Russell (The Walking Dead)

Russell is one of six main protagonists in the Telltale Games' The Walking Dead: 400 Days DLC and a determinant minor antagonist in The Walking Dead: Season 2. 
Prior to the zombie outbreak, he was a college graduate. When the outbreak hit, he was several states away from his family and couldn't get back to them in time. With nowhere to go and having no survival skills of his own, he ended up with a group of other survivors. 
Their leader, Steve, abused his power and ultimately forced Russell on the road. There, Russell would come across a guy named Nate. After a situation involving Nate killing an elderly couple, Russell left him and ended up with Vince's group. From there, depending on the player's choices, Russell would go on to accept Tavia's offer and join Carver's Group as a guard. 
He is voiced by Vegas J. Jenkins, known for his voice roles in the Sam & Max video game series and as Killer Bean.
== Biography ==
=== Early Days of the Outbreak ===
In the state of Georgia, Russell was once a member of a seven-person group. This group included a father with a daughter roughly Russell's age, an individual claiming to be a police officer, though no one trusted this claim, a teacher accompanied by his wife, and a leader named Steve. Steve's leadership strategy involved ruthlessly killing any other person they encountered and stealing their resources to ensure the group's survival. Unable to take the brutality anymore, Russell quietly leaves and embarks on a journey towards Statesboro, with the goal of reaching his grandparents' residence.
=== 400 Days ===
On day 184 of the outbreak, Russell, with 63 miles left to travel, encounters a passing truck. Faced with this situation, he must decide whether to hide in the bushes or confront the driver. If he chooses to hide, he comes across a corpse next to the truck, either Carley or Doug from Season 1, depending on the player's previous choice. The driver, named Nate, eventually stops and engages in a conversation with Russell before offering him a ride.
Once Russell is in the truck and some dialogue ensues, Nate's behavior becomes erratic. He stops the vehicle, allowing a female walker to approach Russell's side. Nate asks Russell to rate the walker's appearance on a scale of one to ten and rolls down the window for a better look. After this unsettling encounter, Nate attempts to shoot the walker but finds himself out of ammo. He speeds off to shake the zombie loose.
Their journey takes them to a truck stop, where Nate suggests gathering supplies. However, a gunshot interrupts their plans. Russell exits the truck and seeks cover behind a gas pump, while Nate urges him to return while he provides cover. As Russell makes his way back behind the truck, he realizes he's under fire from someone inside the gas station building. Nate fails to return fire, and they decide to move to a red car across the station. Russell must choose whether to go first or cover Nate during this move. The gunshots continue as they navigate to the second car. Russell stumbles and falls but is saved by Nate.
Upon reaching the back of the building, Russell encounters a walker that appears to be a cop, seen previously in Vince's story. He has the option to kill it or leave it be, and sparing the walker allows it to appear in Bonnie's story.
Russell can choose to approach the shooter stealthily or rush him, but this choice doesn't significantly affect the outcome. The shooter turns out to be an elderly man, who was protecting his injured wife. He vehemently accuses Nate of being the masked attacker who shot at them earlier and accuses him of planning to steal their food. Nate denies this, instead suggesting to Russell that they kill the couple and take their supplies. Russell faces a decision to stay with Nate or walk away. Regardless of his choice, Nate proceeds to shoot and kill the couple. The aftermath of this incident is noted by bloodstains in Shel's story.
==== Epilogue ====
Close to Gil's Pitstop, Russell teams up with Bonnie, Vince, Wyatt, Shel, and Becca to establish a campsite. After 400 days of surviving in the post-apocalyptic world, they encounter Tavia, who offers Russell the chance to join her group. Russell is only willing to go with Tavia if she assures him that he might reunite with someone familiar, such as family or friends, at her camp.
Should Russell opt to accept Tavia's invitation and become part of her community, he will make an appearance in Season 2 alongside Tavia and Bonnie. However, if Russell chooses to stay at the camp with his current group, his fate and whereabouts in Season 2 remain uncertain.
=== Season 2 ===
Russell makes an appearance in this episode only if he made the choice to become part of Tavia's community. In the episode, he is seen overseeing the area as Clementine makes a hasty departure. He advises her to continue with her own tasks. Unfortunately, his fate remains uncertain after a horde of walkers assaults Howe's Hardware.
== Personality ==
Russell is portrayed as a serious, irritable, and distrustful individual. He left his previous group led by Steve due to its brutal nature. While heading to his grandparent's house, he encounters Nate, who offers him a ride. Russell has the option to accept or decline Nate's offer, but he ultimately decides to join Nate, seeing it as too risky to travel alone. Throughout their journey, Russell becomes increasingly irritated by Nate's peculiar behavior. However, they are compelled to collaborate when they come under fire from Walt.
Despite Russell's outward coldness, he still exhibits empathy. He feels compassion for the zombified Bennett and is willing to put him out of his misery. When Russell and Nate confront Walt and his injured wife, Nate makes a disturbing joke about killing them and taking their belongings, which deeply unsettles Russell as it reminds him of Steve's past actions. Russell has the choice to either go along with Nate or challenge him.
Regardless of his choice, Russell is visibly shocked when Nate kills Walt and Jean. At the campsite led by Tavia, Russell remains highly skeptical and distrustful of her intentions.
== Trivia ==
* Russell, along with Bonnie, Vince, Wyatt, and Shel, was introduced via Vines from the Telltale Games official Twitter account in early June 2013.
* Russell is the youngest playable protagonist of the "400 Days" DLC.
* If the player chooses to hide rather than stand their ground in Russell's opening sequence, the corpse of either Carley or Doug (depending on who the player saved in "A New Day") will be found where Russell tries to hide. This is one of the "cameos" of Season One's characters mentioned by Telltale when teasers for "400 Days" were being released. Doing this also unlocks the achievement 'Reunited'.
* Of all the five stories of "400 Days", Russell is the only playable character not in a group when introduced.
* Russell will refuse to go with Tavia regardless of the decisions leading up to the ending unless the player chooses for Tavia to state that the survivors "may run into friends or family". This is likely because Russell has not abandoned his desire to find his family despite being scarred by his post-apocalypse life.
* He has the most non-canon deaths in "400 Days" with seven possible. This is quite ironic, seeing as Steve told Russell that seven was the "magic number".
== External Links ==
* Russell on The Walking Dead Fandom Wiki
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