Max Payne (Max Payne)

“So I guess I’ve become what they wanted me to be. A killer. Some rent-a-clown with a gun who puts holes in other bad guys. Well, that’s what they have paid for, so in the end, that’s what they got. Say what you want about Americans, but we understand capitalism. You buy yourself a product and you get what you pay for. And these chumps had paid for some angry gringo without the sensibilities to know right from wrong. And here I was, about to execute this poor bastard like some dime store angel of death, and I realized, they were correct. I wouldn’t know right from wrong if one was helping the poor and the other was banging my sister.” - Max realizing and coming to terms with his actions while standing over a dying Armando Becker.Maxwell “Max” Payne (b. November 30, 1965 - d. December 18, 2023) is a former New York Police Department detective, who became disgruntled after the tragic murders of his wife and infant daughter in 1998. Since then, he became depressed and got involved in numerous counts of shootings across New York to put a stop to the Valkyrie drug that was being sold on the streets around 2001 while he was in the DEA, and solve the Cleaners Case of 2003. Eventually, around early 2012, Max became involved in body-guarding a rich South American family, but later became involved in causing a downfall in a organ harvesting scandal. Although unseen, he is mentioned by Joel Wallace and he served as the central protagonist of the Max Payne series.
== Biography ==
=== Max Payne Series ===
He was a former New York detective and undercover copbefore quitting his police work in 2003. He became a private bodyguard for the Brancos and later a fugitive in São Paulo in 2012. 
=== History ===
Maxwell Payne was born to Jack and Helen Payne on November 30, 1965 in New York, United States of America. His father was verbally and physically abusive and often beat both Max and Helen. Helen died of unknown circumstances around the 1970’s, while Jack had an affair with a woman named Cheryl. Max threatened Jack with a revolver replica, bitter and resentful towards his father. Jack died three years later, leaving him in the care of his grandfather, but learning the valuable lesson of not fearing death from Jack. Sometime in his adult years, Max eventually met his future wife, Michelle and married her, having a baby daughter by 1998.
=== 1998 ===
He used to have a happy family life and worked in Hell’s Kitchen, New York as a detective, even offered a job in the DEA, which he turned down, but tragedy struck when his wife and infant daughter were murdered by 3 lunatics who were injected with Valkyr in their New Jersey home. This sent him down a path of depression and revenge, he become an undercover cop in the Punchinello Crime Family, who is suspected to have a role in the Valkyr drug trafficking.
=== The Valkyr Case of 2001 ===
He is forced to become a fugitive after he is framed for the murder of his partner, Alex Balder. To make things worse, the Punchinellos knew that Max is a cop and attempt to kill him. He spent 2 nights hunting down both Jack Lupinoand and Angelo Punchinello as revenge and to stop the Valkyr. However, he discovers that the Mafia was just a pawn with a bigger force controlling the scene. He managed to survive a Valkyr overdose and with the help of a powerful organization, the Inner Circle, hunt down Nicole Horne, CEO of Aesir Corporation and one responsible for Max's family's death, and avenge their deaths and finally solve the Valkyr Case.
=== The Cleaner Case of 2003 ===
Despite being acquitted of all the murders in the Valkyr Case thanks to Alfred Woden, Max became disgruntled and went back to work in the NYPD. He spent his days hunting criminals and having nightmares. However, that all changed when he met an old acquaintance from the Valkyr Case, Mona Sax, in a new case he is investigating. Apparently there is a new wave of crime where disguised commandos have been assassinating members of the Inner Circle. As the Cleaner Case progressed, he felt love for Mona and guilt for abandoning his love to his dead wife Michelle. His guilt had turned worse as he killed his police partner, Valerie Winterson to save Mona. Although Winterson was part of the plot, it only made Max’s guilt of killing her worse. He visited Woden to reveal that the Inner Circle is in state of civil war and the renegade faction is led by Max's criminal friend Vladimir Lem. With the newfound information in hand, he tried to find Vlad or Mona and use Vinnie Gognitti, Max's old enemy to track either of the 2 of them. In the end, Max and Mona reunited, track Vlad to Woden manor to finish the case. The shootout led to Woden, Vlad, Mona and the entire Cleaners organization's death with Max being the only survivor. He is then discovered by NYPD officers responding to the scene not long afterwards.
=== After the Cleaner Case ===
After the Cleaner Case, Max had quietly quit the NYPD but while in public he was fired for his murderous rampage in 2001 and 2003. His boss, Jim Bravura supported Max in his unemployment until his death. Max spent his life drinking, taking painkillers, smoking and visiting his loved ones in a cemetery while living in a run-down apartment in Hoboken, New Jersey. It all changed when a stranger named Raul Passos visited Max who claimed that he is Max's old friend from the police academy and had attempted to recruit Max into his next role as a bodyguard.
=== The DeMarco Shooting in Hoboken, 2011 ===
“I don’t know why I did it. I guess I didn’t like seeing girls get hit. And from that moment, I was dead in that town.” - Max after shooting Tony DeMarco.On one fateful day in November of 2011, Max was nursing his alcoholism and painkiller addiction inside of a Hoboken bar, disgruntled and constantly bothered by Tony DeMarco and his thugs, who are all part of the DeMarco Crime Family. Soon, another man named Raul Passos showed up and scared the DeMarco’s off. After some introductions, Raul brought up the possibility of Max joining him in Brazil for bodyguarding work due to his renowned shooting skills and police work. Although Max did not accept, the two enjoyed a few drinks until an angry Tony returned and after he pistol-whipped a woman who talked back to him, Max shot him in a fit of rage, igniting a war between himself and the DeMarco’s. With the help of Passos, Max shot his way through Hoboken in an attempt to escape. Although the two escaped to Queens, New York, which soon after, Max had agreed to accompany Passos to South America, the two later returned a few days later for Max to say his goodbyes to his deceased wife and daughter at their grave. However, the DeMarco’s had tracked them down and after a lengthy and violent shootout throughout the cemetery and nearly losing their lives, the two called for help in escaping New Jersey.
=== Between November and December ===
Max and Passos eventually escaped Hoboken and fled the country together, heading for South America to enlist Max in the new job. The two were put in charge of protecting a rich Brazilian family known as the Branco’s, whom consisted of Rodrigo; the oldest and a businessman, Fabiana; Rodrigo’s trophy wife, Victor; the middle brother and a politician, and Marcelo; the youngest brother and a party animal. The two bodyguarded a wedding in Aruba, which he described as “easy, banging waitresses at a cocktail party.”,
=== The Panama Canal Massacre ===
“I didn’t know what to say. I was so loaded in Panama, I could scarcely remember my own name. I know things had got real heavy.” - Max reminiscing about the Panama massacre.Around late December of 2011, Max and Passos were put on duty to protect their main boss, Rodrigo Branco’s youngest brother, Marcelo, and his lover, Daphne Bernstein, aboard a yacht in the Panama Canal. The yacht underwent a large party, with Max taking in the liberty of free drinks. After talking with Passos and Marcelo, Max eventually stumbled away to his quarters and passed out for an uncertain amount of time. Max reawakened, only to discover Panamanian paramilitary soldiers having invaded the ship. Max fought his way through the yacht and attempted to send out an SOS distress signal, but to no avail. After fighting his way through the yacht, Max saw Passos and Marcelo loading up a truck, presumably about to abandon Max to the paramilitaries. Max caught up to them, oblivious to their possible intent to abandon him and suggested looking for Daphne. Passos accepted, possibly to avoid alerting Max to their intentions. Although the two succeeded in fighting their way to Daphne’s location, they were shocked to discover that Daphne, along with the rest of the yacht’s guests, had been brutally executed. Max was told that the people who attacked them were people who disliked Daphne due to an unpleasant divorce.
=== Between December of 2011 to February of 2012 ===
With a New Year passing, Max and Raul eventually traveled to Brazil a week after the massacre at the Panama Canal. The two were put on protecting the Branco’s throughout the beginning of 2012, initially in some other location in Brazil before relocating to São Paulo around early February.
Max was given an apartment to live in São Paulo while working for the Branco’s. Max became quickly accustomed to his new home and eventually began to drink (booze) and take painkillers again to get over his familiar losses.
=== The Branco Security Job of 2012 ===
“I arrived in São Paulo a few weeks before. I was working a protection for the kind of people that need protection in a town like this. And what kind of town was this? Well, one where I didn’t speak the language and they didn’t water down their drinks. So we seemed to get along just…fine. Of course, that was about to change.” - Max narrating his job in São Paulo.In mid February, as the Branco’s attended a penthouse party, a local gang known as the Comando Sombra broke in and attempted to kidnap Rodrigo and/or Fabiana. Max was able to stop the CS from escaping with either of them and secured their safety, but discovered that the local raid police force, the UFE, executing CS members that survived, leading to a heated argument between commanding officer Armando Becker and a detective. Everyone was returned home, where Max nursed his addiction until he vomited in his sink from his over-usage of painkillers and alcohol.“What a view. I guess my time in São Paulo wasn’t quite the paid holiday under the sun I had been promised. Least I was getting shot at by a better class of psychopath. These guys weren’t messing around. This place was like Baghdad with g-strings.” - Max narrating his events at the nightclub.Almost a week later, it was back to work, where now, Max and Passos ferried Marcelo, Fabiana, and the latter’s sister, Giovanna, to a nightclub, where the former bodyguard accompanied them inside while Passos remained on stand-by in a helicopter. However, after the party had entered the disco, the CS were revealed to have followed them in and in one quick movement, the two girls were grabbed while Max and Marcelo were in the V.I.P. Lounge, indulging themselves to alcohol. Although Marcelo escaped, Max pursued the CS in an attempt to get the girls back. After getting up to the rooftop and jumping into Passos’ helicopter, Max saw that the girls were being loaded into a helicopter. Giovanna managed to escape their grasp, but Fabiana was airlifted away, forcing the men to stay behind and safeguard Giovanna from the pursuing CS. Max successfully secured her safety and rescued her after managing to get back onto the rooftops and fighting his way to her. Although Giovanna was saved, Fabiana was now in CS captivity.“Just another day at the office, huh?” “Should have known this wouldn’t end well.” “It didn’t even well. It was hardly a textbook hostage exchange.” “Yeah. Guess I must’ve skipped that class.” - Max and Passos discussing the intervention of their ransom exchange.The next night, Rodrigo reviewed the ransom letter the CS mailed to them, which said that they must pay $3,000,000 for her safety. Max and Passos decided to take the money to them at the Galatians soccer (football) stadium. Although the deal was rocky, it was going along until suddenly, they were ambushed by a paramilitary force known as the Crachá Preto. Max was shot in the arm and the money was snatched up by a CS thug. Max was able to treat his wounds and after that, the two bodyguards decided to track down the also injured CS thug who carried the cash and ensure that the CS got the money and are notified that they did not try to trick them out of fear that Fabiana may not return home alive. After navigating through the stadium, gunning down several CS thugs and CP goons alike in their pursuit. In the end however, the money was finally stolen successfully by the CP, but as Max watched the cameras and Passos having watched the scene, they overheard the CS thug telling the CP that Fabiana was being held hostage at the docks up the Tieté River, upstate. The two escaped the stadium, but as the two escaped, one particular CP thug desired to shoot them down, but was ordered otherwise.“So here we were, miles up the Tieté River, looking for what? We did not know.” - Max narrating his and Passos’ attempt at finding the Comando Sombra hideout.The next night, Max and Passos journeyed up the Tieté River through the São Paulo swamps to find the CS docks. Max infiltrated it and fought his way through the CS in his pursuit to stop the leader, Serrano, and his thugs from escaping with Fabiana. Max narrowly survived a tanker explosion and after embarking Passos’ boat, the two pursued them on the river. After dealing with heavy boat patrol security, the two came close in saving Fabiana, but due to the enemies damaging their boat and Serrano’s quick thinking, Max and Passos failed to save Fabiana once again, only successfully killing dozens of CS thugs with nothing to show for it.“Look at me. I’ve been contracted to protect two people: One was being held in some hole, the other was sitting at his desk with a bullet in his head. And the company that had its logo on my paycheck was melting down right on top of my head.” - Max narrating the Fabricás Branco incident.The next morning, Max and Passos were called into Rodrigo’s office at Fabricás Branco to be ridiculed for their actions while also to discuss what they should do. After doing so, Becker suggested that it should be left up to the police. Passos, Victor, Marcelo, and Becker then left in a helicopter, leaving Max and Rodrigo alone to talk about their misfortunes. Suddenly, however, they received an alert that the Crachá Preto had stormed the building. Max secured Rodrigo in his office and went to get the security systems back online with the help of an IT technician. Max succeeded and decided to secure the rest of the building. After doing so, Max eventually returned to Rodrigo’s office, but when he did not respond and did not open his door, Max got inside via a rooftop door, and discovered that Rodrigo was assassinated with a clean bullet through the head at his desk. After Max searched for clues and learned that the security feed disk was missing, Max soon discovered an explosion rigged to Rodrigo’s desk, which eventually set off just as Max attempted to jump from the office balcony into the atrium. Max narrowly survived the blast, but regained consciousness to the entire building having been blown and set ablaze. Realizing the entire building was rigged, Max decided to escape. After narrowly surviving a combination of the flames, the collapsing, and the fighting CP survivors, Max managed to reach the front of the building, confronting a dying thug. Before he could die, Max asked why did they attack the building and kill Rodrigo, which the thug revealed that Rodrigo was not their target, but their target was in fact Max due to him killing a great number of their men at the stadium. Realizing that the CP were not the ones who set the entire building ablaze, Max asked for the location of Fabiana, which the thug revealed that the Comando Sombra are holding her up the hill inside the Nova Esperança favela. Max returned home. Blaming himself for Rodrigo’s demise and Fabiana’s kidnapping, Max swore off alcohol and shaved his head to signalize that he was ready for war.
=== The Beginning of a Big Scandal ===
“I was a day off the sauce for the first time in years and I knew I was due a hangover sent direct from Mother Nature.” - Max on his newfound soberness while journeying into Nova Esperança.The next morning, Max traveled to the favela to track down Fabiana, despite having no idea where to go and that he stood out. After Max traveled to a strip club to call Passos and get an idea on where to go, he was encountered by the same detective from the penthouse party, whose name was Wilson Da Silva. Da Silva offered Max assistance in exchange for his assistance in investigating the Crachá Preto, revealing the leader’s and the right-hand-man’s names as Alváro Neves, and Milo Rego. Shortly after he left, Max was approached by the violent locals, who proceeded to engage in a shootout against him. Max journeyed into the favela that was full of gangsters. Max eventually walked into Comando Sombra territory, where he discovered a heavily secured pad, which he correctly assumed to be Serrano’s. After fighting his way to the pad, Max discovered that Marcelo and Giovanna had arrived to pay the ransom money, but judging by the look of the entire scene, it was not going so well, possibly due to the combined reasons that there was not enough money and that Max had killed a lot of his men.“Here I was again, halfway down the world, standing over the bodies of women I was supposed to protect. Only difference now is, I didn’t understand the language.” - Max narrating his guilt over failing to protect Michelle Payne and Fabiana Branco.Although he was severely outnumbered, Max stormed in, but was quickly disarmed. Due to rising tensions and anger, Serrano finally executed Fabiana out of anger. Before Max and the others could be killed, the building suddenly shook due to an outdoor explosion, which, as heard from Serrano, was caused by the UFE. As Marcelo and Giovanna were moved out, Max was held at gunpoint. He successfully disarmed the only thug guarding him and escaped. Max, having no choice, pursued Marcelo and Giovanna in hopes that he could rescue them in time. Along the way, the UFE attempted to kill Max as well due to him being a witness. Max narrowly survived the favela-wide raid and after finding a hiding place, he was disarmed, but discovered the UFE rolling through the streets in their riot van, gunning down any stragglers. Max then watched as the UFE pulled into a small and discreet area and met up with none other than the Crachá Preto. It appeared as though the CP were buying the busted favela residents from the UFE, as Max saw it. He then discovered Rego going into a back alley and finally found Marcelo and Giovanna. In a sudden quick time of events, Marcelo was executed via necklacing burning (trapping him in rubber tires covered with petrol oil and set alight). In a fit of rage, Max disarmed Rego and struck him down with his own machete, rescuing Giovanna. After the two hid and witnessed Alvaro Neves discovering Rego’s body and declaring that Max should be killed, they laid in wait for a few hours before they escaped Nova Esperança.“I was a barely recovering alcoholic and she was an unarmed pregnant woman. We were hardly a S.E.A.L. team. But Giovanna was a brave girl. She wasn’t going to give up. And I guess that meant I couldn’t either.” - Max reflecting on his and Giovanna’s capabilities and situation.The next morning, Giovanna called Passos to come and get them using a public telephone, while Max looked around for any gang members coming to hunt them. Now, no longer safe to hide in a public crowd, the two decided to find a hiding spot, ending up in a bus junkyard, where Giovanna revealed to Max that she was pregnant with Passos’ child. Shortly after, the Crachá Preto showed up to hunt the escapees down. Although there were some close calls due to Giovanna becoming hysterical from the gunfire, Max gunned down their attempted killers. Max then guided Giovanna through several auto shops and bus stations, killing the searching CP henchmen along the way, with Giovanna having met several close calls. Eventually, with no other choice as the two would not survive long in one place long enough for Passos to save them, Max had them steal a bus, with Giovanna driving the bus while Max shot from the door at the attacking soldiers. Eventually, due to another bus colliding with them while Giovanna was distracted by the arrival of Passos’ helicopter, the bus crashed into a wall. Both Max and Giovanna survived with minimal injuries. Max then told Giovanna to flee to the rooftop and tell Passos to wait for him. After Max killed an entire wave of Crachà Preto contractors, Max prepared to flee, but noticed Passos flying away without him. Max waited, presumably for more men to come and kill him, but instead Da Silva arrived and picked him up.
They then pulled into a parking garage to talk privately, in which he revealed that he did a background check on Passos and asked if he got paid by Victor Branco while working for Rodrigo, which Max denied but Da Silva revealed that Passos was paid by Victor several times months before Max’s arrival, and even paid for his plane ticket to go to New York, most likely after having heard of his feats, to have him meet him. Da Silva theorized that Victor just wanted “some dumb gringo” to come down to São Paulo and shoot things up while drawing attention, as well as perhaps take the fall for Rodrigo’s death. Max denied the truth of all of what happened and became increasingly frustrated with the complicity of it all. Da Silva then asked what really happened in Panama back in December. This led Max to think more on what had actually happened: the yacht massacre, Daphne Bernstein’s death, and even Marcelo driving off while Passos was with him initially. Da Silva asked once more after Max wrapped up his recollection of the tragic event. He then asked Max who he think robbed him, in which he revealed that he was just told that it had something to do with an unpleasant divorce, but Da Silva revealed that her ex-husband worked on Wall Street and thus, very unlikely to easily hire paramilitary death squads out of Panama before making him realize that he was smuggling something into the country. Max initially denied it due to his conscience, but eventually confirmed that Marcelo drove off in a truck with it, but he never found out as he did not see him until he arrived in Brazil about a week or so later. Da Silva then theorized that it was money to launder as they had a friendly banker in Panama who laundered their cash there as it was much easier. It then turned out that not all of the Branco’s were rich, but only Rodrigo. The other two brothers lived decent enough lives, but they never had real money and all of Victor’s campaign was funded by Rodrigo himself, but with Rodrigo, Fabiana, and Marcelo’s murders, all happened within the span of a day of each other, he had became the sole inheritor of Rodrigo’s financial assets and with their deaths, he could earn the emotional support of the citizens of the city. Max asked about Marcelo’s involvement in it, in which Da Silva believed that due to Marcelo’s idiocy, he could not have known about Victor’s plans unless he believed in some other scheme, possibly even an attempt at claiming Fabiana as his own, but this was not mentioned by Da Silva. As for Passos’ involvement, Da Silva mentioned that Passos failed in New York and São Paulo and was put on a rich and powerful family’s radar, but also alluded to the possibility that Passos was not actually bad, but just an unfortunate man who was caught in the Branco’s crosshairs.Max then asked about his involvement, in which Da Silva broke the news to him that he was just the fall guy, going around and killing a lot of people as well as causing havoc and chaos. Max denied this and he claimed that Passos told him that they were in the academy together, to which Da Silva questioned the credibility, which caused Max to lash out that he did not know anymore, clearly upset and confused over everything that happened. Da Silva then took Max to an old hotel known as the Imperial Palace, and revealed that he had watched the place and saw many people go in, but no-one came out, and it is not a police station. Max then reluctantly agreed to investigate whatever dark secrets laid beyond the old hotel walls.“What the fuck is going on here?!” “How much do you want?” “What have you been doing?!” “I am a doctor. I help people.” “What have you been doing here?!” Max discovering the Crachá Preto’s secret while confronting Arthur Fischer.Max entered the building and crafted a makeshift silencer with an old water bottle before investigating what was happening. He then watched two Crachá Preto men toss something big and heavy into a burning furnace before taking an elevator to the upper floors. Max then shot his way through the Crachá Preto, further investigating the abandoned building. Max then found some files for Da Silva to read through as evidence and discovered a locked room full of people from Nova Esperança, brutalized and scared. Max then told them leave, and even found Serrano, but instead of killing him to avenge Fabiana’s demise, he had decided to let Serrano live out his personal nightmares. Max then climbed to the higher points of the hotel via an elevator shaft and fought his way to the next room across a rooftop, where he discovered famous plastic surgeon Arthur Fischer frantically hiding bloody bags. As Max looked around the room, he discovered that the bags contained human organs as well as a body on a gurney, only being able to ask in shock and horror, “what the fuck is going on here?” and what has he been doing. Fischer attempted to convince Max to spare him by offering him help with having the CP spare Max’s life while offering him money. Max eventually aimed his gun at Fischer, clearly disturbed over what was happening in the room. They were both startled by Serrano yelling “Caralho!” (holy shit!) in a horrified manner. Fischer attempted to calm Serrano down, but to no avail. As Max backed away and aimed his gun at both men, he gave Serrano a face of approval as Serrano shot an approving and understanding face back as Fischer realized that Max approved Serrano to end the doctor’s life. As Serrano killed Fischer, Max left the room, claiming that for all that Serrano owed him, he had paid enough for now for his brutalization and his rightful killing of Fischer. Max then discovered a small arsenal as well as several packs of C-4 charges, which he decided to plant on the wall columns marked “demolição” (demolition), which were presumably marked in case the Crachá Preto needed to destroy the whole building. Max then planted the explosives after some resistance and went to confront the rest of the Crachá Preto on the rooftop, facing off against Alavarez Nevés, the leading commander.“We paid for everything. We have the records!” “Oh so, people can sell their livers, their hearts, their eyeballs?, You’re insane, you sick fuck!” “We kept people safe in the city! Decent people, safe! I know a lot of powerful people!” “Well your ‘powerful’ people aren’t gonna help you out of this one, buddy!” - Max confronting Alvarez Nevés on the rooftop before detonating the charges.Max then shamed Nevés for what he had done, claiming that he was harvesting people’s organs for profit, which Nevés tried to claim that it was legal and they paid for everything. He also turned around and mentioned how Max bodyguarded for the Branco’s, but they are all dead, and tried to help the poor, but many are dead today, in which Max yelled that he tried. As Nevés furthered tried to explain the legitimacy of his business venture, Max called him a “sick fuck” for forcing people to sell their body parts. As Nevés claimed that his people protected the citizens of São Paulo, he warned Max that he knew a lot of powerful people, in which Max finally snapped back that his “powerful” people were not going to help him out of this predicament before he pressed the C-4 detonator, blowing the charges and destroying the marked columns. As the hotel was collapsing, Max chased down Nevés, killing the remaining CP thugs left alive. However, due to the increasing tremors, Max collapsed and lost his gun, allowing Nevés to corner Max. As Max sarcastically expressed his like for São Paulo’s dangerous nature, Nevés responded “nice to see a happy tourist is smiling” before he was suddenly shot in the head by Passos, who had came back to rescue him, feeling guilty for abandoning Max. Max was still bitter over his abandonment, but set it aside to allow the duo to escape right before the hotel finally collapsed, ridding it of all the evil of the place,
=== Putting An End to The Scheme ===
”So are you gonna bring him down?” “Yes, because I want to lose my wife and my children, and get killed myself. All of that, after watching him walk free.” “Tell me what needs to be done.” “Well officially, there’s nothing I can do.” “And unofficially?” “Well, we can always try something a bit more creative.” “Creative?” - Max and Da Silva realizing that Becker cannot be brought down legally and must be taken down illegally, coming up with a plan.The following night, Max said goodbye to Passos and Giovanna, who had decided to leave São Paulo to raise their child in a better environment, deciding whether to return to New York, move to Argentina, or perhaps stay with Giovanna’s family in Salvador, Bahía. After Passos told Max to continue living his life and take care of himself, he finally fled with Giovanna. Max and Da Silva then discussed the evidence and it turned out that the UFE was in association with the Crachá Preto on the organ harvesting scandal, including the chief - Armando Becker. Although there was evidence on him, Da Silva revealed that if he took his chances in court, not only would he and his entire family be killed, Becker would walk free. Realizing that the legal option was not going to work, Da Silva decided to “get creative” in his plan. The plan was that Da Silva would drop Max off at the entrance to the 55th Battalion HQ, where he would “turn himself in” to the police in hopes of getting a little closer to Becker and wait until 10:00 p.m. for Da Silva to create a diversion. Max was escorted to an interrogation room, where he was beaten and yelled at to disclose information of his presence. As 10:00 p.m. hit, Max knocked out the two guards interrogating him and took one of their guns. After Max killed a few guards, he noticed that numerous inmates within the building were released and were going on a riot in an attempt to kill the corrupt guards for their actions in the favelas. Max hid in a nearby office until the coast was clear and continued through the building, dealing with several waves of guards.“”Hey pal, nice to see you.” ”Vai pra casa. Gringo de merda.” (Go home. Fucking gringo.) “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.” “I know who you are.” “Then you should have killed me in the office when you had the chance.” “There’s still time, meu camarada (my friend).” - Max and Bachmeyer facing off.As he continued deeper, he could not find any trace of Becker. But he eventually found the security disc from the Branco office and discovered that Becker’s right-hand man, Bachmeyer, was the one who had broken into Rodrigo’s office and shot him while also having stolen the disc. Max pushed on and killed more guards until he finally faced off against Bachmeyer himself, who angrily snarled that he should have killed him back in Fabricás Branco with Rodrigo when he had the chance, in which Bachmeyer replied that there was still time. Max continued to pursue both Becker and Bachmeyer, gunning down every guard that was in the way. Max eventually reached the offices near Becker’s office, where he faced off against Bachmeyer once more as well as his extra guards while he was on top of a walkway. After being able to lure Bachmeyer out of cover, Max shot him in the head, causing Bachmeyer’s body to fall over a railing. Max took his keycard and stormed Becker’s office, where he was waiting for him. In an act of vengeance, Max strangled Becker, snarling “you disgusting piece of shit! I know… EVERYTHING.” However, before he could kill Becker, Victor finally stepped in and stopped Max with a handgun, who sarcastically thanked him for his services to his family. As Max lunged for Victor, Becker tasered him to allow himself and Victor to get away, barring the door behind them. With no other choice, Max stormed out and knew that they would be headed for the airport to fly out of the city.
=== Bringing Down the Heads and Retirement ===
“The further in I got, the more guys I saw. Becker wasn’t running a police force, he was running an army. These guys were better trained and better equipped than anyone I’d seen out here. And I’ve seen some mean sons of bitches. The mission was screaming suicide, but I didn’t give a damn. At least I’d die being a pain in the ass.” - Max narrating his observation of UFE reinforcements and his resignation to his possible fate while stopping Becker.Max and Da Silva arrived at the Piratininga Airport, where Max walked into the front. However, he was quickly recognized and he managed to jump into a conveyor belt that took him into the baggage area, where several UFE guards awaited him. After killing more guards, he fought his way towards the terminal, where he confronted a large number of patrolling guards in the atrium. In the midst of the firefight, he heard the voices of his family telling him to move on and enjoy his life. After clearing the atrium, Max continued towards the tram stations and restored power to them, allowing him to be transported to the gate he needed to get to. However, on the way, more UFE guards attempted to stop him, but to no avail as Max killed them all. Right as his tram crashed into a solid wall, he successfully jumped aboard the other just in time and cleared it. Max then armed himself and snuck towards Victor’s private hangar, noticing the increased number of reinforcements looking to stop Max and protect Victor and Becker. Although he knew it was virtually suicide, Max resigned himself to his fate and confronted Becker one last time in the hangar, who positioned himself atop a flight of boarding stairs, armed with a riot shield and a grenade launcher. Victor’s jet than began to take off, prompting Max to finish off the last of Becker’s guards. In one big effort, Max ran up the second boarding stairs and dove towards Becker, who shot a grenade. In one risky move, Max shot the grenade mid-air and blew it up, sending him flying to the floor and Becker flying outside of the hangar with his arm separated from his body and shield. As Becker was mortally wounded, Max confronted him as he was dying, narrating that he had become a killer, a thug who shoots other bad people, something that everyone had wanted. He then came to a realization that everyone was right about him and that he did not know right from wrong. Becker then died and Da Silva arrived in his car just in time to pick Max up and chase down Victor’s jet, using Becker’s discarded grenade launcher. Max blew up every UFE guard that attempted to stop them and eventually got close enough to Victor’s plane to where he used the grenade launcher to take it out. As Victor survived, Max approached him, ready to execute him, but was talked down by Da Silva, who convinced him that he will face trial and suffer for his crimes. As Victor proclaimed that he will walk, Max responded that “he will walk with a limp” as he aggressively stomped on his leg, breaking a bone that stuck out of his leg.
About a week after, Max found himself vacationing at a beach bar in Bahía, presumably staying with Passos for his vacation. As he drunk his bottle of soda, he watched the news, which detailed the evidence of Victor Branco and the UFE co-conspiring on the organ harvesting scandal of the favela residents, with UFE facing a permanent disbandment and Victor having been found hanged in his own cell yesterday. Whether this was a suicide that was made on his part to escape his cruel punishment, or an act of retribution for causing the deaths of many favela residents. Max then paid his tab and picked up his bag, walking away from the bar as the news report concluded that “it was dark in some places, but it’s sunny everywhere else.” Max then walked along the beach, admiring the sunset and finally ready to seek his peace.
=== Aftermath ===
Max’s actions in New York and São Paulo were recognized by many American citizens, including criminal Joel Wallace. He also heard of his actions on an old internet newspaper detailing Max’s actions in both New York and São Paulo, even feared that Max may attempt to hunt him down, but also pondered where his current whereabouts are as he slipped away from the public eye when he took his vacation in Bahia after the events that occurred in February of 2012.
=== Bounty Hunting Days ===
=== Conflict with Joel Wallace ===
=== The Blood Gallery ===
=== The San Fierro Police Assault & Death ===
"I'm getting Déjà vu to the last time I was in a police station, back in Brazil." "Yeah, but this time, it's different." "Yeah, I feel that it will be different too." - Max Payne & Joel Wallace lamenting Max's last assault on a police station in Brazil, said before his demise.On December 18, Joel and Max finally assaulted the corrupted 69th Precinct San Fierro Police Headquarters, both men following Max's old plan from 2012: both would surrender themselves to the corrupted cops, but as they were escorted further into the cell block, the two beat down their officers after they had picked their handcuffs off simultaneously. The two then took the officers' guns and split up to take down the corrupt officials within the building and find the file relating to the final member of the Blood Gallery. However, Joel was pinned down after finding the file and killed Captain Man, prompting Max to save him. Although he was able to clear the corridor where Joel was pinned down initially, Max had sustained a gunshot wound that he had failed to notice.
Once the duo reached the rooftop to steal a helicopter and fly off, Max then collapsed to the ground, and noticed that he was bleeding out from the gunshot wound in his abdomen. Although he still had his strength, he lost enough blood to have it affect Max in a negative way. Realizing that the cops would get onto the roof before the two could take off high enough in the helicopter, Max instructed for Joel to take the chopper for himself while he stayed behind and fought the cops off to allow Joel to take off. Joel initially refused, but Max aimed his gun at the young criminal, telling him that he either took off or die with him. After much hesitation, Joel finally relented and got into the helicopter just as the police finally arrived on the roof. Max fended off the first wave of dirty cops as Joel started up the helicopter. However, as Max prepared to board, he was suddenly shot in the abdomen once again, weakening him. After killing the officer that shot him, he ordered Joel to take off, which he did. Max then painfully pulled out a sticky bomb and armed it. Just as more dirty cops arrived on the roof, Max prepared to throw the Sticky Bomb. Although being fired at, Max ran and threw the bomb into the air, and then dove towards enemy fire and shot the explosive mid-air, devastating most of the rooftop. Max survived the initial explosion, but was critically wounded. After dragging himself to the edge of the rooftop and looked onwards towards the ocean, Max smiled and succumbed to his wounds, finally at peace with himself as well as joining his wife and daughter in death after so long.
=== Legacy ===
Joel fulfilled Max's final wish of taking down the final Blood Gallery member and killed him. Afterwards, he was able to recover Max's body from the San Fierro morgue and buried him in North Bergen, New Jersey, where his wife and daughter were buried, finally allowing Max to rest in peace, while leaving behind a 1911 handgun, Max's preferred weapon.
== Appearance ==
=== Physical ===
Max is a man with an average build with a light complexion. He has brown hair and blue eyes.
Throughout 1998, early 2001, 2003, and late 2011, Max’s face was clean-shaven. In the games, his face was initially shown to be always smug (due to the low resolution of the first game), but his face turned straight (around the second game).
While appearing to be somewhat younger between 1998 to 2003, Max has shown to be older by 2012, with a few noticeable gray hairs and wrinkles. By late February, Max had initially grown a stubble, but as time went on, he eventually grew a full beard. After the incident at Rodrigo’s office, Max shaved his entire head and made himself look bald, but still keeping the beard.
=== Clothing ===
Throughout 2001, 2003, and late 2011, Max wore his signature dark brown leather jacket for the cold weather of New York and New Jersey, in addition to gray suit pants and black loafers. In 2001, Max wore a white undershirt and presumably a open Hawaiian shirt as well. By 2003, Max wore a white dress shirt with a tie and a NYPD badge, but it got bloodied and damaged. By late 2011, Max retained the same exact outfit, but the badge was removed.
Due to the scene changing as well as the weather, Max’s signature outfit was finally replaced.
* During his trip to Panama, Max wore a green collared shirt, beige slacks, and brown loafers, with a brown gun holster.
* During the penthouse party, nightclub, and office body-guarding jobs, Max wore a casual grey suit, which consisted of an open grey suit jacket with a white dress shirt and no tie, a pair of grey slacks, and brown loafers. However, due to an explosion in Rodrigo’s office, his suit was ruined, burnt, and torn, with blood soaking the left arm of his jacket due to his sniper bullet wound opening.
* During the hostage exchange at the soccer stadium, Max wore a yellow collared shirt, beige slacks, and brown loafers. However, when Max was shot in the left arm by a sniper bullet, his yellow shirt’s left arm was ripped and soaked in his blood, which was later wrapped with gauze to prevent more blood loss.
* During Max’s attempt at rescuing Fabiana from the Comando Sombra, he wore a dark blue undershirt, black work pants, and black jungle boots. He had a bulletproof vest to keep himself protected. He still had a gauze bandage wrapped around his arm due to his still-fresh sniper bullet wound, which eventually opened up again due to constant moving and a tanker explosion.
* During Max’s journey in the Nova Esperança favela, Max wore a parrot print Hawaiian shirt that had black, orange, teal, blue, and green parrot and leaf details, with a white dirty tank top underneath, beige cargo pants, and beige work boots. However, his shirt was torn after multiple gunfights in the favela and sliding down a rooftop.
*After escaping with Giovanna, Max discarded the shirt and left on his tank top, which he wore while protecting Giovanna and investigating the Imperial Palace Hotel.
* During Max’s assault on the UFE headquarters, Max wore a white dress shirt with a black skinny tie, black dress slacks, and black loafers. However, his shirt was bloody near its collar due to him being pistol-whipped on the ear by an UFE officer. During Max’s final assault on the airport, Max wore the same outfit, but rolled up his sleeves on his shirt. The outfit was completely ruined when Max narrowly survived a grenade explosion that killed Armando Becker, which ripped apart his shirt, showing his dirty tank top, and dirtied his pants and shoes.
* After Max took a vacation, he wore a blue plaid shirt with beige cargo shorts and flip flops, with a grey Strikers hat and aviator shades as accessories.
== Personality ==
Max Payne used to be a positive man when he was married and had a brand new daughter. But this all changed when he discovered his wife and daughter murdered. Since then, Max had taken on his signature dark personality, becoming depressed and bitter as well as violent, but for a good cause.
* In 2001, Max was incredibly bitter and still depressed due to it only being nearly 3 years since the death of his family. However, Max still continued to fight for his life and pushed on to avenge them. He was usually fairly angry, despondent, and oftentimes a bit suicidal through it all, while also being indifferent to whatever comes up. However, he finally receive closure and peace through his successful revenge.
* In 2003, Max still remains the same, but after meeting Mona Sax once again, who became his lover, Max finally opened up and accepted that his wife and daughter were gone and found his new love with Mona. Unfortunately, like all of his loves, she was killed, leaving Max alone once again. Since then, he has fallen to alcoholism and painkiller addictions to numb the pain of his suffering.
* In 2011 to 2012, Max was very depressed, possibly on the verge of killing himself out of grief or waiting for someone to come and kill him, living in squalor with not a single care left in the world. When he was faced with death by Tony DeMarco’s hand, he did not fear for his life when the young mobster aimed his gun at him. He also became more sarcastic and humorous throughout most situations. However, his guilt and despair flared back up multiple times, with the deaths of the Branco family. However, he found a new calling to his life and he sought to fix his mess and do what was right. In the end of his story, he finally found the peace he was looking for and decided to move on with the rest of his life, having mourned enough. Although he did not care if he would die, he often fought for his life, much rather not give the satisfaction of killing him to those who don’t deserve the feeling, possibly out of stubborness.
== Killed Victims ==
* Nicole Horne
* Valorie Winterson
* Vladimir Lem
* Anthony “Tony” DeMarco Jr.
* Fabiana Branco (indirectly caused)
* Milo Rego
* Álvaro Neves (indirectly caused)
* Bachmeyer
* Armando Becker
* Victor Branco (indirectly caused)
== Relationships ==
=== Michelle Payne ===
Max loved Michelle, who was his wife and the mother of his daughter. The two met when the detective saved her from an attacker and the two fell in love. The two lived together with their daughter in a suburban house in New Jersey and had a baby daughter named Rose. This all ended in a tragedy when Max returned home to find that Michelle and Rose were brutally murdered by Valkyr junkies in 1998. Max swore revenge on the murderers and finally got his revenge in their memory in February of 2001, but still could not find peace with their passings. In 2003, nearly five years later, Max still mourned her and Rose, but when he met with Mona Sax and had established a romantic relationship with her, he felt guilt for abandoning his love for Michelle to create a new love with Mona, although it was likely that this was what Michelle would have wanted. Max was able to finally cope with Michelle’s death, still wanting her back, but now had a desire for Mona. When Mona died, Max mentioned that he had a dream about Michelle where she was dead, but it was alright.
Unfortunately, since Mona died, Max began to slip back into depression, turning to alcoholism and painkillers to numb his pain, living in squalor out of guilt for failing to save her and Rose. Max was resigned to remain this way until the day he would die in Hoboken, New Jersey until a man named Raul Passos pulled him out in late 2011, 13 years after her death. Max still grieved for Michelle, even noting that by November of 2011, she had been dead longer than he even knew her, which pained him even more. Before he was forced to leave New Jersey due to tensions with the DeMarco Crime Family, Max tended to Michelle and Rose’s shared grave in the Golgotha Cemetery in North Bergen. When he was attacked at the cemetery, her grave gave Max protection from the men firing at him, symbolizing Michelle protecting Max even from the grave. When Fabiana Branco was killed in front of Max in São Paulo, Brazil in February of 2012, he was further reminded of Michelle’s murder.
However, when Max was pursuing Victor Branco and Armando Becker for their involvement in a organ harvesting scandal, being forced to combat Becker’s armed police force in the São Paulo airport, the voice of Michelle as well as the deceased spirits of Max’s loved ones reached out to him to finally move on and follow his own desires in life, showing that Michelle watched over Max, but just wanted him to finally be happy. In the end, although Max will forever love Michelle, he had finally found his peace with her demise. Eleven years later in late 2023, Max ultimately joined Michelle in death, bringing the married couple together at last.
=== Rose Payne ===
Rose was Max’s infant and only daughter, whom he loved dearly. When she was murdered alongside her mother, Michelle, Max cried and grieved for her just the same. Max held onto that grief and anger for over fourteen years after her demise, just like Michelle, even visiting her grave in the cemetery multiple times over the course of roughly five years or more before late 2011. This life changed for her father when a man named Raul Passos pulled him away from it to work as a bodyguard in Brazil, and with the DeMarco Crime Family on his tail, Max came to her and her mother’s grave to say his goodbyes. As Max was attacked in that cemetery, her grave sheltered her father from the incoming bullets, showing that even in death, Rose protected her father from the grave. In the end of Max’s final journey in the São Paulo airport, Rose and her mother reached out to her father, telling him that it was okay to let her go and it was time for him to move on. In the end, Max found peace with her death and eleven years later, he finally joined her in the afterlife in 2023, reuniting once more.
=== Mona Sax ===
=== Alex Balder ===
=== Jim Bravura ===
=== Alfred Woden ===
=== Vladimir Lem ===
=== Mona Sax ===
=== Raul Passos ===
=== Rodrigo Branco ===
=== Fabiana Branco ===
=== Marcelo Branco ===
=== Victor Branco ===
=== Armando Becker ===
=== Bachmeyer ===
== Gallery ==
== Trivia ==
* Max Payne is one of many other game protagonists who are considered canon to the saga, but does not appear. However, he is one of the many Rockstar Games’ protagonists to be mentioned in another Rockstar Games’ related title.
* So far, Max Payne, alongside Paul Johnson, Joseph, Lenny Brown, Michael De Santa, Jonathan, Samuel, and Joel are the only protagonists to have a special ability that sharpens their focus and accuracy against their enemies. In Max and Michael’s case, they both use “Bullet Time” to slow time down to focus their shooting. In the Wallaces’ case, they use “Dead Eye” where they pick their targets and execute them in quick succession. In Paul, Joseph, and Lenny’s case, each three use V.A.T.S. to pick body parts of their targets and fire at them in quick succession.
* Unfortunately, Max’s voice actor, James McCaffrey passed away from cancer on December 18, 2023 in Larchmont, New York. In the MinneEagle canon, Max died the same day, as announced in a news report in Grand Theft Auto: Renegade. His cause of his death is unknown, but considering his painkiller addiction, he most likely overdosed on painkillers.
** Although Max is dead in the MinneEagle canon, he is still alive as of 2012 in the official Max Payne canon.
*Max is the only character in the Max Payne franchise who appears in and survives each of the three games.
Category:Unseen Characters
Category:Characters
Category:Alive
Category:Protagonists
Category:Fathers