Milton Dyer

Milton Dyer is a former programmer for Vast Industries. He created many classic video games like Lava Zombies, Conic the Ratboy, Counter, and Turbo Street Brawler. His favorite game was Prime Empire and believed that it was like magic and was a portal to another world.
While on Dyer Island, his assistant, Scott was trapped in Prime Empire while testing out the game. Due to Scott's disappearance, Milton Dyer was forced to shut the game down by Vast Industries and retired.
When the ninja visited his private island and talked to Bob the Intern, they assumed Milton Dyer was Unagami, the ruler of Prime Empire. After P.I.X.A.L. found Dyer himself (and Jay finding Unagami within Prime Empire), they both learn that Unagami was the game itself.
Eventually, Unagami manages to create the Manifestation Gate, seeking Dyer. Jay and Dyer meet Unagami at the top of Borg Tower, and eventually make amends, with Unagami releasing everyone previously trapped within Prime Empire, along with NPCs.
==History==
===Background===
During his childhood, Milton frequently went to Buddy's Pizza where he became inspired to become a video game designer, a decision that disappointed his parents, yet they accepted it regardless.
Milton eventually became the head of Vast Industries and went to live in an isolated island that's filled with booby traps along with Bob the Intern. He had several plans for other games such as Fist to Face 4 and Ukulele Legend but Prime Empire was his favorite. He eventually made a video of him about Prime Empire after he finished making the game, however, during the video, a flash of light appeared and went to go check it out.
During beta testing of Prime Empire, Milton Dyer brought in a gamer known as Scott to test out the game. While Milton stepped out for a bit, he came back to find Scott gone, and Unagami, the A.I. of the game, having sent him into Prime Empire. Due to this, Vast Industries panicked and forced Milton Dyer to shut the game down. Following this, Milton retired and went into hiding.
===Prime Empire Original Shorts===
====Gayle Gossip: A Closer Look====
Witnessing Prime Empire's resurfacing, Gayle Gossip explained how the game was shelved due to an undisclosed incident at Vast Industries. She wondered if Milton Dyer was responsible for the resurfacing and wondered why now.
===Prime Empire===
====Ninjago Confidential====
Upon learning from Milton's estranged friend where he was, Zane and P.I.X.A.L. arrive at Buddy's Pizza, only to be ambushed by the Mechanic, who takes Zane hostage. When she discovers a secret passageway to the rooftop, P.I.X.A.L. finds Milton, feeding pigeons and chicken before she accuses him of being Unagami. But he reveals to her that Unagami isn't him, but an AI that was originally called Unfinished Adventure Game I.
====The Prodigal Father====
While inspecting the Mechanic's old base, Milton explained to P.I.X.A.L. about Unagami and Prime Empire. Upon Wu sending his location to her, P.I.X.A.L. brings Milton along to where they find Zane and Wu held captive by the Mechanic before becoming intrigued by P.I.X.A.L.'s programming for her well-being of another before she tells him that she is a living being, just like Unagami.
====Game Over====
Once the Mechanic had completed his task and fled, P.I.X.A.L. has Milton untie Wu while she tried to unplug Zane from the gate before Jay arrived and helps. Jay then comes up with a plan to bring Unagami to Milton by heading to the top of Borg Tower. Along the way, they were slightly delayed by Ritchie, but manage to incapacitate it, steal its vehicle, and drive over to the tower with it. Upon reaching the rooftop as Jay explains how he relates to Unagami, Milton confesses that he was at fault for his own mistakes, and wishes for Unagami to forgive him. Touched, Unagami, turning into a human child, accepts Milton's request to free the players, but he also decided to free the NPCs that choose to come to Ninjago. They later walk into the sunrise, hand in hand.
===After Season 12===
Unagami and Milton Dyer worked out a few kinks for Prime Empire, making it safe to play."Shintaro"
===Seabound===
====The Turn of the Tide====
He was present at Nya's memorial.
===Crystalized===
====Dragon Form====
Milton and Unagami face the crystal army together and fight side-by-side with the ninja.
====Roots====
After the battle, Milton and Unagami assisted the ninja into rebuilding the monastery.
==Other appearances and mentions==
===Once and for All===
When the ninja and Krag were heading to the Castle of Ice on the Land Bounty, Jay was playing Lava Zombies, a video game created by Milton Dyer, and tells Krag about it.
===Dyer Island===
The ninja entered the Dyer Island where they fought the security systems until Bob the Intern turned the system off. They asked to speak to Milton Dyer, and Bob the Intern explained that he disappeared. He showed them the video that he made on the day he finished Prime Empire, showing him explaining Prime Empire before seeing a flash of light. After hearing that Milton Dyer wanted revenge on his bosses and that a mysterious villain brought back Prime Empire, the ninja assumed he is Unagami and realized they had to stop him before other people disappear.
===Quest for the Lost Powers===
While travelling with Jay, Unagami talks about how he and Milton were working on a new game and shows him his Unaga-Meeting Pad, which Unagami uses to frequently call Milton, and refer to him as 'dad'.
== LEGO.com description ==
===Why was Milton Dyer’s video game shut down?===
Imagine you’re a brilliant video game designer, a legend in the gaming community, and you work your tail off to create the best game you’ve ever designed. And it works! Then, during the final stage of development, you ask your assistant to test the game. And then something happens – something so terrible that the project gets shelved, the game shut down, and you, the creator of the game, disappear. That’s exactly what happened to the legendary Milton Dyer. What went wrong that fateful day his assistant Scott went to test the Prime Empire game? What happened with that arcade cabinet? We have so many questions, and a feeling in our gut that we wouldn’t like the answers. Do you dare to imagine what’s behind the mysterious shelving of Prime Empire?https://www.lego.com/en-us/kids/articles/ninjago/milton-dyer-8b34a946b08843c2990bfe804ab60541
==Relationships==
===Family===
*Unnamed (father)
*Mrs. Dyer (mother)
*Unagami (creation/"son")
===Allies===
*Ninja
*Bob the Intern
*Tony
*Red Visors (former enemies)
===Enemies===
*Unagami's army (formerly)
*Crystal army
=== Unagami ===
Milton Dyers created Unagami years ago before it was unfortunately shut down. Unagami believes that his maker abandoned him and tries for years to come to the real world. When he finally does, he tries to get revenge on Milton Dyer. However, when Dyer tells Unagami his reasons for shutting him down, Unagami's thirst for revenge dissipates. After they reconciled, Milton Dyer asks Unagami to come live with him, as his son. Unagami readily agrees, the two have lived happily together ever since. Later they face the Crystal Army together and fight side-by-side as father and son.
=== Bob the Intern ===
Bob the Intern worked for Dyer while the latter was developing Prime Empire and helped him arrange his meetings. They lived with each other in Dyer Mansion on Dyer Island for some time and Dyer later promised to grant Bob a promotion.
After Scott disappeared into Prime Empire, Milton Dyer shut the game down and vanished, leaving Bob alone on Dyer Island. Despite the passing of many years, Bob faithfully worked for Dyer, cleaning his home and keeping watch over his unfinished gaming projects and possessions. However, it is likely that Dyer was unaware of Bob’s loyalty, suggesting that Bob’s idolization of Dyer is one-sided.
When the Ninja visited Dyer Island, Bob spoke of Dyer’s achievements and how he had patiently waited for his boss to return and grant him his promotion, hinting that Bob has no animosity (but a little sadness) toward Dyer for leaving. 
=== P.I.X.A.L. ===
Dyer first encounters P.I.X.A.L. on the roof of Buddy’s Pizza while she masqueraded as a detective in order to find him. Soon after, they both realize that Dyer’s creation (the Artificial Intelligence running Prime Empire) was in fact the “villain” Unagami who sought to trap people in the game and escape into the real world of Ninjago. 
Soon after, P.I.X.A.L. shows Dyer the Prime Empire console in Buddy’s Pizza to the latter’s shock and he recounts the story of how Scott got trapped in Prime Empire. Dyer soon remarks that he thought Unagami was only a harmless program and that he couldn’t have known Unagami was alive because machines don’t experience real emotions, only simulations of them. To this, P.I.X.A.L. angrily replies that emotions of “sufficiently advanced programs” are no less real than those of humans. 
Soon, Master Wu sends P.I.X.A.L. a panic signal from his communicator and she rushes to help him. Before she departs, Milton Dyer asks if she should call the police, as the situation sounds dangerous. However, P.I.X.A.L. replies, “My friends are in danger. There’s no time!” Before following her, Dyer appears perplexed that P.I.X.A.L., being an android, can conceive of and form friendships with others.  
At the Mechanic's warehouse, Dyer is soon astounded by P.I.X.A.L.’s expressions of concern for the captured Zane and Wu and remarks how she must be programmed incredibly well to simulate feelings so accurately. To this, P.I.X.A.L. replies: “Why can you not understand? Any sufficiently advanced program like Unagami, like myself, is no less real than you.” 
When the Mechanic begins to torture Zane, P.I.X.A.L. leaps down from the rafters to rescue him, despite being outnumbered by the Mechanic’s thugs and Dyer’s awe at this prompts him to call her “Incredible.”  
Later, Dyer assists P.I.X.A.L. by untying Master Wu during her battle with the Mechanic’s thugs. 
Because of P.I.X.A.L., Dyer was able to accept that advanced technological beings are in fact sentient and have the realizations that motivated him to apologize to and connect with Unagami.
===Ninja===
The ninja and Milton Dyer worked together to prevent Unagami from destroying Ninjago City through reuniting him with his creator: Dyer himself. Milton Dyer was grateful to the ninja (specifically P.I.X.A.L., Jay, Zane, and Wu) for their help and later showed his support to them by attending Nya's memorial in Seabound and helping them fight the crystal army in Crystalized. 
==Appearances==
===Ninjago===
====Season 11: Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu====
*127. "Once and for All" (mentioned)
====Prime Empire Original Shorts====
*6. "Gayle Gossip: A Closer Look" (recording; no lines)
====Season 12: Prime Empire====
*130. "Dyer Island" (pictured, recording, and flashback)
*131. “Level Thirteen” (mentioned)
*137. "One Step Forward, Two Steps Back" (pictured)
*141. "Ninjago Confidential"
*142. "The Prodigal Father"
*143. "The Temple of Madness" (mentioned)
*144. "Game Over"
====Season 13: Master of the Mountain====
*145. "Shintaro (mentioned)
====Season 14: Seabound====
*180. "The Turn of the Tide" (no lines)
====Season 15: Crystalized====
*209. "Dragon Form" (no lines)
*210. "Roots" (no lines)
===Ninjago Magazine===
*59. "High Speed!" (flashback)
==Etymology==
The name "Milton" means "creator" in English.
==Behind the scenes==
*He uses the hairpiece of Vicky from LEGO Friends.
**His young design uses a slightly modified hairpiece of Sabine Wren from Star Wars Rebels.
*His characteristics and background are similar to Kevin Flynn from Tron both being gamers/video game designers who create a virtual world/game that becomes self-aware.
*Despite the fact that in the picture from the magazine his hair color is gray, in the show its color is rather white, because it is the same as Unagami's, who has white hair in the sets.
==Trivia==
*He calls Buddy's Pizza 'Videogame City'.
*He owns his own island, called Dyer Island.
*The first game he created and appeared in the show was Fist to Face 2. This game appeared in Season 1, 7 years before Dyer's first mention in the show.
*According to Jay, he is the most famous game designer in-universe."Would You Like to Enter Prime Empire?"
*He and Unagami are tied for being the third and fourth character to be mistaken for someone else by the ninja, the first being Garmadon, who was mistaken as the Dark Lord and the Treacherous Deceiver, and the second being Lloyd, who was mistaken as the Golden Master.
*He is similar to Dr. Julien in that they are both older, bespectacled inventors who created AI "sons."
*According to Tommy Andreasen, Milton Dyer is perhaps smarter than Zane and Cyrus Borg because he was able to build an effective defense system in the form of robot dogs.https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1357848674617933833 He also created a more complex virtual world than the Digiverse.
==Gallery==
===In Ninjago===
Young Milton Dyer.jpg|Milton Dyer before going into hiding
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Unagami let's go home.jpg|Milton Dyer asks Unagami to come home with him
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===In other media===
Screenshot 20200108 115644.jpg|Milton Dyer in a Ninjago Magazine article
Ninjago magazine comic 1.jpg|Young Milton Dyer in one Ninjago Magazine
==References==
Category:Characters
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Category:Prime Empire
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Category:Prime Empire Original Shorts
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Category:Crystalized