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“ | One thing I've learned: if you don't draw first, you don't get to draw at all. | „ |
~ Booker to Elizabeth on his experiences. |
“ | Elizabeth: Booker, are you afraid of God? Booker DeWitt: No... but I'm afraid of you. |
„ |
~ Elizabeth and Booker. |
Booker DeWitt is the main protagonist of the 2013 first-person shooter game BioShock Infinite as well as its DLC Burial at Sea — Episode 1, and a supporting character in Burial at Sea — Episode 2.
A self-loathing private investigator, DeWitt travels to Columbia to rescue a girl named Elizabeth in exchange of his debts being washed away. Due to his past, Booker's skills make him well equipped to fight against Zachary Hale Comstock and the Founders, but soon learns of his ties to Elizabeth and Columbia itself. Over the course of the story, Booker reveals his past experiences, and shows his ability to make decisions independent of the player.
He is voiced by Troy Baker, who also voiced Joel Miller in The Last of Us series, Alec Mason in Red Faction: Guerrilla, Kanji Tatsumi in Persona 4, Robin in Batman: Arkham City, Jake Muller in Resident Evil 6, Orkos in God of War: Ascension, Delsin Rowe in Infamous: Second Son, Talion in the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor series, Jack Mitchell in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Joseph Allen in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Terrance Brooks in Call of Duty: Black Ops, Espio the Chameleon in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Snow Villiers in the Final Fantasy series, Rhys in Tales from the Borderlands, Erron Black in the Mortal Kombat series, Vincent Brooks in Catherine, and Sam Drake in the Uncharted series.
Biography[]
Background[]
Booker DeWitt was born on April 19th, 1874 to unnamed parents and partial Native American descent, but it's unknown if his lineage comes from his parents. When he was sixteen years old, he joined the United States Army during the Sioux Wars, and became a member of the 7th Calvary Regiment. During his service, DeWitt took part in the Wounded Knee Massacre, where American soldiers murdered hundreds of Lakota members after they were disarmed. Booker also committed violet actions against the Native Americans, doing to prevent himself from being stigmatized after he was accused of having Native American lineage by one of his fellow officers. His actions resulted in him getting the nickname "The White Injun" since he scalped his victims, getting the Medal of Honor and given the rank of staff sergeant. Additionally, Booker was acquainted with Captain Cornelius Slate, whom referred to him as "Corporal DeWitt" when they met years later.
Despite being considered a hero during the Sioux Wars, DeWitt felt regret for his actions, and decided to be baptized by Preacher Witting to be reborn. However, he dropped out of the last second and left the river, believing that the baptism wouldn't wash away his sins. Two years after the events of the Wounded Knee, Booker joined the Pinkerton's National Detective Agency, and was known for using violet methods to end labor strikes. During this time, he fell in love with a woman named Annabelle Watson, whom became his wife and later fathered their daughter Anna. Watson would die giving birth to their daughter, which alongside losing his job, caused Booker to fall into depression. He then became a private investigator, but turned to alcohol to deal with his remorse, which resulted in him developing gambling debts.
In 1893, he was greeted by Robert Lutece, who explained that Zachary Hale Comstock would wipe away his debit in exchange for Anna. Booker agreed to the deal out of desperation, but immediately regretted his decision and pursued the two into an alley way. Before he could save Anna, Comstock managed to pull her into their dimension, but Anna's pinky finger was severed once it the tear closed. He fell into a greater state of depression due to his guilt, branding Anna's initials onto his hand, and it's presumed he continued to suffer from alcoholism as a result. In 1912, DeWitt was greeted by the Luteces, whom opened a tear for him to enter since they wanted him to break the cycle. Upon entering their dimension, Booker fell to the ground as his mind created new memories due moving to a new dimension where he already existed. As a result, DeWitt believed that he was tasked with retrieving Elizabeth from Columbia to wipe away his debt, no longer remembering the deal he previously made.
BioShock Infinite[]
Booker awakes on a boat traveling to a lighthouse with the Luteces rowing it, and they task him with finding a way to enter Columbia to find Elizabeth. He manages to do so by entering the pilgrim's rocket and is forced to accept a baptism by Preacher Witting to enter the city, and learns of Columbia's leader Zachary Hale Comstock and the Founders. While traveling across the city, Booker sees a poster warning of the "False Shepherd", a man prophesized to lead Comstock's "lamb" astray and has the mark "A.D." on his hand, which DeWitt's recognizes as the initial on his own. Reaching the annual day raffle, DeWitt wins the lottery and witnesses Jeremiah Fink present the stoning of an interracial couple. No matter what the player chooses, Booker will be stopped by the police and Fink, who recognize the mark on his hand. Booker then fights off the police force and a Fireman, obtaining the latter's vigor that allows him to shoot fire from his hands.
While heading to Monument Island, Booker encounters the Fraternal Order of the Raven, a group whom worships the late Lady Comstock and maintains "racial purity" in Columbia. During his search, he is confronted by Comstock, whom attempts to kill him but to no avail. At the island, Booker retrieves Elizabeth, who helps him escape from Songbird, a mechanical bird tasked with protecting her from harm. The two evade him when falling into the water and wash ashore on a beach, and Booker convinces Elizabeth to go to The First Lady airship by lying that it will take them to Paris. The two soon encounter Esther Mailer and her men, whom DeWitt kills when they attempted to take Elizabeth. Despite her disgust at him for killing, she agrees to work with him to reach the airship. During their travel, they discover that the airship is closed and will need power, and search the Hall of Heroes to find a vigor called Shock Jockey.
The two are confronted by Slate, who has taken over the hall with his men, and reveals his disillusion due to Comstock's lies about his service at the Wounded Knee. Booker and Elizabeth work together to fight off Slate's men, and Cornelius reveals DeWitt's presence at the Wounded Knee when they reach war exhibits. When confronting a defeated Slate, he asks Booker to kill him so he will be given a soldier's death. The player has the option to either kill him or leave him be, with Slate either being happy to see Booker hasn't changed if the player chooses to kill, or angered that Booker has become a "tin man" if spared. When leaving, they discover that Elizabeth is Comstock's daughter, and that she is the lamb that will take his place. Returning to The First Lady, Elizabeth learns of Booker's plans and knocks him out with a wrench before leaving. DeWitt then awakes to discover that the Vox Populi have taken the airship, and their leader Daisy Fitzroy is willing to give it back to him if he can get weapons for her cause.
Booker manages to reach Elizabeth and agree on a partnership, but found the corpse of the gunsmith Chen Lin, which prevents them from obtaining the weapons. However, Elizabeth comes up with a plan to enter another reality where Chen wasn't killed, and enter the dimension via a tear. The two learn that the Vox Populi have started their revolution and that Booker was a member of as well, but died and became a martyr for the group. Returning to the Lin residence, they discover Mr. Lin suffering from merging to another reality and him being deprived of his equipment. The duo then find the tools and open another tear since they can't transport them, where they find that Vox Populi are fighting against the Founders sine they obtained their weapons. However, since Booker is dead in this reality, Fitzroy sends her men after him since she believes him to be a specter or an imposter.
After Elizabeth kills Daisy to prevent her from harming Fink's son, the two reach The First Lady and attempted to leave Columbia, but Songbird arrives and destroys the airship. The two awake from the crash and learn from the Luteces that Songbird can be controlled by a flute, which sets them to Comstock's house. During the start of their travel, Elizabeth demands Booker to kill her if it comes to it, since she believes that being taken by Songbird is a fate worse than death. Reaching the father's house, the two are unable to enter since the gate needs appropriate fingerprints. Knowing of Lady Comstock's burial place, they go there but Father Comstock siphons some of Elizabeth's power to revive his late wife.
While trying to stop Lady Comstock, they learn through tears that Elizabeth isn't the biological child of Zachary or the lady, but was a child abducted from another reality since the Father became sterile from tear usage. Lady Comstock then became angry at the child since she believed Zachary was having an affair with Rosalind, and she was killed by Comstock to prevent her from possibly exposing the truth. The two then work together to stop Lady Comstock, and Elizabeth makes peace with her, explaining the truth behind her death. Upon learning this, Lady Comstock makes amends and finds peace before blasting the Comstock house gates before departing. Before they reach the house, Songbird arrives and attacks Booker, but Elizabeth offers her freedom in exchange for DeWitt's life. He attempts to save but finds himself in another reality, learning that Elizabeth was tortured and became Comstock's heir in destroying the world below.
He encounters an elderly Elizabeth, who gives him a card to give to her younger self and returns back to his reality where she is being tortured. Freeing her from the laboratory, Elizabeth decides to kill Comstock, but Booker refuses, wanting to kill Zachary himself for what he did to her. The two traveled to the house and battle his soldiers, and confront the prophet, who tells Elizabeth that everything that happen was because of DeWitt's doing. He becomes aggressive and demands that Booker explain what he did to her finger, but DeWitt kills Comstock by drowning him. Despite telling Elizabeth he doesn't know what Comstock was speaking of, she doesn't believe him once his nose starts to bleed once again.
The two then work on trying to escape, but Elizabeth explains that she can't open a tear due to the siphon still being on Monument Island. While on a barge, Elizabeth realizes that the card is instructions on how to use the whistler, a device that allows them to control Songbird. Booker destroys the siphon on the island, which allows Elizabeth to obtain all of her power and see through infinite realities. She explains that Comstock is still alive in different worlds, and the two decide to work together one last time to kill him for good. During their travel, Booker regains his memories on his deal with Comstock, and that the prophet is him from another reality that accepted Preacher Witting's baptism. Realizing that the only way to stop Comstock is by him dying before he accepts or rejects the baptism, DeWitt allows versions of Elizabeth to drown him.
The last we see of Booker is him awaking in his home the day he lost Anna, and when he enters her room to see if she's in her crib, the screen cuts to black. The ending is left ambiguous, with the ending indicating that the Booker shown is in a universe where he never lost Anna or accepted the baptism.
Burial at Sea — Episode 2[]
A hallucination of Booker appears in the second episode, guiding Elizabeth since she lost her ability to see all outcomes.
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
Screenshots[]
List of Vigors[]
Trivia[]
- He can play guitar, mirroring his voice actor's talent.
- Stephen Russell originally did the voice of Booker before Troy Baker was hired.
- He is similar to Jack from BioShock:
- Both have a mark or tattoo (Booker's on his arm, as Jack's is on his hand).
- Both kill the main antagonist, and are related to them (though Comstock is Booker from a different "door").
- Booker DeWitt is a unique protagonist in the BioShock series, as he's the first protagonist in the series to have a pre-established personality and full voice acting, as every other protagonist in the series has been a silent avatar where the players themselves are meant to fill in the blanks.