Michael

**Michael** is a main character of the **Into the Dark** *series* and an original and prominent member of *The Militia*. He is a physically intimidating, brutish and and yet loyal and tactful when dealing with others. He is the best friend and bodyguard of Dante Bishop the leader of the Militia acting as his second-in-command and takes part in organizing and planning in the absence of his leader.

## Appearance

Michael is depicted as a physically intimidating African american male with his head shaved and a blinded eye due to an injury prior to the apocalypse making him appear as scary by his peers such as Persephone and Jackson.

In his debut he is seen wearing a white beater along with green trousers and his brown combat boots which he would later continue to wear.

During the Civil War Arc He typically wears a blue and green sleeveless vest with brown combat boots grey trousers. He also wears a stainless steel wrestlers belt showing that he is an impeccable fighter. He is often seen carrying around his sledgehammer which he uses as his main weapon of choice.

## Personality & Traits

Michael is quite brutish and a reliable fighter in the group. He typically takes the role of protector and enjoys having fun with the other members such as Dante and Ramon Rodriguez and has shown a level of maturity when interacting around others such as Persephone and Connie admitting that he used to have a family of his own.

He is also however cruel and excessively violent when dealing with adversaries and is more than willing to resort to vicious tactics to break them such as mercilessly torturing Lieutenant Ron into giving up information on the Military Police, brutalizing any of the resisting Bandits after they were taken over by the Militia and choking Aaron when he berated Dante for his actions.

Despite his use of excessive violence Michael is shown to be more civil and lenient than other members of the Rebels including Dante having a better sense of intuition than his leader making him a capable adviser. He is shown to be very professional when handling the ordeals with the Rebels and dealing with other groups such as Candice’s group and the Hunters but also reminds them that Dante is the one calling the shots. He often voices his approval of authoritarian leaders and leaders that lead by example as he often is forced to partake in similar practices to make ends meets.

Michael is shown to have a knowledge of alcoholic beverages having a natural affinity for hennessy while also having a disliking for moonshine as he admits it's too strong for his taste.

## Skills & Equipment

Expert Hand to Hand Combatant : Michael is shown to be one of the premier fighters of the post apocalyptic world as a former boxer and an adept bruiser fighting against both human adversaries and abnormal infected. He often uses a sledgehammer as his main weapon of choice.

Experienced Leadership : Michael is shown to be looked at highly as a respected leader and secondary commander of the Militia using his status as a former heavyweight boxer and expert combat skills to gain respect. He is seen leading the militia in the fight against the Military when they defend the Mansion from invasion and later when organizing a plan to capture the Bandits.

High Intelligence : Michael is able to pick up on thinking almost instantaneously despite his intimidating appearance. He is able to know when people are lying with his experience in the past and also knows when people are struggling with acceptance as he always had done.

Genius Level Tactician : Michael is an adept planner as he is seen drawing out plans for defense during the War against the Military. He was also able to produce a tactical plan to halt the advances of the communities during the take over.

## Killed Victims

Unnamed Sergeant

Numerous counts of Infected individuals and unnamed people

## Relationships

### Dante Bishop

It is revealed that when they met Michael was shown to be leading the ruffians prior to them joining the Rebellion. Michael initially threatened Dante and demanded his motorcycle but is insulted by Dante but the two ended up ending their conflict.

From then on the two became closer and eventually became brothers in arms and following his rise to leadership he appoints Michael to his second in command being both his right hand man and his bodyguard. The two are often seen joking around with one another and fighting alongside each other against Infected and Military Police. Dante has repeatedly shown trust in the man such as tasking him with looking after Thomas Richards and tasking him assuming command of the Mansion the temporary base of the Coalition during the Civil War Arc.

The two are seen drinking during a meeting with the Mansion Group and the Hunters showing their friendship. Michael later participates in the subjugation of other communities on Dantes behalf showing their long term affiliation with one another.

### Persephone

Persephone is initially shown to be intimidated by Michael and often acts fearful of her due to his impressive size as well as his facial disfigurement. However after joining the rebels they are shown to be more easy going around each other. The night they reach their hideout Michael opens up to Persephone about his disfigurement Persephone assures him that she understands it as her albinism also caused her problems showing the two share a small bond.

After the timeskip and the beginning of the Rebellion Arc they are shown to be more cost to one another being able to fight alongside each other without problem showing that they are a good team.

Later on during the Civil War Arc Michael is tasked with keeping Persephone safe and he occasionally checks on her to make sure she is okay showing his softer side.