History Characters / PAYDAY2ContactsAndContractors

* AscendedExtra: Gage first appears as a minor character, the "Gage Weapon Packs" line of [[DownloadableContent DLCs]] show that he is the crew's main weapon supplier, providing them with [[KnifeNut combat knives]], [[MoreDakka machine guns]], [[StuffBlowingUp grenades]], [[BoomHeadshot sniper rifles]], and even [[BreakOutTheMuseumPiece older weapons]] from UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and beyond.

* Hidden Depths: [[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...]]

* InkSuitActor: While still being voiced by Simon Viklund, in Hell's Island, [[spoiler:when you finallyt get to see Bain in the flesh, he resembles Digger Mesch; his actor in the web series (albeit ''very'' beaten up).

* TheGhost: Unlike the other contractors, Bain was this trope for the lonest time, and prior to 2018, the most we see of him is the back of his head, or his hands. When we finally see him in-game in [[spoiler:the Henry's Rock heist, his face is covered by a bag,and we meet him in person near the end of the Hell's Island Heist]].

* OneManArmy: [[spoiler: '''Holy shit is he one'''. During Hell's Island, Bain personally fights his way to the exit after getting released. As the gang follows his trail, the crew discovers sprawled about dead bodies of Murkies, including ''Bulldozers and Cloakers''. Under normal circumstances, Bain is probably as strong as the entire gang combined, made more impressive in his... erm... condition.]]

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.\\

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.\\

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.\\

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.]]\\

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.\\

* AdaptationalVillainy: The Web Series paints him in a darker light, showing his colder side more befitting of a traditional EvilGenius, and having him be perfectly cool with hiring PsychosForHire to kill off people threatening to expose Crime.net. It is a contrast in his in-game personality.

* TheGhost: Unlike the other contractors, Bain is never seen. The most we see of him is the back of his head, or his hands. [[spoiler:When we finally see him in-game in the Henry's Rock heist, his face is covered by a bag, and then we finally see him in person near the end of the Hell's Island Heist.]]

* HeKnowsTooMuch: He keeps his identity a secret, leaving absolutely no traces and silencing anyone who could help the police hunt him down. If the Diamond Heist goes loud, he's forced to personally interrogate the [=CFO=] of Garnet in a helicopter he's riding in for the code to the company's vault. After getting the code, Bain tosses the man from the helicopter to his death (he lands on the lobby's fountain near the vault and dies on impact), citing that the man had seen his face and he doesn't like leaving loose ends hanging.

* HeroicRROD: [[spoiler: The Hell's Island heist has him singlehandedly taking out the Murkies and specials with his bare hands, despite his physical health being ''very'' deteriorated from all the torture he endured previously. He is also infected with a man-made virus that is sapping away at his strength. By the time you reach him, he collapses from his injuries, thus Locke has to carry him.]]

* VocalEvolution: His voice was changed to be more expressive and lighter in tone compared to the originally deeper one. Said deeper one still plays in certain heists, such as Ukrainian Job and Jewelry Store, highlighting the difference.

* PutOnABus: According to the Butcher, Gage went on an "extended vacation" starting in 2015. As such, she took over as the group's weapon supplier for three DLC packs. He [[TheBusCameBack eventually came back]], revealing that extended vacation was to Japan, and he came with Japanese-themed weapons in the Gage Ninja Pack DLC.

** TheBusCameBack: ...until June 2016, where he is the contractor for the DLC Biker Heist.

* TheWorfEffect: The Elephant is seemingly immune to any and all legal intervention. When the Kataru starts conspiring with Solomon Garrett, the first thing they do together is make plenty of moves towards arresting him.

* YouOweMe: After the Biker Heist, the Elephant notes that his ties with the Overkill MC gang are all but severed, so the next time he needs something done, the gang will be expected to provide.

* ZeroEffortBoss: [[spoiler: To unlock the true ending, you must kill him after solving the puzzle in the White House heist, and he is rather pathetically easy to take down.]]

* TheBusCameBack: He eventually reappears again as the contractor of the San Martin Bank heist.

* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:He disappears from the plot after the Stealing Xmas heist, and only returns in the TrueEnding.]]

* MissionControl: He gives the crew a heads up on approaching danger, important intel and advice during their various jobs. Anyone who wishes to hire the crew has to go through him.

* BerserkButton: Killing innocent civilians is the fastest way to piss him off. Either that, or wasting either money or his time.

* FauxAffablyEvil: He may be friendly for a criminal mastermind, but he does make you do ''all'' the work, and taking credit for himself. He may even care more about civilians than the crew themselves. He also didn't show interest in helping Jiro find his son Kento until [[ThePowerOfFriendship the crew forced him to]].

* HeroicRROD: [[spoiler: The Hell's Island heist has him singlehandedly taking out the Murkies and specials, despite his physical health being ''very'' deteriorated from all the torture he endured previously. He is also infected with a man-made virus that is sapping away at his strength. By the time you reach him, he collapses from his injuries, thus Locke has to carry him.]]

* MissingMissionControl: [[spoiler:His location is compromised by and he is captured at the end of Day 1 of the Reservoir Dogs Heist, courtesy of the Kataru. Locke becomes the gang's MissionControl in his absence.]]

* OneManArmy: [[spoiler: '''Holy shit is he one'''. During Hell's Island, Bain personally fights his way to the exit after getting released. As the gang follows his trail, the crew discovers sprawled about dead bodies of Murkies, including ''Bulldozers and Cloakers''. Under normal circumstances, Bain is probably as strong as the entire gang combined, made more impressive in his...erm...condition.]]
* PetTheDog: Best seen during the First World Bank heist while looking for a password to get into the bank's vault area. If you pick the wrong terminal, Bain will sometimes modify an account holder's financial information in a way that benefits them, such as increasing the interest someone gets from their savings account or marking someone's student loans as being paid in full.

* RetiredBadass: There are implications. Many of his connections seem to have come from genuinely getting into actual jobs like yours, he constantly alludes to the times he himself was working and compares particularly good work to what he did "back in the day", and [[spoiler:when Kataru comes to take him he does not go quietly at all, clearly answering with something [[HandCannon of decent caliber]] while offering the team his last instructions]].
** [[spoiler: We get to see Bain fight in ''Hell's Island''. Let just say that you don't want to mess with him in his prime.]]

** Bain will ''never'' hesitate to remind the crew when a civilian gets freed by the police, even if the crew themselves are cornered by cops and can't do anything about it.

* 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.]]

** During the storyline briefing of Henry's Rock, Locke also states that [[spoiler:what little he saw stashed there was enough to make him uneasy working with Murkywater for much longer.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Like with Bain, he is perfectly fine with you slaughtering cops and Murkywater assault units, but [[spoiler:killing civilians will make him...pertubed, not least because he has to work extra, and deducts pay as cleaner costs.]]

* GeniusDitz: In-game, he leans more towards the "Genius" territory, what with him [[spoiler:taking over Bain as MissionControl, as well as planning a few heists to help resolve the plot]]. But in the [[spoiler:True Ending]], he is a bit of a ButtMonkey, [[spoiler:Not getting a celebratory drink, constantly wearing his [[LimitedWardrobe military fatigues]] on a sunny beach, he gets decked by the Butcher over what happened during Alaskan Deal, and tries to play Golf ...poorly.]]

* InsufferableGenius: At first, Vernon Locke is very insufferable, especially after offering two heists involving sabotage towards Murkywater's leading assets. To the point of sounding even more irritable than Bain's constant barking. Birth of Sky has this the worst, especially if you're having a hard time finding the money pallets or are getting shot from every angle. [[spoiler:He drops this in the Reservoir Dogs heist, as things have gotten much more serious.]]
* InkSuitActor: Averted initially, but one of the last patches of 2018 saw a visual update to Locke to match his Voice Actor, that being Ian Russel. It essentially made his face more detailed...and that's about it.
* {{Jerkass}}: Perks from being an EnemyMine for the Payday gang from the already nuisance mercenary group that had been fought down until Murkywater's HomeBase was discovered.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: People who haven't played Locke's heists in story order won't know why [[spoiler:the Reservoir Dogs Heist and beyond has Locke as the gang's MissionControl]]

** Like Bain, Locke will ''never'' hesitate to remind the crew when a civilian gets freed by the police, even if the crew themselves are cornered by the cops and can't do anything about it.

* WhatTheHellPlayer: Locke will start to get mad or, at worst, pissed at you if you [[spoiler:start killing civilians for the hell of it]], and he reminds you that [[PragmaticVillainy the extra work he has to put in to cover it up will be deducted from their pay]], and also because he shares Bains' morality and [[EvenEvilHasStandards he finds it wrong]].

* 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.
** [[spoiler:Interestingly, one of his quotes when he books it at the start of Alaskan Deal indicates that he was on the end of this as well, though it is never made clear where he got the deal or who made it. It is eventually revealed in the Reservoir Dogs heist that the weapon deal was arranged by him and Bain in order to get the crew out of DC as the Kataru were looking for them.]]

* CruelMercy: Why does he ask the crew to steal the tiara of his rival's bride-to-be instead of just ordering her gunned down? Because leaving his hated enemy with a nagging, disappointed wife is a far worse punishment than leaving him with a dead one.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Vlad is a mob boss running his own illegal businesses, but compared to everyone else the crew had done jobs for (and Vlad having a somewhat silly personality), one might not take Vlad too seriously and even the FBI didn't consider him a threat for a while (his biggest heist at game release was smashing a mall on his turf so that Mr. Stone pays him protection money). But later on, Vlad asks the crew to steal [[spoiler:nuclear warheads]] for a potential buyer and he acts like it's no big deal. Vlad eventually gains a lot of influence in the criminal underworld and he manages to make connections to a large organization on the West Coast by moving their product of customized skins for guns on the East Coast, and by the Goat Simulator heist is moving in on Hector's old turf as a cocaine distributor.

* MissionControl: He slowly started to take up a similar role to Bain starting with the Meltdown heist and progressing from there. The Santa's Workshop and Goat Simulator heists has Vlad providing the crew with assets like a flame-based trap for doorways and having a relative of his extract the goats via skyhook and plane. Vlad will also remind the crew on what they need to do.

* TheGadfly: Depending on the mission. He hires the crew for the Ukrainian Job just to ruin the wedding of the rat who framed him. He also enjoys trolling Bain and the crew when given mission control privileges, especially in Goat Simulator. [[spoiler:It gets darker during Meltdown, where he makes several jokes about the very real possibility of radiation poisoning from having to carry the nuclear warheads around.]]

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The bakery that he uses as a front is extremely popular with the general public. It has gotten to the point that the FBI ''somehow'' believes that Vlad is [[BlatantLies an innocent man and an upstanding member of the community, and that Bain in using him as a patsy]]. Breakin' Feds also reveals that even [[spoiler: Commissioner Garrett]] thinks he's being used by Bain for some nefarious purpose.
* WeirdnessMagnet: Quite a few of Vlad's jobs and requests are... well, a bit on the stranger side. The loot he's had for the crew pick up for him includes a decorative tiara, safes, a stuffed pig, live goats (ones that are being used to smuggle cocaine, of course, but still goats), and, of course, the [[spoiler:Nuclear Warheads!]] He's also provided the crew with the [[ChristmasEpisode 2014, 2015, and 2016 Christmas heists]]. The 2014 heist, according to the FBI Files, had his brother-in-law's plane hit an "unidentified flying object" heavily implied to be Santa's sleigh, the 2015 heist revolves around gangsters in elf costumes disguising narcotics as Christmas presents, and 2016 features the clowns turning a mall upside down to find packages of cocaine, mistakenly distributed to various stores in Christmas presents, hidden by his drunken brother-in-law disguised as Santa, culminating in ''stealing the mall's Christmas tree''.[[labelnote:*]][[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Trust us, we couldn't make this crap up if we tried.]][[/labelnote]] Lampshaded by Bain in Aftershock:

* LateArrivalSpoiler: The Goat Simulator briefing mentions right away that Hector [[spoiler: is already dead. Played with, in that it does NOT mention ''why'' he is dead.]]

* TheChessmaster:
** He always has a long game at play, and Bain outright cautions the gang to watch their backs on his missions, in case he decides [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness they've outlived their usefulness]].
** 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.
* TheMole: Informs the PAYDAY gang of police assets before they're deployed, and set up a bug in Garrett's office.
* TheWorfEffect: The Elephant is seemingly immune to any and all legal intervention. When the Kataru starts conspiring with Solomon Garrett, the first thing they do together is make plenty of moves towards arresting him.

* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: The Dentist knows exactly who Dallas is and he uses that information against him by offering him several jobs that he needs done.

* TheSpook: The FBI Files reveal that even the police know almost nothing about him -- in fact, they have only just gotten a visual description. [[spoiler:Given his affiliation, that's not surprising...]]

* TheButcher: It is also her nickname.

* FinalBoss: [[spoiler: The last enemy the player faces should they go for the true ending, though he's not that tough. See ZeroEffortBoss below.}}

* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:Bain's lamentation tape mentions he "should have paid more attention in Vegas", obviously referring to the Golden Grin Casino, and hinting at The Dentist's involvement with the Kataru long before either was actually revealed.]]

* Malaproper: Locke in "Beneath The Mountain" says ''"And Open the Sesame"'' instead of "Open Sesame!" when you blast down the door to the mountain compound.

* TheEvilGenius: Bain has never been seen in person, nobody from the crew [[spoiler:until breaking him out in the Hell's Island heist]], nor the contractors on this page, with the exception of [[spoiler:the Dentist]]. He is easily the most shadowy figure of any of the contractors. He is the mastermind of Crime.net, and personally oversees your missions. While basic info is known about every other contractor, the only thing we know about Bain is that his favorite color is blue[[note]]Or maybe it isn't, he says upfront that he will tell you lies to stay safe. The Tips & Trivia even says that maybe Bain doesn't actually have a favorite color.[[/note]], and that he's got eyes on you everywhere you go. However, the menace of this is somewhat offset by the fact that, in-game, he's a NiceGuy... [[AffablyEvil for a criminal]].

* ThoseTwoGuys: Vlad and Locke share the comms for [[spoiler:the San Martín Bank Heist]], who are both in a car nearby, with Locke even calling Vlad a BackseatDriver.
* VerbalTic: Locke has a habit of adding "for sure" to the ends of his statements, and his VA is quite aware of the MemeticMutation. The fanbase is all too happy to turn it into the memetic "Fo Sho".
* WalkingSpoiler: His role in the Alaskan Deal heist and beyond. Before Alaskan Deal, his entry here was actually spoiler-free. '''''Now look at it!''''' [[spoiler:And his role in the succeeding heists make this trope come into full effect.]]

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

->'''Portrayed By:''' Bokeem Woodbine

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: He banters with Dallas in his trailer, but the last few lines not only makes Dallas take him dead seriously, but it shows off how calculating and forward-thinking the Dentist truly is:

-->'''Dentist:''' Olga, could you give Mr. Steele the prison transfer plan for a Mr. Jim Hoxworth?

[[/folder]]

* ArmsDealer: Of both the "Gangland Gun Runner" and "International Arms Merchant" subtype. Her first heists involve contracting the crew to steal her a large bomb, presumably for later sale. She also took over for supplying new weapons to the crew while Gage was on his "extended vacation", giving them a large set of attachments for existing weapons (AK/CAR Mod Pack), [[IncendiaryExponent flame-based weaponry]] (BBQ Pack), and old pieces from TheWildWest (Western Pack).

* HeroicRROD: [[spoiler: The Hell's Island heist has him single handedly taking out the Murkies and specials by himself, despite his physical health being ''very'' deteriorated from all the torture he endured previously. He is also infected with a man-made virus that is sapping away at his strength. By the time you reach him, he collapses from his injuries, thus Locke has to carry him.]]

* AceCustom: One of the Legendary weapon skins for the AK Rifle belongs to him, named [[ICallItVera Vlad's Rodina]]. It is followed him since the early days of his gang, and it has a stored history of its own. [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane It might also be possessed by a bloodthirsty spirit,]] considering said history has two rather glaringly unnatural incidents.

* AceCustom: One of the Legendary weapon skins for the AK Rifle belongs to him, named [[ICallItVera Vlad's Rodina]]. It's followed him since the early days of his gang, and it has a stored history of its own. [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane It might also be possessed by a bloodthirsty spirit,]] considering said history has two rather glaringly unnatural incidents.

* ShooOutTheClowns: [[spoiler:He disappears from the game entirely after the plot gets more serious, starting with Heat Street. He doesn't appear again (save for being mentioned by his last name in Hell's Island) until the TrueEnding.]]

** [[spoiler:TheBusCameBack: Henry's Rock reveals that he is with Murkywater and that he currently has Bain, and Hell's Island has him command the Murkies to stop the gang from breaking him out.]]

** LoadBearingBoss: [[spoiler: The cave then begins to collapse once he is killed, and the player must place the Mayan golds in the specified slots surrounding the reincarnation device to unlock the ending.]]