Max Payne

**Max Payne** is the protagonist of all 3 games based on his name. He was a former New York detective and undercover cop before quitting his police work in 2003. He became a private bodyguard for the Brancos and later a fugitive in São Paulo.

He used to have a family life but his wife and infant daughter was murdered by 3 lunatics who were injected with Valkyr. This made him 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. 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 Lupino and Angelo Punchinello as revenge and to stop the Valkyr. However, he discover 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 organisation, the Inner Circle, hunt down Nicole Horne, CEO of Aesir and responsible for Max's family death, and avenge their deaths and solve the Valkyr Case.

Despite 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, 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 progress, he felt love for Mona and guilt of abandoning his love to his dead wife Michelle. His guilt turn worse as he kill his police partner, Valerie Winterson to save Mona. He visit 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, 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 the only survivor. He is discover by NYPD officers responding the scene.

After the Cleaner Case, Max has quietly quit while in public 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 drugs, smoke and visiting his loved ones in a cemetery. It all changed when a stranger named Raul Passos claim he is Max old friend and attempt to recruit into bodyguard job. He reluctantly accept after getting into a mess with the DeMarco Crime Family, New Jersey Mafia.

His next job is to protect a Brazilian businessman, Rodrigo Branco. He had to protect him and his wife, Fabiana Branco from the Comando Sombra who are attempt kidnapping them. As Fabiana was kidnapped by the criminals, the situation complicated further with the Crachá Preto, a paramilitary mercenary gang enter the scene. Rodrigo was killed in his office by an unknown assassin and Max is framed for his murder. He attempt to rescue Fabiana in the favela but she got killed in the process. He attempt to rescue Marcelo and Giovanna who went to the favela to rescue Fabiana but only to rescue Giovanna. His police ally, Wilson Da Silva reveal that the whole week of events is orchestrated by Rodrigo's brother, Victor Branco to increase his chance to become mayor of Sao Paulo. Max ordered by Da Silva to investigate an abandoned hotel which revealed that it is organ harvesting ring and destroyed in the process. Max joined with Da Silva to destroy UFE and kill its commander, Armando Becker and Victor. They managed to stop them in the airport in their attempt to escape. Max soon took a vacation in Bahia with his future uncertain.

Max Payne is a recurring character in the World Protection Security Agency stories.

## Appearance

Tackling insurmountable odds, Max Payne faces every situation with a 'John McClane' type wit and a very dark sense of humour which joins his nothing-to-lose demeanour.

Max has a poetic sense of describing his actions. He does not believe his doings are heroic and he believes he should be punished for his actions. Max's pessimistic view on life and his inability to have fun is very noticeable as Vladimir Lem points out to Max in 2003.

Max, along with his dark humour, is also very morbid. For instance, in Chapter 2 of the second video game, he sarcastically describes Vladimir Lem "a gentleman" who reassures his "girlfriend" after discovering a recorded phone message from Vlad to his secret mistress. He tends to make jokes even in the face of danger. One example is the conversation between Frankie "The Bat" Niagara while he is bound to a chair or while he is pinned down by The Cleaners, expecting Mona to provide cover fire. Max humour makes a return in Max Payne 3 as dry jokes, but still funny.

Max Payne pursues his enemies with deep perseverance, some even say fanatically. No matter how injured he might be or how many laws he might be breaking, when he sets his sights on his target, he refuses to let go of them. If it means killing all the enemies that happen to block his way, jumping on top of a moving train, avoiding destructive explosive charges, whatever it might be that impedes serving his revenge Payne is not hesitant to overcome.

Following the events of 2001, however, Max seemed to have started to experience a more pronounced degree of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and depression that has been kept under the surface for 3 years after the murder of his family. The dark and dry humor in his monologues are reduced during the events of 2003. His apartment was quite the mess. There was also a voice recording from Max's apartment phone that was tapped by the cleaners which shows Max calling a phone sex line to talk about the emptiness that he had been feeling despite divulging the truth and killing every major personnel involved in the Valkyr case.

This is possibly due to the fact that Max no longer had an actual purpose to live for having fulfilled his vengeance. While he was undercover with the DEA, he had to keep up a good appearance and an obsessive drive. Alex Balder was also a dear friend and DEA handler who kept Max "relatively sane" for 3 years and he was murdered in front of him in 2001, no longer able to support Max.

In 2012, Max is retired from the NYPD and in complete depression resorting to substance abuse with alcohol and pain killers. Murdering Valerie Winterson and the death of Mona Sax have added more layers of guilt and sadness. Whatever motivation that Max holds on to in the third game is desperation and survival. Despite this he seems at times to display a certain sense of honour, even with his dark and melancholic perception of the world around him.

## Personality

In the mid 1990's, he wears a leather jacket (similar to the one used in the rest of the series) a white shirt with a necktie, a pair of jeans and black shoes.

In 2001, Max is undercover and therefore spends the game in typical street clothes: A black leather jacket, orange opened panther shirt, a white T-shirt with a necklace, black pants and black shoes. He is 6ft (183cm) tall.

In 2003, Max is back on the force, so he's kitted out in relatively smart office suit but still has his trademark leather jacket with a tie until he loses it in the hospital.

In 2012, Payne is seen in many different outfits. While still in New York, Max wears his traditional leather jacket, with a white collared shirt with a tie, a pair of grey jeans and stylish black shoes. Later, Max is seen sporting a casual gray suit, while in another instance, donned with a blue bulletproof vest over his clothes. During most of his time there, he has a beard, and later is seen with a bald head, wearing a white undershirt with shoulder holster for his hand gun(s), tan colored cargo pants, and tan shoes. He can also be seen wearing a colorful Aloha shirt while in São Paulo favelas.

Max had always kept himself in good shape at least up to 2003. He has an athletic build that fits him well in his clothes. With depression, alcohol abuse, and ageing he is slightly overweight around 2005-2012.

## Powers and Abilities

It could be said that Max Payne has lightning reflexes, very acrobatic, is a skilled hand to hand combatant, being both capable of disarming enemies whilst he himself is unarmed, and also being able to neutralise enemies completely in hand to hand combat when necessary. He is also in good physical condition, and is a skilled handler of firearms, capable of operating many handguns, shotguns, SMGs, assault or sniper rifles, and explosive ordinances. However, for the most part, he seems to prefer sticking to his trusty Beretta as his main sidearm.

Max's pain tolerance is also impressive, being able to take multiple ballistic wounds from enemies and still being able to continue to fight as effectively as if he was unhurt. Max consumes Painkillers to recover from the most severe wounds, although this may simply be a gameplay element. In the story, however, Max shows other aspects of physical endurance: He survives a direct shot in the head (*Max Payne 2*) and overdose of Valkyr drug (the original video game), both of which are expected to have killed him. It is also apparent that Max has a, if somewhat limited, Healing factor, being able to recover a small amount of health after being wounded, although not enough to be able to completely recover from the damage of a wound without taking Painkillers.

Max also appears to be ambidextrous since he can dual-wield single handed weapons and only seems to be able to hold two more and more powerful guns as he ages and gains more experience. (2 Desert Eagles by 2003, 2 sawed-off shotguns by 2012).

In firefights, Payne can launch himself into a shootdodge to minimise his exposure to an incoming hail of bullets and/or take enemies by surprise, especially around corners.