Introduction: “Hello there, I’m here to show you a wonderful place….”
Fallout characters are the lifeblood of the gaming franchise, from its roots as a top-down tactical RPG all the way to Bethesda’s raucous takeover that led the series to brand new heights. The game’s political nuance and assessment of how the human psyche operates in the fall of man is little without the clones shouting their own name and sex robots — and it’s safe to say that the series is exactly the same.
The critical response to Fallout on Prime Video has been a dream for longtime fans, especially when it dedicates to the weirdness and gore of the wasteland, telling a brand new story across the endless hell of a post-war world. It’s gnarly, but it’s goofy enough to keep morale high — and a lot of that is thanks to the characters that keep the show alive. So, who exactly is it that we need to keep an eye out for in the show? Here’s our breakdown of the characters of the Fallout series.
Fallout Characters — Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell)
Ella Purnell of Yellowjackets fame is Lucy MacLean, Fallout’s vault-dwelling protagonist. She’s a picture of the can-do American attitude – a charming, kind-hearted go-getter who loves to teach American history and host a book club with her Overseer dad (but without her brother Norm, who she can’t seem to convince to pick up a book), which works nicely in Vault 33, but not so much in the harsh wasteland.
She finds herself on a journey across desolated Southern California in search of her missing father, where she finds that her personality seems to be at odds with every living creature on the surface. She’s pleasant to a fault, and it seems that the world after the bombs dropped finds her niceness genuinely nauseating. We think she’s very sweet, though.
Fallout Characters — Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan)
Hank MacLean is Lucy and Norm’s father, and also the Overseer of Vault 33. He is a kindhearted, generous leader to the people of the Vault, and has in his tenure as their leader become the thing that holds the entire community together. He believes firmly in the perceived values of Vault-Tec, and is dedicated to his mission to keep Vault Dwellers on track to return to the surface on Reclamation Day in order to bring civilisation back to life. His past seems hazy, though, and there could be more to the history of the Overseer than we bargained for.
Fallout Characters — The Ghoul (Walton Goggins)
The first (and perhaps deadliest) antagonist to Lucy and her wasteland trek is the ambiguously named Ghoul. His motivations and intentions are unclear, but his approach certainly isn’t, adopting the violence of an irradiated Southern California to his advantage. He’s peeled from the grave for “one last job,” going after the same target as seemingly everyone else in the wastes – but chances are, The Ghoul’s tactical knowhow will make him the fiercest foe for anyone who stands in his way.
His history begins in pre-war California, hosting birthday parties with his young daughter after a collapsed acting career – how he got to be here some 200 years later remains a mystery, but we’re willing to bet that The Ghoul isn’t going to be thrilled to talk about it.
Fallout Characters — Maximus (Aaron Clifton Moten)
Raised by the Brotherhood of Steel, Maximus has barely known anything beyond military drills and the goal to hoard pre-war tech on behalf of his unit. Surviving a traumatic detonation that claimed his entire family and community, Maximus is a budding initiate who is seemingly afraid of his own shortcomings. He’s shown a tendency to play dirty to get what he wants despite the immense shame it brings him, not to mention the Brotherhood itself if they ever find out. He finds himself on the same journey towards “the target” as Lucy and The Ghoul, and though he’s got the firepower to make the job an easy one, he might not have the steel stomach he needs to do what has to be done.
Fallout Characters — Dr Siggi Wilzig (Michael Emerson)
Dr Siggi Wilzig is “the target.” he’s a mysterious scientist left with only the will to survive after being rejected by his community for engaging in unorthodox experiments. Most importantly to him, though, is the fact that his actions have painted a target on his back seen by raiders, bounty hunters, and the Brotherhood of Steel alike. Taking to the wasteland in hopes of hiding or finding a way to escape his would-be captors, his life has become one of anxiety and suspicion with only his loyal canine companion CX404 by his side.
Fallout Characters — Norm MacLean (Moisés Arias)
Moisés Arias (yes, you did see him in Hannah Montana) is Norm MacLean, the youngest of the MacLean family who helps Lucy to escape the vault on a journey to find his father against the wishes of Vault 33. Left behind, though, he finds himself caught in the eye of the storm of Vault-Tec’s many conspiracies, discovering that there may be something not entirely wholesome about his community’s trifecta of vaults. Norm is the key to uncovering the political horrors of Vault 33, falling down a rabbit hole that forces him to consider that he might have been better off outside of the heavily-reinforced walls of the vault after all.
Fallout Characters — Knight Titus (Michael Rappaport)
The surprise appearance of Michael Rappaport took many fans of Fallout aback, but his appearance, though short, isn’t without its weight. Rappaport is Knight Titus, the fearsome and aggressive knight of the Brotherhood of Steel shadowed by Maximus. He’s no-nonsense, harsh and brash on the outside, but even through the steel of his T-60 power armour, it’s clear to see that his confidence and reliance on brutal violence aren’t exactly as firm as you’d first think. He’s expected to be the perfect soldier for the cause of the Brotherhood, but his allegiance is beginning to shake when we meet him – and it won’t be long before it takes a toll on him.
Author Bio:
Joseph Kime is a journalist, author and podcaster from Devon, UK. He is the Senior Trending News Writer for gaming site GGRecon, writer of the self-published essay collection Building A Universe, and co-creator of The Big Screen Book Club podcast. After graduating from Plymouth’s MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he’s written for the likes of The Digital Fix, Zavvi and FANDOM. He’s Nobuhiko Ōbayashi’s biggest fan, and will talk your ear off about the significance of Kiki’s Delivery Service.
