Characters / Escape from New York

This is the characters page for everyone in Escape from New York. Tropes pertaining to characters who first appeared in Escape from L.A. may be added to this page.

Snake Plissken

"Call me Snake."

Played By: Kurt Russell

Dubbed By: Patrick Floersheim (French, first film), Philippe Vincent (French, second film)

Snake Plissken is a decorated Special Forces soldier/war hero who turned to a criminal life after feeling he was betrayed by his country. As the original film begins, he is arrested for his role in an attempted robbery at the U.S. Federal Reserve, and is conscripted into helping rescue the President in exchange for a full Presidential pardon, under threat of an Explosive Leash.

He later enacts a second suicide mission 13 years later, when he is conscripted by a fundamentalist President to retrieve the launch controls for the "Sword of Damocles", a superweapon that can shift the balance of power in his favor, as well as assassinate his rebellious daughter, Utopia.

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• '80s Hair: Snake is never seen without his signature mullet hairstyle.
• The Ace: Is considered this by a lot of people due to his exploits, including being awarded two Purple Hearts and being the youngest soldier to be personally decorated by the president for bravery^note  Which most likely means he received the Medal of Honor, though this is never explicitly stated, for his actions in Leningrad and Siberia.
• Afraid of Needles: He tells Cronenberg that he doesn't like them, and he's right to be suspicious, considering he gets injected with an Explosive Leash immediately after this.
• All There in the Manual:
  • The original, unused opening sequence for New York shows the Federal Reserve robbery and reveals that Snake originally worked with a partner, who he refused to leave behind. The finished film only refers to this incident vaguely, treating it more as a Noodle Incident than anything.
  • The novelization goes into more detail about Snake's past heroics, including his involvement in the Battle of Leningrad and his service history.
  • Snake's actions between the films are covered in the BOOM! Comics sequel series, which also explains the "Cleveland Incident" mentioned in L.A. (Snake steals the U.S. Bill of Rights from a Federal vault).
• Anti-Hero: Snake doesn't care about anyone else's problems but his own, is just as loathed as he is respected and leaves a body count (friend and foe alike) in his wake.
• Armed Altruism:
  • During the climax of the original film, Snake voluntarily gives his signature revolver to Maggie so she can attempt a Last Stand against the Duke. The look on his face makes it clear that he's doing so because Brain's death got to him, and he wants to make amends by giving Maggie the chance for revenge.
  • In the sequel, he gives the 1911 he takes from the Surgeon General Of Beverly Hills to Taslima, though this does absolutely no good, as she dies in the next scene.
• Badass Biker: He proves that he's more than capable of riding a motorcycle when he gets to L.A.
• Badass Longcoat: He upgrades to one given to him by the government before he heads into Los Angeles. He also becomes fond of it, to the point that he steals it back from the thug who took it from him just before escaping the island.
• Bag of Spilling: In Escape From L.A., he seems to be unable to hold onto guns for more than a few minutes, losing them by being dropped or captured. To a lesser extent, this happens in the first film, as he notably loses his radio in the chase with the Crazies and the rest of his equipment when captured.
• Boots of Toughness: He's always seen wearing some heavy futuristic boots which complete his already badass appareance.
• Boxed Crook: Both films begin with Snake in this situation. The first time, it's caused by a botched robbery on the Federal Reserve. The second is caused when he's arrested for gun-running in another state.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Snake looks directly into the camera at the end of L.A. while smoking a cigarette.
• Byronic Hero: Though Snake is generally cold and uncaring, he does have a subtle moral compass and hates injustice. He uses a Secret Test to gauge the President's reaction to the loss of their allies in New York (and uses his response as his decision to swap the tape with the secret of nuclear fusion). 16 years later in Los Angeles, he becomes upset by Taslima's death, and eventually decides to activate the Sword of Damocles worldwide as a way to equalize the playing field.
• Catchphrase: "Call me Snake" and "The name's Plissken".
• The Cavalry: Shows up to help the President, Brain and Maggie escape the top of the World Trade Center when they're besieged by a group of insane Native residents who've sabotaged the glider.
• Celibate Hero:
  • While there's no shortage of women who show interest in him (including the unnamed woman in the Chock Full O'Nuts store, Taslima and plenty of prostitutes in L.A.), he's never seen in a relationship and never gets a chance to do anything more than light flirting due to the confines of the current mission.
  • Also invoked in the BOOM! comic series. When Romulus and Remus offer Snake a man and woman as his "entertainment" for the night, he roughly kicks them both out of his room.
    Woman: We're your reward, Snake.
    Man: The Twins weren't sure which way you leaned.
    Snake: Neither. (slams door in their faces)
• Combat Pragmatist: He has no problem doing whatever is necessary to survive and get the edge in combat, whether it's carving out a man-sized hole in a wall with gunfire, shooting a steam pipe to distract his Arch-Enemy or gunning down a quartet of goons by tricking them into a "Bangkok Rules" gunfight where he doesn't follow the rules.
• Covered with Scars: As seen during his Lock-and-Load Montage in L.A.
• Deadpan Snarker: He displays a very dry humor.
• Defector from Decadence: He seemingly turned his back on the U.S. government after the "Leningrad Ruse" (the same events which reportedly caused him to lose his eye in the first place).
• Determinator: Nothing and no one will stop Snake from completing his mission if his life is on the line.
• Do Not Call Me "Paul": He doesn't like it when people refer to him as "Plissken", though there are exceptions to this rule.
• Dramatic Dislocation: Has the ability to dislocate his shoulder in the BOOM! comic series, which comes in handy when he's thrown out of an airplane by a pair of U.S. Police Force soldiers and needs to activate his parachute while his hands are tied.
• Escort Mission: His mission in New York involves rescuing the President. By the time he actually escapes the island, he's practically dragging the President along with him to the containment wall.
• Everyone Has Standards: Despite being an hardened criminal he's deeply disgusted by the President's half-hearted and possibly fake regret for the people who died trying to get take him out of New York. He also appears to be a bit saddened by Harold/Brain's death despite his grudge towards him.
• Expecting Someone Taller: He often gets this reaction from the people he meets in Los Angeles in 2013.
• Eyepatch of Power: Sports one due to a previous eye injury (see Eye Scream below).
• Eye Scream: According to the novelization of the original film, Snake lost his eye during the Battle for Leningrad when nerve gas seeped into his visor and damaged one of his eyes beyond repair. He subsequently took to covering it with an eyepatch.
• Fallen Hero: Snake is a highly-decorated Special Forces soldier who was highly decorated for his military accomplishments, but turned on the government and pursued a life of crime after feeling betrayed by their actions during the Leningrad Ruse and the death of his parents via the U.S. Police Force. By the time he completes his mission in L.A., he plunges the world back to the Stone Age in order to stop its fundamentalist President from holding too much power — and on live television, no less.
• Famed In-Story: Snake's actions in the Battles of Leningrad and Siberia, his military commendations and the fact that he was considered dead by some cause him to be a figure of legend for many citizens who meet him. The shine wears off somewhat by the time he goes to L.A. (where the residents remark more on his height and general appearance than any specific accomplishment), but the reverence is still there.
• Forced Prize Fight: Is forced by the Duke to take part in a Blood Sport battle against a hulking gladiator using baseball bats, with the intention that he'll be brutally killed.
• From Camouflage to Criminal: He was a U.S. Army Lieutenant, serving under Special Forces Unit "Black Flight". He earned two Purple Hearts and was the youngest man to be decorated by the U.S. President for bravery during campaigns in Leningrad and Siberia in World War III against the Former Soviet Alliances and Eurasian United War Union. The novelization of New York reveals that he turned to crime due to the perceived betrayal of the United States government during the "Leningrad Ruse" (when he lost the use of his left eye) and when his parents were burned alive in their home by the United States Police Force.
• Gambit Roulette: He enacts this at the end of his mission in Los Angeles. Snake's plan relies on a number of random factors, including (a) using the helicopter crash as a diversion, (b) assuming that Utopia will be caught and the "real" mini-disk player will be confiscated before Malloy takes it from him, and (c) that no one would try to physically touch him while all of this is happening (due to him using a hologram).
• Good Old Fisticuffs: The final fight in each film (against the Duke and Cuervo Jones, respectively) has Snake going up against them in a brief fistfight in order to knock them out and get away.
• The Gunslinger: By the time he's sent to L.A. in 2013, Snake is very proficient with quickdrawing, leading him to be able to gun down four assailants in a standoff in a matter of moments. In fact, it's mentioned that he was arrested for participating in illegal competitive gunfighting in Thailand.
• Handshake Substitute: The closest Snake ever gets to properly thanking someone who's helped him is when he high-fives Pipeline, who's given him a brief primer on surfing and allowed him to catch up to Map-to-the-Stars Eddie.
• Hell-Bent for Leather: He seems very fond of leather jackets. He wears his iconic biker-like one in the original movie and then switches to a Badass Longcoat in the second one.
• Here We Go Again!: Snake doesn't take kindly to being sent on another suicide mission in L.A., this time courtesy of the President himself.
  President: If you go to Los Angeles, and come back with that black box and put it in my hand, you'll be given a full pardon for every moral crime you've committed in the United States.
  Snake: Sounds familiar.
• Hidden Depths: Though rare, there are times when Snake is shown to genuinely care for the people who help him. The fact that the President in 1997 was flippant about the deaths of Cabbie, Brain and Maggie motivates him to sabotage the summit speech in response. 16 years later, he becomes nearly distraught when Taslima is shot in the back and dies while he watches helplessly.
• Hollywood Healing: Averted in both films. During the New York mission, he takes an arrow to the leg and is noticeably limping for the rest of the film, not to mention in serious pain. In L.A., he suffers another leg injury (not to mention being bit in the same spot by Cuervo Jones) and limps around during the final confrontation.
• Iconic Item: Snake's Eyepatch of Power and his leather jacket, the latter of which he kept for at least 16 years (long enough to be present when he was arrested by the government before the missions in New York and L.A.). Kurt Russell kept the original jacket from New York after filming, and produced it to show to John Carpenter when production began on L.A. Lampshaded in the "Escape to New York" arc of the BOOM! comic series — Snake goes back to retrieve his signature jacket from a locker on Ellis Island, having been unable to retrieve it when he fled from Hauk's men in the first arc of the comic (and solving a minor Continuity Snarl in the process).
• I Just Want to Be Free: His declared motivation at the beginning of both films.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Despite the lack of one eye, Snake has extreme proficiency with multiple types of weapons. He can use throwing knives with deadly accuracy, shoot and land headshots while firing backwards and limping, take out four targets in a matter of seconds with Guns Akimbo revolvers, and score kills while firing from a motorcycle.
• It's All About Me: Snake doesn't seem to care about anyone's interests but his own. Considering he runs straight into the Black-and-Gray Morality of the world around him, it's hard to blame him.
• It's Personal: The reason why Snake voluntarily decides to go back into New York in the BOOM! comic series — during his attempt to hide out in Canada, his friends are killed by the USPF on the President's orders, prompting him to seek him out and dole out revenge.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He has shades of this. While he's generally cold and uncaring about others, he will break from tradition on occasion when something offends or disturbs him. The unfeeling attitude of the President regarding the loss of the allies who helped them escape NYC prompts Snake to sabotage the summit in 1997, and 16 years later, he refuses to kill Utopia when he has an order to kill her on-sight.
• Living Legend: Even before he arrived in New York, Snake had a reputation for several feats (including his military career, Unexplained Recovery from an event where he was presumed dead and his heist at the U.S. National Reserve).
• Mr. Fanservice: He's Tall, Dark, and Handsome and occasionally shows his athletic and well endowed torso. Some female characters also seems to be attracted by him.
• Noodle Incident:
  • In the first film, the circumstances behind Snake's arrest (the robbery on the U.S. Federal Reserve) are left vague at best. A sequence showing the robbery and Snake's capture was shot, but deleted from the final print.
  • Something Snake did in Cleveland is so notable that people mention it before and during his mission in Los Angeles. The incident in question is finally shown in full in the final arc of the BOOM! comic series — Snake steals the original U.S. Bill of Rights from a museum in Cleveland.
  • The events of Kansas City, where Brain apparently left him and Fresno Bob to their fate, are given no more details than "Do you know what they did to Bob?"
  • The exact reason why everyone "thought you were dead" are also unelaborated upon, although it is presumably connected to one of the above points.
• No One Gets Left Behind: In the original opening sequence for New York, Snake is given the chance to flee without his partner, Taylor, but elects to stay and wait until they can rendezvous because they have a past history together. Ultimately subverted, as Taylor is killed by the Police Force just after they reunite.
• Not in This for Your Revolution: Both of his major rescue missions kick off with Snake telling an authority figure (Bob Hauk and the President/Malloy, respectively) that he wants no part of what's happening and would much rather go off on his own, forcing them to use potentially-lethal means in order for him to cooperate.
• Not So Stoic:
  • In the first movie when the time limit of the explosives in his body is about to end we can see genuine desperation and fear in his face.
  • When Taslima dies during his mission in L.A., it's the first time in either film that he very nearly breaks down, and he's reduced to stunned silence as he watches her pass away.
• One-Man Army: Snake is generally sent into dangerous areas with everything he needs to get the job done. Subverted in L.A. — he loses his glider as soon as he arrives on the island, along with his weapons soon after when he's captured. Regardless, he still manages to complete the mission.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: As his signature line suggests, Snake is very particular about what people call him, and he never reveals his true name to anyone in either of the films. The one time he breaks from tradition, he tells his real name to the dying captain of a boat, Ron, in the final issue of the Marvel Comics Adventures of Snake Plissken series. By the time L.A. rolls around, his arrest record shows the name "Bob" as an alias, though it's left unclear if this is actually his name or simply an alias referencing the deceased "Fresno Bob" (mentioned in the first film).
  Call me Snake.
• The Pardon: This is used as leverage to get Snake to cooperate during his New York and Los Angeles missions.
• Passing the Torch: At the end of the comic series produced by BOOM!, Snake gifts the profits he made from his life of crime, along with his dog Fresno to Action Girl Sadie, and tells her that he's done trying to live a normal life and is going back into illegal activities.
• Perma-Stubble: He's never shown shaved in the films. In the BOOM! comic series, he shaves exactly once during the "Escape from Cleveland" arc, in order to identify himself to the pursuing USPF forces, who promptly freak out upon realizing who they're chasing.
• Phrase Catcher: Snake Plissken? Heard you were dead...
• Politically Incorrect Hero: As if loudly disparaging the President in front of Hauk wasn't enough, Snake refers to the transgender Hershe by her pre-op nickname, "Carjack", despite her insisting otherwise.
• Recruiting the Criminal: The government enlists Snake twice to undergo a dangerous mission in part because he's a wanted criminal who lands in their lap both times (once for robbing the U.S. Federal Reserve, and once after being caught for gunrunning in another state).
• Red Right Hand: His missing eye covered by the eyepatch.
• Refusal of the Call: His main reason for rejecting the missions given to him in the films, due to the fact that he doesn't care about anyone else's problems except his own.
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Everyone who's heard of him states they thought he was dead after Kansas City. In LA, they thought he'd be taller.
• Revolvers Are Just Better: To the point that it's his favorite fireamr. Snake prefers to carry at least one revolver on him at all times, though he doesn't have many opportunities to show his prowess with them. To note, just after he uses them (Guns Akimbo) to dispatch a group of Cuervo's men in L.A., he loses them when he's captured.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: On at least two separate occasions, Snake shows that he has a subtle moral compass, via sabotaging the President's speech by swapping the real tape out after hearing how the latter has no respect for the people who saved his life, and using the Sword of Damocles to wipe out Earth's electricity in order to level the playing field and stop the President's fundamentalist theocracy.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Telling Hauk that he'd rather fly the Gullfire to Canada than rescue the President in New York is what motivates the former to tether him with an Explosive Leash. Snake later tries to do the same thing upon initially finding the empty Escape Pod, only for Hauk to threaten to shoot him out of the sky or burn him alive if he attempts to go over the wall.
• Secret Test of Character: He gives one to the President at the end of the original film, asking him how he feels about the people who lost their lives getting him to safety. The President's answer (a flippant response) leads Snake to swap out the real cassette tape for Cabbie's, causing the President to be embarrassed on live television.
• Signature Line:
  Call me Snake.
• Smoking Is Cool: Is rarely seen outside of combat without a cigarette in his mouth. The ending of L.A. has him find a discarded pack of "American Spirit" cigarettes with one still left inside, and lights it up while musing about the future.
• Stealth Expert: One of the reasons Hauk uses him to infiltrate New York to rescue the President is that he knows how to get in quiet. He displays an ability to take out Mooks quietly in the process of stealing a car and successfully slips aboard the train where the President is being held, while quietly dispatching the two guys guarding him. Getting out, on the other hand, proves too difficult for him, since he's ambushed from above, while wounded in the leg to boot.
• Stolen MacGuffin Reveal: Pulls one of these during his New York and Los Angeles missions. He first swaps the President's tape containing the secret of nuclear fusion with one of Cabbie's, which plays during the Hartford Summit. The second time, he fakes out Malloy and the President by pretending that he gave the real Sword of Damocles to Utopia, only to reveal that he held onto it all along.
• Tattooed Crook: Fittingly enough, he has a snake tattoo on his torso (unclear whether it extends...below the belt.
• That Man Is Dead: At the end of the third arc of the BOOM comic series, on his way out of New York State, Snake stops at a store and meets a cashier who seems to recognize him (and references the Running Gag about him being dead)... but this time, Snake responds very differently:
  Cashier: You Look Familiar. Holy... are you Snake Plissken?
  Snake: No. I'm nobody. Besides, from what I hear... Snake Plissken is dead."
• Took a Level in Badass: By the time the events of L.A. begin, Snake has progressed from being a capable soldier into a man who can fire weapons while riding a motorcycle one-handed, walk with a limp after being shot in the leg with a Desert Eagle, and achieving quickdrawing against multiple enemies. References in the latter film and the comic series explain that despite the time gap, his emergence from retirement, mission to steal the U.S. Bill of Rights in Cleveland and what appears to be several weeks (if not months) taking part in prize fights in New Bangkok has made him much more proficient than before.
• Unexplained Recovery: Nearly every person Snake meets in the original film can't believe he's alive, and reference something that happened in the past where he was reportedly killed. Snake ignores these concerns, but whatever happened was significant enough to be heard by many of the prisoners in New York.
• Unwitting Pawn: During his Los Angeles mission. Unlike what happened in New York (where he's given an Explosive Leash), the Plutoxin-7 "virus" is just a case of the flu. Exemplified afterwards when the President says, "We took you on a little ride, and you held up your end of the bargain."
• War Hero: He was a U.S. soldier during a war with Russia. He received two Purple Hearts and was the youngest man ever to be decorated by the President. However, he robbed a Federal Reserve depository and was sentenced to the Manhattan prison. Hauk tells Plisskin "I'm ready to kick your ass out of the world, war hero."
• What's In It For Me?: Snake generally holds this attitude when he's presented with a deal. When he meets Hershe in Los Angeles, he says this to her verbatim.
• Would Hit a Girl: Snake has no problem beating up Meemaw, the heavyset protector of the Twins in the BOOM! comic series.

The President (1997)

"This nation appreciates their sacrifice."

Played By: Donald Pleasence

An unnamed President who is travelling to a global summit on Air Force One when it's commandeered by terrorists who take over the cockpit. He uses an Escape Pod to eject into New York City before the plane crashes, and is subsequently captured by The Duke and his men, forcing Bob Hauk to enact a rescue mission to save him with Snake's help.

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• Action Politician: Despite the situation he found himself in, he has no problem grabbing a weapon and gunning down the Duke when presented with the opportunity.
• All There in the Manual: His last name (Harker) is only given in the novelization and comic series, and is never addressed on-screen.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Snake uses a Secret Test to gauge the President's response on the loss of life over the last few hours, and the latter's response makes it clear that he's indifferent that several people died helping him get to safety, saying "this nation appreciates their sacrifice" in an offhand tone while casually looking in a mirror.
• Create Your Own Villain: In the BOOM! comic series. Snake's switch of the cassette tape causes the President to lose faith with his administration, eventually leading to his impeachment. This, coupled with Sanity Slippage (see below) leads him to take up the role of Duke of New York, and he is the main antagonist Snake runs up against during the third arc of the comic series.
• Fingore: Immediately loses one of his fingers when he's captured by the Duke's men, which is subsequently presented to Hauk by Romero later on.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: In the BOOM! comic series. Harker (who has just massacred the film crew sent to interview him) inadvertantly lets Snake film him gloating over his crimes to the public, which causes his own troops to turn on him and deliver a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown in response.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: It turns out that he's quite proficient with an assault rifle, shooting multiple rounds on-target into the Duke from an elevated position, and in a crazed state, no less.
• Lack of Empathy: Makes it clear he doesn’t give a damn about the people who lost their lives saving his sorry ass at the end of the film.
• The Load: He is (initially) a non-action combatant who has to be protected by Brain, Maggie and Snake during their escape. When push comes to shove, though, he proves that he's very capable with a weapon, using it to save Snake's life by gunning down the Duke.
• No Name Given: His name is never mentioned on-screen, and everyone simply identifies him by his title. In the novelization and the BOOM! comic series, he is identified as President John Harker.
• No Party Given: No clear policies or moral stance are ever revealed by him, but judging from the fact that John Carpenter based his character off Ronald Reagan (who was still in power at the time the film was produced), he is most likely a Republican.
• Our Presidents Are Different: The President is evidently not an American citizen, as he has a British accent. He also has no problem grabbing a weapon and gunning down the Big Bad, though this was caused by a day's worth of psychological torture.
• Sanity Slippage:
  • By the time he finally escapes the prison, the President has been psychologically affected by the tortures he's endured, leading him to machine-gun The Duke while yelling, "You're the Duke! You're the Duke! You're A-Number One!" in a deranged voice. By the time he has a few minutes to recover, though, he's largely back to himself.
  • Happens again in the BOOM! comic series — Snake's actions after rescuing him (destroying the tape with the secret of nuclear fission) have caused him to be impeached and subsequently driven insane, whereupon he goes back to New York, obtains the Duke's old clothing and subsequently become the new Duke of New York, who Snake faces off against during the third story arc.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: During the final run across the 69th Street Bridge, he immediately starts running once he sees Brain get blown up by one of the mines, leaving the stunned Snake and Maggie in his wake.
• Trauma Conga Line: By the time he's rescued from New York, the President has lost a finger, been mentally tortured, shot at, and been emasculated by having a wig and makeup put on him. He finally manages to regain his senses by the time he's treated by presidential aides and is given a shave and a new suit.
• Uncertain Doom: The last time he's seen (in the comic series), his own troops are delivering a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown after he inadvertantly confesses to his crimes on national television and massacres the crew sent to film him.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Despite Snake and the others helping him escape the city (with nearly all of them perishing in the process), his response to Snake upon being asked how he feels shows that he is indifferent (if not having any respect whatsoever) for the fallen. This is what motivates Snake to sabotage his speech.

Bob Hauk

"You go in, find the President, bring him out in 24 hours, and you're a free man."

Played By: Lee Van Cleef

The Commissioner of New York City's police force, stationed at Liberty Island. After the President's Escape Pod crashlands in New York, Hauk conscripts Snake to undertake a rescue mission within 22 hours, under threat of an Explosive Leash.

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• Badass Boast: When Snake attempts to renege on the mission after entering the city, Hauk has some choice words for him.
  Hauk: If you get back in that glider, I'll shoot you down. You climb out, and I'll burn you off the wall.
• Badass Normal:
  • The moment he realizes that the President's Escape Pod has crashed in Manhattan, he personally leads a team beyond the prison walls to go rescue him. He's only stopped by the fact that the Duke and his men got there before he did, forcing him to enact his contingency plan of utilizing Snake.
  • When Snake gets back from the city, Hauk nonchalantly asks if he's still thinking of killing him. Snake tells him he's "too tired" but claims that he might later, which doesn't cause any reaction from the commissioner.
• Cool Old Guy: He's the aging commissioner of New York's security police, doesn't take flak from anyone and has no problem personally leading a squad into the prison to save someone.
• Create Your Own Villain: In the BOOM! comic series. Snake's actions caused Hauk to take the fall for the switched cassette tape, and he was tortured by the President's troops before being dumped unceremoniously in Siberia. As a result, he forces Snake to face him head-on during the second storyline of the comic series. Snake is forced to kill him as a result.
• Da Chief: Of New York City's police force.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Once Romero reveals that the Duke has the President and begins a verbal countdown (under threat of ordering the men to kill him), Hauk immediately realizes when he's beaten and retreats from the island with his men.
• Missing Child: The novelization for the film reveals that Hauk's child is missing somewhere in the city and he has been searching for him for quite some time. In said novel (and a Freeze-Frame Bonus in the film), this becomes a Chekhov's Gun when Snake (while being pursued by the Crazies) shoots the hand off of one, and pauses for a moment when he realizes the word "HAUK" is tattooed on it — a reference to a tattoo Hauk had told Snake about earlier.
• Mission Control: Acts as this to Snake for the duration of the mission.
• The Power of Trust: Hauk believes in Snake's ability to complete the mission, so much so that he's able to stall the Secretary of State's request to storm the island so Snake will have the allotted time to complete his mission. He also refuses to believe that Snake is dead after the latter's transmitter cuts out, and practically cheers when it re-activates again towards the end of the film.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite his machinations, Hauk keeps his word at the end of the film and allows Snake to walk free. He even offers him another job, and says that they worked well together. He isn't even bothered with Snake's pre-mission threat that he'll kill him.
• Smoking Is Cool: He's shown smoking a cigarette by one of the security stations at dusk.

Cabbie

"I've been driving a cab here for 30 years and I'm telling you -- you don't walk around here at night!"

Played By: Ernest Borgnine

A mild-mannered, happy-go-lucky resident who voluntarily stayed behind in Manhattan when it was turned into a prison, and has had a long-running career as a cab driver. He encounters Snake in a theater and becomes a chauffeur for him, eventually getting involved in the plot to rescue the President.

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• Beware the Silly Ones: He's introduced smiling and grooving along with a play in a run-down theater, then shows up a few minutes later to rescue Snake from the Crazies, nonchalantly lighting a Molotov cocktail and using it to stall them while Snake escapes with him.
• The Cavalry: Shows up twice to rescue someone. He first saves Snake as the latter is fleeing from the Crazies, then he shows up to rescue Snake, the President, Brain and Maggie towards the end of the film as they're fleeing from the Duke and his men.
• Chekhov's Gunman: He inadvertently saves the day twice over: first by trading his hat to Romero in exchange for the cassette tape with the secret to nuclear fusion (which the latter doesn't understand and wants to pawn off as soon as possible), then by showing up to rescue the group as they flee from the Duke towards the end of the film.
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: The murky nature of whether his friend "Eddie" exists aside, Cabbie tells Snake that he voluntarily stayed behind in Manhattan when it turned into a prison. He didn't even commit a crime — he just enjoyed living there.
• Cool Old Guy: He's the only unambiguously heroic person still living in New York, as he's just an older man who is happy driving a cab around the city. Despite the violence on the streets, it seems that nothing dampens his optimism and he's happy to help Snake and his friends escape.
• Cowardly Sidekick: He only helps the heroes until he hears the sounds of the Duke's convoy in the distance — then, he'll immediately flee the general area.
• Double Take: Has this reaction (going into triple-take territory) when he sees Snake walk past him in the theater.
• The Driver: Acts as a chauffeur for Snake, Brain, Maggie and eventually the President towards the end of the film. However, Snake co-opts his driver's seat during the final chase.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"/Only Known by Their Nickname: If he has a real name, he never mentions it, and everyone seems content to simply call him "Cabbie".
• Nice Guy: He's an optimistic cab driver who is by far the most carefree and happy person in the film.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: He chooses to rescue Snake and the rest of the group from the World Trade Center as they flee from the Duke — and dies just a few minutes later, as he's the only casualty of a mine detonating under the cab, while everyone else is largely unscathed.
• Sacrificial Lion: Is the first member of the squad to die during the climax of the film, just to prove how dangerous the mines on the bridge are.
• Too Happy to Live: He's by far the happiest character in the city, and is introduced grooving away to a theatre production while everyone else looks on morosely. Nothing dampens his optimism, yet he is the first to die during the gang's escape at the end of the film.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: He's so optimistic and good-hearted about things that even a gun to the face doesn't dampen his spirit. He generally seems to regard his situation in a positive light and goes out of his way to help Snake and the group rescue the President.

Harold "Brain" Hellman

"Just one thing, right now... don't call me Harold!"

Played By: Harry Dean Stanton

An acquaintance from Snake's past who fled from a job, they once again cross paths in New York City. This time, though, "Brain" works for the Duke and helps pump oil from the ground in order to fuel his convoy. He reluctantly takes part in Snake's plan to rescue the President.

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• Alliterative Name: Harold Hellman.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He's only involved in the scheme for his own benefit, and is trying to keep both Duke and Snake from killing him by stringing them along as much as possible.
• Do Not Call Me "Paul": He hates it when people refer to him by his given name, "Harold".
• Improvised Weapon: Resorts to throwing stones at the residents who sabotage the glider and push it off the top of the World Trade Center.
• Insufferable Genius: To the point that everyone in the city hates him, save for Maggie and Cabbie. Had he not made himself invaluable by being able to produce oil for the city from the pump inside the NYC Library, he would likely have been executed beforehand.
• It's All About Me: His main objective is to escape at all costs, and he doesn't care who he has to double-cross (except for his wife and the President) along the way. The third act of the film is motivated by him electing to rescue the President with Maggie's help.
• The Navigator: He's set up as this, having spent the better part of a day figuring out if Snake could have parked the glider on top of the World Trade Center and pilfering a diagram that shows the location of mines on the 69th Street Bridge. However, it's eventually revealed that he can't read the directions as well as he thought, which leads to both Cabbie and himself dying when they run into mines along the way.
• Noodle Incident: Whatever happened in Kansas City where Brain abandoned Snake and Fresno Bob.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Part of his backstory. Four years before the events of the film, he abandoned Snake and "Fresno Bob" during a job in Kansas City, after initially being tasked to wait for a rendezvous with them. Snake doesn't take kindly to seeing "Harold" alive and well, and tells him that he still remembers what happened.
• Suicidal Overconfidence: During the chase across the bridge, he orders everyone to follow him around the left side of a vehicle turned on its side to avoid a mine, having just given them wrong directions that resulted in Cabbie's death. Everyone else runs around the right side of the vehicle while he continues on around the left, running smackdab into another mine that launches him into the air and kills him instantly.

Maggie

"Harold? You never told me you knew Snake."

Played By: Adrienne Barbeau

Harold "Brain" Hellman's wife, who lives with him at the New York City Public Library. She proves to be a crack shot with a gun and assists the group as they try to escape from the city with the President.

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• Action Girl: During the drive down Broadway, she takes Snake's revolver and starts fighting, keeping it until the fight at the top of the World Trade Centre. She notably kills Romero's goons when Brain stabs Romero and makes a Last Stand against the Duke.
• Battle Couple: With Brain. When they rescue the President from Romero, she snipes his lackeys in the head while Brain guts Romero with a knife.
• Broken Bird: Her behaviour implies that something bad happened to her in the past, but no confirmation is given either way.
• Dies Wide Open: The eventual result of her Last Stand against the Duke.
• Happily Married: With Brain, and living a comfortable (well, as comfortable as living in a prison can be) existence in the New York City Public Library.
• Heroic BSoD: Goes into a brief one when Brain is killed.
• Last Stand: Attempts this against the Duke, partially to give Snake and the President time to escape and partially to avenge the death of Brain.
• Ms. Fanservice: Chooses to wear low-cut blouses that display cleavage.
• Together in Death: Implied to be part of this reason why she stays behind to have a Last Stand against the Duke. Prior to this, she suffers from a momentary Heroic BSoD after seeing Brain's body, and implores him to Please Wake Up.
• Two Guys and a Girl: Is the only girl of the bunch.

The Duke

"They sent in their best man, and when we roll across the 59th Street bridge tomorrow, on our way to freedom, we're going to have their best man leading the way - from the neck up! On the hood of my car!"

Played By: Isaac Hayes

The most feared man in New York. The Duke runs a gang with an iron fist, and runs afoul of Snake when the latter attempts to rescue the President by himself soon after arriving in the city. The Duke plans to escape from the city with his gang by any means necessary.

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• Alas, Poor Villain: The camera lingers on his shocked face and bullet-ridden body as he dies, implying that he's more of a tragic villain than a straight-up antagonist, in tandem with his leadership of the gang.
• Arch-Enemy: To Snake. Notably, Duke's right eye twitches involuntarily whenever he's in Snake's presence.
• Badass Boast: Has one while addressing the crowd at the Blood Sport fighting match.
  Duke: They sent in their best man, and when we roll across the 69th Street bridge tomorrow, on our way to freedom, we're going to have their best man leading the way — from the neck up! On the hood of my car!
• Bald of Authority: He is the most imposing leader in the city, and rules over his men with equal parts fear and admiration.
• Big Bad: Of the first film.
• Car Fu: Uses his personal vehicle as a weapon to run down Maggie.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Spends a good amount of time taking potshots at the wall around the chained-up President so he can psychologically break the latter.
• The Dreaded: He has this reputation among the inhabitants of New York, so much so that Cabbie decides to turn tail and run the moment he hears the Duke's convoy approaching.
• Evil Sounds Deep: He has a deep and very bass voice courtesy of Isaac Hayes. A sign that he's definetly bad news.
• A Father to His Men: He wants to use the President as leverage not only to escape the city, but to allow his followers to get out without being killed by the police. However, this is eventually subverted in the final chase, where he (and he alone) follows the gang over the bridge as they try to escape (though a deleted scene would have revealed that his followers would have been impeded by a car crash that disables their vehicles).
• Karmic Death: After a day spent torturing and trying to psychologically break the President, Duke gets gunned down by him just when he's within arm's reach of getting over the wall. The fact that the President mocks him by parroting the words he beat into him is just icing on the cake.
• Red Right Hand: His twitching right eye.
• Scary Black Man: Has this reputation among the inmates on the island, to such a point that Cabbie claims that anyone who meets him and isn't part of his gang will be killed immediately.
• Soul Brotha: The Duke's attitude and speech runs headlong into this. Being portrayed by Isaac Hayes helps.
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Gets machine-gunned down by the President, who pumps him full of bullets while yelling, "You're the Duke! You're the Duke! You're A-Number One!"

Romero

Played By: Frank Doubleday

The Duke's right-hand man, Romero is rarely seen without the Duke and follows his orders without question. He is the one who reveals to Hauk that the President has been captured, thus kicking off the latter's quest to bring him back with Snake's help.

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• Ambiguously Gay: He acts somewhat flamboyant and sports painted fingernails, not to mention that he immediately dresses the President up in a wig and makeup at the first opportunity. However, no confirmation is given either way.
• The Dragon: He is the Duke's second-in-command.
• The Hyena: Has a strange, high-pitched laugh, which is most notable when Brain gets up to leave after his meeting with the Duke.
• Shonen Hair: He wears a spiked, upswept haircut.

The Woman

Played By: Season Hubley

An unnamed resident of New York who Snake meets while hiding from the Crazies in the Chock Full O'Nuts shop. She gives him some information about the city and the current situation.

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• Decoy Protagonist: It's implied that she'll play a large role acting as Snake's sidekick, but it isn't long before she's caught and killed by the Crazies.
• No Name Given: She never tells Snake her name in the film, and is only referred to as "Woman in Chock Full O'Nuts" in the credits. However, in the novelization, she tells Snake that her name is Maureen.
• Noodle Incident: Who she is and why she is imprisoned in New York is never explained.
• One Last Smoke: She asks for one, is given it, and dies to the Crazies a short time later.
• Sacrificial Lion: She only appears for a matter of minutes before she's suddenly ambushed and dragged down underground by the Crazies.
• Ship Tease: She implores Snake to bring her along with him, and her body language makes it seem that she's going to kiss him. However, this is quickly dashed when the Crazies pull her through the floor.
• Special Guest: Hubley receives this title in the credits, and only appears for a single scene.
• Spotting the Thread: She immediately figures out that Snake is a recent arrival on the island, as she quickly asks him for a "real smoke" upon meeting him.

Taylor

Played By: Joe Unger

A long-time companion of Snake, Bill Taylor is involved in a botched robbery on the U.S. Federal Reserve that results in Snake getting arrested and sent to New York for incarceration. The scenes including Taylor were filmed, but ultimately deleted, from the final cut of the film.

• All There in the Manual: According to the novelization of the film, Taylor is an old war buddy and companion of Snake's, and has been his partner-in-crime for quite some time.
• Boxed Crook: Like Snake, he ends up besieged by USPF officers in San Francisco. Unlike Snake, he refuses to part with his take, and gets shot and killed for it.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: Gets gunned down by USPF forces after being wounded and practically crawling away from the approaching officers.
• Hope Spot: Like Snake, he initially thinks the duo is in the clear when they get to San Francisco after the robbery... only to be surprised by USPF forces, who shoot and kill him and arrest Snake.
• The Load: Occurs when he's shot and wounded by officers in San Francisco, necessitating Snake go back for him. It doesn't work, as he gets gunned down (and Snake gets arrested) moments later.
• Small Role, Big Impact: While he's not seen in the final cut of the film, the novelization and original opening sequence set him up as Snake's trusted companion, who mourns for Taylor after he's shot down. The novelization goes one step further and explains that Taylor was the last link to Snake's past in the army, and that his death fundamentally changed something in Snake.
• Tempting Fate: After he and Snake successfully rob the Federal Reserve, he comments on how easy it would be to "spend a billion" in San Francisco. Moments later, he gets shot in the shoulder by USPF troops, forcing him and Snake to make a run for it.
• True Companions: To the point that, looking at the original opening sequence of the film in isolation compared to the rest of the movie, Snake's behavior towards him looks like it's an Out-of-Character Moment. Snake trusts Taylor implicitly, to the point that he falls asleep and entrusts Taylor with sorting out the stolen credit cards they nabbed from the Reserve.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: After only a couple minutes of screentime setting him up as Snake's companion (and someone he refuses to leave behind), Taylor gets unceremoniously gunned down by USPF forces.

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Characters featured in the comic series produced by Boom! Studios:

The Twins

The "Twins" (a.k.a. Romulus and Remus) control the state of Florida and have fashioned it into a free state... despite only being 13 years old. They attempt to enlist Snake to help them invade the U.S. and claim it for themselves.

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• Easily Forgiven: At the end of the first arc, they call their parents and explain the situation (and their failed coup). Despite the fact that they were indirectly responsible for Florida seceding from the country, what the Twins say indicates that their parents seem to be okay with what their sons did, though it's not explicitly confirmed if they'll bother to bring them back home.
• Expy: They are basically American version of Johnny and Luther Htoo as they led an army and personified themselves as gods.
• Karma Houdini: They seemingly get off scot-free for their actions, despite directly being the ones who detonated the nukes that caused Florida to secede from the States.
• Insistent Terminology: They repeatedly refer to themselves as being "13-and-a-half" whenever Snake remarks on how they're just children.
• Mouthy Kid: They enjoy taunting Snake and believe that nothing can ever go wrong for them.
• Suicidal Overconfidence: Their grand plan is to invade the rest of the United States, with Snake leading their army and a stockpile of nukes in their arsenal. Naturally, their plan goes to pot immediately when Snake decides he wants no part of it and decides to escape.
• Tempting Fate: They decide to activate the nuclear detonator in the final issue of the first arc, despite Snake warning them that he's already dug up and replanted the warheads along the Florida border. They refuse to believe it and press the button, thus activating the warheads and severing the continent from the mainland.
• Theme Naming: The Twins are named Romulus and Remus, after the twin brothers who helped create the city of Rome.

Meemaw

The protector of the mouthy Twins, Meemaw is a no-nonsense Mama Bear who protects the boys at any cost.

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• The Beastmaster: She claims to have wrestled and reined in animals from the Florida wilds, including large alligators and snakes.
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted - she has a large set of claw marks across her face, which are implied to have been caused by an alligator slashing at her.
• Between My Legs: Seen when she knocks out Snake during their first encounter.
• Covered with Scars: To the point that Snake points out that she's probably lost plenty of times against alligators and snakes, considering that she has large claw marks across her face and plenty of scars on her arms and legs.
• Failed a Spot Check: She doesn't seem to notice (or care) that Snake steals the supposed detonator for his Explosive Leash while she's slightly intoxicated (despite it sitting right beside her in the passenger seat), and she never brings it up after the fact.
• Large and in Charge: The heavyset protector of two boys, who has no problem beating sense into people that threaten them.
• Mama Bear: She is highly protective of the Twins, and will knock out anyone who threatens their well-being.
  Time for sharing and playing nice is over. You tried to hurt me and my babies.
• Nubile Savage: She sports an Amazon-like outfit that amplifies her... natural attributes.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: She only refers to herself as "meemaw", a slang word for "mother". She uses the term to describe her own mother while talking with Snake about her premonitions.
• Third-Person Person: She speaks in this way throughout her appearances.

Jayne

A Satanist (claiming to be a missionary) who accompanies Snake during his journey to Florida.

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• As the Good Book Says...: In the first issue:
  Do what thou wilt. Especially where shotguns are involved.
• Dirty Coward: When Aleister and Anton attempt to rob a convenience store in order to get some money for their trip, Jayne hides in the cab of a pickup truck, only revealing herself when Snake commandeers it during his escape. Subverted when she decides to aid him by pulling out two guns and attacking the pursuing police officers.
• Guns Akimbo: Wields a pair of shotguns in this way during the escape with Snake from the convenience store.
• Religion of Evil: It is implied (but not explicitly stated) that she is a member of the New Church of Satan, who are seen watching former President Harker's speech at the end of the Escape to New York story.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Beats feet once Snake gets to the entrance of the Crucible, reasoning that she'd have more fun outside and is more interested in a nice-looking car than facing a Death Course.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: The last time she's seen, it's suggested that she (and the New Church of Satan) are watching President Harker's speech with great interest and may interfere with the country in the future. As of the end of the comic series, they are never seen or addressed, even after the Time Skip.

Lappawinsoe (Johnny)

The leader of the Lenape Tribe, a group of Native-American Indians living in New York. Snake (who previously encountered the tribe during his mission to rescue the President during the original film) comes face-to-face with the Tribe — and Lappawinsoe — during his second excursion into the city to find and kill the Duke of New York.

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• Author's Saving Throw: The original film displayed the Lenape Tribe as near-animalistic lunatics who end up cutting off Snake's original method of escape (the Gullfire) — and in a deleted scene, they would be shown roasting a feral animal over a fire when Snake encounters them at the base of the World Trade Center. In the comics, the Lenape are now much smarter and led by a Chief who is far friendlier to Snake — along with establishing that the Lenape recovered and repaired the Gullfire in the interim between the comic arcs.
• Da Chief: Acts as the official "leader" of the Lenape Tribe.
• Enemy Mine: After initially being hostile to Snake, the Chief offers him a deal for freedom in exchange for bringing him stunt driver Suicide Gorschnik's rocket car.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": His real name is Johnny, but he only imparts this name to Snake during one of their last conversations — everyone else identifies him as "Lappawinsoe".
• Grease Monkey: Lappawinsoe establishes that both he and his tribe worked as mechanics who worked on racetracks — and also had relatives who helped build the Gullfire and other flying machines during the Battle of Leningrad.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Unlike the Lenape Tribe (whose actions in the original film could be summed up as, "Shoot first, don't ask questions"), Lappawinsoe/Johnny is far more friendly, works with Snake on a deal that will benefit both groups, and gives him the Hellfire (a kitbashed Gullfire glider merged with the rocket car Snake entered New York in) to save the city from the encroaching fighter jets.
• Shout-Out:
  • Lappawinsoe is named after a real-life Lenape chief from the 19th Century, who lost his tribe's land by a walking treaty in 1737. In the comics, Lappawinsoe blames himself for a similar deal with the Duke of New York that's caused his tribe to lose standing, and he allies with Snake to stop the Duke once and for all.
  • He also shouts out that "the Americans are coming!" at one point, evoking the speech and behavior of Paul Revere, who pulled something similar with his "The British are coming!" cry.

Vice-President Sutter

Initially serving under President John Harker in 1997, Sutter takes a decisive role during the "Escape to New York" arc of the series.

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• Dragon-in-Chief: Harker claims that Sutter is subordinate to him and isn't the one calling the shots. After Harker destroys the Statue of Liberty, Sutter finally wrests control back and tells Harker that he's through being his patsy, and orders fighter jets to destroy New York.
• Klingon Promotion: Attempts this against his boss, President Harker, via attempting to destroy New York in a bid to get rid of him.
• Monumental Damage: Attempted, as he scrambles jets to wipe out New York completely after Harker has the Statue of Liberty bombed. It's only due to the interference of Lappawinsoe and Snake that this plan doesn't come to pass.
• No Party Given: Similar to Harker, Sutter's political affiliation is never addressed.
• Remember the New Guy?: According to the comics, he's been serving under Harker through the entirety of the latter's term, but he was never seen nor referred to up until the comic series.
• The Starscream: He's shown to have been leading the remnants of the U.S. Government in the wake of Harker's disappearance. Once the latter decides to bomb the Statue of Liberty, Sutter decides he's through taking orders and attempts to kill his own boss, via scrambling jets to destroy the city.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: While it's possible that he still served out the rest of Harker's term, he's nowhere to be seen in the following arc ("Escape From Cleveland"), having been presumably displaced by the fundamentalist President who won, nor is any information given as to his whereabouts.

Sadie

A resident in Cleveland who joins Snake's gang as they decide to raid a Federal Vault, and eventually gets roped along in Snake's quest to escape the U.S. Police Force.

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• Action Girl: Proves to be a very capable member of Snake's team, as she aids him during his escape and goes through several increasingly-violent battles that sees her survive when other armed members of the city perish.
• Passing the Torch: Snake gives her a lockbox with the remaining money he's saved from his various jobs over the years, along with ownership of his dog, Fresno, and tells her that he's returning to a life of crime.
• Took a Level in Badass: Initially appears to be an unassuming support member of Snake's crew in Cleveland, but ultimately ends up as the only other surviving member of the team, standing side-by-side with Snake battling hordes of USPF officers as they fight their way out of the city's downtown core.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Calls out Snake in their final conversation for letting her go off to his house alone, knowing that it was booby-trapped and that the USPF would be looking to siege it.

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