ByGraves
Amazon Prime’s new Fallout show has been a huge hit. And not for no reason, either: thanks to great acting, writing, and filmmaking in general, the show faithfully adapts one of the most beloved video game franchises in history. It was also able to carve its own niche in the world, not relying too much on legacy characters or old plot lines (and, in fact, sometimes blowing up old locations).
This is all for the better, but now that the Fallout show has established itself as a real contender in prestige TV, it has quite a well of characters to draw on to deepen its story and tie itself deeper with previous entries. Especially now that the show’s massive success has people playing the games that it is based on, attracting both new and old fans, it is time to consider who in the wasteland’s history might show up in Season 2.
And, even keeping in mind that the show seems cautious about reintroducing things just for the sake of nostalgia, that like is quite long. In this article, we will go through it, in order of most to least likely to appear in Season 2, who they are, and what role they might have in shaping the journey of Lucy, Maximus, and the Ghoul if they do.
Robert Edwin House, most often called Mr. House, is the founder of RobCo and, more relevant to Fallout, the overseer of New Vegas, a city he specifically ensured was preserved from the destruction of the apocalypse and which he controls in Fallout: New Vegas. He is enigmatic, sharp-witted, and powerful, not to mention one of the most iconic characters in the entire Fallout franchise.
And, seeing as Season 2 seems to be headed for New Vegas, we would be shocked if Mr. House doesn’t show up in Season 2 of Fallout. Not only did he already show up in Season 1, as the representative for RobCo in one of the pre-war flashbacks, but he is also very likely to show up in the present potline for Season 2. This is because — spoilers for those who haven’t played New Vegas — he was able to keep himself alive for more than 200 years after the war inside a pod while he operated the Lucky 38 casino and ruled the greater New Vegas Strip via a computer. If anyone remains in New Vegas, it’s Mr. House.
As for the role he could play, that much is apparent: he is a pre-war character with near limitless resources, and can provide explanations for anything necessary to the plot. As well, he is a schemer with a single-minded goal: to keep New Vegas running and populated, and that goal seems to have been jeopardized, giving him great incentive to interact with the main characters. And, finally, there is the fact that his pre-war nature and sealed away body parallels several of the plot lines and character arcs we’ve already seen.
Provided the Courier didn’t kill him back in 2281 during Fallout: New Vegas (which they certainly don’t have to for most endings), it would be a waste if Mr. House wasn’t still somewhere in the spire of the Lucky 38, plotting New Vegas’s revival.
Fallout 4’s (and technically 3’s) Arthur Maxson is the leader of the East Coast branch of the Brotherhood of Steel, a stalwart and authoritative leader that brought the Brotherhood from its weakened state in Fallout 3 to the most powerful we’ve seen it in Fallout 4. He is cool, charismatic, and pragmatic: an authoritarian despot to some and a heroic champion to others. Arthur Maxson is an exemplar for everything that the Brotherhood of Steel is, for better or worse.
And, to be clear: if Arthur Maxson is alive, it is almost inconceivable that we don’t see him in Season 2. Being the leader of the Brotherhood, and considering Maximus’s arc, it would already be odd if we didn’t see a glimpse of him going forward. Not only this, but we’ve seen an airship in several scenes relating to the Brotherhood. An airship that looks an awful lot like the Prydwenn, Maxson’s mobile base of operations, from which he ran the Brotherhood in 4 and likely would continue to use going forward.
As for what he might be used for: not only is he the leader of the faction that one of the main characters is completely loyal to, but he also would make an excellent foil for Maximus, with the similarities and differences between them already easy to contrast even before his introduction in the show. He is also a strongman and a charismatic, authoritarian leader, opening the way to numerous conflicts, themes, and lots of possible commentary. Probably more than any other legacy character, Arthur Maxson’s inclusion would add a lot to the Fallout show.
Marcus is a Super Mutant created by the Master — the main villain of Fallout 1 — who has been a mainstay of the games since Fallout 2. He is level-headed, intelligent, and optimistic. In both of his major appearances (in Fallout 2 and New Vegas), makes a point of trying to sooth relations between humans and Super Mutants. When we last saw him, he was the leader of a fledgling Super Mutant safe haven called Jacobstown, near New Vegas.
Given Marcus’s long history with the Fallout universe and his proximity to New Vegas, as well as the isolation and hardiness of the Super Mutants under his watch, it seems very likely that he could appear in Season 2. Not only that, be he is also a Super Mutant (probably the most famous in the franchise), a part of Fallout that was noticeably absent in Season 1 but that it would only make sense to see in Season 2.
Especially considering Marcus’s good-hearted nature, he would serve as a useful introduction to mutant kind for the Fallout show, and his goals of cooperation tie in nicely to both Lucy’s character arc and the NCR (who are likely to make a substantial appearance in Season 2). Plus, as someone with an isolated settlement within the same region as New Vegas, he could also serve as a useful narrator both for explaining what happened to New Vegas, and broadly for introducing audiences to the various happenings in the wasteland over the previous hundred-plus years.
Now for a wild one: you might show up in Season 2. Well, not you, but your character, from the previous Fallout games. And, of all the player characters in the Fallout games, the Courier is the most likely. Being the main character of Fallout: New Vegas, the Courier began the game as a mysterious drifter, caught in “what seems like an 18-carat run of bad luck”, before eventually becoming the biggest influencer of the Mojave. All depending on the player’s actions.
Now, it might seem odd to say that a player character — one who could look like anyone and have done anything — could return in the show. But it isn’t without merit. Not only does the Courier have a surprisingly deep and mysterious backstory prior to the game (keeping them from being a total blank slate), but they are also still alive after all the endings in Fallout: New Vegas, often with an important role in the Mojave.
The hardest part of this would be deciding on who could possibly play the role, given that everything — from appearance to personality to gender — is possible, but if that hurdle can be overcome, then you couldn’t ask for a better person to relay information to the main cast of the show other than the person who single-handedly changed New Vegas, right? Another possibility is for the Courier to make a brief appearance, perhaps just long enough to get fans scratching their head, wondering if that was who they thought it was…
Legate Lanius was the military commander of Caesar’s Legion during the events of Fallout: New Vegas, and a likely successor to the Legion after Caesar’s passing. Often thought of as the final boss of Fallout: New Vegas (at least in most endings), Lanius is uncompromising, determined, and — most importantly –powerful.
Now, the odds that Legate Lanius survived both the events of New Vegas (in which most endings see Caesar’s Legion lose) and the 15 years following it are low. However, if Lanius did, then he would make a perfect addition to the cast of Fallout Season 2. Not only do we never see his face in New Vegas, opening up casting, but he also would lend a useful counterbalance to many of the characters that are likely to show up otherwise (especially if the NCR shows up more).
As with many other characters on this list, he would also be able to fill in the main characters on what happened in the previous 15 years, and from a perspective that would be ripe for twists and interesting ideological discussions.
Well, not your dad, exactly, but the player character’s father from Fallout 3. Played by the incredible Liam Neeson, James was one of the best characters of Fallout 3. Having raised the Lone Wanderer in a Vault, James returned to the wasteland (where, spoiler, the Lone Wanderer was actually born) on the Wanderer’s 18th birthday, where he then immediately began working on Project Purity, attempting to bring clean water to the Capital Wasteland and beyond.
Now, while Your Dad was quite old in 2277, when Fallout 3 takes place, he was not exactly on death’s door, and so very easily could’ve lived another 20 years and found his way to the West Coast. He would have a special interest in all things Enclave — a faction that we see with some remnant presence in the show — and would likely be interested in the Cold Fusion that was set up in the season finale. As well. To say nothing of his obvious parallels to Hank, who seems primed to be the main villain of Season 2.
Plus, wouldn’t it be fun to see Liam Neeson show up in the show? While he isn’t the most likely appearance, we’re holding out hope.
Now, we wait. With the main plot moving to the Mojave, the opportunities for characters that could be introduced are limitless. But, we think we’ve got pretty good guesses for who is most likely to appear in Fallout Season 2.
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