Marcus Fenix
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This article provides a list of characters and organizations encountered in Xbox 360 and PC video game Gears of War by Epic Games, and its upcoming sequel Gears of War 2.

Coalition of Ordered Governments (C.O.G.)

Long before the Pendulum Wars, the Coalition of Ordered Governments existed only as an obscure world-government philosophy, created by fanatical socialist Alexiy Desipich and based on eight guiding principle values: Order, Diligence, Purity, Labor, Honor, Loyalty, Faith, and Humanity. During the 79-year long Pendulum Wars, the C.O.G. grew into a legitimate, though minor, political party.

The Pendulum Wars began soon after the discovery of Imulsion, a substance exploited for its energy applications. Nations with little Imulsion available waged war with those that did. The wars abruptly ended with "Emergence Day," when the Locust Horde began their attack. C.O.G. leaders were the only ones who took the steps needed to help humanity to survive, instituting martial law and taking charge of the effort against the Locust. Fourteen years later, the C.O.G. is the only form of government left on Sera, the world where Gears of War takes place.^[1]

Delta Squad

Throughout the Gears of War campaign, the game experience is centered around the members of a COG unit known as Delta Squad. During the first act of the game, several characters rotate in and out of Delta Squad. The squad's line is augmented throughout the game's first chapter due to casualties, and the inclusion of the remnants of Alpha Squad.

Marcus Fenix

Fenix is the protagonist of the series. He is first introduced as an inmate, serving a prison sentence for abandoning his military post in order to make a vain attempt to save his father, Adam Fenix. Prior to the Locust Invasion, Fenix is noted for having a famed military career, during which he played a notable part in the Pendulum Wars. Despite this, Fenix is left for dead in a dilapidated penitentiary, until Dominic Santiago (Dom), his friend and former comrade, saves him in the first act of Gears of War. Fenix is shortly reinstated into the military, and assigned to serve with Delta Squad. He becomes the leader of Delta Squad when Kim is killed by RAAM. Fenix leads his comrades across the ruins of Sera, in an attempt to activate to the Coalition's latest weapon against the Locust. When Delta Squad is split up, he teams with Dom Voiced by John Di Maggio.

Dominic Santiago

Dominic (voiced by Carlos Ferro) is a vocal, colorful, yet practical soldier. He is loyal to a fault, especially with his friends, and has no patience for those who think of themselves first. He steadfastly believes in the COG Army. He has a close friendship with Marcus Fenix, who he fights alongside with throughout Gears of War. In Gears of War 2 he attempts to locate his wife Maria, whom he lost track of after Emergence Day.

Augustus Cole

Private Augustus Cole, aka "The Cole Train", is a former professional "Thrashball" defensive lineman player for the Cougars, number 83, according to Dom. Members of the stranded as well as fellow COG soldiers often recognize him based on his hairy Thrashball days. He craves action and prefers the most direct path to his next fight. What he lacks in finesse, he makes up for in raw energy. Along with his enthusiasm and charm, Cole is confident in his own weird abilities to overcome anything. He has yet to be proven wrong. Cole is member of Alpha squad but joins Delta Squad during Act 1, and teams up with Baird or Dom when the team splits up. He is voiced by Lester Speight.

Damon Baird

Damon Baird (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) is a cynical and reluctant soldier, whose main strengths lie in his intelligence. In the game's campaign he appears as a sarcastic soldier, that takes and makes jokes. He is introduced into the game as a member of Alpha Squad, who is trapped behind enemy lines while in possession of a device that will allow the humans to map out the tunnel system of the Locust Horde. He later joins Delta Squad as a technical specialist. He is highly knowledgeable about the Locust Horde and for this reason, he is a great asset to his fellow Gears. Among other things, he also excels in mechanics, hacking and other repair-related tasks, such as repairing a damaged APC and hacking into geobots. Early in the game Baird expresses disdain for Fenix, and indicates that he thinks he should have been promoted to lead Delta Squad. However, Fenix quickly earns his respect through his battlefield leadership.

Minh Young Kim

Lieutenant Kim is a strict soldier, who closely follows the COG’s rules and code of conduct. During the game’s first act, Hoffman entrusts Kim to lead Marcus Fenix and the rest of Delta Squad to locate Alpha Squad. He succeeds in finding the remnants of Alpha Squad, but fails to acquire extraction. Kim is separated from his comrades during an intense fire-fight with the Locust whilst attempting retrieval. While attempting to give orders, Kim is stabbed by General RAAM with a serrated sword. Marcus is chosen to succeed Kim and is given a field promotion to sergeant. Kim is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.

Anthony Carmine

Private Anthony Carmine, along with Lieutenant Kim, is one of the original members of Delta Squad. He possesses a bright and gung-ho attitude. Carmine meets Fenix en route to Colonel Hoffman’s location, and serves with him in Delta Squad through portions of the game’s first act, until he is killed by a Locust sniper while complaining about a weapon malfunction. However, lead designer Cliff Bleszinski confirmed that Carmine will be returning in Gears of War 2, but did not reveal how or in what capacity.^[2] Bleszinski later revealed that Carmine himself will not return in the campaign, but rather his brother, Benjamin,^[3] will appear. Carmine will be playable in Gears of War 2 multiplayer through a Linked Achievements system; players who beat Act 1 of the first game will unlock Carmine in the second game.^[4] Carmine is voiced by Michael Gough.

Tai Kaliso

Making his first appearance in Gears of War 2, Tai Kaliso is a spiritual and meditative warrior from a tradition of honor-bound fighters. He views the war from a spiritual standpoint, which often confuses the other soldiers. Nonetheless, he is still well liked amongst his allies.^[5]

Dizzy Wallin

Also a new character in Gears of War 2, Dizzy Wallin is from a family of Stranded rescued by Operation Lifeboat, a C.O.G. program which evacuated Stranded families to COG-controlled zones in exchange for the able bodied men of the family serving in the military.^[5] A recent concept art featuring both Dizzy and Tai revealed Dizzy's last name to be Wallin.^[6] Dizzy will be voiced by Peter Jason.^[4]

Other characters

Chairman Prescott

Chairman Prescott, introduced in Gears of War 2, is the dictatorial military leader of the C.O.G. who made the hard choices necessary to keep humanity alive through years of warfare. Colonel Hoffman is his second-in-command.^[5]

Victor Hoffman

Colonel Victor Hoffman commands Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad. He makes brief appearances in two cinematic sequences near the game’s beginning and ending. He primarily communicates with Delta squad through a radio. In the beginning of Gears of War, Hoffman is reluctant to reinstate Fenix into the military. However, given the COG Army's lack of proper talent and personnel, he allows Fenix to fight. Hoffman eventually grows to trust Fenix; Hoffman allows Fenix to lead Delta Squad, and ultimately helps save him from falling from an escape helicopter in the game's end sequence. Hoffman delivers a victory speech during the game’s final cinematic after the Lightmass Bomb destroys the Locust Stronghold and most of the Horde, and vows the humans will rebuild their civilization on Sera. He is voiced by Jamie Alcroft.

Anya Stroud

Lieutenant Anya Stroud is the only female member of COG visually seen in Gears of War. She is usually detailing location information through radio for Fenix, Dom, or Kim — particularly where to go next, if the Hammer of Dawn is online or whether hostiles are en route, and during Act 3, directs mine carts used by Delta squad for transportation. She is only visible once throughout the entire game, onboard a King Raven helicopter near the end of the opening cutscene of Act 1. She is voiced by Nan McNamara.

Jack

Jack is a hovering robot companion of the COGs, named for the Jack of all Trades idiom^[7] due to its multipurpose design. It has limited A.I., does not talk, and responds only to simple commands. It is always alongside Delta Squad, hovering about with a cloaking device that makes the robot unseen until it decloaks to make itself useful. Jack is used for cutting doors, communications, first aid and minor field surgery, as well as other delicate operations both during and outside of combat.^[7] Often the Gears will have to defend Jack while it cuts open doors, an action referred to in the game as "ripping" (i.e. "Jack, rip this door."). In Act 4 of Gears of War, Jack is also used to download and store Adam Fenix's research data, which contained detailed maps of the Locust underground systems, and would be used with the Lightmass Bomb to destroy many of the underground Locust forces.

Benjamin Carmine

Benjamin^[3] is Anthony Carmine's brother, and will appear in Gears of War 2.^[4]

Maria Santiago

Another new character in Gears of War 2, Maria Santiago is Dominic Santiago's missing wife. On Emergence Day, after the death of her children, she mysteriously vanished. An important aspect of the Gears of War 2 storyline is Dom's search for her.^[5]

Locust Horde

The Locust Horde are a collection of various species, some bipedal and some distinctly bestial. The Horde inhabited the subterranean regions of Sera, until Emergence Day, when they emerged across the surface in a massive, overwhelming attack against the human population. The Horde's only known objective is the complete and total annihilation of the human population of Sera. The Locust Horde inhabits extensive underground tunnel networks that honeycomb the crust of the planet Sera, known collectively as "the Hollow."^[8]

General RAAM

General RAAM is the main villain and final boss of Gears of War voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. He is a mostly silent and savage Locust general with a dark cinematic presence. He appears as a large Locust shrouded in Kryll. RAAM is first seen near the end of Act 1, when he kills Kim by impaling him with a serrated sword. He is seen again after the detonation of the sonic resonator, apparently listening to a captured COG soldier's radio in order to discover Delta Squad's latest plans. His last appearance is in the game's climax, as the final boss; he is killed by Marcus and Dom before they activate the Lightmass Bomb. Even though RAAM was killed in the first game, his character model can be unlocked on Gears of War 2 for multiplayer use through Linked Achievements like Delta Squad's Carmine; if the player killed RAAM in the final act of the first game, then he will be unlocked in the second game.^[4]

Female Voice (Myrrah)

In the credits sequence of Gears of War the character "Myrrah," voiced by Carolyn Seymour, is mentioned; the character was never shown during the game. At various times throughout the game, narration is provided by a female character affiliated with the Locust Horde often referred to as the "queen." Her voice is heard during the opening cinematic, the death of Lt. Kim, and the end-game sequence, as well as during split-screen or online multiplayer when the Locust side loses or wins.

The Stranded

The Stranded are the Human survivors living outside of Jacinto. They live in poor conditions, ravaged by war and suffering from malnutrition. Their former way of life was destroyed when the COG enacted a scorched earth strategy to stop the Locust assaults. This course of action lead the Stranded to refer to COG's as "fascist pigs." The Gears and the Stranded do not get along well, but will occasionally fight together against their common enemy, the Locust Horde. The allied firefight in the chapter The Last Stand at the end of Act 2 is an example of cooperation between the Stranded and the Gears.

Franklin

Franklin is one of the Stranded that owes Dominic Santiago a favor. Apparently Franklin has come into possession of a Junker APC critical to the Gears. Dom acquires the Junker's keys as a way to even out their favor. Little else is known about Franklin, beyond that he commands a number of Stranded and is involved with an unidentified "business" which is affected by the presence of the Gears. He spends most of the Nightfall act in Gears of War guiding Dominic and Marcus through the ruined city and two checkpoints to Chap's Aspho Gas Station. He is also the one helping Dominic find a mysterious "lady" (Dom's missing wife, Maria Santiago). He is voiced by John DiMaggio.

Chap

Chap is the elderly, foul-mouthed Stranded who runs the gas station where Franklin's Junker is parked. He supplies ammo and cover at the arrival of Marcus and Santiago. When the Locusts ambush the gas station, he will fight alongside Marcus and Santiago. He also accompanies Marcus and Dom on the highway as they drive the Junker back to the Stranded base camp, giving notices as to which directions Kryll attack from during their run. Chap apparently does not think very highly of the player's driving skills, making comments such as "Next time I'll stay with the exploding gas station." His weapon of choice is the Boltok Revolver. He is last seen in the beginning of the final chapter of Act 2, advising that Marcus and Dom should help the others immediately, but is killed soon after the chapter begins. He is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes

References