Left 4 Dead/Characters

William "Bill" Overbeck
""Aaah... I'm getting too old for this horseshit.""

"Voiced by Jim French"

Bill is a Green Beret Vietnam vet. Having had nothing to do since he was discharged from the military for a knee injury, the zombies have given him a new purpose in life: to see them all dead. At least in the intro, he was featured as essentially the leader of the survivors.

Associated Tropes:
 * A Father to His Men: The "men" being the other survivors.
 * Badass Grandpa: Bill, Vietnam vet and former Green Beret.
 * Badass Beard
 * Badass Creed: "I'll see peace back on this earth if I have to kill every one of these animals with my bare goddamn hands!"
 * Blood Knight: Bill misses 'Nam and is actually glad that the zombies have given him an enemy to fight.
 * Character Development: Bill near the end of the No Mercy campaign says he will kill every zombie in the world with his bare hands if that is what it took to get peace back. After the events of the comic,
 * Cool Guns: Bill's typically shown using an M16 as his weapon. Upon picking up one, he'll sometimes mention how it reminds him of old times..
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Dual-Wielding: For two brief moments in the comic, using a bonesaw and scalpel, and later an M16 and pistol.
 * Fake Shemp: Didn't get any new lines in Crash Course. Eventually evolved into...
 * Though he does get new lines in The Sacrifice.
 * Heroic Willpower: While being put under anesthesia for surgery, one of the nurses turns and attacks him. Bill forces himself to remain conscious, fend off the attacker, and run down several hallways to get a weapon.
 * Handicapped Badass: The aforementioned knee injury.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: You may remember him better as Father Grigori.
 * Papa Wolf: "We come back for our own." See also Team Dad.
 * Nice Hat: And it's not just our opinion, the Team Fortress 2 characters agree.
 * Shell Shocked Senior
 * Smoking Is Cool
 * Take That: One of his new lines in The Sacrifice is "You know who runs around filling things up with gas? Idiots." Dead Center, The Passing, and a number of custom campaigns in L4D2 have finales that make the players run around filling things up with gas.
 * Team Dad: Especially towards Zoey.
 * In The Sacrifice,.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Zoey's reaction to Bill in the comic after he refused to slow the train down so another survivor could jump on board, resulting in him getting mauled by the infected.
 * Shell Shocked Senior
 * Smoking Is Cool
 * Take That: One of his new lines in The Sacrifice is "You know who runs around filling things up with gas? Idiots." Dead Center, The Passing, and a number of custom campaigns in L4D2 have finales that make the players run around filling things up with gas.
 * Team Dad: Especially towards Zoey.
 * In The Sacrifice,.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Zoey's reaction to Bill in the comic after he refused to slow the train down so another survivor could jump on board, resulting in him getting mauled by the infected.



Francis
""I hate Ayn Rand.""

"Voiced by Vince Valenzuela"

A biker who disdains Bill for unknown reasons (the feeling is mutual, and it's more of a rivalry, really), Francis treats the zombies as "the world's biggest barfight." He is well known for his hatred of everything except vests and occasionally the army (only when they're saving his life, however). Despite the contempt he sometimes displays for his erstwhile allies, he sticks with them, and seems to legitimately care if they're badly wounded or killed.

Associated Tropes: "Bill: Francis, is there anything you DON'T hate?
 * All Bikers Are Hells Angels: The comic shows that he was scheduled to be put in jail for stealing a TV and impersonating a police officer (to the police officer who arrested him), but the Zombie Apocalypse put that on hold. He and his biker friends responded to the zombie horde by dragging a jukebox to the roof, playing some tunes on it, and then shooting everything they saw.
 * Badass Biker
 * Badass Boast: "Good thing I'm indestructible."
 * Blood Knight: Some of his lines support the idea that he's having fun in the Zombie Apocalypse.
 * This is shown in The Sacrifice, where Zoey and Louis take the zombie apocalypse as any normal person would do, whereas Francis' reaction is to bring his friends, beer, guns and a jukebox up to the roof for a whole night of zombie killing.
 * Dumb Muscle: Already shows this in the original campaigns, but in the Crash Course DLC, Louis and Zoey make it more obvious how uneducated Francis is (one of Francis' lines has him think they're in Canada!).
 * For the unenlightened:
 * ''I HEAR A HUNTER/BOOMER/SMOKER...and it sounded Canadian!
 * Eh?
 * He's convinced that the zombies are vampires. In the cut lines he even gives an explanation for calling them vampires (though the fact that the line is cut content makes it not canon.) And after Louis describes the Boomers, Hunters and other special infected to the military in the comic, Francis makes a point of talking about vampires.
 * On the other hand, see Obfuscating Stupidity below. And he was bright enough to realize that continuing to hang out with his old gang was a death sentence.
 * Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
 * Eyes Always Shut: In the comic.
 * The Friend Nobody Likes
 * Informed Flaw: His original character model sported a beer gut. The other survivors still occasionally mention his weight problem, even though the finalized Francis model is pretty ripped and trim.
 * It's X. I Hate X.: his catchphrase.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He insults his fellow survivors fairly often (especially Bill and Louis), but genuinely cares about them, and shows genuine sadness over their deaths in game..
 * Mad Libs Catchphrase: "I hate X!"

Francis: You know what I don't hate? I don't hate vests."

"Francis: Hello, Rochellllle. A beautiful name for a beautiful lady. This your dad? Francis: Good bye Ro! Ugh... my lovely little angel..."
 * Never Learned to Read: According to Louis, anyway.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: He seems dumb enough, but how many people know about insulaphobia?
 * Shotguns Are Just Better: He's always shown with a shotgun in official art.
 * Given the choice between a shotgun or assault rifle, a Francis bot will go for the shotgun.
 * Ship Tease: In The Passing, he flirts with Rochelle, though he doesn't like her opinion of his vest. Some of his quotes:


 * Screams Like a Little Girl: When he is being attacked while incapacitated, he will sometimes scream in a higher pitched and silly voice.
 * Why Did It Have To Be An Island?



Louis
""Mister, if one of us gets killed out here, I will shoot my way in there and beat you to death with my gun!""

"Voiced by Earl Alexander"

Louis is an office worker who is barely dealing with the zombie crisis. Lacking Bill's experience, Francis' attitude, and Zoey's knowledge, Louis has trouble keeping up with everyone else.

Associated Tropes: ""Mister, if one of us gets killed out here, I will shoot my way in there and beat you to death with my gun!"
 * Action Survivor
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Louis will sometimes uncharacteristically threaten Church Guy.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Louis will sometimes uncharacteristically threaten Church Guy.

""Oh, it's a bitch apocalypse now, bitch!""
 * A lot of his cut lines make him sound like an eighties Blaxploitation hero.


 * Black and Nerdy: Louis is an IT professional, a normal guy. Standing next to a Green Beret and a Badass Biker would make any normal person look nerdy, even if he is every bit as competent at zombie killing as they are.
 * Louis also knows some Japanese, being able to read the Japanese graffiti on a safehouse wall in The Sacrifice, due to having interned in Tokyo, Japan. Louis also mentions when they get to the island during The Sacrifice campaign, there will be no internet or Xbox, being the only one concerned about this. He even makes a joke comparing molotovs to a computer firewall.
 * Butt Monkey: Not to fans or creators, but Francis definitely doesn't hate suggesting they let Louis die. This seems to be less than totally sincere.
 * Crazy Prepared: Not consciously, though. Official material states that Louis spent his free time at a gun range, explaining how the Desk Jockey got so good at killing zombies.
 * He's also the one who taught Bill how to make pipe-bombs, much to Bill's joy.
 * Hypocritical Humor: "Francis! I'ma teach yo ass how to read!"
 * Nice Guy
 * The Pollyanna: Easily the most optimistic of the original 4 survivors. This ends up getting lampshaded by both Francis and Zoey in Crash Course.
 * And lampshaded further by Francis in The Sacrifice where he either thinks Louis is totally insane for always being so positive or threatens to sink the sailboat just so Louis can be sad for once.
 * Shout-Out: He wears the same clothing as Shaun from Shaun of the Dead.
 * He has Heavy paper weight.
 * The Smart Guy
 * Token Minority
 * Took a Level In Badass:
 * Unlucky Everydude
 * Unlucky Everydude
 * Unlucky Everydude



Zoey
""I can't get over how FAST they all are, it's not even fair. I'm calling zombie bullshit on that, you know? They're not... ALLOWED to be so fast.""

"Voiced by Jen Taylor"

Zoey was a college student who spent all of her time watching zombie horror flicks instead of studying for her classes. When the zombie outbreak hit, she had the cold comfort knowing that all her knowledge on zombies would finally be put to use.

Associated Tropes: "Zoey: [Seeing a rack of magazines] Hey Francis, they've got the latest issue of Hating Everything Magazine here. Zoey: Hey Louis, all of these cubicles make you homesick? Zoey: Louis... You'd look good in one of those hospital gowns. Zoey: Hey Bill, it's your favorite — stairs! [When they reach more stairs] Hey, Bill, more stairs! Zoey: Oh, boo-hoo, I don't know what to do...Go to hell, Colonel Sanders."
 * Action Girl
 * Break the Cutie: Finding out that  and having her surrogate father figure, Bill   has made her rather bitter.
 * Bond One-Liner: "Pilot's license revoked. Dun, Dun, Dunnnn."
 * The Cutie
 * Deadpan Snarker: Many of her quotes display this.

"Francis: They're comin'! Zoey, pretend they're all helicopter pilots! Zoey: Zombies, Francis. He. Was. A. Zombie."
 * Expy: Of Claire Redfield.
 * Gamer Chick
 * Genre Savvy
 * Wrong Genre Savvy: See the above quote.
 * Guns Akimbo: In all official art she wields either a hunting rifle or two handguns.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Zoey is like, totally Cortana. Or is she Princess Peach?
 * Or Cate Archer. They pretty much have the exact same voice.
 * Never Live It Down: In-Universe; in Crash Course, Francis will not let Zoey forget about shooting the zombie helicopter pilot. Granted, it was at the beginning of the campaign, so it's justifiable.
 * Never Live It Down: In-Universe; in Crash Course, Francis will not let Zoey forget about shooting the zombie helicopter pilot. Granted, it was at the beginning of the campaign, so it's justifiable.

"Ellis: She is so beautiful... she is so beautiful. Ellis: Look at her, she is an an-gel. Ellis: You know what? This got me thinkin', I should totally marry that girl. Ellis: Zoey, Zoey, Zoey, Zoey, Zoe- I can say that all day long. Zoey, Zoey, Zoey, man I just love saying it really. Zoey: Ellis! ELLIS!...Maybe we should have gone with him? Zoey: I'm going to miss Ellis. Zoey: Ellis be careful!"
 * That snap decision is justified by the fact that.
 * Ship Tease: The Passing plays like one big Ship Tease for Ellis and Zoey if Zoey is the one you meet on the bridge instead of Francis. Ellis will fall in love with her and it's off to the races; some of their quotes:
 * Ship Tease: The Passing plays like one big Ship Tease for Ellis and Zoey if Zoey is the one you meet on the bridge instead of Francis. Ellis will fall in love with her and it's off to the races; some of their quotes:
 * Ship Tease: The Passing plays like one big Ship Tease for Ellis and Zoey if Zoey is the one you meet on the bridge instead of Francis. Ellis will fall in love with her and it's off to the races; some of their quotes:


 * Shout-Out: She constantly references movies and games.
 * The Smurfette Principle
 * The comic gives another possible reason:
 * The comic gives another possible reason:

Coach
""This used to be a nice neighborhood!""

"Voiced by Chad L. Coleman"

A high school American football coach who despises the zombies, and more or less leads the L4D2 survivors.

Associated Tropes: "Last time I saw my grandmother, she asked me, was I still a prayin' man? I told her, "Yes, ma'am!" "Well," she says, "pray harder, cause it ain't workin'!""
 * As the Good Book Says...: In the official preview trailer for the game, Coach is quoting his grandma about praying to God.


 * Bald Black Leader Guy
 * Big Eater
 * The Big Guy
 * Chainsaw Good: Official art often portrays him with a chainsaw.
 * Development Gag: The developer's commentary reports that Coach would have been able to use armor (i.e. a football uniform), but that was cut from the game. However, he still wants armor.
 * Also leads to a Hilarious in Hindsight moment since people can mod Coach's model to have him actually wear armor.
 * Everyone Calls Him Coach: Lampshaded; upon his death, Rochelle will jokingly wonder if "Coach" was his first or last name.
 * When Coach introduces himself to the other survivors in the beginning of Dead Center, he says everyone calls him Coach and that they could do the same.
 * I Coulda Been a Contender: A knee injury destroyed his chances of getting into the NFL decades ago, and now he's middle aged and fat.
 * Yes, but he's also a zombie slayer.
 * Inappropriate Hunger: Even if zombies are out to kill him, he still has time to think of hamburgers and worry if the food court is okay.
 * Ellis feels sorry for the zombie that destroys the last cheeseburger. Coach will not be pleased.
 * "If I see a zombie running at me with a sample tray, I ain't shootin' it!"
 * Coach will also express disappointment over how the storm washed away all the sugar at the mill in the Hard Rain campaign.
 * Nice Guy
 * Shipper on Deck: Coach and Rochelle seem to push Ellis to talk to Zoey about his feelings for her.
 * Team Dad: As much as he gripes about them, he appears to genuinely care for the rest of the crew and attempts to keep them out of harm's way.



Ellis
""Kill all sons-a-bitches. That's my 'ficial instructions.""

"Voiced by Eric Ladin"

Ellis is a 23 year old mechanic who's actually excited about the zombies: he enjoys fighting them and thinks of himself as indestructible.

Associated Tropes: "Ellis: HORSE! Nick: Nice observation, Ellis."
 * Adorkable: While not conventionally nerdy, something about his cloddish over-exuberance just screams Adorkability.
 * American Accents: Dixie.
 * Berserk Button: Do not insult Jimmy Gibbs Jr. in front of him.
 * Big No: When he gets grabbed by a Smoker or sees zombie Jimmy Gibbs Jr.
 * Bishonen: His face model is a professional male model named Jesy McKinney.
 * Butt Monkey: Every time anything bad happens in the trailer, it happens to Ellis.
 * Captain Obvious: Ellis, upon spotting a statue of a horse in a park.

"Holy sh*t guys, KIDDIE LAND!"
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Ellis is easily the survivor with the weakest grip on reality, often launching into completely pointless stories about his friend Keith, and the other survivors have to remind him that now is not the best time for such things. He sounds like a kid in a candy store in Dark Carnival especially.

"Oh my god, IT'S CHRISTMAS!"
 * His comfort in being in a zombie apocalypse disturbs Coach especially.
 * Upon seeing a huge horde of infected around the corner:

""He's like a five year old with guns. And a comprehensive grasp of every swear word in the English language.""
 * This link has a more in-depth analysis about this trait in Ellis.
 * Cluster S Bomb: Nick sums it up best:

""If the laws of nature allowed it, I would bear that man's children!""
 * Deadpan Snarker: Actually quite snarky, though not as much as Nick.
 * Mr. Fanservice: There is a reason Ellis is the most drawn and written about of the eight survivors.
 * Even the Guys Want Him: And how.
 * Expy: Ellis looks almost like a real life version of The Scout.
 * Heroic BSOD: If one of the survivors dies Ellis will not speak for the rest of the campaign.
 * Also, Zombie Jimmy Gibbs Jr.
 * Genius Ditz: Despite his Cloudcuckoolander status, he is pretty damn technologically inclined and smart, it's hinted that he may be the most intelligent of the 4 survivors. He is a mechanic after all. Ellis is often the one to formulate a plan on how to escape out of the area they're in. At the very least, it's usually Ellis who suggests filling up the show car with gasoline or turning on the stage show in the carnival.
 * Whether or not Keith actually went through the stories he tells, Ellis at least has a basic grasp of medical terms.
 * Hey, It's That Guy! / Hey, It's That Voice!: Jamie Wright from The Killing and William Hofstadt from Mad Men.
 * Meanwhile, users of the French dub get their Keith tales off the mouth of Eikichi Onizuka.
 * Some people might wonder why Ellis didn't grow electrical powers and fry the zombies.
 * Keet: Easily the chattiest and most cheerful Survivor.
 * Love At First Sight: Invoked when he sees Zoey in The Passing.
 * Mister Seahorse: Ellis's love for racecar driver Jimmy Gibbs Jr. knows no bounds.


 * Nice Hat: If you own Team Fortress 2 and bought or owned the second Left 4 Dead before the end of the "Sacrifice" sale, you got it in TF2. The Red Stapler effect has also caused it and his "Bull Shifters" shirt to become defictionalized in the Valve Store.
 * Noodle Incident: Every story about Keith gets cut off when the other survivors tell him now isn't the time.
 * Star-Crossed Lovers: Ellis never gets to really tell Zoey how he feels about her. And Zoey never gets to tell him; she either wanted him to stay with her, or to go with him as he pulls away. Damn Zombie Apocalypse getting in the way of young love.
 * Doesn't hurt that the guy they used for his character design is a professional model.
 * Sweet Home Alabama: While he shows some redneck tendencies, such as his love of cars and guns, he also comes off as a pretty easygoing and friendly guy.
 * Wimpification: Is vulnerable to Badass Decay in fan works, especially if it means setting him up as Nick's Chick.



Nick
""The last people on earth are me, and the goddamn three stooges.""

"Voiced by Hugh Dillon"

A traveling con man, Nick gets wrapped up in the zombie business and (mostly) unwillingly teams up with the other three L4D2 survivors. Over time he grows to like them.

Associated Tropes: ""Wow, Nick. I guess you do have a heart... A HEART OF GOLD!""
 * Badass in a Nice Suit: He's wearing a suit in the Zombie Apocalypse, which he claims cost $3000. Then again, he is a con man.
 * Word is, he stole the suit anyway.
 * Early in development, he was an escaped convict who actually did steal it. No definite word on if that's still the case now.
 * Cluster F-Bomb: Though more like S bombs with his constant use of "shit" and other swears like "son of a bitch."
 * Con Man: Nick's line of work prior to everything being blown to hell.
 * Con Men Hate Guns: Averted in the fact that he's pretty much always packing heat, with plenty of justification though.
 * The Cynic: Just listen to him.
 * Deadpan Snarker: He especially likes to pick on Ellis and Coach.
 * Defrosting Ice King: Over the course of the game he warms up to his companions.
 * The Determinator: "I have not... come this far... to die NOW!"
 * Mr. Fanservice: Often paired with Ellis in fanart and fanfiction.
 * The Friend Nobody Likes: Though Ellis likes him.
 * Genre Savvy: Less savvy than Zoey about the zombies themselves, but Nick is largely unsurprised by many of the things done by humans (and the military in particular).
 * Handsome Lech: This pretty much defines him. Although many Nick/Ellis fanfics tend to turn him into The Charmer or Manly Man to confirm his role as Seme to Ellis's Uke.
 * Hot Guys Are Bastards: Although he gets better.
 * Jerkass: Even more so than normal in The Passing.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He may seem like a douche at first, but he really does care about his teammates. Eventually.
 * Lampshaded by Rochelle:

""You're right Francis, he's not friendly. would've shot him by now!" "Go to Hell, Colonel Sanders!""
 * The original survivors only see the Jerkass side of him:

""Y'know all those things I said about you, Ellis? I was joking...""
 * Maybe so, but once you listen to some of his dead survivor quotes...

""Coach... I'm gonna miss ya, big guy.""
 * Also, check his reaction to Coach's death. He knows Coach is the heart of the team.

"Brains come out. Swamp water doesn't. Don't ask me how I know that.
 * In the intro cinematic for Left 4 Dead 2, Nick is always the first to help someone who gets in trouble, even if he is swearing about having to do it.
 * Leisure Suit Larry: If you look closely on him, he has a lipstick smudge on his collar, and a hickey on his neck.
 * Loveable Rogue: A snarky con artist/gambler, who nevertheless has some of the best lines in game.
 * Mad Libs Catchphrase: "X. Don't ask me how I know that.", where X is something about cleaning blood or guts out of clothing. See Noodle Incident.
 * Noodle Incident: From some of his quotes:

Legally, I'm not allowed to have a gun... I hope everyone's okay with that."


 * Politically Incorrect Hero: He was married at least once, and it didn't end well. This seems to have soured his view of women given the number of sexist lines he says throughout the game.



Rochelle
""SWEET LINCOLN'S MULLET!""

"Voiced by Rochelle Aytes"

A reporter from Cleveland, Rochelle came to get a good story and found herself in one instead.

Associated Tropes:

"Rochelle: Who's the guy on the poster? Ellis: The greatest man of all time. Try reading a book or something. Rochelle: Jimmy Gibbs Jr... yay."
 * Cool Big Sis: To Ellis, at least.
 * The Chick
 * Deadpan Snarker: Has quite a few, especially during Swamp Fever and The Passing.
 * When she sees zombies for the first time: "I think CEDA should have done more than to tell us to wash our hands."
 * Gosh Darn It to Heck: See her quote.
 * Hot Scoop: Oh my, yes.
 * Incredibly Lame Pun: "Axe me a question, I dare you."
 * Intrepid Reporter: Averted in that Rochelle at first sees the entire thing as a story that can put her on the map, but turns out to basically be fighting for her life and totally unconcerned about the event itself.
 * Rhymes on a Dime: "Dibs on Gibbs!"
 * Sarcasm Mode: Rochelle's reaction to Ellis' fanboyism over Jimmy Gibbs Jr.

"Knights Of Columbus, That hurt."
 * Shipper on Deck: For Ellis and Zoey.
 * Shout-Out: Many of her quotes are lines from Anchorman.


 * And she's wearing a Depeche Mode t-shirt.
 * Team Mom: She especially acts like this to Ellis, politely quieting him whenever he starts rambling childishly.
 * The Smurfette Principle

The Hunter
An extremely fast and agile infected man capable of making tremendous leaps. The Hunter can take out lone survivors by tackling them to the floor and clawing them to death.


 * Bald of Evil: In a couple of blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments.
 * Deadly Lunge: His modus operandi.
 * Difficult but Awesome: In Versus, moreso than any of the other specials. He has the potential to demolish a single survivor's HP in a matter of seconds, as well as having a fast method of movement and attacking. Unfortunately, until you learn when and how to strike, expect coordinated teams to kill you within an instant.
 * Disability Superpower: Its mutation most likely destroyed the Hunter's eyesight to allow it to better hunt by smell/sound.
 * Eye Scream: His eyes are either decayed or clawed out.
 * Fragile Speedster: The Hunter is, without question, the most mobile Infected. However, he has average-at-best health.
 * Incendiary Exponent: Added Damage when they have you pinned if they're on fire
 * In the Hood: The hunter appears to be wearing a hoodie in both games. Some joke that it's used to hide the possibility that he's actually Alex Mercer.
 * Le Parkour: Based off of one - his clothes' limbs are sealed shut with duct tape, a common practice by traceurs, and he moves around by agilely jumping around, ignoring most obstacles.
 * Personal Space Invader: His main attack is pinning down a human in a way that leaves them completely at his mercy.
 * Tears of Blood: See Eye Scream above.
 * Wimpification: An unfortunate side-effect of Most Fanfic Writers Are Girls.



The Smoker
A tall infected with an extremely long tongue (although it might be his intestines) used to entangle the survivors. The Smoker fills the Infected's sniper role somewhat, capable of yanking a distracted survivor away from his friends from a distance.


 * Body Horror: Cancerous Growths + Tongue From Neck = Not Good. Even more so in Left 4 Dead 2.
 * Unwilling Suspension: This is its modus operandi.
 * Cold Sniper: Unlike most of the other infected who like to get all up in your face and beat or claw you to death, the Smoker attacks from a distance with its tongue in a way similar to a sniper.
 * Giant Mook: Player characters barely come up to the Smoker's belly, and he has at least a foot or two on the Tank. In combination with his distinct green particle trail, survivors shouldn't have too hard a time spotting him ahead of time... usually.
 * Human Shield: You'd think he'd be able to use his victims as this, but patches to the game ensure that this is impossible due to bullets piercing survivors harmlessly under the stipulation that they also hit an infected.
 * It Got Worse: His mutation in Left 4 Dead 2 is far more advanced than in Left 4 Dead, giving him several non-functional tentacles.
 * Overly Long Tongue: His trademark and attack method.
 * Smoking Is Cool: Averted, if smoking actually affected his mutations. General consensus seems to be that he's called the Smoker because of the gas he extrudes and the constant coughing and wheezing more than because he smoked before infection.
 * Tentacle Rope: How he holds his victims.



The Boomer
An extremely bloated infected person. The mutation of this poor soul has apparently turned their bodily fluids into potent zombie pheromones, which is puked onto the survivors with impunity. The Boomer explodes violently upon death.


 * Action Bomb: The Boomer can resort to this if the vomit attack misses. A Boomer's bile can be spread by both vomit and exploding.
 * Body Horror: The L4D wiki, when explaining the Boomer's mutations in detail, makes it (arguably) second only to the smoker in pure disgust factor.
 * Breath Weapon: The Boomer's main weapon is his horde-attracting bile.
 * Dead Weight: May actually be a subversion, since The Boomer probably wasn't much fatter than, say, Gabe Newell pre-infection - most of his impressive girth can be attributed to the methane gas he's constantly burping up. Some even theorize that he wasn't necessarily overweight at all, but The Virus can just deform you THAT badly.
 * Distaff Counterpart: The Boomette actually has louder and longer burps paired up with being much slower than the Boomer (at least when AI-controlled), making her an easy target.
 * Enemy Summoner: Its bile, in contact with human skin, calls common infected to the area.
 * Fan Disservice: The Boomette actually wears less clothing than the Boomer. Ugggh.
 * Glass Cannon / One-Hit-Point Wonder: Easily the most fragile of the playable zombies, but arguably the most powerful. Absolutely vital to attacks by skilled teams as nothing else quite creates openings as well. Its glass cannon tendencies really stick out on higher difficulties when hordes are much more fearsome. Its 50 HP is so low that two pistol shots are certain death at all but extreme distances.
 * Interface Screw: Side effects of Boomer bile include, but are not limited to, blurred vision, removal of helpful HUD icons, nausea, instinctive muscle spasms, bad odor, and having your arms ripped off by the horde.
 * Jiggle Physics: On the Boomette...
 * Ludicrous Gibs: When killed, the only thing that the Boomer leaves behind is the lower half of its body.
 * Vomit Indiscretion Shot: As expected when it pukes on your face.
 * The Unfavorite: It is the least featured infected in the trailers, likely because it is also the least direct-combat-oriented of the SI.



The Charger
An infected man with an extremely large arm. The Charger uses his mutated fist to rush the survivors and fling them about.


 * Barrier-Busting Blow: The Charger is one of the most effective anti-door measures that the Infected have.
 * Body Horror: Look at that arm. I mean, just look at it.
 * Bullfight Boss: If a Charger comes at you, the best thing you can do is just get out of his way.
 * A Date with Rosie Palms: One of the fandom's most common jokes.
 * Foe-Tossing Charge: The Charger's modus operandi.
 * Punched Across the Room: Though his punch doesn't do knockback, his charge does on anyone that isn't his target. In certain areas, the knockback can become more deadly than the charge itself.
 * Red Right Hand: He'll even pound you to death with it.
 * The Right Hand of Doom: Literally.
 * Ring Out Boss: Inverted: He is the one that kills you, charging you off the map. Assuming he didn't grab one of your allies on the way and give you a Ring Out anyways.
 * Taking You with Me: Certain places in the second game allow a well-aimed Charger to carry both his victim and himself down a fatal drop.



The Spitter
Somewhat similar to The Boomer, the Spitter spews a liquid. Unlike The Boomer, The Spitter's liquid is a potent acid, capable of seriously hurting survivors who touch it.


 * Bare Your Midriff / Form-Fitting Wardrobe / Jiggle Physics / Nipple-and-Dimed /Thong Shot: For your viewing pleasure.
 * Breath Weapon: Somewhat similar to the Boomer.
 * Cold Sniper: Due to the long regeneration time of the spit, the Spitter's fragility, and the extreme range of the spit, she acts mostly like the Smoker.
 * Fan Disservice: Contrast her outfit with her mutation.
 * Girlish Pigtails: Sort of makes her look like a zombie Pippi Longstocking.
 * Glass Cannon: Although she can barely take any more damage than a Boomer, her acid hurts, and the only attack (from Special infected) that can destroy gas cans (only if Survivors have picked it up, then dropped it), which can ruin the progress of Survivors.
 * It Got Worse: The Spitter was the first Special Infected devised for the sequel in order to eliminate the game-breaking "camp in a corner and melee" tactic.
 * Poison Is Corrosive: Played with. Spitter Goo doesn't actually melt through whatever it comes in contact with (mainly due to game mechanics), but while the fanbase calls it acid for very obvious reasons, it's never actually referred to as acid in the game. They always call it "Spitter Goo" or "Burning Goo Shit." The in-game subtitles give the prompt [Acid Sizzling] when she spits, though.



The Jockey
A hunched over freak, the Jockey's method of attacking a survivor is to latch onto their back, and then steer them into more zombies or some environmental hazard. They are a bit more durable than most other special infected.


 * Annoying Laugh: "Hyeeeea heeee heee"... (Or however it goes.)
 * Disability Superpower: One fan theory states that the Jockey was wheelchair bound before infection, which may explain why its legs are so clearly atrophied.
 * The Hyena: The Jockey's main "weakness" is that you can hear his constant, crazed laughter from a mile away.
 * Power Perversion Potential: If a player is feeling particularly sadistic, they can opt to humiliate their target at the risk of not moving much.
 * Puppeteer Parasite: Jockeys are a more physically-oriented version of this than the typical ones.
 * Team Spirit: If he lures you near a Spitter or a Witch, you'll be in big trouble.



The Witch
The only unplayable special infected, the Witch is a haggish-looking woman who would just like to be left alone to cry. Unfortunately, those pesky survivors are running around, shooting off their guns and shining their flashlights. She'll make them stop.


 * Berserk Button: Flashing your light at her, shooting near her, shooting at her, exploding a Boomer or an explosive near her, accidentally bumping her or just being nearby for too long.
 * Disproportionate Retribution: Make the Witch mad and it will make you dead. She gets mad over such things as shining flashlights in her direction or just standing near her for too long.
 * Glowing Eyes of Doom: Even if it's dead...
 * Hair-Trigger Temper: It's very easy to piss her off.
 * Mood Swinger: From depressed to extremely angry.
 * One-Hit Kill: Getting hit by a Witch is an automatic knockdown - the only other infected that can do this is the Tank, and that is by punching heavy objects at survivors. On Expert and/or Realism, it's a literal one hit kill.
 * Sweet Tooth: In the "Hard Rain" campaign, Witches have gathered at an abandoned sugar mill, suposedly because they like the smell of the sugar.
 * Unstoppable Rage: If you shine your flashlight, make a sound anywhere near, shoot anywhere near, go anywhere near, or breathe anywhere near a witch you'll piss her off and she'll kill you dead. And she won't stop until either she's dead or she gets to you.
 * Woman in White: The Passing features the Survivors upsetting a Witch bride's wedding. You can imagine how that goes.



The Tank
The Tank is an infected man, roughly eight feet tall, with an extreme amount of muscle mass and a missing lower jaw. By far, it is the sturdiest special infected, but somewhat rare. Typically you only face one per level, though finales feature at least two.


 * Bald of Evil: In 2 the Tank is now completely bald.
 * Berserk Button: Coming in contact with the survivors is his.
 * Cold Sniper: A good way to use one in Versus - those rocks hurt.
 * Cycle of Hurting: Tank punches send you flying a few feet, leaving you unable to attack as you get back up. If you find yourself in a corner, Tanks will take advantage of the situation, human-controlled or otherwise.
 * Instant Death Radius: Going after him with a melee weapon generally isn't advised. Melee weapons deal decent damage, but guns are a much wiser idea and generally deal more damage in most situations. Plus, smacking him up-close will force him to focus on you, though for teamwork purposes this can actually be useful.
 * It Got Worse: In the sequel, his chest-muscles have grown so much that his lower jaw has been crushed by them, leaving his mouth an open hole.
 * The Juggernaut: It can break through pretty much anything, takes a ridiculous amount of lead to put down, and can hurl cars and other things at the survivors. He's so big he causes a mini-earthquake just by walking.
 * Kill It with Fire: A common tactic is to try and burn it. Granted, it will eventually kill the Tank, but it takes a long time. And when it's on fire, it moves faster on the first game, and only to CPU controlled Tanks. Player controlled Tanks in both games actually go slower when on fire because every time the Tank takes a tick of damage from the fire his acceleration resets. This applies to the L4D2 CPU Tanks, as well.
 * Large and In Charge: It goes without saying that survivors somehow seem to notice him when he shows up, but don't let his massive, room-filling physical presence fool you - he's not so tall that he can't slip in through most windows.
 * Made of Iron: The tank usualy takes all four survivors shooting at it non-stop for a while before you finally kill it. Good luck to anyone trying to unlock the "Man vs Tank" or "Tank Burger" achievements, for killing a tank singlehandedly or with melee weapons, respectively. Taknbusters is also pretty hard, as the times it stays alive is often enough for it to hit someone at least once.
 * Mighty Glacier: The Tank has dangerous attacks and takes far more damage than anything else in the game. It's not slow, per se, only slower than a survivor with green health. When you factor in that some people may be injured when he shows up, or that they may get caught up on scenery while trying to flee, he can be a Lightning Bruiser.
 * Oh Crap: Tends to be the reaction of the Left 4 Dead 2 survivors upon seeing a Tank, usually in the earlier campaigns.
 * One-Hit Kill: If the Tank manages to punch a car or a dumpster over a survivor, it's an instant incapacitation, and punching them off high ledges kills them outright.
 * Punched Across the Room: The Tank can launch a survivor pretty far with a single punch; combined with ledges, this can be deadly.
 * Smash Mook: Its strategy is to run up to the target and punch.
 * Super Strength: He regularly throws cars and chunks of concrete with ease.
 * Superpower Lottery: The survivors consider him their biggest threat.
 * Top-Heavy Guy: He needs to use his arms as supplemental legs just to get around.
 * Victory Pose: When a Tank kills all the survivors, it'll stomp at the ground and roar.

Hazmat Infected
CEDA workers who failed to escape the infection. Because they were wearing hazmat suits when they became zombies, they are immune to fire. Appear in Dead Center.


 * Convection, Schmonvection: Averted. While they don't catch on fire, if they stand around in flames for too long the heat will kill them. It's usually faster to kill them yourself, though.
 * Kill It with Fire: Averted. Fire is the only thing that doesn't kill them.
 * Hazmat Suit: Obviously.
 * Randomly Drops: Bile bombs.
 * Shout-Out: Killing 10 and taking the bile bombs they drop gets you the "Robbed Zombie" achivement.

Clown Infected
These poor souls were once lovable comedians, now they are part of the army of infected and want nothing more than to kill any survivor they find. Their shoes draw the horde with the noise they make. Appear in Dark Carnival.


 * Enemy Summoner: At least it's not as bad as the Boomer... though it can depend on when you encounter them, and how many idle infected are in the nearby area.
 * Kill It with Fire: If you do it right you even get an achievement.
 * Monster Clown: You really don't want to run into a large group when these guys are around.

Mudmen
These creepy infected inhabit the swamps of the Swamp Fever campaign. They move at normal speed while in water and can blind the survivors with their mud.


 * Boring but Practical: Who knew smearing the survivors with mud would be so useful?
 * Hazardous Water: Any water these guys happen to be in. In fact, if you kill 10 while they are still in the water you get an achievement.
 * Interface Screw: Every time a Mudman gets a hit on you it will obscure part of the screen for a short time.

Worker Infected
They were just doing their jobs tearing down an old sugar mill, then the infection hit and they all became zombies. They won't follow pipe/bile bombs (because they have ear protectors on) and wear hardhats for protection. Appear in Hard Rain.


 * Battle in the Rain: They are the only zombie to appear exclusively in the Hard Rain campaign. Hope you don't mind fighting zombies that don't get distracted by pipe/bile bombs 2-3 at a time while making your way through knee-high water.
 * Headphones Equal Isolation: The reason they don't chase pipe bombs.
 * Nice Hat: Those hardhats even offer them some additional protection.

Riot Infected
These annoying zombies wear bulletproof armor which makes them very hard to kill, at least from the front. Upon death they will sometimes drop nightsticks. Appear in The Parish.


 * Armor Is Useless: Didn't save him! (Well, from the infection anyway - it saves him from getting shot in the front by pesky survivors).
 * Attack Its Weak Point: Its back! Attack its back!
 * Back Stab: One of the best ways to kill them.
 * For Massive Damage: Hit it in the back!
 * Immune to Bullets: From the front.
 * Randomly Drops: Nightsticks.

Fallen Survivor
A new type of infected introduced in The Passing. They went out into the world fully armed, but not immune. Managing to kill one will often reward the players with useful supplies. However, as soon as he is attacked, he runs in the opposite direction. This was made as a challenge, but is pretty much just annoying.


 * Crazy Prepared: Didn't do them much good, though.
 * Dummied Out: Was supposed to be in the game from the beginning, but it wasn't until The Passing that they were put into the game.
 * Fallen Hero: Having all that stuff and no immunity to The Virus must suck.
 * Made of Iron: Despite not being mutated further than a common, his health is a whopping 1000, the same as a Witch's. It could be his protective clothing, of course.
 * Metal Slime: He's hard to kill and has the pesky tendency to run away, but kill one and you'll get at least two useful items.
 * Randomly Drops: Hopefully a medkit, but also pills, molotovs, pipebombs and adrenaline injections.

Zombie Jimmy Gibbs Jr.
In life, Jimmy Gibbs Jr. was a famous stock car racer, writer of an autobiography, and a hero to many Southerners, particularly Ellis and Coach. Now, he has joined the ranks of the undead. The survivors in Left 4 Dead 2 steal his stock car to escape the mall at the end of Dead Center.


 * Badass Driver: Before becoming infected.
 * Boss in Mook Clothing: Sort of. He has 1,000 HP (same as a Witch), no detachable limbs, is fireproof, has the Mudmen blinding ability, and isn't drawn by pipe/bile bombs.
 * Celebrity Survivor: Averted. Of course its possible that all the times you don't run into him is because he get away safely those times...
 * Dummied Out: He was originally suppose to be the "boss" of Dead Center, holding the keys to his car and you had to hunt him down between waves of infected and tanks. Similar to what happened with the cut Screamer, they reduced his role due to how hard it was to actually catch him.
 * Fallen Hero: He was an idol to millions... now he's just another infected you have to put down before he puts you down.
 * Interface Screw: Similar to the mudmen, except with motor oil.
 * Metal Slime: Only has about a 1/20 chance of showing up in Dead Center. And he only ever shows up one time.
 * Mix-and-Match Critters: In a sense. He's got the health of the Fallen Survivor, the Interface Screw ability of the Mudman, and the noise immunity of the Worker Infected.
 * Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Unless you want to upset Ellis.

The Midnight Riders
""You might've heard about a lot of bands cancelling their tours this week because of all the airports shutting down and the government telling people to stay indoors. To that the Riders say: We'll stop touring when we stop breathing. What America needs most right now in its time of trial is MUSIC, and that is one thing the Riders are proud to provide.""

A veteran Southern Rock band, the Midnight Riders refused to stop their tour even after the zombie plague started. Their current whereabouts are unknown. They consist of Ox, the drummer, Smitty, the vocalist, Jake, the bass and keyboard, and Dusty, the lead guitar. Smitty looks almost exactly like an older, more ragged Francis.

Associated Tropes:
 * Badass Biker: All of them.
 * Butt Monkey: Jake
 * Celebrity Survivor
 * Fake Band
 * Fan Dumb: In-universe example. The fans are deeply in grief when they sincerely believe that the Midnight Riders have all perished. Then somebody scribbles on the wall that "The Riders are fine, they choppered them out last night", and honoring comments to their passing turns to cursings about them betraying them and turning sellouts. In a Zombie Apocalypse, mind you.
 * Jerkass: Ox.
 * My Friends and Zoidberg: Jake.
 * Replacement Scrappy: In-Universe; Jake replaced former bassist Riggs Donner who was killed 24 years ago and only played on the Rider's first album. Despite being in the band for over two decades, and writing most of their music, the other Riders still don't consider him a full member (referring to him as a "provisional temporary band member"), and half his share of any royalties goes to Riggs's widow.
 * The might be a parody of a similar situation with the band Metallica. Bassist Jason Newsted, who replaced the deceased Cliff Burton, had similar problems in being accepted by his band despite having played with them longer and being on their most successful albums.
 * Sunglasses At Night: Ox and Dusty.

Chicago Ted
""No zombie is safe from Chicago Ted!""

A mystery wrapped in a riddle wrapped in a crossword puzzle. Based on a single grafitti scrawl in the original Left 4 Dead, the fans have taken to assuming that Chicago Ted is the ultimate Zombie-Killer.

Associated Tropes:
 * Badass Boast

The Church Guy
"Better safe than sorry better safe than sorry better safe than sorry"

"Voiced by Nathan Vetterlein"

A man who barricaded himself in a church, let a zombie infectee in, killed her, and was infected, losing his sanity as a result and trying to kill the survivors.

Associated Tropes:
 * And Then John Was a Zombie
 * Boss Battle: in the first game, you fight off a Zerg Rush of zombies and get into the safe room only to find a Special Infected waiting for you. But when the level was ported to 2, the mutated Church Guy didn't make the cut for some reason.
 * Crazy Survivalist
 * Fan Nickname
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: It's the Scout!
 * It's All About Me: the wall outside his saferoom is covered in graffiti. They are epitaphs for former survivors who died because he wouldn't let them in. Repeat, the wall is COVERED in epitaphs.
 * Madness Mantra
 * Room Full of Crazy: Church Guy wrote his Madness Mantra 186 times on a wall in the safe room.
 * One line of which was scribbled out. Apparently, he messed up on that one.
 * Zombie Infectee: He happens to have been bitten by someone else he let in. An hour later (when the Survivors encounter him), he thinks he's immune. Then he starts to turn a minute after saying this. "Better safe than sorry. Better safe than sorry. Better * growl* than * growl* ..."

Whitaker, The Gun Shop Guy
""I'd shake your hand, but I've already welded the door shut.""

"Voiced by Dayton Callie"

Whitaker barricaded himself inside his gun shop to protect himself from the zombies, which must be working out pretty well as he is still alive when the survivors find him. His only mistake was forgeting to grab some cola from the nearby store beforehand.

Associated Tropes: ""Now, I'm told y'all are hired killers. Also, I wanna make it clear that this is ALL I've been told. Ol' Whitaker don't pass judgment, and he don't take sides. RED, BLU -- your money's all green here.""
 * Badass: See Cool Old Guy below.
 * Badass Bandolier
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Whitaker refused to open the open the way forward until you bring him some cola from a nearby convenience store.
 * True Neutral: As noted on the Team Fortress 2 blog:

"Coach: Cola and nuts might be this man's last meal. We can't deny him that. We get him his snacks, he helps us. I'm good with it."
 * Cool Old Guy: He's at least sixty years old and has so far managed to survive in his gunstore while almost everyone else has died.
 * Crazy Prepared: How does he open the way forward, you ask? By destroying a wrecked semi with a grenade launcher, which are generally illegal for private ownership.
 * Crazy Survivalist: One that is willing to help you.
 * Nice Guy: He's willing to open the way to the mall for you AND let you have almost $10,000 worth of supplies from his store (check the prices on some of the guns you take), yet all he wants in return is some soda. Even the cost of his guns are pretty nice as even most pistols will start at several thousand.
 * Serious Business: Man takes his goddamn cola very seriously. A six-pack alone is worth several expensive guns to him.
 * He wants his cola so bad that in his lines of dialogue that were cut (but are still in game files), he'll tell the survivors to ditch their friends that are incapacitated or dying and get him his cola.

Keith
""My buddy Keith tried camping out on top of a building once. He was shooting crows, but the police were too busy tear gassin' him to ask what he was doin' up there.""

Keith is a friend of Ellis who, given the stories about him, is most likely still alive somewhere. He seems to have survived several fatal accidents, but these events could have just been made up by Ellis. Keith's existence is widely debated amongst fans, but Word of God confirmed that Keith is just as real as the other characters.

""Third degree burns over 90% of his body! His doctor called up like, other doctors to look at him 'cause they'd never seen burns on top of existing burns.""
 * Badass: If Ellis isn't lying.
 * Butt Monkey: The ultimate Butt Monkey.
 * Made of Iron
 * The Munchausen: Ellis's stories about Keith who, if Ellis is to be believed, has survived an impossible number of lethal injuries.


 * Posthumous Character - Subverted, averted? No one knows if/how much of Ellis' stories are false/wildly exaggerated and so on. If Ellis' stories are true, Keith has certainly spent plenty of time in the hospital without a doubt.
 * Serial Escalation: Let's just recap again for good measure: Keith has suffered from third degree burns over 95% of his body twice (once making fireworks, once deep-frying turkey), lost two fingers and a toe to frostbite, broke both of his legs after driving his car off a cliff, built a shack out of mud, been stabbed by a Homeless man, got tear gassed by the police, snuck a paintball gun on a roller coaster, got attacked by an alligator, bombed by the military (among the bombs, Ellis claims, were nerve gas and cluster bombs), drowned in the Tunnel of Love, got cut up by his own "bumper-car" lawn mower leaving him with wounds over 90% of his body, got cement paved over him in a sewer after falling down an open manhole, lived in a graveyard for a year after getting kicked out of his house, hung spit on the overhang in the Tunnel of Love, fell off a roller coaster onto the tracks with the ride still going, got a tattoo on his forehead saying "I'm a moron" for $200, ate three pounds of raw chicken (The in game subtiles say catfish), turned a recreation of colonial times into a raccoon fight in his backyard, drove across a river without using the bridge, married a couple, and would have even gotten married himself, had he not run away from his own wedding.

Virgil
"Voiced by Randall Newsome"

After being forced to abandon their car in Dark Carnival, and losing a helicopter just before Swamp Fever, the survivors in L4D2 are rescued by Virgil. He ferries the survivors to safety, stopping once so they can get him gas, before leaving them for good at a dock in New Orleans.

Associated Tropes:
 * American Accents
 * Big Damn Heroes: He shows up just in time to save your asses not once, but twice!
 * Escape Convenient Boat: His boat of course!
 * Meaningful Name: He plays the same role as the Roman poet Virgil did in the Divine Comedy.
 * Nice Guy: When everyone else in New Orleans is trying to escape the zombie horde, Virgil sticks around to comb the bayou for survivors he can rescue. Even after he drops off our heroes in The Parish, he just goes back out to find more people to save. Guy's a damn saint.
 * The Voice: Despite being a vital character for most of the second part of the game, we never really get to see what he looks like.

The AI Director
Not a character per se, but a powerful entity driving the zombie hordes. He will spawn more zombies than you need and fewer health items than you want. A particular quirk of his is to spawn a horde whenever the Survivors stay in one place for too long. Thanks to the Director, no two zombie encounters are the same.

Associated Tropes:
 * Big Bad: As the recognized spawner of the zombie apocalypse, Fanon has him pegged as this.
 * The Chessmaster
 * The Director Is A Cheating Bastard: Oh, look! Health and ammo! (Beat) Oh, look. A Witch...
 * Even Evil Has Standards: There are times when the Director sees fit to favor the Survivors. Savor these moments.
 * More so in VS games where the Director seems to spawn an absurd number of health kits for the survivors when it rarely gives that many in a campaign game. Frustrates the infected players to no end.
 * Also present if you spend an inordinate amount of time on one map. It's not unheard of to get four or more first aid kits right at a particularly hard part of the map if you've spent four hours on say, Dark Carnival: The Barns.
 * Jerkass God
 * No Fair Cheating: The Director in Survival mode in Left 4 Dead 2 will punish players who use exploits to stay away from zombies by spawning Spitter acid on top of them. If players manage to avoid the acid, the Director will then just damage players until they die. Of course, this is not foolproof since there are a few places in some maps where players can avoid the zombies and the Director will think they are still in the playing field.
 * The Faceless
 * Yahtzee has depicted the Director as a man shaded in black with a question mark, followed by a large group of people worshipping him like a god.