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1[[Characters/GearsOfWar Return to the Main Index]]
2
3!Index
4
5* [[Characters/GearsOfWarCoalitionOfOrderedGovernments Coalition of Ordered Governments]]
6** '''Major Families'''
7** [[Characters/GearsOfWarCoalitionOfOrderedGovernmentsDeltaSquad Delta Squad]]
8** [[Characters/GearsOfWarDeeBees DeeBees]]
9* [[Characters/GearsOfWarLocust Locust Horde]]
10** [[Characters/GearsOfWarSwarm The Swarm]]
11* [[Characters/GearsOfWarLambent Lambent]]
12* [[Characters/GearsOfWarStranded Stranded]]
13* [[Characters/GearsOfWarGorasni Gorasni]]
14
15[[foldercontrol]]
16
17!Fenix Family
18
19[[folder:Sergeant Marcus Michael Fenix]]
20[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MarcusFenixGoW_3030.png]]
21!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JohnDiMaggio, Creator/DaveBautista (''Gears 5'' alternate skin)
22
23->''"I got to admit, It's tough to keep going. Everyone I loved is dead. Some call them the lucky ones.. the ones that died on E-day, they never lived to see how much we've lost and how many principles we've compromised. But whenever I doubt what we're fighting for I just look to my squad. I mean maybe it's a good thing we lost everything. It's like a clean slate. We can make the world we always wanted to. Without repeating the same mistakes. I look at guys like Jace and Dom and realize we'll inherit this world. We're the ones who will make Sera beautiful again. That's a world worth fighting for."''
24
25Marcus is a quiet, stoic guy, who prefers to do his talking with his gun, and is best friends with Dominic "Dom" Santiago. His best friend had been Dom's older brother Carlos Santiago, who was killed at the Battle of Aspho Fields in the Pendulum Wars. Regarded as the defining hero of the Pendulum Wars, he fought on the frontlines of the Human-Locust War until he abandoned his post in an attempt to save his father Adam Fenix from death, taking with him the targeting locator for the [[KillSat Hammer of Dawn]], and costing the COG its capital city of Ephyra. He failed, and was sentenced to prison for his dereliction of duty, being spared only by the fact he was a former war hero. Four years later, Dom breaks him out of prison, and Marcus rejoins the army, being pardoned due to the need for soldiers, as the Locust are inching closer and closer to putting humanity into extinction.
26----
27* TheAtoner: For his actions during the Battle of Ephyra, in which he disobeyed orders to reinforce a bridge, instead lying to his squad and a King Raven crew to fly him to his father’s house in an attempt to save him, accidentally taking a vital part of a Hammer of Dawn targeting laser with him. End result: his father is assumed dead, the bridge falls when Hoffman fails to reach it in time with the incomplete targeting laser, resulting in hundreds of dead Gears and the Locust entering the rest of Ephyra.
28%%* BadassBookworm
29* BadassesWearBandanas: He's nigh-inseparable from his do-rag.
30* BashBrothers: Originally with Carlos, and then with Dom.
31* BattleCouple: With Anya.
32* BerserkButton:
33** Don't say anything bad about his dad if you aren't friends with him and don't insult his fallen comrades. After [[spoiler:Dom's death scene and the event with Griffin]]. Exaggerated in ''Gears of War 3'' [[spoiler:after Dom's HeroicSacrifice and used as a ShutUpHannibal to Aaron Griffin]].
34--->"[[spoiler:I JUST LOST MY FUCKING BROTHER! YOU HEAR THAT?! '''MY BROTHER'''!!! YOU, YOUR TOWER AND ALL THIS FUCKING IMULSION '''CAN GO TO HELL'''!!!]]"
35** Failing to perform an Active Reload across all game modes will also happen: while most of the time he merely expresses annoyance and frustration when it happens, sometimes he'll elicit a very vehement "GOD DAMN SON OF A BITCH!"
36** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVC4T0AxlDs He's also livid at the prospect of his tomatoes being ruined in ''Gears of War 4'']].
37* BewareTheQuietOnes: He's not the most talkative guy but he's not any less dangerous to his enemies. Also he won't hesitate to call anyone out on their bullshit with a bunch of screaming.
38* BigGood: Despite him not liking to be called a hero, He will always protect his friends and family from all enemies, including the Locust Horde to ensure humanity’s survival.
39* BlueBlood: Not that he cares, but during the Pendulum Wars he sometimes used his status to find out more information for his squad.
40* BrokenHero: A legendary war hero by the events of Gears 4, but he suffered a lot. Lost his two adopted brothers, both of his parents, saw many of his fellow soldiers die, and sometime prior to ''4'', his wife, Anya died. [[spoiler:And depending on your choice in Gears 5, he would have lost his one and only child, too.]]
41* BrutalHonesty: Marcus is not the guy to sugarcoat things to make matters sound less dangerous than what they are. He'll tell you like it is and definitely won't hold back when he's giving a ReasonWhyYouSuckSpeech.
42* CallToAgriculture: In ''4'', having left the COG and retired from the public eye, Marcus spends his days growing tomatoes and planning ways to fix up his late spouse's estate. Within an ''hour'' of JD showing up, both of those are demolished beyond repair.
43* CannotSpitItOut: His affections for Anya; the fact that they were together since the Pendulum Wars and EveryoneCanSeeIt doesn't help. Thankfully, she realizes this and tells him she feels the same way. After he gets out of prison, they resume their quiet relationship.
44* ChronicHeroSyndrome: His main flaw is that he feels he has a duty to save everyone, despite reality repeatedly hitting him over the head with the fact that is impossible. [[LikeFatherLikeSon He got this from his father]], which is one of the few things they have in common.
45* CharacterDevelopment: In Gears 4, he reconnects with his son and bonds with the other members of the party.
46* {{Covered With|Scars}} GoodScarsEvilScars: One across his lip since the Pendulum Wars, and many more gained from his time in prison. The damage to his face is from a dog being set upon him by one of the prison wardens whose son died on the frontline and hated Marcus for his actions during the Battle of Ephyra.
47* CrazyPrepared: After JD and Del went AWOL from the COG, Marcus retained both of their armors and accumulated a venerable stockpile of weaponry in case his son comes to him for help. As it turns out, he wasn't too far off the mark.
48-->'''Marcus:''' I knew you'd be back. Probably with your ass on fire.
49* CulturedWarrior: Is from a rich, aristocratic family and his natural speaking voice is apparently very posh and sophisticated, with the scratchy-voiced badass we get to hear being a deliberate affectation. He prefers to speak that way because he wants be seen and treated as just one of the guys, and not some rich asshole who thinks he's better than everyone else. He'll still occasionally pull out the posh voice when speaking to other aristocrats though, since it tends to get better results.
50* DeadpanSnarker: Not as often as Baird, but he usually can't pass up the opportunity to snark, especially at Victor Hoffman. Hoffman notes at one point that Marcus manages to make "sir" sound like "asshole" when acknowledging an order.
51* DeathGlare: Which many others remark is made worse by his pale blue eyes.
52* DeathSeeker: When he was first put in prison, he hoped to die quickly so his friends would forget about him and continue on with their lives, since he assumed he would never get out. After Prescott visited and suggested he might one day be a Gear again, he got his spirit back and began working to find a way to escape and rejoin the fight.
53* {{Determinator}}: Nothing can make him give up, and each loss he suffers just makes him more determined to win.
54* DisappearedDad: Adam was there, but was extremely emotionally distant.
55* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:After being rescued from the Snatcher in ''4'', he initially appears to be very much dead. JD spends the next minute or so pounding on his chest and desperately pleading for him to PleaseWakeUp, to no effect. Just when JD is finally ready to accept that he really is dead, ''then'' he starts coughing and sputtering, revealing he's actually alive.]]
56* DoAnythingSoldier
57* FamedInStory: Was one of the last heroes to come out of the Pendulum Wars before E-Day.
58* FlashbackNightmare: How ''Gears of War 3'' begins; ExpandedUniverse reveals Marcus has been having the same nightmare for years.
59* GeniusBruiser: Shows this much more in the books rather than the games.
60* GoodIsNotNice: Marcus is considerably rough around the edges and doesn't seem like the guy you'd expect to be soft even though he's one of the good guys.
61* GoodScarsEvilScars: His facial scars actually fall more on the evil side of the spectrum, even though he's a good guy. Of course, he ''did'' get them in prison. Evil scars are probably the only kind they give out there.
62* GrumpyOldMan: In ''Gears of War 4''. He was ''already'' grumpy to begin with, so now that he's actually become an old man, it gets turned up a notch.
63* GuestStarPartyMember: Joins his son and his friends temporarily in ''Gears of War 4'', [[spoiler:until he is taken by a Snatcher. He rejoins after being rescued]].
64* TheHero: Just don't tell him that: he hates being called a hero.
65* HeroicBSOD: He usually holds himself together exceptionally well, but completely shuts down for a short time after [[spoiler:Dom's death]], then once more (for an even shorter time) after [[spoiler:his father dies]]. Then, he [[RuleOfThree does so again]] after the Locust begin to die off from the firing of Adam's weapon. He trudges slowly away from the celebrations of his fellow Gears, shedding his armor a piece at a time and sitting by himself on the beach. The [[ThousandYardStare look on his face]] shows that he didn't expect this to ever happen, and with good reason: he's been at war literally his entire adult life and has no idea what to do with himself.
66-->'''Marcus:''' What's ''left'', Anya? What have we got left ''now?''\
67'''Anya:''' ''Tomorrow'', Marcus. We've finally got a ''tomorrow!''
68** Potentially goes through another in ''5'', [[spoiler:should Kait choose to save Del over JD when presented with the SadisticChoice]].
69* HesBack: With ''Gears 3'' being billed as the last game to feature Delta Squad, quite a large number of fans were worried that Marcus wouldn't appear at all in ''Gears 4'' and would largely be forgotten about...until a recent gameplay trailer showed JD and his squad taking cover in a building from a nearby windflare. The camera looks at a mysterious shadowy figure inside, who is revealed to be Marcus himself. Granted, since he is 62 in this game, [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mJAGLEV4zsE/maxresdefault.jpg he looks a bit different now.]] And another later video showed that he will join the player's squad for a brief time at least. Just the one line spoken by him to his son in that low voice lets you know that the legendary war hero isn't hanging up his uniform quite yet.
70-->'''Marcus:''' Welcome home, James.
71* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Dom, and Carlos before him.
72* HopeBringer: To the point where Hoffman makes a point of having Marcus walk with him near the frontlines before a battle in order to boost morale. Said battle was the one for [[MyGreatestFailure Ephyra]].
73* IcyBlueEyes: ExpandedUniverse states it's a Fenix family trait.
74* InkSuitActor: Somewhat to John Dimaggio, though not as pronounced as Augustus Cole's.
75* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gruff, no-nonsense sort of man, but means well.
76* LargeHam: Though not as large as Cole's. Still, Marcus does have his moments.
77* LanternJawOfJustice: It's practically a third of his face (excluding the rest of his head).
78* LonelyRichKid: Before he met Carlos and Dom.
79* MadeOfIron: Due to the amount if scars the guy has just shows how tough he really is. Especially in his older age where he can still take a lot of punishment.
80* MilitaryBrat: His father was deployed to active duty for most of his early childhood.
81* MilitaryMaverick: Enlisted as a private instead of following his father's wishes and going to OCS. His career after that was marked with unorthodox tactics and twisting orders around to achieve better results.
82* MissingMom: His mother vanished in The Hollow while doing her research. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that she had discovered the Locust and was killed after making contact with them.]]
83* NonIdleRich: He refuses to be a normal COG aristocrat and joins the army as a regular soldier.
84* NoOneGetsLeftBehind
85* NonPOVProtagonist: In the novels, which all switch P.O.V. frequently and allow readers to see the point of view and thoughts of almost every important character throughout the series...except for Marcus. This most likely serves to highlight his nature of keeping his emotions and past traumas completely hidden, even from the audience.
86* NotStayingForBreakfast: Marcus never once spent the night at Anya's apartment; not because he was worried about being found out, but because he has terrible nightmares and was afraid of hurting her in his sleep.
87* OutlivingOnesOffspring: [[spoiler:Potentially, if Kait saves Del instead of JD near the end of ''Gears 5'']].
88* ParentalNeglect: While Adam and Elain were around for most of his early childhood, they tended to be too busy working to pay much attention to Marcus.
89* PerpetualFrowner: Marcus NEVER smiles; to emphasize, WordOfGod says he doesn't smile when it's his birthday... even when there's cake.
90* PapaWolf: Marcus fears anything bad happening to JD at all, which is why he strongly disapproves of his son joining the COG. His response to Jinn ordering him to hand over his son is to take a Lancer chainsaw to the [=DeeBee=] she's controlling. He also screams in panic when a Swarm controlled [=DeeBee=] begins to choke James.
91* ParentalSubstitute: Takes on a role of father figure to Kait, helping her get over her mother's death and also trying to help her with her identity crisis.
92* PragmaticHero
93* TheQuietOne: He rarely says more than he needs to and barely ever raises his voice unless really frustrated or angry.
94* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Dom's red.
95* RetiredBadass: Retired sometime after the events of Gear 3. By the time we see him in Gears 4, he's distanced himself from the COG and prefers to live a quiet life, growing tomatoes in his greenhouse.
96* ShellShockedVeteran: While not shown in the games, the books state that Marcus suffers from terrible nightmares. That even being part of the reason why he was initially hesitant to enter a relationship with Anya, fearing he would hurt her because of his nightmares.
97* SeenItAll: As of Gears 5. ''Nothing'' surprises him at this point.
98* SergeantRock: Briefly when Benjamin Carmine is part of Delta Squad.
99* SexForSolace: How Marcus and Anya's relationship started, when he escorted her home after the Aspho Fields award ceremony. They were already attracted to each other, but a combination of grief and alcohol [[GladToBeAliveSex finally broke down their mutual hesitancy]].
100* SingleTargetSexuality: With Anya, to the point where Dom later tells Anya that Marcus never so much as noticed another woman after they got together.
101* SkewedPriorities: In ''Gears of War 4'', he is frequently and [[LargeHam loudly snapping in irritation]] when Jinn's Deebees and Kestrel attack his estate. Not because they're trying to kill him, his son, and his son's friends, but because they're ruining his house and blew up his truck (he just had it tuned up). [[spoiler:Subverted somewhat once the viewer finds out that the house is actually the ''Stroud'' Estate and was Anya's childhood home. Since Anya is dead, it's somewhat understandable why he would be so concerned with the house getting destroyed. He's got no excuse for the truck though.]]
102* TranquilFury: [[spoiler:Falls headlong into this as he kills the Locust Queen, his voice unwavering and his facial expression calm but full of ''hate'' as he plunges [[TragicKeepsake Dom's knife]] into her chest.]]
103* TrademarkFavoriteFood: As of the new trilogy, apparently he ''really'' likes tomatoes. It's likely because they're grown from the seeds of Dom's tomatoes.
104* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: The second Kait asks for help to deal with her identity crisis, he immediately volunteers, and only backs out because his absence will be noticed.
105* TheStoic: Crossed with NotSoStoic at key points. [[spoiler:Case in point, when Dom sacrifices himself, Marcus absolutely loses it.]]
106* UndyingLoyalty: Marcus hammers it to the point where he would put family and friends above all else.
107* [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Dogs?]]: Is somewhat scared and nervous around dogs after getting mauled by them in The Slab, which is how he got his scars.
108[[/folder]]
109
110[[folder:Professor Adam Jonathon Fenix]]
111[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/AdamFenixGoW_5859.png]]
112!!!'''Voiced by:''' Charles Cioffi (Gears of War 2) and Peter Renaday (Gears of War 3)
113
114->''"I rarely see Marcus most days. I just don't know who he is and it's all my fault. I lied to him about what happened to Elaine and the longer I lie, the harder it is to come clean. Kids know when you're lying. Then their trust withers and dies."''
115
116Adam is a retired Gear Major turned scientist and the father of Marcus Fenix. Following his retirement, Adam developed weapons for the COG, including finishing the Hammer of Dawn, as the director of the Defense Research Agency. Considered the greatest military scientist on Sera, during the Locust War, he disappeared in the Battle of Ephyra when his son failed to extract him and was assumed killed-in-action. Mysterious recordings of his voice were found in the Locust capital Nexus and a strange radio transmission was heard from him after the Hollow was flooded. [[spoiler:He is alive and well on the hidden island of Azura, where Prescott sent him off to after kidnapping him once he learned that Adam knew everything about the Locust and Lambent before Emergence Day even happened.]]
117----
118* TheAtoner: For several reasons: he was the driving force of the Hammer of Dawn, and not telling anyone about [[spoiler:the Locust or Lambent before Emergence Day. Of course, he still ends up committing genocide in his attempts to atone, but he makes it very clear there was just wasn't enough time...]]
119%%* BadassBookworm
120* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: He joined the Defense Research Agency to design better, more efficient weapons to help the COG win the Pendulum Wars and save the lives of Gears and civilians. His research culminated in the Hammer of Dawn, an orbital superweapon used to scorch most of Sera's surface, killing millions of innocent people in order to stop the Locust from wiping out what was left of Humanity.
121%%* BlueBlood
122* BreakTheHaughty: He's less arrogant than most of the COG elite, but it is still pretty obvious how much pride he put in the Fenix name and his skills as a scientist. When everything starts going wrong for him, it breaks him really hard.
123%%* BrokenAce: Type II.
124* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Like Marcus, he feels he has an obligation to save everyone, [[spoiler:which included the Locust]].
125%%* CulturedBadass
126%%* CulturedWarrior
127* DeathFakedForYou: [[spoiler:Marcus and the rest of the COG think he died during the Locust attack on East Barricade Academy. In fact, he was spirited away by agents of Chairman Prescott and taken to Azura to work on a cure for Lambency.]]
128%%* FatalFlaw: {{Pride}} in his genius and his desire to save everyone.
129* AFatherToHisMen: Even long before his own son Marcus joined the COG Army, he cared for the men under his command, and the deaths of so many during the Pendulum Wars is what motivated him to help build the Hammer of Dawn.
130%%* GadgeteerGenius
131* GeniusBruiser: Redesigned the Lancer assault rifle after E-Day and quite handy with its predecessor during the Pendulum Wars.
132* IcyBlueEyes: Like Marcus, he has an icy and piercing gaze. However, Adam's noticeably freaked out by their intensity, and once decided to sell all of his ancestors' portraits hanging in his home because he felt their cold blue stares were judging him.
133* KnewItAllAlong: [[spoiler:He is the ''only'' one who knew about the Locust's existence before Emergence Day. E-Day won't happen if he can research how to cure Imulsion's Disease, except Chairman Prescott kidnapped him first and sent him to Azura, which caused him to have too little time.]]
134* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: Two of these for ''Gears of War 3''; purchasing either one allows the player to unlock his skin for multiplayer.
135* MajorlyAwesome: Attained the rank of Major before retiring to work on weapons systems.
136* MotherNatureFatherScience: Elain was a biologist while Adam was a weapons designer.
137* MyGreatestFailure: Two of them: failing to be close to Marcus and be a better father than his was, and not finding a way to make peace with the Locust and avoid E-Day.
138* NonIdleRich: Probably could have had his choice of science appointments, but went to OCS and became an officer. Even though he never inspired the type of loyalty that, say, Helena Stroud did, his men thought highly of him because he was such a good strategist that they almost never took casualties.
139%%* OfficerAndAGentleman
140* ParentalNeglect: He was raised this way by his parents and tried not to act like this toward Marcus. Unfortunately, even though he tried, he really had no idea how to be a loving, demonstrative father. Before long, his and Marcus' relationship was turning out ''exactly'' like Adam's relationship with his father.
141* TheProfessor
142* ProfessorGuineaPig: [[spoiler:In an attempt to see how the Imulsion infection spreads, Adam injected himself with it to determine its effects and build his superweapon accordingly.]]
143* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Dies ending the Locust War.
144* TheReveal: [[spoiler:Adam was never killed when Marcus failed to extract him at the Battle of Ephyra: Prescott had him kidnapped and sent to Azura. And he was fully ''aware'' of the inevitable Emergence Day, due to Queen Myrrah personally asking for his assistance to solve the Lambent problem plaguing the Locust. Unfortunately, Adam didn't have enough time to find a solution to wipe out the Lambent, while preserving the Locust. Left with no choice, Myrrah had the Locust invade the surface, kickstarting the war]].
145* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:He knew about the Locust and the Lambent before E-Day, he even had a dialogue with Queen Myrrah while trying to find a cure for Lambency before the Locust launched their invasion of the surface.]]
146* ScienceHero: Is the inventor behind the Hammer of Dawn and the modern-day Lancer (although Tai is credited for demonstrating why a chainsaw fares far better than a bayonet). [[spoiler:Also creates a device that kills the Lambent and Locust.]]
147* SkewedPriorities: He reluctantly calls in an artillery strike on a museum during the Battle of Shavad, as the Indies were using it as a spotter position for their snipers. When he bemoans the fact that he just gave the order to wipe out "three thousand years of history" his XO Helena Stroud gently but firmly reminds him that the lives of his Gears are worth a lot more than "a bunch of old vases and pots". Adam is suitably chastised.
148* SoleSurvivingScientist: [[spoiler:The Locust get to Azura before Delta. They manage to kill everyone on the island except Adam, and they're literally at his door before being stopped.]]
149* SpecsOfAwesome
150* TheStoic: Although he's NotSoStoic when it comes to caring about Marcus.
151* TheStrategist: During the Pendulum Wars.
152* TooCleverByHalf: He thinks that it is his sole responsibility to save Sera due to his genius. [[spoiler:This leads to him not telling anyone that he knew about the Locust before Emergence Day until 10 years after they invaded, as he had finally realized how severely he had screwed up and gathered the courage to admit that he needed help to stop them and the Lambent.]]
153[[/folder]]
154
155[[folder:Elain Fenix]]
156
157Marcus' mother, Elain was a developmental biologist, and an expert in morphology. She disappeared when Marcus was five, [[spoiler:having gone into the Hollow and discovering the Locust, who killed her.]]
158----
159* BlueBlood
160* MotherNatureFatherScience: She was a biologist while Adam was a weapons designer.
161* PosthumousCharacter: Aside from a few flashback sections in the books, she is long dead in most entries in the Gears universe.
162[[/folder]]
163
164[[folder:Lieutenant James Dominic "JD" Fenix]]
165[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0132.JPG]]
166!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/LiamMcIntyre
167
168->''"If we don’t stop these things, everyone within a thousand miles dies."''
169
170The son of Marcus and Anya, and the main protagonist of ''Gears of War 4''. A former Gear who went AWOL after being involved in a classified incident, and is now living with the Outsiders.
171----
172* BeardOfSorrow: He grows a beard in ''Gears 5'' after Act 1, which not only makes him much more strongly resemble his father but it also comes after the extent of his DarkAndTroubledPast becomes apparent.
173* BewareTheNiceOnes: In ''Gears 4'' he was mostly this as he was the only person who attempted to liven up everyone's spirit until Gears 5 where he's taken on a completely new persona.
174* BlueBlood: Technically as a member of both the Stroud and Fenix families, having been born and initially raised at the Stroud Estate.
175* BodyHorror: That arm injury down at CoveredInScars is not exactly what you'd call "pretty". It looks like the entire limb was flayed.
176* CoveredInScars: In ''5'', he has an obviously serious arm injury, and he has a long scar down his right eye and cheek. [[spoiler:This is revealed to be from an explosion courtesy a malfunctioning Hammer of Dawn, said-explosion being from a Minotaur with fellow Gear, Lizzy Carmine, trapped inside]].
177* DeadGuyJunior: His middle name is after Dominic Santiago, who died in ''Gears of War 3''. It hasn't yet been revealed whether "James" came from someone important to Anya.
178* DecoyProtagonist: He's the son of Marcus Fenix, hero of the previous trilogy, and the player character of ''Gears 4'' and the beginning of ''Gears 5''. However, ''Gears 5'' makes it clear that Kait (due to her legacy of being [[spoiler:Myrrah's granddaughter]]) is the real hero of the new trilogy, and JD [[spoiler:is also potentially KilledOffForReal]] depending on player choice (whether or not this is "canonically" seems to be 50/50 right now until the next ''Gears'' game comes out).
179* FatalFlaw: Recklessness. Something Marcus is quick to berate him for, JD is usually the first to take unnecessary risks if there is even the slightest chance that something good can come from it. [[spoiler:This mindset eventually yields disastrous results when he orders an uncalibrated Hammer of Dawn strike with no targeted assistance outside of his own armor's coordinates. This plan gets Lizzy Carmine and nearly an entire convoy of civilians killed, puts JD himself in a coma, and burns his right arm which still causes him pain after waking up]]. Marcus even called him out on it after they returned from their Azura mission prior to that.
180-->'''JD:''' I took a neccessary risk -- \
181'''Marcus:''' ''Neccessary'' means you had no other option. ''That'' wasn't neccessary, and you ''know'' it.
182* HesBack: In Act III of ''Gears 5'', he reins in having TookALevelInJerkass after a few weeks away from Kait and Del, opting to go off to help them without notifying Jinn and apologizing for everything he did. His attitude even helps turn Fahz into a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
183* HeterosexualLifePartners: Has this dynamic with his childhood and boarding school friend, Delmont "Del" Walker, much like his father had with Dom, his namesake.
184* InkSuitActor: Give Creator/LiamMcIntyre a clean shave and he'd look pretty damn close to JD, though his LanternJawOfJustice isn't as prominent as that of his character. The resemblance is sort of lost after Act I of ''5'', where JD shaves his head bald and has a full beard going on.
185* LikeFatherLikeSon: Enlisted into the COG against Marcus's wishes, similar to Marcus enlisting as a private instead of going to OCS like Adam wanted. Both of them display a natural leadership and have an unyielding loyalty to their family and companions. However...
186** LikeFatherUnlikeSon: ...having actually grown up during an era of peace, JD is optimistic and personable, a sharp contrast to his jaded and gruff father.
187*** At the very beginning of the series, Marcus was rotting in jail for following his conscience over strict orders. [[spoiler:JD is in the opposite situation, in which he ordered the use of live ammunition against a crowd of protestors, a situation where trying to do right as a COG soldier went against what was consciously correct]].
188** However, this goes right back to his father's personality in Gears 5, and is [[TookALevelInJerkass arguably even worse]], whereas Marcus always gave the squad time to grieve, JD is adamant that a weeping Kait could have her moment on the Raven.
189* MissingMom: [[spoiler:Anya has passed away in the intervening time between Gears of War 3 and 4. JD has the option of visiting her grave when returning to her estate in Act 2. It's heavily implied that she had DeathByChildbirth while having JD's prospective sibling.]]
190* MyGreatestFailure: In ''Gears 5'' it is revealed that [[spoiler:JD is the COG Officer responsible for the classified incident at Settlement 2 where he ordered his men to fire upon civilian protesters in a heat of the moment decision. While Fahz quickly defends the order as IDidWhatIHadtoDo since the protesters were throwing firebombs, JD is clearly still haunted by his actions which may have even played a part in his decision to go AWOL with Del]].
191* ProperlyParanoid: The ''Gears 5'' trailer shows his personality has taken a dive and he now exhibits this behavior towards Kait after learning that her necklace bears the Locust Horde’s symbol. He knows that she would never turn on her friends ''willingly'', but has to account for her possibly being ''forced'' to.
192* RedOniBlueOni:
193** He is the reckless and emotional Red to his friends Del and Kait's rational and thoughtful Blue. Later on in ''Gears 5'' he qualifies as Blue to Fahz's Red.
194** He is also definitely the Red to his father Marcus' Blue due to the fact that JD is optimistic and has much less experience than Marcus who has a cynical mindset and is a very experienced soldier.
195* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: If Kait decides to [[spoiler:save him over Del in ''5'', which results in the latter's death at the hands (tentacles?) of Queen Reyna]], JD goes on one, [[BerserkerTears during which he alternates between furious ranting and sounding like he's about to burst into tears]]. Realizing that this attitude can easily get him killed, Kait is forced to tell him to rein it in.
196* ShipTease: Definitely with Kait in Gears 4 to the point Marcus notes it. However, in Gears 5 the ship promptly sinks due to his mistrust of Kait because of her Locust necklace. They do seem to be on better terms by the end of the game, though.
197* StrongFamilyResemblance: JD inherits his father's LanternJawOfJustice and IcyBlueEyes, though he looks even more like Marcus Jr. in ''5'', where he gains a scar on his face and shaves his head bald.
198* SupportingProtagonist: Even though he is the PlayerCharacter for ''4'', the game is really about rescuing Kait’s mother and trying to understand what The Swarm want with everyone, with JD just assisting with the matters while being along for the ride. In ''5'', he isn’t even the PlayerCharacter anymore while Kait takes the helm from him.
199* TookALevelInCynicism: Not as prominent as his TookALevelInJerkass, but following the disastrous evacuation of Settlement 2, JD's decision-making becomes much more utilitarian and by-the-book, obviously trying to curb his tendency to take "unnecessary risks" that he felt [[spoiler:resulted in Lizzie Carmine's death]].
200* TookALevelInJerkass: In contrast to his idealistic and compassionate personality in ''4'', the ''Gears 5'' trailer shows him as an abrasive, demanding and inconsiderate jerk towards his squad, particularly Kait, who he wouldn’t even let grieve over a fallen character saying “she’ll get her minute on the Raven”. [[spoiler:There are multiple reasons for this. Kait's ties to the Locusts is one, but he is also feeling a ton of guilt over a disaster which cost Lizzy Carmine her life and got him his aforementioned arm injury.]] It's temporary, but Del and Kait both take note of it.
201* UnstoppableRage: [[spoiler:After Kait chooses him to be saved rather than Del in ''5'' after Queen Reyna kills his lifelong friend he utterly loses his shit after a few moments when it looks as if he's ready to [[BerserkerTears burst into tears]].]]
202* WellDoneSonGuy: JD and Marcus have a rocky relationship. In-game collectibles imply that his reason for joining the COG was to make Marcus proud. As shown in ''4'', this was the ''opposite'' of what Marcus wanted. JD's subsequent actions did little to help.
203-->'''Marcus:''' I warned you not to join the COG. What did you do? [...] I told you, don't [[DangerousDeserter go Outsider]]! The COG will hunt you down! Again, ''what did you do?''
204[[/folder]]
205
206!Santiago Family
207
208[[folder:Corporal Dominic "Dom" Santiago]]
209[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DomSantiagoGoW_4853.png]]
210!!!'''Voiced by:''' Carlos Ferro
211
212->''"Do you know what it's like to lose everything? Everything you've ever loved? Everything you've ever known? Do you know what it's like to lose everything? I hope you never find out. Life's been hell since E-Day. A bloodbath every day! The Locust, we called 'em, and damn if that wasn't a perfect name for the bastards. They come from everywhere, in swarms, just like insects. And worst of all they've got the compassion to match. They kill indiscriminately, without remorse-- and we don't even know why they do it. Fourteen years and we still have no fucking clue where they come from or why they hate us. We just know they're our enemy... and we would be extinct if we don't put these fuckers back in the ground. Do you know what it's like to get back everything you thought you lost? Everything you lived for? Everything you love? I hope one day I find out."''
213
214Dom is Marcus' best friend. He was trained as a commando in Hoffman's unit before transferring to the infantry. He lost his brother Carlos during the Pendulum Wars, his parents and two children on Emergence Day, and his wife Maria disappeared several years later after falling into severe depression from losing her family. When Marcus got sent to jail for abandoning his post to save his father, Dom was one of the few peopled who defended him. As the war with the Locust Horde continues, Dom still remains somewhat cheerful and caring throughout the conflict, eventually breaking Marcus out of jail to assist in a major push against the Locust. At the same time, he continues to search for Maria whenever possible. [[spoiler:When he found her lobotomized beyond recognition in the Locust Hollow, Dom was forced to [[MercyKill euthanise her]].]]
215----
216* BashBrothers: With Marcus.
217* BeardOfSorrow: Grows one by the time ''Gears of War 3'' occurs.
218* BewareTheNiceOnes
219* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler:The repercussion of euthanizing Maria]]. Lampshaded in the first ''Gears of War 3'' trailer "Ashes to Ashes". However, he made it extremely clear that he won't die without giving a fight. [[spoiler:And he really meant that.]]
220* CallToAgriculture: In ''Gears of War 3'', it's implied Dom has spent most of his time aboard the ''Sovereign'' growing plants. When called away to the CIC, he gets annoyed and just wants to hurry up so he can get back to them. The attacking Lambent end up ruining them in a battle, though they probably would've been anyway even if the Lambent were nowhere near them since the ship gets toppled.
221* DeadGuyJunior: His son's name was Benedicto, which was his brother Carlos' middle name.
222* DespairEventHorizon: After having [[spoiler:to kill Maria]], Dom dedicates himself to cultivating a fruit and vegetable garden on the ''Sovereign'' just so he can sort of distract himself. He'll still fight the Locust, but the burning hatred he showed for them in ''Gears of War 2'' is almost buried under his depression... until they [[BerserkButton ruined his tomatoes]].
223* {{Determinator}}: Never gave up hope searching for his wife. Occasionally frustrated, but it didn't hold.
224* {{Deuteragonist}}: Especially in ''Gears of War 2''.
225* DreamSequence: Gets one after being knocked out by the helicopter crash in ''Gears of War 2'', of Maria trying to rouse a presumably on-leave Dom from a nap. Crosses over to FridgeBrilliance with the insinuation from the novel that this may have taken place right before their kids were killed.
226* HappilyMarried: For the brief time he and Maria were together before their kids died.
227%%* HeroicBSOD
228* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:In order to save the rest of the team, Dom takes control of an old junker and rams it into a gas pump to destroy the massive waves of Locust '''AND''' Lambent that were about to overwhelm them]]. [[spoiler:[[TheStoic Marcus']] reaction when he sees Dom drive off and the aftermath accompanied by a DarkReprise of "[[Music/TearsForFears Mad World]]" is part of what makes this the most heartrending scene in the series.]]
229* HeroWithBadPublicity: His defending Marcus despite his desertion and continuing to do so even after the latter's sentencing is noted to have cost him a ''lot'' of good will from both COG and the general populace.
230%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Marcus.
231* InkSuitActor: Somewhat: Dom doesn't look like exactly like Carlos Ferro, but by the time ''Gears of War 3'' was in production, Dom was growing a BeardOfSorrow; Ferro was growing one himself and looked just like Dom.
232* {{Irony}} One of Dom's desperate goals later in life was to find out where the Locust came from or why they want to KillAllHumans. He would never find out they are [[spoiler:entirely a product of the COG he fervently serves]].
233* KillTheOnesYouLove: [[spoiler:Dom euthanizes Maria after finding her catatonic, scarred and malnourished in the Hollows.]]
234%%* TheLancer
235* LikeBrotherAndSister: With Anya. They kept each other sane while he was looking for Maria and she searched for a way to free Marcus from The Slab.
236* MilitaryBrat: Dom's dad and aunt were both retired Gear's.
237* NiceGuy: He always puts others ahead of himself and is one of the few Gears to treat the Stranded with anything other than disdain.
238* PreciousPhoto: Some of the only personal items he owns are a set of photographs of his loved ones, which he rarely shows to anyone outside of Delta. When a civilian on Vectes objects to the Jacinto remnant coming to the island, Dom brings them out. Also one of the few times Dom ever loses his temper.
239-->'''Dom:''' See this? This is my wife. She's dead. And these are my two kids. They're dead, too. And these are my folks, and her folks. The're ''all dead''. You think they all died so you could slam the fucking door in our faces and tell me you don't have room for the few who ''didn't''? I'm telling you - ''you have room''.
240* [[TheLastDJ Principles Over Promotion]]: Dom was the only person who stood up for Marcus at his court-martial. He did it knowing that it would cost him any chance for advancement in the future.
241* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Marcus' blue.
242* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: After [[spoiler:having to kill Maria]].
243-->'''Marcus:''' I found a way to sneak into Nexus. But if you wanna go in guns blazing, I don't blame you.\
244'''Dom:''' ''*cocks Lancer*'' I wanna kill 'em all.
245* ShellShockedVeteran
246* ShipperOnDeck: For Marcus and Anya. It heads to a point of semi-{{Deconstruction}} in the ExpandedUniverse where Dom becomes increasingly frustrated (if not outright pissed) that Marcus CannotSpitItOut. He finally hammers the point home to Marcus in ''Jacinto's Remnant''.
247-->'''Dom:''' I swear I'll never stick my nose into your private life again, but shit or get off the pot, okay? I saw your face when you thought she was dead. And I know what too late feels like.
248* SiblingYinYang: He's more thoughtful, cautious, and mature than his brother Carlos, who would often react without thinking and is less introspective.
249* SingleTargetSexuality: He never had eyes for anyone but Maria.
250* TogetherInDeath: [[spoiler:Eventually, with his wife and kids.]]
251* UndyingLoyalty: To Marcus and Hoffman: to the former because he is his best friend, and to the latter since he was Dom's CO in the commando's during the Pendulum Wars.
252* TheWatson: WordOfGod has this as Dom's role in ''Gears of War 1'', to give the audience a voice without bringing players out of the experience as Marcus.
253* [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Why Did It Have To Be Water?]]: He really doesn't like operating at sea. Understandable, since more than half of his commando squad was killed during a sea extraction during the Battle of Aspho Fields.
254[[/folder]]
255
256[[folder:Maria Santiago]]
257!!!'''Voiced by:''' Courtney Ford
258
259Maria was Dom's wife, who went missing four years after Emergence Day due to her depression over her children’s death. Dom spent the next ten years looking for her, [[spoiler:eventually finding her as a lobotomized Locust prisoner in the Hollow, and was forced to put her out of her misery]].
260----
261* BreakTheCutie: First when her kids, parents and in-laws are killed by the Locust. [[spoiler:Then 10 years later when she's kidnapped and tortured.]]
262%%* EmptyShell: After "processing".
263* HeroicBSOD: Suffered one of these when her kids and parents were killed. She never really recovered and eventually left her home looking for the kids, who she was convinced were still alive.
264%%* MercyKill: [[spoiler:By Dom.]]
265* TeenPregnancy: She and Dom had their first kid at 16.
266[[/folder]]
267
268[[folder:Private Carlos Santiago]]
269
270Carlos was Dom's older brother and Marcus' best friend. He was the first to join the COG army during the Pendulum Wars. He was extremely reckless, [[spoiler:and ended up paying for that at the Battle of Aspho Fields]].
271----
272%%* BashBrothers: With Marcus.
273%%* BigBrotherInstinct: For Dom and Marcus, even though he knows both are capable of taking care of themselves.
274%%* CharacterDeath
275%%* DeadpanSnarker
276%%* LeeroyJenkins
277%%* LudicrousGibs
278* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Carlos begged Marcus to do this for him after he's mortally wounded. Subverted since he managed to detonate a grenade to kill himself, stopping Marcus from risking his life to save him and [[HeroicSacrifice destroying a bridge that enemy reinforcements were crossing]].]]
279%%* MilitaryBrat
280* OvershadowedByAwesome: Marcus joined the COG army after him but was promoted faster and was the one Anya was attracted to the most. In a twist, Carlos felt this was alright, since he was happy seeing Marcus, who's the PerpetualFrowner, be happy for once.
281* SiblingYinYang: Carlos often reacts without thinking and not very introspective, while Dom is more thoughtful, cautious, and mature.
282[[/folder]]
283
284!Stroud Family
285
286[[folder:Lieutenant/First Minister Anya Stroud]]
287[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/AnyaStroudGoW_679.png]]
288!!!'''Voiced by:''' Nan [=McNamara=]
289
290->''"Oh, I'm fine. That's the scary thing. I want to do it again. I'm not finished. And all this hilarity- I hear it all the time in Control. But now I've done it myself. Tell me it's normal. Tell me I've not got some terrible thing in me waiting to get out and kill and joke about it."''
291
292A controller in the CIC, Anya Stroud provides guidance and direction in the first two games, before transferring to the frontlines in the ExpandedUniverse and the third game. She and Marcus have been in love since hooking up shortly after the battle of Aspho Field, and they finally begin an official relationship on the island of Vectes after Jacinto sinks.
293----
294* ActionGirl
295* AdrenalineMakeover: Dom notes in ''Coalition's End'' that several months of wearing full battle gear has caused her to walk and act like a soldier, as well as getting a bit more muscular from its weight. She also cuts a lot of her long hair off towards the end of the book when an exploding Lambent Polyp singes the ends.
296* BattleCouple: With Marcus.
297* BlueBlood
298* CommunicationsOfficer: Was trained as this; she only became a frontline soldier after the events of ''Gears 2''.
299* DeathByChildbirth: [[spoiler:She's implied to have died during a fertility program in an attempt to have a second child.]]
300* DisappearedDad: Anya doesn't know ''who'' her father is/was, and her mother refused to ever tell her. She's understandably a little bitter about this.
301* IndifferentBeauty: She never once uses her stunning good looks to advance her position, and is more than a little put-off by guys staring at her all the time.
302* InTheBlood: Anya's mother was Major Helena Stroud, a LadyOfWar in the last days of the Pendulum Wars.
303* InkSuitActor: Try visualizing Anya in her mid-40s; Nan [=McNamara=] looks eerily similar to her.
304* LadyOfWar: Especially by Gears of War 3, where she had to fight as a soldier.
305* LikeBrotherAndSister: With Dom. They kept each other sane while he was looking for Maria and she searched for a way to free Marcus from The Slab.
306* MajorlyAwesome: A collectible in ''Gears 4'' shows that she reached this rank in between games, following in her mother's footsteps before surpassing them and becoming First Minster.
307* MilitaryBrat
308* MissionControl: Before moving to the frontlines.
309* NotStayingForBreakfast: During their time together before he was imprisoned, Marcus never once spent the night at Anya's apartment or quarters. She thought he was doing it because he didn't want to get caught, and was very hurt by it. Dom later tells her it’s because Marcus has terrible nightmares and was afraid of injuring her in his sleep. By the events of ''Jacinto's Remnant'', he's ''still'' doing it, and she's getting a little annoyed by it.
310* PluckyGirl
311* SexForSolace: How Anya and Marcus' relationship started, when he escorted her home after the Aspho Fields award ceremony. They were already attracted to each other, but a combination of grief and alcohol [[GladToBeAliveSex finally broke down their mutual hesitancy]].
312* SingleTargetSexuality: With Marcus, from the time they were teenagers.
313* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: [[spoiler:Died during the 25 year gap between ''Gears 3'' and ''4''. It's implied in ''5'' that the cause was the fertility program that allowed her to have JD, when she tried to use it to have a second child]].
314* UndyingLoyalty: To Hoffman: even in situations where she's supposed to report to Chairman Prescott first, she makes sure Hoffman winds up with the information beforehand.
315** For a time, she even considered the possibility he was her father, since he always treated her so well and was good friends with her mother. When she confessed this to him, Hoffman told her that nothing had ever happened between him and Helena, but that he considered Anya to be family since they had served together so long.
316* VoiceWithAnInternetConnection
317* WellDoneDaughterGirl: When her mother, Helena Stroud, was alive, Anya was absolutely terrified of disappointing her. Luckily, Helena managed to tell Anya how proud she was of her before she died.
318* YouNeedToGetLaid: After Marcus has been in prison for several years, another Gear cops a feel and tells her that if she waits for him, "that damn thing's gonna heal over before you get laid again." She punches him.
319[[/folder]]
320
321[[folder:Major Helena Stroud]]
322
323Helena was the mother of Anya, and she was a Major in charge of the COG division that fought at Aspho Fields. She served under Adam Fenix on the Kashkur front of the Pendulum Wars seventeen years before Emergence Day.
324----
325* ActionGirl
326* ActionMom
327* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership
328* BlueBlood
329* HeroicSacrifice: Died taking out and Indie APC that would have massacred her troops.
330* LadyOfWar: Pretty much the female equivalent to Hoffman; an officer that preferred to be on the frontline with her troops, who loved her for it.
331* TheLancer: Served in this role to Adam Fenix before he retired and she got promoted.
332* LudicrousGibs
333* MajorlyAwesome
334* SoProudOfYou: She says this to Anya over the radio during the Battle of Aspho Fields. It ends up being the last thing she ever says to her daughter.
335* UndyingLoyalty: It is said that any Gear that served under Helena developed this to her.
336[[/folder]]
337
338!Carmine Family
339
340[[folder:Private Anthony Carmine]]
341[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/AnthonyCarmineGoW_7046.png]]
342!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MichaelJGough
343
344->''"Something's wrong with this thing! It keeps jamming!"''
345
346The second youngest Carmine brother, he first appeared onboard the Raven that picked up Marcus after he was released from prison, and marveled over Marcus' being a legend among the COG. Apparently an already established member of Delta Squad, he gets very little development until he gets killed very early on in the first game.
347----
348* BoomHeadshot: His ignorance of the Golden Rule of the Gears got him killed ''[[EpicFail 20 minutes into his service]]''. His helmet found in ''5'' has a huge chunk of the faceplate blown off.
349* BreakoutCharacter: Anthony Carmine was originally intended to be a one-shot character with so little plot significance, that he didn't even have a unique face worth modeling. For varying reasons, he made a [[EnsembleDarkhorse large enough impact with the fandom]], that it's become mandated that each new game includes a Carmine, and with a [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute very similar personality]]. It's also become a trend that [[TheyKilledKenny something bad happens]] to a Carmine, with the exception of Clayton.
350* TheCameo: He appears as the third player in the dream sequence at the start of ''Gears of War 3''.
351* TheFaceless: Like all of his brothers, he's always wearing a helmet.
352* TheDitz: Not exactly the brightest of the Carmine siblings.
353* GenreBlind: He ignores the Golden Rule of the Gears: take cover and keep your head down.
354* MeaningfulName: Carmine is a shade of red. How's that meaningful? Look down one line on this page.
355* RedShirt: He was only around to add an extra body to Delta and die. Still, he became [[EnsembleDarkhorse inexplicably popular]] with the fandom.
356* SacrificialLamb: He's the first of Delta to die.
357* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: He gets capped out of nowhere by a Locust sniper in the midst of fixing a jam in his gun.
358* TooDumbToLive: When the rest of your team is hunkered down in cover overlooking a wide area that could potentially house snipers, it would be a good idea to stop standing ramrod upright out in the open.
359* WeHardlyKnewYe: He hardly gets any characterization before unceremoniously biting it, and his number of spoken lines can be counted on one hand.
360[[/folder]]
361
362[[folder:Private Benjamin Carmine]]
363[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BenjamineCarmineGoW_5566.png]]
364!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MichaelJGough
365
366->''"Sergeant Fenix? Are you Sergeant Fenix? Delta squad? I'm your new trainee!"''
367
368The youngest of the Carmine brothers, he is a fresh recruit sent to Delta Squad to be trained by Marcus (allowing you the option for a JustifiedTutorial). He sticks around for a good portion of the game, gradually learning the ropes of being a soldier and being praised by Marcus for how quickly he picked it up.
369----
370* TheCameo: Is the fourth player in the initial dream sequence of ''Gears of War 3''.
371* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Half his body is burned away by acid produced by digestive parasites in the Riftworm]].
372* TheFaceless: Like all the Carmines. The unique design for his helmet is effectively his actual face.
373* FinalSpeech: [[spoiler:He asks Marcus to tell his brothers and mom that he loves them, and tried to say something else, but died before he could finish]].
374* FriendlySniper: He assists in the sniping segment, and is a pretty decent shot.
375* HeroicSacrifice: Averted: he attempts one, [[spoiler:but ultimately does get one on the Raven]].
376* IconicItem: Offically, his helmet is one of several styles of standard-issue gear helmets. However, Ben is the only gear with any prominance at all to ever be shown wearing that style of helmet.
377* MauveShirt: He more received more characterization than Anthony and lasts a good while longer, but it sadly doesn't save him in the end.
378* NewMeat: Just out of training by the time he's assigned to Delta.
379* NiceGuy: He's green and every bit as experienced as they come, but still gets along with the more hardened members of Delta.
380* PyroManiac: While never shown in the campaign, Marcus and Dom stated he likes fire, and his multiplayer quotes when using the Scorcher flamethrower are suitably crazy.
381* SniperRifle: Perhaps somewhat ironically, he is always carrying a Longshot sniper rifle, the same weapon that caused his brother's untimely demise.
382* TemptingFate: After narrowly avoiding death and successfully boarding the King Raven, Benjamin happily proclaims to Marcus and Delta they've made it before [[spoiler:flying rubble caused by the riftworm sends the King Raven spinning out of control, with poor Benjy unable to hang onto anything and fall into the Riftworm's mouth]].
383[[/folder]]
384
385[[folder:Chief Sergeant Clayton Carmine]]
386[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ClaytonCarmineGoW_4010.png]]
387!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/MichaelJGough
388
389->''"Eat dirt and die, motherfucker!"''
390
391The third Carmine brother, Clayton is the eldest brother to Anthony and Benjamin, and much more muscular and badass. First showing up in the third game, at that point he had been a long established member of Delta Squad and chatted with the others on very friendly terms.
392----
393* AlliterativeName: '''C'''layton '''C'''armine.
394* ArmorIsUseless: {{Averted|Trope}}. Unlike Anthony, his helmet can actually stop bullets. This is probably due to the fact that, unlike his brothers, his helmet seems to be more heavily armoured. Or possibly because the Stranded that shot at him wasn't as good of a shot as a Locust Sniper and only grazed him.
395* AttackReflector: His Ultimate ability in ''5'' is to create a force field around himself that bounces the enemy's bullets right back at them. Or at least it was before the update which allowed any character to play as any class.
396* AudienceParticipation: While ''Gears 3'' was in development, fans could vote on whether or not he met the same fate as his brothers by downloading either a "Save Carmine" or a "Carmine Must Die" T-shirt for their Xbox Avatar. [[spoiler:He lives.]]
397* BigBrotherInstinct: Some of his lines are about how pissed he is about his brother's death.
398* BloodKnight: Clayton is far more vicious compared to his younger siblings, [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gearsofwar/images/c/ce/Clay_Promotion_Art_2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20121208210250 as depicted in this piece of promo art, choking a Drone to death amidst a pile of dead grubs.]]. This is also demonstrated by the anti-grub sentiment graffiti'd onto his armor.
399-->DESTROY LOCUST\
400KILL GRUBS\
401GRUB KILLER
402* CallBack: "Good thing I wear a helmet."
403* DeadpanSnarker: Unlike his green brothers he is not above calling Delta squad members on their petty bullshit.
404* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:Clayton's King Raven is shot down in the cut-scene preceding the final boss battle of 3. The ending montage shows him and the pilot of his Raven to have survived the crash, no worse for wear minus the crack in Clayton's visor.]]
405* TheFaceless: Assuming it's not just another Minh Young Kim head underneath that helmet like his brothers before him, Clay (and the rest of the Carmine line) had never been seen without his headgear. While the helmet does come off in ''3'', his face is not shown on screen as he puts the thing right back on anyway.
406* GatlingGood:
407** Most promotional materials for ''Gears of War 3'' have him wielding a Mulcher minigun.
408** His Horde and Escape Mode class (prior to the update which split classes and characters) in ''Gears 5'' has several abilities focused on the use of the Mulcher.
409* HotBlooded: He becomes really fired up in combat. Of note is he also gets pissed off a couple times during the campaign and speaks his mind (though it was justified each time), something his brothers never did.
410* {{Irony}}: He survives getting shot in the head by a Longshot sniper, and credits his survival to him wearing a helmet. Wearing a helmet certainly didn't help Anthony.
411* OldSoldier: By the time of ''Gears 5'' Clayton is in roughly his late 50s/early 60s, as demonstrated by his notably raspier voice and when he laments having to stand back up to hug his niece Lizzie. Otherwise he's still as combat able as the rest of Delta Squad's veterans.
412* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: He did not appreciate losing Anthony and Benjamin.
413* RunningGag: Purposefully averted. Per AudienceParticipation, Clay was set up to be the greatest defiance of his lineage's comically-short lifespan. Not only does he survive ''many'' brushes with death in his debut game, which could count as a separate running gag on its own, Clay would go on to appear in two more titles. As of ''5'', he is the longest-lived Carmine in the series (or at least in the games. Will Carmine below might have lasted longer than him). His AttackReflector Ultimate is explicitly said in the Operation 3 trailer to be based on his status as The Unkillable Carmine.
414* SoleSurvivor: He's the only named Carmine to survive both his debut game and a sequel, outliving both his younger siblings and niece.
415%%* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Bacon.
416* TragicKeepsake:
417** In a rare ''comedic'' example of this trope, Clay honours the memory of the two fallen Carmine brothers with a tattoo on his arm... [[TheFaceless of their helmets]].
418** His Hivebuster skin in ''5'' has him wear his brothers' COG Tags around his wrist.
419* TrainingFromHell: It's implied by the writing on his armor that he put himself through this [[RunningGag so he could reload properly]].
420* VocalDissonance: He's much bulkier and older than his brothers, yet still has the exact same mildly high-pitched voice as them. It's implied that he used to be just as skinny as his brothers but bulked himself up so that the same thing wouldn't happen to him. [[spoiler:If that's true, then it worked.]]
421* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
422** Despite being the only Carmine to survive the trilogy (we don't know the status of the fourth brother, so we can't say if he survived as well) and being seen along with Delta at the end of ''3'', there's not a trace of him to be seen in ''Gears of War 4''. However, the SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute character for the Carmines in ''4'', Gary Carmine, indicates that he could have possibly became a parent during the TimeSkip and is living elsewhere.
423** He reappears in ''Gears 5'', still a Gear, along with his niece Lizzy, [[spoiler:and continues his streak as the only surviving Carmine (that we actually meet)]].
424[[/folder]]
425
426[[folder:Gary Carmine]]
427[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_0167.JPG]]
428!!!'''Voiced by:''' Charlie Hewson
429A Carmine who lives in the Outsider village led by Reyna Diaz. A black sheep in the Carmine family for choosing to go Outsider rather than serve in the COG.
430----
431* TheCameo: Unlike the other Carmines, he doesn't interact with or join your squad. He's basically here just to have a Carmine in ''Gears of War 4''. Though he later became playable in multiplayer.'
432* CloudCuckoolander: Some of his voice lines are a little... out there.
433* TheFaceless: Like the rest of the Carmines, his entire head and face is always concealed. Though since he's not part of the COG and doesn't have access to a helmet, he instead wears goggles, a skull-faced bandana around his mouth, and an [[RussianFashion ushanka]] with the ear flaps down.
434* RunningGag: True to the Carmine family's [[RedShirt unfortunate nature]], the video that showcases him as DLC features him getting shot in the head, chainsawed, bayonet charged, executed and just plain humiliated throughout the whole thing. He even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s it at the end.
435-->'''Gary:''' ''[getting executed by the Dropshot]'' This shit runs in my family!
436* VocalDissonance: In regards to the other Carmines and body type. Anthony, Benjamin and especially [[TheBigGuy Clayton]] all had the same high-pitched voice despite their rather muscular bodies, while Gary has a slightly deeper voice than all of them. His skinnier frame compared to the others would lead one to expect him to share their high-pitched tone but his voice doesn't sound very similar.
437* TheVoiceless: Doesn't speak at all in the campaign. Averted in multiplayer, in which he's got plenty to say.
438* WeHardlyKnewYe: Much like Anthony, he dies minutes after he's introduced when a [=DeeBee=] drop pod falls directly on him and destroys his entire turret platform. Though he at least managed to accomplish shooting down one dropship before his death.
439[[/folder]]
440
441[[folder:Corporal Elizabeth "Lizzy" Carmine]]
442[[quoteright:309:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elizabethcarmine_8.jpg]]
443!!!'''Voiced by:''' Sarah Elmaleh
444Clayton Carmine's niece, and presumably the daughter of the yet-unseen fourth Carmine brother. She aids JD and Co. when the Swarm attack Settlement 2. [[spoiler:Tragically, it's also where she meets her demise]].
445----
446* BadassDriver: Helps to evacuate civilians in Settlement 2 with a Minotaur convoy.
447* CharacterDeath: [[spoiler:Killed when the Hammer of Dawn goes out of control, one of the beams destroying the Minotuar she's trapped in]].
448* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Trapped inside her Minotuar, watching her impending doom, and unable to do anything but scream for help, as JD desperately and futilely tries to save her]].
449* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Her first appearance has her ramming a Snatcher about to abduct a civilian with her Minotuar, pinning it against another Minotaur. She then gets out, frag tags it to finish it off, and proceeds to give orders to the nearby [=DeeBees=] [[UnflinchingWalk without looking at the explosion]].
450* TheFaceless: Her "Motor Pool" skin puts her in a mechanic outfit and welding mask.
451* ForgottenFallenFriend: Let's just say her death doesn't impact Clay as much as those of his brothers. Even after reuniting with Clay during Act IV with JD in tow, [[spoiler:the one man indirectly responsible for her death]], nobody has anything to say about her. One would assume he's simply resigned himself to having everyone in his family but him become marked for death the moment they come into contact with a Fenix.
452* GenerationXerox: She ''definitely'' takes after her uncle Clay, [[spoiler:though unfortunately not in the one area that really counts]].
453* MauveShirt: Receives some very noteworthy characterization, [[spoiler:until her death]].
454* RunningGag: She's a Carmine, what did you expect?
455* SayMyName: [[spoiler:"FENIX!"]]
456* ShooOutTheClowns: [[spoiler:The game starts out being rather jovial and comical. All of that goes away after Lizzie's death]].
457* SmallRoleBigImpact: [[spoiler:It's all but said that the circumstances behind her death have played a significant role in JD's TookALevelInJerkass]].
458[[/folder]]
459
460[[folder:Sergeant Will Carmine]]
461[[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/willcarminehelmet.png]]
462[[caption-width-right:315:[[labelnote:Click here to see him without his helmet]]\
463https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/willcarminenohelmet.png\
464Is he talking about the war finally ending, or a Carmine's face actually being shown?[[/labelnote]]]]
465A Gear who appears in ''The Rise of RAAM''. He fought in, and survived, the Pendulum Wars, only to be killed by the newly promoted Uzil RAAM on Emergence Day. Given his age and that he mentions having no kids, he is presumably an uncle or similar relative of the four Carmine brothers, and is notably the only Carmine whose face is actually shown. One of his squadmates as shown in a photograph appears to have been Gabriel Diaz, Kait's father.
466----
467* TheFaceless: Notably averted, though a picture of him with his squadmates shows that he did follow the Carmine tradition at some point. He presumably only took his helmet off because the war was over and he was retiring.
468* ICallItVera: He calls his Lancer "Nina", and even scratched her name into her body.
469* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Pretty much tells the quartermaster that he never wants to see another gun in his life, and even gives up his beloved Nina to be burned. Seconds later, a Corpser bursts from the ground, and he's shouting, "GIVE ME A FUCKING GUN!"
470* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: RAAM stabs him up through the neck and out the top of his head.
471* MauveShirt: Doesn't last much longer than Anthony or Gary after being introduced, but still has more characterization than them.
472* OldSoldier: He's up there in years at the time of E-Day, and jokes that "[his] body retired two years before [him]".
473* {{Retirony}}: He made it through the Pendulum Wars and was getting ready to head back home and enjoy retirement in the new age of peace. ...Hang on, why's the ground shaking all of a sudden?
474* RunningGag: Surprising nobody, he doesn't last very long after we first meet him.
475* WhatTheHellAreYou: His last words are him asking this question to RAAM. RAAM doesn't bother answering.
476[[/folder]]

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