragon."

* BattleCouple: He can form one half of one with the Inquisitor, but he can become part of one even if you don't undertake his RomanceSidequest. [[spoiler:If neither of them are romanced, he gets together with Dorian.]]

* BlatantLies: You can ask him if he ever thinks about what it would be like if the Inquisition was conquered by the Qun. He muses that while Cassandra and Cullen [[TheFettered would be assimilated rather quickly]] if they didn't die fighting, Solas would never be able to get away with Fade-walking as a mage, Vivienne's political posturing would come to a quick halt, and Varric and Sera would mouth off until the re-educators [[MindRape completely broke their minds]]. Then he tells you, no... he doesn't think about this much at all.

* ChivalrousPervert: Iron Bull makes no secret of the fact he really enjoys sex and offers both Dorian and Cassandra the chance to sleep with him. Cassandra outright tells him it'll never happen and he immediately apologizes and says he won't make another offer. Cassandra tells him that any flirting they have is just for fun, which works for Bull. If Iron Bull is in a relationship with the Inquisitor, he's very caring and passionate as well as refusing to talk about their sex life to Varric since what happens in that room is for Bull and the Inquisitor only.

* ExposedToTheElements: If you recruit him before gaining Skyhold, he'll gladly stand around shirtless in the snow outside the stable at Haven, and he's recruited in the pouring rain. Somewhat odd, considering past Qunari have complained that Ferelden is much too cold and [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration even had a weakness to cold spells]].

** To Leliana, oddly enough. They're both rather [[SpyFiction stale beer]] spies; but Leliana is stoic while Iron Bull has bravado, Leliana is a precise archer while Iron Bull has his wide hitting two-handed weapons, and Leliana is exhausted by her job while Bull enjoys it. To put it simply, Leliana is a Creator/JohnLeCarre spy, while Iron Bull is a shirtless version of Creator/IanFleming's [[Literature/JamesBond "blunt instrument"]].

* GeniusBruiser: He's huge and a talented warrior, but he's still smart enough to play chess with Solas ''in his head''. Being a spy, he's also very good at concealing his own emotions while reading other people's faces and body language. He guesses Cullen's an ex-Templar without actually saying a word to him and lists an astounding number of tiny details that clued him in that a "baker" was actually a spy from the Venatori. He also proves to be highly knowledgeable about architecture and archaeology if taken to the Hissing Wastes, even lampshading how odd this seems to the other characters.

* HornedHumanoid: Has the most impressive set of horns we've seen on a Qunari to date. They're huge and shaped like bull's horns, hence his name. (As pointed out by Cole, they're actually dragon horns, not bull horns, so he should be The Iron Dragon.)

* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Though he knows that dragons are dangerous, he also thinks they're ''really'' badass. According to him, dragons are admired by all Qunari, and their name for them in Qunlat even translates to "the glorious ones". After Cole brings it up, Bull ''really'' regrets not naming himself "The Iron Dragon" instead.

* MortonsFork: If pressed, Bull [[HiddenDepths can admit]] that this is how he sees the consequences [[spoiler:of going Tal-Vashoth. Either he'll go mad and kill innocents and people he cares about, or he won't go mad and will have to face the possibility that many of the Tal-Vashoth he killed in the past didn't either.]]

* TheNicknamer: Not to Varric's extent, but he does like to give people nicknames. As it's explained to the Inquisitor when s/he is properly introduced to the Chargers, Bull was the one who shortened "Cremisius" to "Krem." He calls the Inquisitor "boss," instead of "Inquisitor" like the other companions do, and he also calls Leliana "Red", Blackwall "Big Guy" or [[PerpetualFrowner "Furrows"]], and Cole "Kid". He tries to call Vivienne "Viv", but she promptly shuts that down and from that point on he addresses her more respectfully as "Ma'am". In ''Trespasser'', [[spoiler:if he ends up turning against the Inquisitor, "boss" becomes ''bas'' (literally, "thing")]].

* OddCouple: If neither are romanced, he'll end up with [[spoiler: Dorian.]] Doesn't get much odder than a [[spoiler: [[AntiMagicalFaction Qunari]] with a [[TheMagocracy Tevinter mage]].]]

* PairTheSpares: If you do not romance him or [[spoiler: Dorian]], and bring them together often enough, they get together.

* PowerTattoo: Like a Qunari Inquisitor, Bull uses toxic face-paint in lieu of helmets. Most of his higher level armor also has him wear Vitaar on his chest and arms instead of metal plating, [[GameplayAndStorySegregation but that is purely a cosmetic difference]].

* TrueCompanions: He's very loyal to people who are on his team. As much as he hates demons, the Bull has no real problem with Cole, who may be one.

* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler:If he was taken to the Grey Warden after the battle against Corypheus, he will survive the Joining and become a true Grey Warden. In the Trespasser epilogue, it is stated that between his duties as a Grey Warden, he will continue to do what he did while disguised as Blackwall despite having no reason to continue acting this way. Furthermore, if you romance him, you'll have a proof that he become Warden Constable (second most important Warden in a whole country) which is the same title as the real Blackwall.]]

** Giving on: During the Warden questline, he's shocked to see the actions his fellow Grey Wardens would do when hearing the Fake Calling and it ultimately is nearly shattered completely by the end. [[spoiler:Given that he respects them because he isn't actually one, it makes sense why he does.]]
** Receiving: The party, for the most part, all respect Blackwall and see him as a good man and a fine example of a Warden. [[spoiler:When it turns out he's not the real Blackwall, most of the party vehemently dislike him. The biggest example is Cassandra, who goes from seeing Blackwall as a ally and friend to practically regarding him as an enemy, and only working with him because he may still be in the Inquisition. The only people to respect and like him still are Varric, Sera and Cole (who always knew Blackwall's secret and therefore wasn't surprised or bothered). Iron Bull, Dorian and Solas ease up a little, Cullen will eventually forgive him in the Trespasser DLC, and Cassandra eventually seems to warm up a ''little'' through some banter, or at least becomes less hostile to him.]]

* CompensatingForSomething: When Sera asks why Dwarven architecture is so large when dwarves are so short, this is Blackwall's explanation. When Sera turns that back at him by pointing out that he swings around a big sword, he replies "That's not compensation. [[BiggusDickus That's a counterweight]]."
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: How he was recruited into the wardens. His recruiter saw him entering the inn and took him for some random drunkard. When a customer tried to force himself upon a waitress, however, that same drunkard was off his seat and on that customer in an instant. He then proceeded to beat him and his four friends with the broken leg of a chair (which one of the attackers broke on his back, not fazing him in the slightest) so hard that they were crying for the Maker when he was done. It was then that the Warden decided to recruit him, no questions asked.

* EarlyBirdCameo: A transcript of one of his speeches during the events of ''Origins'' appears in ''The World of Thedas''. [[spoiler:Except he isn't the Blackwall that wrote that speech, he's just pretending.]]
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: A part of being a Warden is enhanced strength and stamina. The surgeon even asks if she can study him. [[spoiler:Ultimately, of course, it doesn't apply to him. However, he does become one once he takes his Joining and survives sometime two years later.]]

* ExactWords: In the Warden plotline, if asked if [[spoiler:Corypheus's fake Calling]] is affecting him and if he's a threat. Blackwall says bluntly that [[spoiler:Corypheus]] has no hold on him. [[spoiler:Later it turns out that Blackwall is actually a wanted criminal named Thom Rainier and ''not'' a Grey Warden, meaning Corypheus ''literally'' has no hold on him.]]

** In the Fade, the Nightmare says, [[spoiler:"Ah, there's nothing like a Grey Warden. And you are ''nothing'' like a Grey Warden."]] Also, the gravestone [[spoiler: in the Fade]] which describes his worst fear simply says "Himself".

* GrayEyes: Hits several archetypes associated with the attribute: a lone-wolf mentor figure, a resolute, iron-willed idealist [[spoiler: and a history as a calculating, amoral killer]].

* HeroOfAnotherStory: He tells the Inquisitor that he was in Ferelden during the Fifth Blight, killing his "fair share" of darkspawn. [[spoiler:No, he wasn't - see above. The ''player'' knows this, but the Inquisitor has no reason not to believe him.]]

* IOweYouMyLife: If the Inquisitor [[spoiler:frees him during judgement]], despite learning what he's done, this is his reaction.

-->''"I didn't [[spoiler: take Blackwall's life. I traded his death..I took his name to stop the world from losing a good man]]''.

* LastNameBasis: No one ever uses Blackwall's first name, and it's not even revealed in-game until ''Tresspasser'', and even then only if his personal quest was not completed. [[spoiler:The most likely explanation is that Thom Ranier never knew the real Blackwall's full name.]]

* LiarRevealed: How straight this gets played during his personal quest varies. [[spoiler: Specifically, it varies with the companion after he gets found out for a fraud. Cassandra, who held him in high regard, is disgusted, and their relationship never recovers; judging by Blackwall's own comments if asked about the Inquisition advisors, this is Cullen's reaction to him as well. Solas is equally grumpy, though his opinion softens later on. Sera, Varric, the Iron Bull, and Dorian are more forgiving, with Bull in particular trying to raise his spirits by [[NotSoDifferent finding parallels with his own situation]], and Dorian, who previously did not get along with Blackwall, ending up respecting his genuine desire to atone. And Cole, who always knew, tries to make him see [[CharacterDevelopment how much he has changed]].]]

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: [[spoiler:Like all Grey Warden recruits, he was not told what the Joining involves or why he was supposed to kill a Darkspawn and collect its blood. So when his recruiter was killed in an ambush, he didn't know that he did, in fact, have proof that his recruitment was legitimate.]]

* TheMasqueradeWillKillYourDatingLife: [[spoiler:Since he's not really Blackwall, but a criminal, he feels unworthy of the Inquisitor and before TheReveal will often warn her to break things off with him under the pretense that his life as a Warden will be a hindrance to their relationship. After his identity is found out, the Inquisitor may choose to forgive him or punish him, and also to either break up with him or give him another chance. If he is not romanced, this is also the reason why he does not make his feelings for Josephine known.]]
* MeaningfulRename: In Trespasser, [[spoiler: he discards the Blackwall identity entirely and is known solely as Thom Rainier, including on the character select screen. In this case, the meaningful rename is that he is able to go back to his original identity.]]
* MightyGlacier: The best tank out of the three warrior companions thanks to his Champion specialization. However, making Blackwall more useful as a tank requires sacrificing the mobility of the other two.

* MushroomSamba: If Blackwall is taken to the Hissing Wastes, he shares a story about a disastrous assignment to the Silent Plains. At one point, he and his men lost all of their food to a flash flood, so they ate some berries a noobie had found. Blackwall spent two nights hallucinating a ring of nugs singing sea shanties at him.

** The quiet and selfless Blackwall gets along very well with the loudmouthed and selfish Sera. Much of it stems from their mutual dislike of the aristocracy, and [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike rather juvenile sense of humor]]. In the ''Trespasser'' DLC Sera's journal can be found stating that he hugs harder [[spoiler: as Rainier than he did as Blackwall]].

** He drops another one in the lead up to his personal quest.

* RomanceSidequest: For any female Inquisitor.

* SurvivorGuilt: His main motivation is feeling guilty for the death of the Warden that recruited him. [[spoiler:Who was the real Blackwall. This is combined with the men who died taking the fall for him, as well as the criminal for whom you swap him (if you choose to do so).]]

The Iron Bull is a captain of a mercenary company, and a Ben-Hassrath qunari who doubts his allegiance to the Qun. Officially, he joins the Inquisition to report back to the Qunari, but unofficially he's there to protect the innocent, and of course kill demons for pay. A romance option for Inquisitors of any gender or race.

* BattleCouple: He can form one half of one with the Inquisitor, but he can become part of one even if you don't undertake his RomanceSidequest [[spoiler:with Dorian]].

* BlatantLies: You can ask him if he ever thinks what it would be like if the Inquisition was conquered by the Qun. He muses that while Cassandra and Cullen [[TheFettered would be assimilated rather quickly]] if they didn't die fighting, Solas would never be able to get away with Fade-walking as a mage, Vivienne's political posturing would come to a quick halt, and Varric and Sera would mouth off until the re-educators [[MindRape completely broke their minds]]. Then he tells you, no... he doesn't think about this much at all.

* EyepatchOfPower: He sports a fancy eyepatch on where his left eye used to be.

* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Depending on approval and the outcome of his "Demands of the Qun" quest, he may side with the Qunari against you in the Trespasser DLC, forcing you to kill him.]]

-->'''Iron Bull:''' Mmmm...''redheads''.

* GayOption: Pansexual and can be romanced by male Inquisitors.
* GeniusBruiser: He's huge and a talented warrior, but he's still smart enough to play chess with Solas ''in his head''. Being a spy, he's also very good at concealing his own emotions while reading other people's faces and body language. He guesses Cullen's an ex-Templar without actually saying a word to him and lists an astounding number of tiny details that clued him in that a "baker" was actually a spy from the Venatori. He also proves to be highly knowledgeable about architecture and archeology if taken to the Hissing Wastes, even lampshading how odd this seems to the other characters.

* HeroesWantRedheads: By his own admission, he has a weakness for redheads. Sadly, the game's programming doesn't specify which of the hair colors counts as "red" and he won't acknowledge a ginger Inquisitor as particularly attractive.

* HornedHumanoid: Has the most impressive set of horns we've seen on a Qunari to date. They're huge and shaped like bull's horns, hence his name. (As pointed out by Cole, they're actually dragon horns, not bull horns, so he should be The Iron Dragon)

* HypocriticalHeartwarming: Iron Bull and Cole may become friends, and Cole will mention that Iron Bull took an attack for him despite hating demons. Iron Bull will say "You might be a weird, squirrely kid but you're ''my'' weird squirrely kid."
* INeedAFreakingDrink: [[spoiler:If Bull is Tal-Vashoth and joins the Inquisitor in the final push against the Qunari, after refusing to join the Viddasala, he comments that he needs a lot to drink after fighting a bunch of his former comrades. This however doesn't stop him from continuing and even tries to convince his former comrades to stop fighting the Inquisition.]]

* IsThatTheBestYouCanDo: He yells this near the end of ''Tresspasser'' if he's in the party [[spoiler:and did not join the Qunari forces himself]].
-->'''Iron Bull:''' Is that all you've got!? I lived through ''Seheron'' you pieces of shit!

-->'''Bull''': ''[imitating Krem's voice]'' "Hey, Chief. Let's join the Inquisition! Good fights for a good cause!" ''[normal voice]'' I don't know, Krem. I hear there are demons. ''[Krem voice]'' "Ah, don't worry about the demons, Chief. I'm sure we won't see many!" ''[normal voice, grumbling]'' Can't believe I was so...''asshole''!

* TheNicknamer: Not to Varric's extent, but he does like to give people nicknames. As it's explained to the Inquisitor when s/he is properly introduced to the Chargers, Bull was the one who shortened "Cremisius" to "Krem." He calls the Inquisitor "boss," instead of "Inquisitor" like the other companions do, and he also calls Leliana "Red", Blackwall "Big Guy" or [[PerpetualFrowner "Furrows"]], and Cole "Kid". He tries to call Vivienne "Viv", but she promptly shuts that down and from that point on he addresses her more respectfully as "Ma'am". In Trespasser, [[spoiler:If he ends up turning against the Inquisitor, "boss" becomes "bas"]].

* NothingPersonal: [[spoiler:He says this if he decides to betray you to the Qunari in the Trespasser DLC.]]

* RoaringRampageOfRescue: [[spoiler:After ''Trespasser'', if Bull is Tal-Vashoth and in a relationship with Dorian, assassins are sent after Dorian to prevent his new faction of progressives in the Magisterium from gaining traction. Bull and the Chargers put a stop to it.]]

* BadassBack: Most promotional shots of him were from behind.
* BadassBoast: Note the quote.

* CombatSadomasochist: Being a Reaver(-like fighter) is all about this. Many abilities in that [[PrestigeClass specialization tree]] focus on amplifying damage as your health bar depletes.

* RoaringRampageOfRescue: [[spoiler:After ''Trespasser'', if Bull is Tal-Vashoth and in a relationship with Dorian, assassins are sent after Dorian to prevent his new faction from gaining traction. Bull and the Chargers put a stop to it.]]

** To Leliana, oddly enough. They're both rather [[SpyFiction stale beer]] spies; but Leliana is stoic while Iron Bull has bravado, Leliana is a precise archer while Iron Bull has his wide hitting two-handed weapons, and Leliana is exhausted by her job while Bull enjoys it. To put it simply, Leliana is a JohnLeCarre spy, while Iron Bull is a shirtless version of IanFleming's [[Franchise/JamesBond "blunt instrument"]].

* HornedHumanoid: Has the most impressive set of horns we've seen on a Qunari to date. They're huge and shaped like bull's horns, hence his name.

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler: He pretends to be Warden Blackwall to atone for accepting a bribe, ordering his troops to slaughter an Orlesian general and his family, and deserting his post, allowing his subordinates to be punished in his stead.]]

* CharacterDevelopment: Both off-screen and during the game. He goes from [[spoiler:an amoral mercenary captain and murderer to champion of the weak.]] Then, just after he's earned a position in the Inquisition and the respect that goes with it, he gives it all up and [[spoiler: surrenders himself to save one of his men facing execution for following his orders.]] If he doesn't go to the Wardens, then two years later you find [[spoiler: he's started using his old name again and has been tracking down and speaking to his men. And getting punched a lot, but he can take it.]]

* ExactWords: In the Warden plotline, if asked if [[spoiler:Corypheus's fake Calling]] is affecting him and if he's a threat. Blackwall says bluntly that [[spoiler:Corypheus]] has no hold on him. [[spoiler:Later it turns out that Blackwall is actually a wanted criminal named Thom Rainier, meaning Corypheus ''literally'' has no hold on him.]]

** And his quote? The promise is all wrong. [[spoiler: Gray Wardens are sworn to end the Blight, in whatever way possible, moral qualms be damned.]]

** He's also one of the increasingly few Grey Wardens that wasn't conscripted by force. [[spoiler: As it turns out, the real Blackwall found him while he was on the run, but was ambushed and killed before the Joining ceremony.]]

* TakingUpTheMantle: He's not actually [[spoiler:the man named Blackwall. He's a former soldier named Thom Rainier, who got caught up in the power struggle between Celene and Gaspard. After he and his troops murdered the family of one of Celene's allies, Gaspard disavowed them and he went on the run. He met the real Blackwall and intended to join the Grey Wardens, but Blackwall died before it could happen. An inspired Rainier took his name and cause to atone for his past mistakes.]]