History Characters / PAYDAY2ContactsAndContractors

-->'''Dallas:''' It was very entertaining, listening to your little schemes.\\

'''Dentist:''' Olga, could you show Mr. Steele the Department of Corrections transfer plan for a Mr. Jim Hoxworth?

[[folder:Jiu Feng]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jiufengcrop.jpg]]

->'''Portrayed By:''' Andrew Leung

A weapons smuggler and former member of the Golden Dagger triads, '''Jiu Feng''' was introduced to the gang through Joy.\\

Jiu Feng's heists involve hitting his former employers, the Golden Dagger.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gemma [=McShay=]]]
[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_from_2022_06_23.png]]

->'''Portrayed By:''' Liz Guterbock

'''Gemma [=McShay=]''' is a Texan weapons smuggler.\\
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Currently, Gemma is featured in the "Texas Heat" campaign, the first heist of which has you hitting Esteban, ranch-dwelling underling to an unknown rival muscling in on Gemma's gunrunning trade.

* ArmsDealer: Of the "Gangland Gun Runner" subtype. Gemma's first heist involves getting information from an underling called Esteban to work out who is trying to take her out of business. She also gave a few of the weapons to the crew too in the [=McShay=] Weapon Pack, notably a grenade subtype that can make units throw up, a secondary sniper rifle, 2-shot grenade launcher, and an [=SMG=].
* TheFriendlyTexan: She has mannerisms rather similar to that of the Engineer from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', in that she'll get angry at the drop of a hat, but will otherwise be jovial and oftentimes laugh at peoples' misfortune.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Of The Butcher. Both are gunrunners in their respective countries (Texas USA for Gemma, Croatia for The Butcher), and both have been on the receiving end of rival gangs attempting to get rid of them (For The Butcher, it was Scarface Mansion and the Sosa Cartel, for Gemma, it was Esteban and his gang stealing and trying to push Gemma out of business). Gemma was also introduced following Creator/MiraFurlan passing due to complications with West Nile virus in 2021. They do however contrast in that The Butcher is the total opposite in terms of personality (The Butcher is TheStoic and is very reserved and calm, while Gemma is loud and seems to revel in action, and even gladly laughs at Estebans' death).

->'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/MiraFurlan

** ''Election Day'' has the crew tagging trucks delivering electronic ballot machines and, assuming they've succeeded, breaking into the warehouse and hacking them to rig the mayoral election in favor of his political ally, Bob [=McKendrick=]. If players are caught infiltrating the warehouse, however, the crew instead sways the votes towards [=McKendrick=]'s rival, ''[[MoralMyopia incriminating her of the crime she was to be victim of.]]''

* EvilCripple: His wartime injuries have confined him to a wheelchair. This [[HandicappedBadass does not stop him from being able to shoot from it though]]. [[spoiler:He somehow regains the use of his legs in the True Ending, presumably thanks to stolen technology from Henry's Rock.]]

Click [[Characters/PAYDAY2 here]] to go back to the main ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2'' character page.

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--> Bain: This isn't a request. Get your ass into position for a roof pick-up, or I'll see whole squadrons of F-16's scrambled in your direction!

* ArtEvolution: Locke got one to match his VA's face, Ian Russell. This was done to reflect his appearance in ''Payday 2'''s ending cutscenes. Before the visual update, [[https://modworkshop.net/mydownloads/previews/preview_55826_1545339181_b3820d25f4c0d4e594280c1b4da7daf2.png Ian already had a striking resemblance to Old!Locke (sans moustache)]], so all the visual update did was just made his face more detailed.
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally just another contact for a couple of tie-in heists, Locke has been further and further integrated into what little plot ''Payday 2'' has, mostly due to his popularity. [[spoiler:He's even taken over Bain's role as the gang's MissionControl as of the Reservoir Dogs Heist.]]

** Locke works with Murkywater and was ordered to bring down Crime.net, but he decided to betray his company by offering the PAYDAY crew to work with him so that everyone can make more money since he wasn't getting enough at his day job.

* {{Jerkass}}: Perks from being an EnemyMine for the Payday gang, hailing from the already despised mercenary group that the PAYDAY Gang had been fighting off until Murkywater's HomeBase was discovered.

* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: He successfully crippled Crime.net and could have easily destroyed it, but he decides to take this opportunity to have the PAYDAY crew work with him. Naturally, he could easily bring the entire Crime.net system down for good if his offer was refused.

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--> "There's no fixing that... just like there's no fixing that black heart."

Recently returned from a long stay in prison, '''Vladislav "Vlad" Kozak''' seeks to reclaim many of his old holdings - and wants revenge on the man who framed him. To do this, he's taking back his gangland stranglehold on DC, starting with his protection racket. Vlad also runs a bakery in town, which serves as a front to his more illegal means of business.\\
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* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler: Vlad is the titular Ukranian Prisoner in the Ukranian Prisoner heist. The gang have to break him out of a warehouse after being tortured to near death.]] Vlad is notably the only VIP that doesn't need to be escorted unlike the ones in Green Bridge or Heat Street. He'll beeline to where he needs to go and will not be caught by security. [[spoiler: However Vlad will die from his wounds at certain points in the heist in both loud and stealth if the crew takes too long. When they do manage to escape, Locke will comment Vlad will have bounced back after getting some vodka in his hands.]]

--> "Tell the elves to work harder, or the only gift they'll get in their stocking is my fist in their ass!"

* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: There's hints throughout the ''Breaking News'' event that he might have a role in the Kataru organization. Rachel Riggs is led by the Dentist to his bakery (which is boarded up closed) during her investigations, and soon after the Payday gang receive a package of cupcakes at the safehouse that contain ''The Diamond'', last known to have been pawned off by people in the Dentist's contact...]]
** [[spoiler: During the "Offshore Payday" ending cutscene, Vlad gets a phone call that he answers entirely and uncharaistically calmly in Russian, raising the gang's suspicions and leading some to reach for their firearms. Vlad ends the call and tells them them that they have made certain people very unhappy... only to burst into laugher as he admit he's fucking with them, while saying he's thinking of cut ties with said people.]]

--> '''Vlad''': Now, I don't like Vodka... but it likes me just fine.

--> '''Bain:''': Tiaras, [[spoiler:nuclear warheads]], and safes. Just another job for Vlad.
* YouDidntAsk: Some of Vlad's jobs have elements in them that Bain nor the crew find out about until the last minute, such as the security cameras and staff in one of the stores during the Four Stores heist. Meltdown takes it to a whole new level when Bain and the crew discover that the hot item Vlad wanted to steal was [[spoiler:''nuclear warheads''.]] Even when he is confronted about not telling the crew about it, Vlad just shrugs it off like it wasn't a big deal.

The leader of the up-and-coming Sinaloan Cartel, '''Hector Morales''' is looking to deal with his rivals, the Mendoza Family, so he can secure distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine. He doesn't care how they are dealt with. He just wants them out of the picture. One of the most intimidating things about him is that he has no previous criminal record - he's never once been caught.\\
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* EvilPowerVacuum: For both sides of the law. After he's killed, the feds take progressively more extreme and direct measures to try and take down he Payday gang. For the other side of the law, it causes a vacuum in the product trade that various cartels are scrambling to fill, including Vlad. This directly leads to the events of the Goat Simulator heist.

A Republican councilman, '''Stephen J. Simmons''', AKA '''"The Elephant,"''' aspires to be a senator - and uses Crime.net as a means to that end. He is not above paying to have his rivals discredited or 'problems' taken out of the picture in a more permanent fashion. Whether it's vote manipulation, frame-ups, or aid for his political allies, he has the connections to make it happen.\\
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** Subverted in Big Oil, where the Overkill MC gang were hired to acquire intel about the prototype fusion oil engine, but ultimately decided to betray Simmons to cash in the job for themselves. Thankfully for him, he had the Payday gang on speed-dial.

* {{Foil}}: To Vlad. Vlad is a volatile, crazy man who enjoys it when a heist goes loud, while the Elephant is calm and collected, and keeps his heists quiet to avoid drawing bad attention to himself. Vlad poses as a baker and is surprisingly good at hiding beneath the FBI's nose, whereas the Elephant keeps himself as discrete as he can, but manages to get himself detained by airport security thanks to falsified evidence. [[spoiler:Both are implied to be Kataru members, but Vlad keeps himself on good terms with the gang albeit retiring from his criminal lifestyle while the Elephant vows to clean up the Payday Gang's rampage after the White House heist. Both ask for the gang to procure dangerous technology, but while the Elephant asks that the clowns take a prototype for a new kind of fusion engine that will eliminate oil-based power for the foreseeable future, Vlad asks them to snatch some cargo from Murkywater, never once mentioning that what the loot was ''nuclear warheads'' so he could sell them to somebody overseas for cash.]]

* TheMole: Informs the PAYDAY gang of police assets before they're deployed, and set up a bug in Garrett's office.

Not much is known about Doctor Helmann, a.k.a. '''The Dentist''', but he knows the crew very well - after all, he's been monitoring them ever since they robbed the First World Bank. The Dentist uses his occupation to present the image of an honest, working citizen, but behind that mask breathes a cunning and dangerous criminal mastermind. After his "introducing" himself to Dallas, he gave the crew an offer - work for him, and Hoxton will be freed. [[spoiler:He seems to be working with the people that kidnapped Bain, as the box you stole from Golden Grin appears in the Henry's Rock heist, along what seems to be him next to a tied up Bain.]]\\
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--> '''The Dentist''': How did it feel, leaving him behind?
* BigBad: [[spoiler: He is later revealed to be the main villain of the storyline and the one who orchestrated Bain's kidnapping.]]
* BodySurf: It is strongly implied that he has used [[spoiler: a reincarnation device called "Ark of the Watcher" beneath the White House to repeatedly reincarnate as different individuals, making him functionally immortal.]]

* DiabolicalMastermind: He claims to need the Payday crew for several high profile jobs, and is both smart enough to give them an incentive to work with him, and ruthless enough to force them to do so.

-->'''Dallas:''' It was very entertaining, listening to your little schemes.
-->'''Dentist:''' Oh I have another one...
-->'''Dallas:''' Oh, I'm ''sure'' you do.
-->'''Dentist:''' ''[[ArmorPiercingQuestion How did it feel? Leaving him behind?]]''
-->''Dallas stops dead in his tracks and starts facing the Dentist''
-->'''Dentist:''' Olga, could you show Mr. Steele the Department of Corrections transfer plan for a Mr. Jim Hoxworth?

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He kidnaps Bain and has him tortured and injected with a man-made virus, which eventually kills him. While the PAYDAY crew manage succeed in winning their freedom by stealing presidential pardons, the Dentist is still at large. This is averted in the TrueEnding, where he is killed by the gang.]]

* ThePlan: He appears to have a greater purpose in mind for the Payday crew, beyond actually breaking Hoxton out. [[spoiler:His plans seem to involve the theft of priceless artefacts for a third party- the Golden Grin implying a connection to a mysterious secret society group.]]

* TortureTechnician: [[spoiler: The figure in a suit shown torturing Bain in the livefeed monitor in Henry's Rock looks a lot like him, especially his glasses]].

Denisa Horvat is a woman running a butcher shop in Croatia, better known as '''The Butcher'''. Similar to Vlad, the Butcher runs a legal business while doing more dirty work behind the scenes - in this case, the international arms trade. Not much else is known about her other than that she has a connection to Bain and is filling in for Gage while he's on an "extended vacation." She is also responsible for Dragan joining the crew, with him serving as her ambassador to Crime.net.\\
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** The Sosa cartel attacked one of her ships that was in the cartel's territory by killing all the crew on board, stealing the weapons being smuggled, and then sinking the ship before sending her a photo of the deed warning her to stay out of Miami. Not one to be pushed around, she hires the PAYDAY gang to storm the Scarface Mansion to kill the leader behind the cartel.

->'''Portrayed by:''' Andrew Leung

->'''Portrayed by:''' Liz Guterbock

These are the people who give you contracts, which include bank heists, robberies, and other weird items that a contractor might want, all in order to get your Payday, too. As of December 2017, the game got a serious story arc, and as such, there's some '''major [[LateArrivalSpoiler Late Arrival Spoilers]]''' for those who are new to the game. Spoilers are marked as such, but there's a few characters on here that are considered [[WalkingSpoiler Walking Spoilers]], so their pages will be full of spoiler tags, '''so be warned!'''

** TheBusCameBack: She made a cameo during the Hoxton Housewarming Party event, and returned as the contractor for the aforementioned heist. [[spoiler: She also shows up during the True Ending's Offshore Payday cutscene.]]

->'''Portrayed by:''' Unknown

* {{Expy}}: The Dentist is based on Gustavo Fring from ''Series/BreakingBad'', who had also ran a legitimate business as a front for his illegal activities. It also helps that the Dentist is played by the same actor, Giancarlo Esposito.

* BadassInCharge: The web series shows us that Hector is pretty mean in a fist fight, as well as being a dangerously pragmatic leader.
** Even ''Bain'' is afraid of Hector in-game, because he knows that Hector has strong connections and could have the crew killed if they ever betrayed him.

* VerbalTic: Locke has a habit of adding "for sure" to the ends of his statements, and his VA is quite aware of the MemeticMutation it spawned. The fanbase is all too happy to turn it into the memetic "Fo Sho".

* CasualDangerDialog: [[spoiler:During the Meltdown job, he brushes off Bain's reaction over Vlad wanting the crew to steal nuclear warheads for him as if it was a common everyday thing. Vlad will even joke about the crew receiving a radiation poisoning from having to carry the warheads.]]

* UncannyValley: Her head has been mocked multiple times, looking like the developers placed a kids' head on top of an adult body, leading to this effect seen above.

Vlad's heists are all single-day duration (not counting escape sequences, with the two-day Goat Simulator heist being the exception). Early jobs offer some opportunities for stealth and subterfuge, but later ones focus entirely on loud and violent approaches. He has also been the contractor for the yearly Christmas-themed heists[[labelnote:*]]Except for 2017, as Locke offers that particular contract, due to the storyline getting serious[[/labelnote]].

* {{Greed}}: Bain will usually encourage the crew to steal extra loot if they can because, hey, who doesn't like to get a little extra money for their payday? Taken UpToEleven in the second day of the Hotline Miami heist where Bain will start ''pleading and shouting at you'' to hurry up and reach the Commissar before he flushes his valuable cocaine.

* ArmsDealer: Of the "Gangland Gun Runner" subtype. Gemma's first heist involves getting information from an underling called Esteban to work out who is trying to take her out of business. She also gave a few of the weapons to the crew too in the McShay Weapon Pack, notably a grenade subtype that can make units throw up, a secondary sniper rifle, 2-shot grenade launcher, and an [=SMG=].
* TheFreindlyTexan: She has mannerisms rather similar to that of the Engineer from ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', in that she'll get angry at the drop of a hat, but will otherwise be jovial and oftentimes laugh at peoples' misfortune.

* TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler:He initally disappears from the plot after the Stealing Xmas heist, and only returns in the TrueEnding.]] He eventually reappears proper as the contractor of the San Martin Bank heist, playing pivotal roles in both the 'Silk Road' and 'City of Gold' series of heists, even having a physical presence in the Ukranian Prisoner heist.

Currently, the heists contracted by Gemma feature hitting Esteban, a rival muscling in on her gunrunning trade.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Of The Butcher. Both are gunrunners in their respective countries (Texas USA for Gemma, Croatia for The Butcher), and both have been on the receiving end of rival gangs attempting to get rid of them (Scarface Mansion and the Sosa Cartel, Esteban and his gang stealing and trying to push Gemma out of business). They do however contrast in that The Butcher is the total opposite in terms of personality (The Butcher is very quiet and calm, Gemma is loud and seems to revel in Estebans' downfall).