inFAMOUS / Characters

inFAMOUS 1 | inFAMOUS 2 (Festival of Blood) | inFAMOUS: Second Son (First Light)

Characters appearing in the first inFAMOUS game.

open/close all folders

Main Protagonist

Cole MacGrath

Cole MacGrath (AKA "The Electric Man", "The Demon of Empire City")

Voiced by: Jason Cottle (inFAMOUS), Eric Ladin (inFAMOUS 2)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/infamous_2_7679.jpg

"Do I want them to love me? Or fear me?"

Cole: Karma's a bitch. I get it.
Zeke: What'cha gonna do?
Cole: I'm gonna send a message.

The protagonist of inFAMOUS and inFAMOUS 2. Cole was an ordinary bike courier in Empire City who accidentally activated the Ray Sphere, which resulted in thousands of people around him dying, and also gave him the ability to control electricity. Cole then spends the aftermath of the catastrophe just trying to survive the ensuing chaos and violence, while learning how and why all of this happened to him. Whether Cole uses his powers for good or evil is dependent on the player.

Cole in general

Badass Normal: Starts as a regular joe with serious Roof Hopping abilities.
Blessed with Suck: While he gets awesome powers, he suffers from Power Incontinence.
Blow You Away: Can use his powers to create a miniature tornado.
Book Dumb: He dropped out of college to spite his parents, hence why he was working as a mailman until the Blast.
Brief Accent Imitation: In the second game, he briefly mimics Bertrand's broad Southern accent during their final showdown.
Cole: Oh, do you really think that I'm the Demon? "The Demon of Empiah Citay!"
Chain Lightning: Cole's upgraded basic electric attack and Evil Cole's Arc Lightning can jump to multiple targets when used.
Charles Atlas Superpower: Cole's Roof Hopping skills are not the product of his powers, but of time spent at his hobby of urban exploration, with his powers just making it hurt less if he falls.
The Chosen One: In a strange variation of this trope, Cole was chosen by himself; another version of Cole MacGrath from a Bad Future (going by the alias "Kessler") personally selected his younger self to gain superpowers and make his life a living hell, so that one day he may be able to defeat the Beast.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Well, in this case it's "Contrasting Franchise Main Character", but regardless, Cole is one to the previous Sucker Punch mascot Sly Cooper. Sly was born into a long line of famous master thieves, trained in acrobatics for years, relies on his cane during combat, and is a good-hearted and wisecracking nice guy. Cole on the other hand was a literal nobody until he got his powers, was Unskilled, but Strong and had to rely on his fists and constantly spamming electricity attacks to defeat his enemies (at least until getting the Amp in the second game), and is mostly cynical even as a good guy. Additionally, while Sly greatly respected and idolized his father (though the pedestal was shaken a bit when he learned about his dad's more "venomous" traits), Cole was implied to not have had a good relationship with his parents, having dropped out of college only 6 credits short of graduating just to set them off.
Civvie Spandex: His superhero uniform consists of a biking jacket, t-shirt, and a pair of union jack jeans.
Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Good Cole's lightning is blue, Evil Cole's lightning is red.
Combat Parkour: He's very proficient at acrobatics, and he'll be leaping across the whole city, kicking a lot of ass along the way.
Courier: Before the Ray Sphere blast, Cole was a bike courier who delivered packages around Empire City.
Deadpan Snarker: Comes with being a bit of a Manchild, Cole will often crack jokes at inappropriate times, causing double takes from everyone. It's when he's not snarking that you know it's getting serious.
Determinator: He's determined to defeat the bad guys no matter the cost.
Disappointed by the Motive: His reaction when he finds out Bertrand's motives for starting a Conduit arms race and the reasons for his Boomerang Bigotry in 2. While Cole doesn't outright say he's disappointed, his tone of voice does it for him:
Cole: Oh, I finally get it. You thought the Ray Sphere was gonna turn you into some sort of shiny superhuman... but instead it turned you into a fifty-foot maggot.
Doesn't Like Guns: More by necessity — his electrical powers cook the ammunition inside a gun 'till the whole thing explodes.
Eats Babies: Invoked. A couple of New Marais Rebels will mention they heard rumors you're so evil that you literally eat babies.
Electric Slide: Cole's Induction Grind. As a mode of transportation, one has to wonder how they support Cole's weight
Empowered Badass Normal: After the Ray Sphere blast, he gains lightning superpowers.
Even Evil Has Standards: Even if Cole takes the evil path in the second game and becomes the Beast to save the Conduits, he will still always oppose the even worse Bertrand.
Fire, Ice, Lightning: Can add ice or napalm to his lightning powers in Infamous 2.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Good or evil, he goes from a simple bike courier to one of the most powerful Conduits alive.
Grappling-Hook Pistol: Lightening Tether.
Guest Fighter: He's a playable character in the PS3 version of Street Fighter X Tekken.
Healing Factor: To the point where Cole can withstand toxic gas and hails of gunfire with just a little time to catch his breath. All There in the Manual explains that Cole is more of an Energy Being than a real human after the Ray Sphere incident, and his natural electrical charge heals his body over time. If he's able to suck up some electricity from a nearby source, he heals much faster, to the point that he is almost impossible to kill if he has access to a constant source of electricity.
Healing Hands: Cole can perform some bioelectric trick that heals anything and everything from poisonings to gunshot wounds. In the sequel, Good Cole can learn how to heal groups with a single use of this power, which is very handy.
Heroic BSoD: Sits alone in his ruined apartment for a week after finding out Kessler is a future version of him.
Heel–Face Revolving Door: Potentially.
Hidden Depths:
- Cole may seem like a typical slacker, but the comics reveal that when he was in college, he was only 6 credits away from graduating, which he most likely could have achieved had he not dropped out.
- He claims to have read (not watched, read) Dracula.
I Just Want to Be Normal: Partially because of the bleakness of the ruined Empire City, partially because he's got all sorts of expectations heaped on him, and partially because even with superpowers, he's still "everyone's errand boy". However, while Cole hates the responsibility that comes with his abilities, he enjoys using his powers, and is often excited when he gets a new one.
Inner Monologue: Tends toward these, talking about what his actions do and his thoughts on the current situation, and sometimes changes depending on his actions. In the first game, it was also in gameplay, detailing Cole's major choices and what he should do, save for one. While the monologues still appear in inFAMOUS 2, it was dropped near-completely when there's gameplay involving major choices.
Kill It with Water: Cole's body isn't completely immune to his powers, so he can be electrocuted by being submerged in too much water.
The Kirk: To Kuo's Spock and Nix's McCoy. Somewhere along the way in the sequel, he makes himself the peace maker and riot shield between his female counterparts, if only to move things along.
Improbable Weapon User: Cole gets a two-pronged Amplifier as his weapon in the sequel.
Lightning Can Do Anything: He can use electricity to form shields, missiles, grenades, magnetic fields, control the weather, and dozens of other things.
Made of Iron: Cole takes so many bullets on the average mission that he probably sneezes bits of shrapnel. Perhaps the most explicit example is invoked by Zeke in the interquel comic, when Zeke explains to Trish that Cole was once hit head-on and subsequently run over by a truck. Cole left the hospital shortly thereafter with just a few bruises. Oh, and this was all pre-blast. Yeah.
Magnetism Manipulation: Kinda. Cole's electric powers also translate to mild magnetic powers. He can life objects with Electric lift and create a shield that protects him from bullets. The wiki explains this as a combination of electromagnetism and electrokinesis (as he can lift non magnetic objects as well).
Manchild: He's definitely immature to a degree. He isn't very fond of the responsibilities that come with his new powers, despite enjoying the hell out of using them, and acting like a kid with a new toy whenever he gains a new power. And even when he's a good guy, he tends to be pretty self-centered and short-sighted in his duties. And of course, authority figures tend to take advantage of him, even while he openly resents them.
Not Quite Flight: For all his power, Cole is one of the few Conduits that can't fly. A power up gives him Static Thrusters which allow him to glide, and in inFamous 2 a Good Karma power-up boosts his jump.
One-Man Army:
- Cole zaps his way through hundreds of enemies in both games.
- In the Evil ending of the second game, he can now destroy whole armies with a single thought as the new Beast.
Le Parkour: Even before getting his powers Cole was adept at "urban exploration". His powers just made it easier to climb buildings and balance on tight-ropes.
Personality Powers: How Cole's powers work depends on his karma, and for good reason. Good!Cole's powers are much more precise and powerful, his lightning capable of hitting enemies with enough force to take them out fast without potentially hitting innocent people in the way. Evil!Cole on the other hand is able to hit multiple enemies at once indiscriminately, representing Cole's apathy to potentially hurting innocent people as long as he is able to harm his enemies.
Power Incontinence: He can't use guns because the ammunition will explode if he touches them, and he can't drive because his powers ignite fossil fuels. Thankfully, it's shown that he can at least touch other people without killing them. Standing on wet ground with him is an instant death, however.
Power of the Storm: He can control storm clouds and lightning strikes.
Primal Stance: Cole is the latest in a long line of (potentially) morally questionable protagonists who do this. The severity of the pose after standing still for a moment actually varies depending on Cole's alignment in the second game: while neutral is general enough, Infamous!Cole will enter a skulking pose that enhances his morally questionable nature, whilst Hero!Cole will use a heroic pose befitting of a role model of the people.
Private Eye Monologue: Narrates his own story through the first two games.
Psychoactive Powers: His powers can change vastly depending on his general mental state.
Red Baron: Was nicknamed "the Electric Man" and "the Demon of Empire City".
Regenerating Health: Cole's Healing Factor allows him to recover from gunshot wounds by walking around for about ten to fifteen seconds or absorbing a nearby source of electricity.
Required Secondary Powers: Subverted; against expectations, he's still vulnerable to electrocution, either from enemies or by his own attacks. Although also played straight as one must assume that Cole has some degree of control over magnetism, especially regarding his abilities to hover and drop from heights without getting hurt.
Ridiculously Average Guy: What Cole was before the whole thing started, by Word of God, and a few mentions in the game.
Kessler: Your mother is ashamed of you, she lies, tells people you're a teacher. No one respects a bike messenger.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: As soon as he discovers that Moya was lying to and playing him from the start, he promptly declares their deal off.
Shock and Awe: Has electrical superpowers.
Standard FPS Guns: Oddly enough, most of Cole's fantastic electrical powers mimic standard conventional firearms:
- Melee: The "Knife". The Amp is more a Sword.
- Gigawatt Blades: The "Chainsaw".
- Lightning Bolt: The Pistol.
- Precision: The Sniper Rifle.
- Shockwave: The Shotgun.
- Overload Burst: The other Sniper Rifle (albeit with splash damage).
- Arc Lightning: The Automatic Weapon (Lightning Gun variation, naturally). Good Cole upgrades his lightning bolt to fire continuous shots and restore electricity, approximating an Automatic Weapon.
- Shock Grenades: Grenades (obviously).
- Megawatt Hammer: The Rocket Launcher.
- Lightning Storm: BFG Kill Sat.
Super Drowning Skills: Cole's powers cause him to short circuit if he's submerged in too much water, to the point where it can kill him.
Tattoo as Character Type: In the second game, Cole's tattoos will change as he becomes more evil or good. Good Cole gets star and wing motifs. Evil Cole gets flames and down arrows.
Unwitting Pawn:
- In the first game, Cole is used to try and hand the Ray Sphere to the United States government, and cover up Moya's connections to the First Sons.
- It's implied by the last dead drop in 2 that Wolfe knows what the RFI will do but doesn't warn anyone, especially Cole, the guy who is supposed to make it work.
Walking Techbane: His powers can easily blow up generators, cars, and so on if he's not careful.
Zeke: Hell, they haven't invented a machine you can't break.
Weaksauce Weakness: Water. Falling into the water causes Cole's powers to overload, zapping himself (potentially to death). It's even mentioned that Cole had to resort to sponge-bathing in order to clean himself.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Subverted; Cole freely admits that he dropped out of college and became a bike messenger simply to "piss off his parents."

Good Cole

"The people around here, they love me. How long will that last?"

Anti-Hero: Sort of, he's a Classical Anti-Hero. While not a bad person like Evil Cole, Good Cole has a fairly cynical personality, and he seems to enjoy combat.
The Atoner: At least part of Cole's heroism and good deeds stems from a desire to redeem himself in the eyes of Empire City's people, due to being put to blame for causing the Blast (even though in all fairness, he was completely unaware that he was about to detonate a bomb). Especially because he accidentally caused his girlfriend's sister's death, which opened a huge rift in his relationship with Trish.
Being Good Sucks: Choosing the good road means you have to take hits for the team. A lot of hard hits for the team.
Beware the Nice Ones: Though he's generally a friendly and laid back guy, if you harm innocents or the ones he loves, he will kill you if it's the last thing he does.
Boring, but Practical: His attacks aren't as flashy or powerful as Evil Cole's, but many of them can defeat enemies fairly quickly, and for the most won't hurt a civilian with the right approach.
Fallen Hero: Can choose to abandon his morality for power and activate the Ray Sphere a second time at the expense of even more innocent lives at the end of the first game, permanently locking him in the Infamous evil ranking.
The Fettered: A lot of the Karma choices have Cole choose the less convenient option like forgoing easy shots at getting a shard or getting hit with hallucinogenic tar.
Flight: Cole finally gains the power to fly as an 11th-Hour Superpower in his final battle against the Beast.
Gold and White Are Divine: Wears light gold and white clothing in inFAMOUS and inFAMOUS 2.
Good is Not Nice: Especially in the first game. He's in a very grumpy and sour mood most of the time, but is still willing to protect innocent people, and also to sacrifice himself for their sake.
Good Is Not Soft: He is more than willing to thoroughly pulverize the bad guys, and will even use lethal force when necessary.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: In Infamous 2, Cole starts off with a scar on his face. Choosing good causes the scar to fade and skin to tan, de-emphasizing the scar more. By the end of the game, the scar is pretty much completely healed.
Healing Hands: He can heal wounded civilians and cops, which increases his Good Karma level.
Heroic Sacrifice: At the end of the second game, Cole sacrifices himself and thousands of other Conduits to save millions of normal humans.
Hero with Bad Publicity:
- Subverted in the first Infamous game. While he suffers from this for a good while after the Voice of Survival exposes him as the source of the Ray Sphere blast, the people of Empire City eventually start to notice his numerous good deeds; and they begin to seriously doubt the Voice of Survival's claims, and instead start viewing Cole as their champion and defender, and will even join his side in fights with gang members if his heroic reputation is high enough.
- Throughout Infamous 2, quite a few people know him as the "Demon of Empire City". In Infamous: Second Son, the Department of Unified Protection have ensured that Cole went down in history as a villain to cement their Super Registration Act.
An Ice Person: When he uses the Power Transfer Device with Kuo in the second game, he gets ice powers. Notably, these ice powers usually do great amounts of damage but ignore civilians.
I Should Have Been Better: Talks about how he'll never be able to save everyone, no matter how hard he tries, at the end of the first game.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's rather easily irritated, and is very cynical about the problems around him. But he's still genuinely selfless to all innocent people.
The Last Dance: In the Hero ending of inFamous 2, Cole decides to kick the crap out of the Beast before he dies activating the RFI.
Messianic Archetype: Cole is given an option by the Beast to join him to help save the rest of their kind (Conduits) at the expense of the rest of mankind. Cole resists this temptation, saving mankind and undoing the influence of the Beast at the cost of his own life, his death remembered by the people of New Marais and given Sainthood by the people there.
The Paragon: If Cole's karma is high enough, he will, whenever he gets involved in a fight, inspire the citizens in the area to help him by throwing rocks at the gang members.
Physical God: The power from blast cores make him near invincible and massively powerful in the final fight of the second game.
Taking the Bullet: Allows himself to be shot and hit by explosions on numerous occasions to protect civilians.
Took a Level in Kindness: Even while he was good, Cole often came across as a really grumpy and humorless Jerkass in the first game who always made it clear he was Not in This for Your Revolution. He's a much nicer guy in the sequel.
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: At the end of the first game, he finally accepts that it's his responsibility to protect Empire City and its people with his powers.

Evil Cole

"These powers are only good for one thing: Letting me take what I want, when I want!"

Affably Evil: Particularly in the second game. While still destructive and selfish, his more friendly dialogue throughout the game mostly remains the same.
The Antichrist: While Good!Cole takes on the characteristics of a Messianic Archetype, Evil!Cole inverts this when he agrees to take the side of The Beast and destroy mankind for the sake of himself, eventually taking his place and his power as Dark Messiah to the conduits.
Anti-Hero: He's definitely a Nominal Hero. Evil Cole is willing to do horrible things and endanger the lives of innocents, if it brings him closer to defeating his enemies.
And Then John Was a Zombie: At the end of the second game, Cole becomes the new Beast in an attempt to save the Conduits from the plague, sacrificing the rest of humanity in the process.
Cole: The Plague just sped up the inevitable: an evolutionary jump, humanity giving way to Conduits. I had been given powers to save the world from this change. But now I stand at its center. I have become the Beast.
The Bad Guy Wins: At the end of both the first and second games. Especially the latter, as you Take Over the World and start exterminating any humans who don't have superpowers.
Being Evil Sucks: While Evil Cole doesn't see what's wrong with his actions, his relationship with Trish basically goes From Bad to Worse, and eventually he ends up having to kill Zeke.
Beyond Redemption: The game considers Cole irredeemably evil if he decides to use the second Ray Sphere to obtain more power. This choice is so heinous that if you take it, you'll be kicked down to the Infamous rank, and locked there permanently.
Bottomless Magazines: Gains temporary infinite energy when using a fully upgraded Drain skill in inFAMOUS 2.
Characterization Marches On: In the first game, Evil Cole was an actively malicious Jerkass who thrived on causing pain and suffering for those around him, though he was shown to genuinely care about Trish and Zeke. In the second game, he's simply unconcerned with the consequences of his actions.
Collateral Damage: Evil Cole's Karma meter increases the more innocents are caught in the crossfire. This is reflected in his powers as well, Evil Cole does incredible amounts of splash and AOE damage compared to Good Cole whose powers emphasize precision.
Dark Messiah: In the second game, Cole's going to save the world from the Beast whether they like it or not. And in the end, he becomes the new Beast in order to save fellow Conduits from the Plague.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- Cole's friends Zeke, Trish, Kuo, and Nix are about the only people he seems to give a single damn about. He ends up losing all of them except for Kuo, who joins his side after he becomes the new Beast.
- And possibly his family might count too, as he mentions having parents and a younger brother (all of them unseen), though he says that he's become estranged from them, because they're ashamed of the horrible person he turned into.
Evil Makes You Ugly: As Cole gains negative karma:
- In the first game, his clothes get dirtier, his skin becomes pale and covered in black smudges, and eventually, his eyes turn white.
- In the second game, his skin turns pale and veiny, his clothes get ripped up, and his tattoos become more demonic.
Fighting Your Friend: The final boss fights in inFAMOUS 2 for Evil Cole involve killing Nix and then your best friend Zeke.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Starts out as an average joe bike messenger, only to slowly transform into a dangerous monster.
A God Am I:
- In the Evil ending of the first game.
  Cole: In a place with no law, the strong take what they want, and the weak are their slaves, their playthings. And no one is stronger than me...
- Ironically, he literally gains godlike powers by the end of inFAMOUS 2 if you stick with the Evil alignment till the end.
Good Scars, Evil Scars:
- If you take evil actions, dark patches resembling electrical burns start creeping up the back of Cole's neck to cover the rear of his head. Additionally, burn marks will appear on Cole's clothes as well. Zeke will comment that Cole is beginning to look more intimidating and dangerous.
- In Infamous 2, Cole starts off with a scar on his face. Choosing evil causes the scar to worsen. It doesn't help that he also gets paler making his scars and tattoos and evil veins stand out more.
I Did What I Had to Do: He sometimes tries to justify his self-serving actions to his friends. Such as when he took a whole shipment of food from other starving citizens, saying that he and his friends needed more of it.
It's All About Me: His worldview is simply selfishness taken to extremes. Every atrocity he commits is done solely for his own self-interest, and maybe to help out the very few people he actually likes (which can be counted on one hand).
Jerkass: Mainly in the first game; in the second game, he seems more generally unconcerned with the consequences of his actions, rather than actively malicious.
Kill the Ones You Love: Evil!Cole is forced to kill Nix and Zeke in order to destroy the RFI at the end of inFAMOUS 2.
Lack of Empathy: He has this attitude towards most civilians. He'll harm them if they get in his way, or if doing so will benefit himself.
Physical God: Gains the power to reshape the world and destroy entire armies with a thought after becoming the new Beast.
Psycho Electro: He has the power of lightning at his fingertips, frequently used in a malevolent way.
Psychopathic Manchild: He sees the whole city as his own personal play pen to do whatever the hell he wants, regardless of the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: When evil, Cole wears dark red and black clothes. It can be taken further in Infamous 1. If you chose to activate the Ray Sphere a second time, Cole's lightning becomes black with a red outline.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: His eyes glow red after becoming the new Beast at the end of inFamous 2.
Screw the Rules, I Have Supernatural Powers!: He believes his superpowers should be used to get whatever he needs or wants, laws and morals be damned.
Cole: The point is, I have powers. And I will use them.
Shoot the Dog: It's very clear Cole's in pain about having to kill Zeke at the end, but feels there's no other way.
The Social Darwinist: Declares the weak the playthings of the strong in the evil ending of the first game.
Tainted Veins: As Cole goes up the Evil ranks, his veins become more visible.
Tattooed Crook: In the second game, he sports some wicked tattoos.
Then Let Me Be Evil: He figures that if everyone's going to treat him like a monster, he's going to be a monster.
The Unfettered: He has no real moral scruples beyond protecting the few loved ones he has.
Unscrupulous Hero: Whenever he does something even remotely selfless or for some sort of greater good, Evil Karma choices involved will often be him taking the easy route at the expense of others. This includes scaring away starving citizens so that he and his friends would have all the food, destroying a tar pump in a manner that floods the city's drinking water with it instead being blinded by it as a means of inconveniencing Sasha, overloading a power-grid in a shanty town so that everyone in it is burned alive (both Militia and innocent bystandards) and sending a trolley full of explosives to the entrance of a militia-controlled manor as a distraction to rescue Lucy.
Vampiric Draining: He can drain life energy from wounded people to completely heal himself, while also increasing his Evil Karma level.
Villain Protagonist: In inFAMOUS 1, Evil Cole is a selfish monster who would be perfectly happy to let Empire City be destroyed if it served his needs.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: In inFAMOUS 2. Even if he is a monster killing and maiming anyone who gets in way, his goal is still to defeat the world-destroying Beast. Not to mention that instead of being good or evil, Cole is either saving the Muggles or saving the Conduits, since he can't save both. So he turns on the Muggles and decides to "become the Beast".
What the Hell, Hero?: Constantly gets called out for his questionable actions by others.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Played with, as he's quite cold-blooded but not totally insane.

Cole's Friends

Zeke Dunbar

Voiced by: Caleb Moody

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inFamous-Zeke-001_1980.jpg

"Zeke Jedadiah Dunbar is his own man!"

Cole's lifelong best friend, who is eager to join Cole on his adventures in Empire City. Mixed results follow however.

Acrofatic: The heavy-set Zeke can run down flights of stairs in about the same time it takes Cole to free fall from the roof, and beats Cole to the mainland by swimming after both are stranded out on a bridge. The second game shows in a flashback that Zeke actually gave Le Parkour a shot with Cole in New Marais after the hurricane.
Ascended Fanboy: In the first game, Zeke wanted to be special and have superpowers. He never becomes a Conduit but becomes a leading member of the D.U.P. resistance and a hero in his own right.
The Atoner: As suggested in the ending of the first game and later explained in the interquel comics, Zeke is trying to make up for his betrayal of Cole, if only so his friend will speak to him again. By the second game, Cole has chosen to throw him bones every now and again. Near the end, Cole and Zeke have made up, and are buddies once again. Though Cole is first to mention it when Zeke goes undercover as a double agent.
Badass Normal: Grows into this in the second game when he sharpens his inventing, hacking and planning skills in an effort to regain Cole's trust.
Character Development: He starts off as a friendly if not self-centered and insecure slacker and Glory Hound willing to betray his best friend for the chance to have superpowers. Becomes a more righteous and helpful character in inFamous 2.
Classical Anti-Hero: In the first game, he constantly screws things up for Cole in his attempts to be badass and is predominantly selfish in pursuits. In the second game, he evolves into more of a genuine hero.
Conspiracy Theorist: Zeke believes the US government is trying to get their hands on the Ray Sphere to create an army of Conduit Super Soldiers for the military. He's completely right, though he's never told so.
Deal with the Devil: In inFAMOUS 1, Zeke joins Kessler after he promises to give him powers. It doesn't work out for him, and Cole is still holding him at arms length for the majority of the sequel.
Deep South: Implied to be from there by his accent. Though after he and Cole move to New Marais, he cracks a few redneck jokes.
Easily Forgiven: Subverted. Even though he follows Cole in the sequel, he hasn't exactly been forgiven. Even when he went undercover as a spy for the Militia, Cole clearly voices suspicions that he will wake up in a cage when he is knocked out.
Face–Heel Turn: In the first game, Zeke temporarily joins Kessler in exchange for powers. Kessler turns out to have been lying, and Zeke shows signs of being The Atoner in the sequel.
Fat Best Friend: Zeke is Cole's chubby companion. His stout physique is also the target of jokes and insults by other characters.
Fat Comic Relief: He's overweight and cracks a lot of jokes. Becomes deconstructed when Zeke voices extreme displeasure at being solely seen as this, and his desire to prove otherwise ends up causing problems and eventually temporarily siding with Kessler to gain powers and become important.
Zeke Dunbar: What are you saying? That old Zeke needs to go back to his roof and just chill? That he's only good for a laugh and a beer, but when it's go-time he ain't worth a damn? That what you're sayin', Cole?!
Fighting Your Friend: If Cole decides to join forces with the Beast, Zeke will hold Cole at gunpoint to protect the RFI. He is as much a threat as a dying man is to the super powered being you should be, though you as a player have to zap him.
Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: While Cole still speaks to him in the second game, Cole still doesn't trust him until near the end.
Gadgeteer Genius: In the first game he'll hook up a gadget here or there with varying results. In inFamous 2, he becomes more skilled in engineering and inventing. He created Cole's new weapon, the Amp. Also, the Dunbar Beam.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Zeke has been best friends with Cole since childhood. Cole even describes Zeke as being like a brother to him.
Hypocrite: Even though he expresses his worries over the federal government wanting to use the Ray Sphere for nefarious purposes, this doesn't stop Zeke from attempting to use the Ray Sphere for himself anyways. If it weren't for his lack of Conduit genes, then Zeke would've killed another few thousand people just to satisfy his lust for power.
I Just Want to Be Special: Zeke never shuts up about how he wants to have superpowers just like Cole in the first game, eventually causing him to give Kessler the Ray Sphere for the promise of power. Mainly caused by his Freudian Excuse of being seen as a loser with no money or family before the Empire City Blast, and wanting to reinvent himself into someone important; doubled with his extreme jealousy over Cole getting superpowers and becoming (in)famous around town. Dropped in the second game, where he only cares about going back to being a good friend for Cole again.
The Lancer: Especially in the second game, where he's Cole's ally and primary contact from beginning to end. Except in the Evil ending.
The McCoy: Zeke tends to think in the short term when the situation does not necessarily call for anything else and has a loose set of principles that tends to make things worse for Cole, especially when there is a Spock around to act as a Foil like Moya, John and Kuo. Such things include using Cole's powers for Mundane Utility on multiple occasions, having no personal opinion whether Cole should help a cop or a drug-dealer, trying to encourage Cole to attack street-performers because he had a bad experience with one, etc. When Kuo is kidnapped, Zeke starts being the voice of reason if for no reason other than Nix's ideas being far more morally-bankrupt.
The Millstone: In the first game. Though he's Cole's best friend, Zeke only proves to be a hindrance for him at every turn. First by sending Cole on selfish missions, then getting himself captured by the Dustmen, next by abandoning his post to guard Alden, and finally taking the Ray Sphere and nearly killing thousands by activating it to give himself powers before joining with Kessler.
The Mole:
- Joins the Militia early on as a spy, and provides intel on them for Cole.
- In Second Son, he mentions being undercover in the DUP.
Muggle Best Friend: A bit of a deconstruction especially in the first game. Zeke gets a bit of a complex from constantly being overshadowed by Cole and his powers. It leads him to pull dumb moves and pimp Cole out for various jobs.
My God, What Have I Done?: Shows regret after betraying Cole and tries his best to atone for what he did throughout the next game.
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: He occasionally drops his Southern accent.
Post-Final Boss: In the second game, if Cole chooses to join forces with the Beast, Zeke is the last enemy he will kill.
Secretly Dying: From the Ray Sphere Plague in the second game. He tries to hide it until Cole uses his new plague sense to see it.
Sunglasses at Night: Justified. He's wearing them to hide the fact that he's secretly dying.
Took a Level in Badass: In the second game, he becomes a consistently reliable asset for Cole. He spies on the Militia, provides useful intel, rigs all sorts of useful gadgets up for Cole, gets a successful Big Damn Heroes moment, and even manages to steal and fire a nuclear missile, all while suffering from the Plague. If Cole turns evil and becomes the Beast, Zeke will still try to fight him on his own.
Voice with an Internet Connection: Never appears in person during the Cole's Legacy missions, stating that he's trying to keep himself hidden from the D.U.P.
What the Hell, Hero?:
- Cole chews him out for giving the Ray Sphere to Kessler.
- Gives a few small ones during Infamous 2 for a few evil actions.
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: In Cole's Legacy, he gives Delsin a speech about how he should control his powers and direct them at the right people. Well, he tries, anyway.

Trish Dailey

Voiced by: October Moore

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inFamous-Trish-001_8488.jpg

"They don't let dumbasses into med school, Cole!"

Cole's girlfriend, a doctor working hard to help the citizens of Empire City to recover from the aftermath of the Blast. She leaves him early in the game, as she believes him to be responsible for causing the death of her sister Amy during the catastrophe.

Broken Pedestal: She ditches Cole when the Voice of Survival's Malicious Slander leads her to believe that he caused the Blast which killed her sister. Good players can slowly repair the pedestal, whereas Evil players can break it further and further until Trish dies cursing Cole's name.
Defrosting Ice Queen: ONLY if you choose the heroic path.
Dying Declaration of Love: If Cole has good karma when she dies, her last words are to declare that she's proud of his actions and loves him for it.
Killed Off for Real: No matter which choice Cole makes, Good or Evil, Trish CAN’T be saved from death. She will die no matter what you do.
The Medic: Spends all her time treating citizens sick with plague when not interacting with Cole.
Morality Chain: For Good Cole.
Morality Pet: Averted with Evil Cole.
Nice Girl: Aside from her resentment against Cole for Amy's death, Trish is very kind and altruistic, and cares greatly about helping her patients in the hospital. And if Cole chooses to be a Hero, she will eventually forgive him and acknowledge all the good deeds he's done.
So Proud of You: In the Good path, she dies telling Cole how proud she is of all the good he's done for the city.
What the Hell, Hero?: Gives a ton of these if you choose the Evil path, and you absolutely deserve it.

U.S. Federal Government

Moya Jones

Agent Moya Jones

Voiced by: Kymberli Colbourne

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inFamous-Moya-001_4897.jpg

"Don't forget who's holding your leash, Cole."

An FBI agent whom Cole works for as an informant, promising to help him escape from Empire City if he finds John White and recovers the Ray Sphere. But it soon turns out that she is actually a DARPA agent seeking to get the Ray Sphere for the government to use, and Cole is nothing more than a pawn in her plans.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Pretends to just be an unfortunate government agent who wanted to save her "husband" John, but it was all a lie to manipulate Cole into getting the Ray Sphere and other valuable information for her.
I Did What I Had to Do: Her justification for lying to Cole. It doesn't help her case.
Killed Off for Real: She drowns on a military ship in the Interquel comics that take place between 1 and 2.
Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: She is NOT nice in the comics. As in "vivisection of Conduits" not nice.
Manipulative Bitch: Moya is not above threatening Cole with either his death or the destruction of Empire City. Cole gets increasingly annoyed with her over the course of the game. Also, she only told you John White was her husband to appear sympathetic.
Mission Control: Directs Cole to missions and new objectives for the first two-thirds of the game.
Pet the Dog: Cole tries to save her as she's drowning, but she urges him to leave her to die before they both do.
Unwitting Pawn: She was used by Kessler to his own ends. She doesn't take kindly to this fact.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: COLE does this to her after having put up with her threats throughout the whole story.
Voice with an Internet Connection: We never truly see Moya, other than one comic-book cutscene. Her only presence throughout the game is as a voice in Cole's ear.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: She claims she serves the greater good. Cole doubts this.

John White

Agent John White

Voiced by: Phil LaMarr

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/john_white_6992.png

An undercover FBI agent who infiltrated the First Sons and the husband of Moya, who has recently gone silent. Cole is ordered by Moya to search for him. He later contacts Cole, and reveals that he is actually an NSA agent, and that he has never been married nor met any woman named Moya. He then recruits Cole to help him locate and destroy the Ray Sphere.

And Then John Was a Zombie: After spending the first game trying to stop anyone from using the Ray Sphere, he more or less becomes a living one in the sequel. Though given the Timey-Wimey Ball aspects of the story, John becoming the Beast also qualifies as a bit of a Tomato in the Mirror.
Cold-Blooded Torture: Was subjected to this while trying to infiltrate the First Sons
Foil: To Moya. Both are federal agents serving as Mission Control. John is more hands-on and active in the field, while Moya has Cole do all her work; John cares for Cole's well-being, while Moya isn't above threatening Cole; John wants to destroy the Ray Sphere to stop anyone from using it again, while Moya wants to take it for the US government to exploit as they please; and John is much more honest with Cole than Moya. They're even from different agencies. Moya is John's Evil Counterpart.
Foreshadowing: One of the dead drops hints that for John to join the First Sons, he had to display powers to Kessler. John passes out and when he wakes up, Kessler accepts him, implying that he is indeed a Conduit.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: John is a pretty stern and demanding man, including when it comes to handling Cole. But unlike Moya, John’s sympathetic towards him, genuinely looks out for Cole, and reaches out honestly. He’s also a NSA agent trying to protect the people of Empire City.
Mission Control: He serves this role to Cole after Moya's dishonesty has been revealed.
Not Quite Dead: He was able to recreate his body after it was destroyed by the Ray Sphere in the first game. He went temporarily, violently insane from the agony, which is why he attacks Cole at the start of the sequel.
Properly Paranoid: Subverted in one of the dead drops. One of the first Missions with John has you destroy a First Sons helicopter sent to retrieve him. The dead drop reveals that the helicopter was the NSA sent to end his mission and bring him home.
Reasonable Authority Figure: In contrast to Moya who often threatens and sidetracks Cole (who gets increasingly irritated with her over the course of the game), John while still ordering Cole around, actually cares for his well being and actively helps him. He expresses sympathy for Trish's death and is concerned for Cole's life, pointing out that he needs a way to avoid the Feds who will want to a living weapon.
Rogue Agent: Was spying on the First Sons for the NSA, only to disappear after the first Ray Sphere blast in Empire City.
Sympathy for the Devil:
- Even if Cole tries to save Trish instead of the 6 other doctors, John sympathizes with Cole’s decision and loss of Trish, and doesn’t even personally judge him. Even in his dead drop in inFAMOUS 2 if you play as Evil Cole shows John sympathizing with Cole’s decision, despite his grievances with most of Evil Cole’s actions.
- Another example is when the First Sons assassinate the “Voice of Survival,” who slandered Cole under their orders. John admitted he kind of liked him.
Voice with an Internet Connection: Takes this role from Moya near the end of the game, though we do see him in the flesh a couple of times.
Walking Spoiler: As both NSA agent John White and as the Beast.

The Reapers

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inFamous-Reapers-001_9448.jpg

Prior to the Ray Sphere detonation, the Reapers were a very loose collection of drug dealers and petty criminals; however, after the quarantine was declared in Empire City and Sasha became their leader, the gang quickly took over much of the Neon District. Their numbers were bolstered by kidnapping innocent citizens and enslaving them with Sasha's mind-control fluid.

Badass Longcoat: The Conduits among the gang wear this.
Bad Black Barf: They occasionally vomit Sasha's black tar, which in no way impedes their ability to shoot you.
Brainwashed and Crazy: It turns out that many (if not most) of the Reapers are kidnapped citizens who were force-fed Mind Control tar produced by Sasha, turning them into her Slave Mooks.
Elite Mooks: The Reaper Conduits, who have the ability to teleport and fire shockwaves of energy in combat.
The Faceless: Since their faces are covered in tar.
From Nobody to Nightmare: The original members of the gang, at least, were, according to Cole, nothing but a bunch of petty crooks and drug dealers. After the blast, they pretty much control a good portion of the city. Later they're revealed to be average citizens brainwashed by Sasha's tar.
Gang of Hats: All of them are dressed in red hoodies. Reaper Conduits, however, dress in white longcoats — with the traditional hoods, of course.
In the Hood: They all wear hooded sweatshirts, which obscure their faces.
Psycho Electro: Reaper Conduits have lower-grade versions of Cole's own powers, in addition to a Flash Step.
Sorting Algorithm of Evil: The first gang Cole runs into, and outside its Conduits, its enemies are the least powerful.
Totalitarian Gangsterism: They control the entire Neon District and have no reservations in killing and harassing innocent civilians. The fact that they are all Brainwashed and Crazy by the Ax-Crazy Sasha probably has something to do it.
Vomit Indiscretion Shot: They occasionally puke out some black tar.
Water Source Tampering: One of the bigger plot points in the Neon District is that the Reapers are pumping Sasha's tar into the water supply.

Sasha

Voiced by: Jessica Straus

The leader of the Reapers street gang, formerly a First Sons researcher who once dated Kessler himself. She is also a Conduit with the power to produce a mind-controlling black tar from her body, which she uses to enslave people and force them to join her gang.

Ax-Crazy: She's completely and certifiably insane, and wants to turn the citizens of Empire City into her mind-controlled slaves.

Body Horror: She's bald, with gray skin and sharp claw-like hands, in addition to having a tongue that can split into several tendrils.
Cloudcuckoolander: Much of what she says indicates she's rather detached from reality. When she fights Cole, she casually talks to him about making dinner plans for the evening. She also confuses Cole for Kessler, referring to them interchangeably when expressing her love-hate feelings for them (though considering that Cole and "Kessler" are actually the same person, she might be onto something).
Karma Houdini Warranty: While she suffers no consequences for her actions in both the games and the comics, she would have most likely died in the canon ending of inFAMOUS 2 when Cole kills everyone who carries the conduit gene to save humanity.
Large Ham: She's very open about whatever emotions she's feeling at the moment.
Lovecraftian Superpower: Has the ability to produce a black tar-like substance to mind control people. Also, her tongue can split into several tendrils.
Mad Scientist: She used to work for the First Sons, researching Mind Control methods for them. And even before her Conduit powers activated, she was pretty clearly mentally unstable, as John's description of her dysfunctional romance with Kessler would imply.
Mind Control: She excels at doing this, via her black tar.
Ominous Obsidian Ooze: Has the power to exude a mind-controlling black tar from her body. By force-feeding it to the Reapers, she transformed them into loyal soldiers, and by introducing it to the local water supply, she hopes to recruit the civilians of the Neon District into her growing army. For added horror, the boss battle reveals that Sasha is milking her body to produce the tar in bulk - to the point that it's become part of her ensemble: close examination reveals that she's technically naked from the waist down apart from the black gunk covering her lower body.
Psycho Ex-Girlfriend: She isn't the protagonist's ex, but this fact hardly helps. Also causes a mild but notable aversion of Double Standard Rape: Female on Male, as she spends the first third of the game telling Cole how much she wants to get in his pants, despite his immediate and vocal disinterest. Goes right back into Psycho territory when it becomes apparent that, during her more insane moments, she can't always tell the difference between Cole and her ex. The fact that there's a good reason for this just makes it worse.
Stalker with a Crush: Sasha lives this trope.
Starter Villain: She's the first of the three gang leaders (before Alden and Kessler) that Cole has to defeat.
Stripperiffic: During her boss fight, Sasha is dressed only in a jacket and a layer of her own tar over the rest.
Telepathy: Intermittently throughout the game, she mentally communicates to Cole about how much she desires him.
The Vamp: She's certainly rather promiscuous, and tries (unsuccessfully) to seduce Cole in hopes of having him replace Kessler as her boyfriend. John White even calls her a "honeypot".
Villainous Rescue: In the comic miniseries, she breaks Cole out of the military's bonds and holds off Moya's men to allow his escape.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: While narrating a cutscene, Cole wonders if his powers might make him become as crazy as Sasha.
Yandere: Fantasizes out loud about an imaginary dinner party she's attending with Kessler, where she's made soup from the neighbors' bones, along with other obsessive, creepy things.
Sasha: Why, Kessler? Why do you love her? I'll kill her, I swear it! I'll wear her skin like a robe! ^noteShe's referring to Trish.

The Dustmen

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inFamous-DustMen-001_9608.jpg

A gang largely comprised of homeless men, the Dustmen rule the Warren District in the wake of the disaster in Empire City. As a cult of personality devoted to their mentalist leader, Alden Tate, they have begun abducting engineers and construction workers to build a monument in his honor; and searching for the Ray Sphere to boost his powers to even more extraordinary levels.

Boss in Mook Clothing: The Golem Conduits, who wear giant suits made of trash held together by telekinesis, and fire various projectiles in combat.
Crazy Homeless People: Tate and the Dustmen are homeless people, and quite spectacularly crazy.
Elite Mooks: Most of the Dustmen Conduits (another type not to be confused with the aforementioned Golem Conduits) are covered in tough armor, use rocket launchers, and can telekinetically create spider-like creatures made from trash.
Evil Tower of Ominousness: They've been conscripting slave laborers to build a giant tower of garbage for Alden. It's where he plans to activate the Ray Sphere if he gets the chance to take and use it.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Before the Blast, they were just a bunch of unarmed hobos. Now, they're one of the three most powerful criminal gangs in Empire City.
Gang of Hats: They've taken to wearing masks and coats out of garbage bags (hence their other nickname: "Trashbaggers").
Giant Spider/Scary Scorpions: Lower-tier Dustmen Conduits build telekinetically-animated spider/scorpion-mechs the size of dogs for use in combat.
Golem: Invoked, given that both in-game hints and characters refer to the armor-clad Boss in Mook Clothing as a "golem".
Instant Armour: The signature weapon of high-level Dustmen Conduits, made out of any trash or scrap metal in the area and quickly assembled around the Conduit's body.
Kidnapped Scientist: They enslave skilled engineers and construction workers to build their tower of garbage.
Malevolent Masked Men: They wear masks made from pieces of trash.
Mind over Matter: Much like Alden, the Conduits employed by the Dustmen specialize in telekinesis, using it to create monsters and suits of armor out of trash and scrap metal.
Totalitarian Gangsterism: After the Blast, they take control of the Warren District and turn it into one big Shanty town, using the population as their own slave-labor force.
Trash of the Titans: Under Tate's rule, a lot of the Warren has degenerated into this — even moreso than any other district in Empire City.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: The professionals kidnapped to build the tower are either worked to death or executed when they've completed the job.

Alden Tate

Voiced by: Jason Cottle

The leader of the Dustmen street gang. He was the son of Richard Tate, the former leader of the First Sons until he was overthrown by Kessler, forcing Alden to spend the rest of his childhood living homeless. After the Blast enhanced his preexisting powers of telekinesis, Alden formed an army of homeless criminals to help him on his quest to reclaim his lost "birthright" from Kessler.

Bald of Evil: Not surprising given how old he is.
Crazy Homeless People: Tate and the Dustmen are homeless people, and quite spectacularly crazy.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Once a homeless man with just enough psychic powers to survive the streets of Empire City, now one of the top three gang-leaders in the area and capable of lifting a bus with his mind.
Handicapped Badass: Blind in one eye, can only walk with the aid of a crutch, and able to throw buses with his mind and survive a fall of several hundred feet.
Humongous Mecha: Assembles one with his telekinetic powers to fight Cole.
Impoverished Patrician: His father was once the leader of The First Sons until Kessler showed up and pulled the rug out from beneath the Tates; forcing Alden out onto the streets.
It's All About Me: He has a rather single-minded obsession with getting revenge on Kessler and taking whatever he feels entitled to, like the Ray Sphere or control over Empire City, believing it will make up for all the hardship that he has suffered, other people be damned.
King of the Homeless: He united most of the homeless people around the Warren into a massive criminal gang.
Killed Off for Real: Vivisected in the tie-in comic.
Large Ham: Alden would like to take a minute of your time to remind you how much he hates you, Kessler, and pretty much anyone else who wants to get their hands on the Ray Sphere. As a matter of fact, there isn't a single moment in his dialogue where he isn't yelling at you.
Mind over Matter: Enough to fling cars and buses around at will and make gigantic suits of armour out of scrap metal.
Psychic Children: According to his introductory cutscene, Alden's mental powers had been unlocked at a very early age, hence why he was being groomed for leadership of the First Sons.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He's planning one against Kessler.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Even though he's a very old man whose father is most likely dead by the time the game begins.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: After being exiled from the First Sons by Kessler, Alden was forced to spend the rest of his life homeless and paranoid on the streets of Empire City, only surviving thanks to the powers he'd possessed at the time. This happened when Alden was a child, so it's no wonder why he became so crazy and ruthless.

The First Sons

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inFamous-FirstSons-001_6532.jpg

Not exactly a gang per se, the First Sons are actually a secret society of Conduits with a private army that's taken over Empire City's Historic District. With a history that can be traced all the way back to colonial America (or even medieval Europe), branches and cells all over America, and a heavy emphasis on the propagation and mastery of Conduit powers, they are also under Kessler's control, and directly responsible for causing the Blast.

Ancient Conspiracy: They claim to date all the way back to colonial America or even medieval Europe, though White says their origin stories are probably apocryphal.
Attack Drone: They use flying mini-drones to aid their troops in battle.
Been There, Shaped History: According to John's dead drops, they were partially responsible for the Salem witch trials. Also, the organization fled Europe in the first place, because their superpowers were mistaken for witchcraft.
Elite Mooks: When compared to the Reapers and Dust Men. They're more accurate with their weapons, carry modern assault rifles, and have more health.
- Within the First Sons themselves, they have two different types of Conduits, one that can create giant Hard Light suits to fight with, and the other can turn invisible.
Gas Mask Mooks: All of the First Sons soldiers are seen wearing gas masks, presumably due to the Plague.
Hard Light: Some of the First Sons Conduits can project giant energy-composed duplicates of themselves, both for attack and defense.
The Illuminati: They've had major influence supposedly as far back as at least Colonial times, shaping human history along the way, survey and manipulate the events at Empire City, and their symbol is rather similar to the Eye of Providence.
Invisibility: Some of their Conduits have mastered this ability, sneaking up on Cole to blast him with their shotguns.
Sliding Scale of Shiny Versus Gritty: In sharp comparison to the Reapers and the Dustmen, the First Sons wear clean uniforms and use highly-polished weaponry and tech. Result their regular Mooks are the most powerful.
Surveillance Drone: These are actually encountered outside the Historic District, being used by Kessler to spy on other parts of the city.
Totalitarian Gangsterism: While not nearly as overt as the Reapers or the Dustmen, the First Sons essentially treat the Historic District (and all of the people living there) as one giant testing ground for Cole.

Kessler

Voiced by: Sam A. Mowry

"I've always been there, Cole. Every step of your life!"

The main antagonist of the first game, and leader of the First Sons. He was responsible for planning all the events leading up to Cole activating the Ray Sphere. His powers resemble Cole's, but are much more powerful.

Artificial Limbs: His right arm is clearly robotic, implying that he may have lost it at some point.
The Alcoholic: Implied in the comics; Zeke mentions that Kessler would often visit him in his cell while "drunk off his ass."
All for Nothing: A rather ironic example if you get the Evil ending in the sequel. Kessler went back in time to make Cole ready to stop the Beast. But if he goes down the Evil path in Infamous 2, Cole not only joins forces with the Beast, but at the very end of the story, he BECOMES the Beast.
The Atoner: Inverted in the worst way possible. Kessler went from being a loving husband and father, to a supervillain mastermind to make up for the failures of his past.

Big Bad: Leader of the First Sons, creator of the Ray Sphere weapon, and responsible for just about all the events that happened in the game's past and present, most importantly tricking Cole into blowing up half the city.
Being Evil Sucks: All of his actions are done out of a (twisted) belief of forcing the greater good upon Cole. He's not actually proud of what he's done, most especially having his own (alternate-timeline) lover Trish get killed.
The Chessmaster: He spent decades planning out Cole's transformation into a super-hero/villain, so that he can become strong enough (both physically and mentally) to fight the Beast in the future.
Death Seeker: Nothing in his plan requires him to battle Cole, certainly not one-on-one in a Mirror Match when he's got basically an army at his command. Indeed, one might think his plan to stop the Beast has a much better chance of success if he doesn't fight Cole to the death. Given this, it becomes obvious in hindsight that Kessler deliberately set up the Duel to the Death so he could die knowing Cole was ready to save the world.
Dirty Coward: Kessler had the power to stop The Beast in his own timeline, but instead, he chose to run out of a misguided belief that he would put his family in danger, when in the end, he ended up putting them in MORE danger than before, and it cost him their lives, as well as the lives of everyone from his time. Or at least, that's what Kessler thinks of himself. Whether fighting the beast was ever a realistic option is less clear.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: As it turns out, due to being another version of Cole MacGrath, he once had the (exact) same set of family and friends, and he too loved them dearly. Though this doesn't stop him from endangering Zeke and later murdering Trish. It also doesn't excuse his immoral actions either.
Evil Genius: He spearheaded the Ray Sphere project from conception to completion, doing all the research and experimentation necessary to make his goals happen. And regardless of his plans for Cole, there's no doubt that his entire scheming also sounds very crazy and convoluted.
Final Boss: Kessler's radial groundpound attack can take off half your life points if you don't hover over it (and due to the dust it kicks up, it's not always easy to judge when it's safe to drop down), he flash-steps everywhere to dodge your fire, he spawns grenade-launching robot drones and land mines to harass you, and can create a wall of giant spectral versions of himself at the same time he performs the groundpound. Most of this is justified since he's spent decades researching superpowers and super-technology, and is the final boss, but still, he's annoying.
Flash Step: To a ridiculous extent.
Future Badass: Being Cole from the future after all, he has many of the same powers, but stronger, along with some new ones.
Future Me Scares Me: He is Cole from the future. In fact, Cole hates him so vehemently, even after learning of his tragic past, that he only ever refers to him as "Kessler." Conveniently enough, this also serves to preserve that particular twist for those who play the second game, but not the first.
Genius Bruiser: An extremely powerful Conduit fighter who also studied science for his plans to create and activate the Ray Sphere.
An Ice Person: Hits Cole with a blast of ice in one cinematic.
In the Hood: His outfit includes a hood which he keeps up at all times.
Irony: Kessler traveled back to the past and spent decades trying to figure out a way of stopping the Beast in the future. However, Kessler's actions only served to accelerate the impending apocalypse he feared would happen, when the Ray Sphere that he had created eventually somehow turns John White into the Beast. Though of course, Kessler's main goal was forcing Cole to become The Chosen One that would eventually defeat the Beast... However, if Cole decides to go down the Evil Karma route, then not only does Cole end up siding with the Beast instead, he soon BECOMES the new Beast.
Light Is Not Good: His powers are mostly made up of searing white light.
Love Makes You Evil: The death of Trish and their kids in the original timeline made him evil enough to kill Trish himself in the next one.
Manipulative Bastard: Being The Chessmaster extraordinaire that he is, he really knows how to get under Cole's skin and anger him into motivation. All Just as Planned of course.
Miles to Go Before I Sleep: He himself admits that he's tired, worn out, and looking forward to Cole killing him, but he refuses to actually die until he feels Cole is strong and ready enough to defeat the Beast.
Mirror Boss: He has far more powerful versions of many of the same powers that Cole does. Because he is Cole.
My Greatest Failure: Kessler might have been strong enough to stop the Beast, but chose his family over fighting, refusing to put Trish or his daughters in danger, and went on the run with them for years as the Beast continued to hunt them, laying waste to the world in the process, which eventually resulted in their deaths and the planet becoming an uninhabitable wasteland. Going back in time and orchestrating the first game's entire plot was all so he could shape his past self into the hero he wasn't.
Occult Blue Eyes: And they glow.
Refusal of the Call: In his future, he refused to fight the Beast, which led to everything dying. His ultimate goal is to mold Cole into the savior he refused to be.
Stealth Mentor: Everything he does, he does out of the desire to make Cole strong enough to defeat the Beast.

Tragic Keepsake: The one remaining link to his former life is a wedding photo of him and Trish, with Zeke as the best man. This reveal turns the first game's entire plot on his head.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: All of his evil actions were to rewrite his mistake by making Cole a stronger hero to stop the beast and teaching him not to let his attachments get in the way of society's wellbeing. He even succeeded posthumously in the second game when Cole manages to save mankind.
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: A profoundly dark advocate of this trope, born from personal guilt at having done a Refusal of the Call in his timeline which let the Beast eventually kill his family. As such, Kessler is adamant on molding his past self into the powerful and responsible figure he feels he should have been by making Cole's life an utter hell whenever he feels Cole is using his power irresponsibly and even murders Trish to prevent Cole from choosing her over stopping the Beast.

Miscellaneous

The Voice of Survival

"The Voice of Survival" (AKA Dallas)

Voiced by: Derrick Forget

"Voice of Survival, out!"

A government-critical DJ who regularly hacks the TV broadcast in order to give news updates and survival tips to the citizens of Empire City. He blames Cole for the disaster, and tries to make all his actions look like crimes.

Asshole Victim: Very few players feel sorry when the First Sons blow him away.
Conspiracy Theorist: Much like Zeke, he's very skeptical and distrusting of every claim that the federal government makes. Although it becomes increasingly evident that he is Properly Paranoid during most of his rants. Unfortunately, he leans heavily on blaming Cole for everything, which damages his credibility a lot.

Jerkass: He takes every opportunity to publicly slander Cole, even if Cole is taking the Good path.
Jerkass Has a Point: If the player is choosing an Evil path, then the Voice of Survival technically isn't wrong when he claims that Cole is an evil psychopath only motivated by his selfishness. But then again, he'll say the exact same things even if one chooses to play Cole as a good guy.
Just Following Orders: As he's about to be killed by the First Sons, he pleads with them that "[he] did everything [they] said!", implying that the First Sons were making the Voice slander Cole's name.
Malicious Slander: His non-stop trash-talking of Cole.
Pet the Dog: When he's not badmouthing Cole, he offers advice to people on how to survive, weather the storm, and help out.
Signing Off Catchphrase: "Voice of Survival, out!"
Straw Character: He gives off vibes of being a radical anarchist or libertarian.
Ungrateful Bastard: Even if Cole is a Hero doing good deeds for the people of Empire City, the Voice of Survival will never acknowledge this.
Voice of the Resistance: He claims to represent the denizens of Empire City who have been neglected and oppressed by the federal quarantine.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Near the endgame he is killed on-air by the First Sons. His desperate plead of "I did everything you said!" as this happens implies that he was only allowed to broadcast on their sufferance on the condition of following their orders.

Characters / inFAMOUS

inFAMOUS 1 | inFAMOUS 2 (Festival of Blood) | inFAMOUS: Second Son (First Light)

Main Protagonist