Assassin's Creed/Characters

This article has been separated into character sheets for each primary series.

Desmond Miles

All joking aside, I'm having the time of my life.

The viewpoint and player character of the series, Desmond is a genetic descendant of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and a full-blooded Assassin, who is dragged into the Secret War. Not the greatest fighter at first, but the "Bleeding Effect" of being constantly exposed to the Animus and his ancestors, coupled with his genetic ties, allows him to develop agility and fighting skills on a par with his forefathers.

Awesome By Animus
The Bartender: After running away from home, Desmond became a bartender in New York with a pretty active social life.
The Chosen One: According to Word of God Desmond is the convergence of multiple Assassin bloodlines, including Ezio and Altair (who are not related to each other) and thus is considered particularly special.
- In Shaun's grief over Lucy's death he mockingly calls Desmond this, only for Desmond's father Bill to explain that Desmond also has a high concentration of First Civilization DNA, which "only one in ten million" have.
Deadpan Snarker: Specifically takes a level in Smartass in Brotherhood.
- Only for this to fail him in a Crowning Moment of Funny:

Desmond: [in a stereotypical Italian accent] Hey, wassa-matta-you Altaïr?
Rebecca: That's racist!
Desmond: You'reracist!

- He's got a point. How can he be racist if he's descended from both Ezio and Altair?!
Eleventh-Hour Superpower: Gaining eagle vision a rare post final boss version. Also not 'spilled' in the next game.
Heroic BSOD: Is in a major one in Revelations due to being forced to murder Lucy.
Instant Expert: Deconstructed. The Animus and the Bleeding Effect allow him to pick up on lifetimes' worth of skills in a few days or weeks, but at the cost of a deteriorating mental state that is already causing hallucinations and may eventually leave Desmond entirely unable to differentiate himself from his ancestors. As of Revelations and the creation of a Synch Nexus, this fate may have been avoided in the case of Altaïr's and Ezio's memories, leaving Desmond with the skills but removing the side effects. Maybe.
Nolan North
Properly Paranoid: He spent nine years avoiding major cities and giving out his real name, just in case. What finally allows the Templars to catch him? A motorcycle license. Photograph and fingerprints.
Refusal of the Call: He ran away from being an Assassin when he was sixteen.
Sanity Slippage: In AC1 he merely gains Eagle Vision from the "Bleeding Effect" of his Animus use, but in AC2 he has visual hallucinations and "dreams" a memory of Altaïr's outside the Animus (one that he'd never encountered in the Animus either), and in Brotherhood the hallucinations are getting worse: more frequent, with sound and in one case an event that Ezio almost certainly didn't experience (the Borgia mole disguised as a thief who revealed where the Monteriggioni refugees were fleeing from). The e-mails between his companions also reveals that Desmond's been screaming in his sleep. Worse yet, Desmond is aware of and self-conscious about how his symptoms are paralleling those of Subject 16. And his fears are justified: by the next game he's comatose from shock, his consciousness has been fractured and only the Animus is keeping him alive.
- And that was on top of having his mind so immersed with Ezio's that he sometimes spoke as if he were Ezio and even physically moved like Ezio...
Training from Hell: Desmond's childhood experiences of "The Farm" involved a strict and excruciating physical regimen. The fact that he went through this with little understanding of the true conflict between the Assassins and the Templars eventually encouraged him to run away.
Took a Level in Badass: Part of the point of his time in the Animus, as well as to find the Piece of Eden (specifically the Apple) that Ezio was known to have encountered.
- Comes full circle during the Animus platforming sessions of Revelations, where Desmond reflects on his past and accepts his destiny.

Desmond: My name is Desmond Miles, and I am an Assassin.

Lucy Stillman

Vidic's research assistant from the first game, Lucy reveals herself as an Assassin and brings Desmond to a pair of other Assassins in order to train him via the Bleeding Effect.

Action Girl: She beats the holy howling shit out of a bunch of Abstergo guards. Unarmed. In seconds. She wasn't even out of breath afterwards.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: If The Lost Archives are anything to go by, Lucy was never on your side to begin with.
Evil All Along: If the latest DLC is anything to go by, she was a loyal spy for Vidic all this time. Good thing Juno took care of her then...
The Heart: Everyone else in the team turns to her for emotional support as the stresses of their situation threaten to overwhelm them, and she takes a very personal interest in Desmond's mental well-being.
Hot Scientist: No doubt because...
Polygon Suit Actor: Kristen Bell provides her voice and facial model. Her departure from the series probably was the out-of-universe reason for Lucy's death.
In Love with the Mark: Despite having defected to become a Templar sleeper agent, its heavily implied through various dialogue in Brotherhood and Revelations that Lucy had developed a genuine crush on Desmond, despite her objective requiring her to actively manipulate him.
Killed Off for Real: Yep, she didn't survive the stabbing, and Revelations has Shaun mention that she'd been buried in a quiet little cemetery outside of Rome.
The Mole: While hinted at in Brotherhood, The Lost Archives DLC reveals that she betrayed the Assassins, having lost all faith in them, and believing William was simply using her and Subject 16. Vidic knew about her being an Assassin, and outright planned her escape with Desmond, and she had been ordered to steal Ezio's Apple and infiltrate the Assassin Order... Then Juno made Desmond stab her, foiling Vidic's plan.
My Greatest Failure: She harbors terrible guilt for what happened to Subject Sixteen, an Animus subject driven to cut his wrists and cover the walls of his room in his own blood. If she, encouraged by Vidic, had not pushed Sixteen so hard in the Animus, he might not have committed suicide. Recalling his death is a good way to break her unflappable demeanor.
- By Brotherhood it's subsided, not least because she's become better at compartmentalizing and focusing on their tasks at hand.
- Possibly subverted by the Lost Archives DLC. Subject Sixteen found out about Lucy being a traitor and Lucy may have decided to kill him via the bleeding effect.
  - No, she didn't intend to kill him or to drive him to suicide. She wasn't lying when she promised she'd protect him (though her idea of "protection" probably differs from most), and even after she was found out, she took care of the security cameras so Vidic wouldn't know about Clay's nighttime wanderings. She didn't want Clay dead; she just couldn't let him leave once he discovered her true allegiance. How she expected this to end in anything other than his death is anyone's guess.
Ms. Exposition
Team Mom: She writes schedules, breaks up arguments, calls meetings, offers consolatory talks, tries her best to see to Desmond's physical and mental well-being, and in general acts as the most on-task and organized member of the Assassin team, though that isn't very hard. Desmond even accuses her of having no sense of fun.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Lucy became a Templar, and was killed by Juno because she (Lucy) betrayed the Assassins.

Shaun Hastings

The Assassin Order's resident historian, he assists Desmond by creating database entries on notable people and events Ezio comes across.

Butt Monkey
Deadpan Snarker
- After Lucy's death, he eased up on the snarkohol a bit.
Ink Suit Actor: His appearance is clearly modelled on Danny Wallace, who voices him.
Jerkass With a Heart of Gold: Despite his snide remarks towards them, he genuinely cares about his team's well being.
The Mean Brit: Very mean. Even in his database entries, he can't resist having a go at the subject, or his family, or an ex-girlfriend, or travel agents, or all of Europe for some reason...
Mission Control: Actually rarely does this for Desmond except when trying to solve the Subject 16 puzzles, but he assists other Assassin field teams... when he can reach them.
Nerd Glasses
Non-Action Guy: Says he's killed before, what with his being an Assassin, but prefers not to. A fairly humorous email subplot concerns him being menaced by a taller guy during a food-run and refusing to go out again because of it.
The Resenter: By the time of Revelations, he seems to have developed a grudge against Desmond for killing Lucy, even suspecting that he was a Templar sleeper agent. Which is fair enough; from his point of view, Desmond, for no apparent reason, murdered a loyal Assassin who had saved his (Desmond's) life by helping him escape a dangerous Templar base and who deeply cared about him.
Shout-Out: He's named after Sean Hastings, founding CEO of HavenCo.
The Smart Guy: He may be an ass, but he's damn well-read, complementing Lucy and Rebecca pretty well.
Voice With An Animus Connection
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Rebecca.
- Possibly more than that as her iPod (or some electronic device) was found in his room, according to one e-mail chain.

Rebecca Crane

An engineer in the Assassin's Order, she developed the Animus 2.0, an improved version of Abstergo's machine.

Genki Girl: The most relentlessly cheerful member of the team - although her emails will show that the pressure and isolation are starting to get to her, and Lucy offers to help her talk it out.
I Call It Vera: Refers to the Animus 2.0 as "Baby."
Ms Fixit: Improvising a small-scale virtual reality machine in a place that doesn't even have electric lighting? All part of the job.
Tomboy: She has overalls, flats, short hair, belts and straps with tools hanging off them, and explains that she got into computer engineering after breaking her leg in a skyboarding accident.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Shaun.
- Possibly more than that as her iPod (or some electronic device) was found in his room, according to one e-mail chain.
Wrench Wench: The team engineer and programmer, and frequently elbow-deep in gadgets.

Subject 16 AKA Clay Kaczmarek

Desmond's predecessor in the Animus project, leaving clues for Desmond, both inside and outside the Animus.

Ambiguously Evil: In Revelations. Being inside the Animus has done a serious number on his sanity, and the player is often left to wonder whether he's still on your side. He is.
Brain Uploading: In Brotherhood, it's revealed that he uploaded his mind into the Animus itself.
Cam Clarke: In Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood. Replaced by Graham Cuthbertson in Revelations, though.
Couldn't Find a Pen: Subverted, actually. He could find a pen. It was what he used to kill himself, spilling enough blood to paint the walls with it.
Crazy Sane: Yes, he's completely lost it, but it was his insanity that allowed him to paint messages to Desmond in his own blood, upload his mind to the Animus, and keep it from killing Desmond. It going nuts and doing things that no sane person would ever do that allowed him to be any use at all.
Driven to Suicide
Due to the Dead: Completely averted by Abstergo, who dumped his body into the Tiber River after he died.
Go Mad from the Revelation
Heroic Sacrifice: Possibly. He appears to sacrifice his existence to save Desmond from deletion, but this has not been confirmed.
- In a much more chilling version, why did he kill himself? According to The Lost Archive, it wasn't just because he'd gone insane -- thanks to Lucy's betrayal, suicide was the only way he could help Desmond.
Known Only By Their Nickname: Until Revelations.
The Mole: For the Assassins. According to The Lost Archives, Clay had in fact been deliberately allowed to be captured so he could get information on the Animus project and eventually get out of Abstergo... But then Lucy stabs him in the back, so to speak.
Mad Oracle: His ramblings are always more relevant than they seem.
Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: She sees me raise the knife.
Overdrawn At the Blood Bank: Seriously, how did he manage to spill that much blood to paint with without passing out halfway through, or at least collapsing? That's a lot of blood. And he did it with a ballpoint pen. The human body may have more than enough to make that kind of mess, but he managed to cover a lot of surface area with pretty precise and relatively neat drawings before finally dying. You'd think he would have collapsed from excessive exsanguination long before he could have covered so much of the room with that much blood.
Post-Historical Trauma
Room Full of Crazy: Those mysterious markings Desmond saw in his Abstergo cell? Subject 16 wrote them in his own blood!
Sour Supporter: 16 was hard on Desmond, and often more crude than he needed to be, but he did support him, and even sacrificed himself to save Desmond from being erased by the Animus at the cost of his own "life".
Trickster Mentor: To Desmond in Revelations. Since he's now part of the Animus he can control it to some extent, as a sort of Virtual Reality Warper (while Desmond is merely in the Animus and has to conform to its weird mechanical logic). However, while he's more lucid than he was and very much inclined to help, he's still crazy - and bored. Very, very bored. And so poor Desmond is forced to bear the brunt of Sixteen's attempts to amuse himself.
Undying Loyalty: Even in death, Clay is loyal to the Assassins.

William Miles

A mysterious man whose name first appears in e-mails, and is first heard at the end of Brotherhood as well as in The Da Vinci Disappearance DLC. He is also heard speaking to Shaun and Rebecca throughout Revelations, but is not seen until the ending.

Big Good: De-facto leader of the Assassin Order.
Luke, I Am Your Father: He's Desmond's dad.
Poor Communication Kills: His secretive nature was directly responsible for Lucy defecting to the Templars. His lack of communication with Desmond, however, was intentional, as it drove him to run away and therefore be in a position to get captured without the Templars suspecting a plant.
Team Dad: Takes on this role in Revelations, with Lucy out of the picture. It turns out to be more literal than expected.

Warren Vidic

A Templar scientist and the presumed creator of the Animus. Desmond escaped his "care" at the beginning of the game and Vidic is understandably pissed.

Absent-Minded Professor
Brilliant but Neglectful: He's a high-ranking Templar and a pioneer in the whole "Genetic Memory" thing, but is too lazy to properly punctuate his e-mails... despite critiquing Lucy's formatting and writing of the Animus 1.0 operating manual (aka the Assassin's Creed manual).
- He's also too lazy or apathetic to be careful with the Animus sessions, with the result being Subject 16. His answer seems to just to dig up another test subject—as if there were an unlimited amount of descendants of Altaïr Ibn La'Ahad—and start again.
- One of the AC1 e-mails from Lucy has her criticizing him for once again losing his pen (doubling as an access key) in a parking lot after leaving it hanging off of his lab coat, which could have caused a lockdown (thus further delaying the work with the Animus) had Abstergo security personnel found it before she did (later on when he left it unattended again, Desmond was able to outright pickpocket it).
  - A series of e-mails reveals that as of AC1 he didn't even keep track of his own passcodes, Lucy and the security desk having to e-mail them to him. One wonders how he was even able to check his own e-mails...
The Cameo: In one or two of Brotherhood's The Truth puzzles, and acts as Mission Control during the multiplayer tutorial.
Cool Car: During Desmond's escape from Abstergo, look carefully and you'll see he owns a Lamborghini.
Jerkass: You can't spell Vidic without "dic(k)."
Obfuscating Stupidity: The Lost Archive reveals that his apparent stupidity in the first game was all part of an act to help Lucy gain Desmond's trust. His jerkassness was apparently real, though.
The Omniscient Council of Vagueness: The multiplayer plotline shows he's one of the handful of members of the Templar high council.
Serious Business: The Animus is this to him, despite his callousness towards the Subjects who actually suffer from the Bleeding Effect.
Villain Ball: In the first game, with all the crap he lets Desmond get away with, it could be a little hard to believe that this doofus was one of a handful of elite humans secretly running the world subverted, as it turns out it was All Part of The Plan.
Xanatos Gambit: Averted. He believed he concocted one against the Assassin's using ex-Assassin Lucy to manipulate Desmond, gain secrets about the order and eventually wipe them out for good. It just so happens in the end the only impossible means of foiling it was the reason it failed.