Gears of War is arguably the most masculine property in video games. A franchise founded on the idea of muscular, refrigerator-sized dudes tearing apart stinky underground monsters with badass chainsaws until they’re covered in bloody viscera was always destined to attract such a reputation, but this only makes the moments when it subverts our expectations all the more impactful. Instances of quiet within its post-apocalyptic world, or conversations shared between its main cast when everything seems lost, always hit the hardest.
Once you strip away the chainsaw bayonets, you’re left with a profound narrative of grief as Marcus Fenix tries to save a humanity that is already flirting with extinction. While all of his muscles and bravado might make the man seem infallible, Fenix is frequently tasked with the impossible--to save a human race that is constantly under the threat of annihilation.
He’s doomed to fail, to eventually fall alongside his comrades until a new generation emerges to continue the fight. This makes perfect narrative sense, and would also give the iconic hero some much needed rest. So, what would happen if The Coalition actually went through with it and killed him?
Ever since I first laid eyes on Marcus Fenix as he explored the darkened streets of a fallen city to the melancholic beauty of "Mad World," I have viewed him as a tragic character. He’s fighting an impossible war after being freed from unjustified imprisonment, and spends the entire original trilogy watching close friends succumb to their personal demons or fall to an enemy that shows no signs of slowing. Making the player feel doomed from the outset can be an incredibly powerful storytelling tool, so it’s no surprise that E-Day focuses so heavily on the world falling apart as a younger roster of heroes is forced to take action.
When you turn up to save the day amidst the rubble of Kalona, it’s often about picking up the pieces while walking over fresh corpses of thousands, where finding even two survivors is a reason to celebrate given the circumstances. Not once does Fenix entertain leaving innocent people behind, and you truly feel for him when retreat becomes the only option. Unfortunately, once the excellent opening act concludes, the campaign settles into a predictable routine that can’t help feeling middle-of-the-road.
This question has been on my mind for over a decade now, since the character arc of Fenix came to a natural conclusion in Gears of War 3 after the Locust are defeated and humanity is guaranteed a future. Our flawed hero might be stricken with grief by the sacrifices of Dom and his other comrades, but he remains surrounded by people who love and care about him in ways that can now be treasured in a world where survival is guaranteed. But thanks to this need to keep popular franchises alive and avoid disappointing legions of fans, Marcus Fenix has remained integral to Gears ever since.
While the details are cloudy all these years later, there was a time when Gears of War was potentially going to leave the planet of Sera behind in pursuit of pastures new. Speaking to Game Informer as part of a cover story back in 2016, creative director Chuck Osieja claimed that The Coalition was originally thinking about taking Gears to a fresh planet with an all-new cast of characters who were only loosely connected to what came before.
So long as Gears focuses on the machinations of conflict with satisfying combat and a worthwhile story, I can see it taking place anywhere, but without the stewardship of Epic Games it settled for the most predictable destination imaginable. Marcus Fenix has a son, the Locust comes back, and humanity once again finds itself on the backfoot.
Turns out the original trilogy was for naught.
Gears of War 4 centered on a new trio of likeable characters--JD Fenix, Kait Diaz, and Del Walker--who were all raised in a world without the Locust threat, but still living beneath the thumb of an outdated militaristic society that refuses to leave old habits behind. It’s a more saturated and freeing world, but the very same darkness awaits beneath the surface.
As for Marcus Fenix, he has secluded himself in the wilderness after the death of his wife and the trauma of perpetual conflict, resentful of a son who decided to join a military he has actively come to despise. The war may be over, but Marcus has little interest in returning to a world that refuses to learn from its mistakes.
This new trilogy would eventually shift focus away from the Fenix family and instead mostly on Kait and her strange connection to the new Locust threat, with Gears 5 offering a harsh and sudden player choice in the final act as you’re asked to save the life of either JD or Del. Whoever you don’t choose is murdered before your eyes, but since the trilogy was ditched, at least for now, for a prequel in E-Day, we never get to witness the repercussions.
Even Marcus seems pretty unfazed by the death of his only son, when this could have been a killer moment for decades of anger, grief, and resentment to culminate in something meaningful. Instead it’s brushed aside and never mentioned again, joining Halo’s Reclaimer trilogy as stories ripe with potential that Xbox left behind because market relevance was more important.
Rather than outliving his son and watching a world he helped save once again fall to ruin, Marcus Fenix should have perished in Gears of War 4 as he passes the torch onto a new generation. Not mauled by a horde of Locust in gruesome fashion as a twisted joke, but giving his life to people he cares about while cementing an enduring hope that things are worth fighting for.
Beginning his new character arc as a jaded old man deciding to shield himself from the realities of a world he helped save before reaching a position where he possesses renewed hope in the coming generation would fit the narrative themes while being brave enough to leave our own nostalgia behind. Even in the same universe, we shouldn’t be afraid to fall in love with new characters and new stories, and realise titans like Marcus Fenix are fallible creatures in their own right.
Gears of War 4 excelled in making such an iconic symbol of video game masculinity seem vulnerable, but failed to pull the trigger where it mattered most.