Gears hype is at an all-time high as the series took an unexpected turn at the Xbox games showcase. Instead of an expected Gears 6 or rumored Fenix collection, The Coalition Studio returned with a prequel set 14 years before the events of the original game. With Gears Of War: E-Day going back to the beginning of the Locust War, some are left wondering who we can expect to make a return. Well, between the countless games, novels and comics, we narrowed down who may or may not make an appearance in the upcoming game.
Obviously, we will see the two main protagonists in Gears Of War: E-Day. Marcus and Dom have known each other since they were children, and both share a common loss in friend/brother Carlos Santiago. During the events moments before Carlos' death, he instructed Marcus to take care of his brother Dom. While the duration of the game's campaign will presumably be set in the city of Kalona, I expect Marcus and Dom trying to cope with Carlos' death while forming a closer and stronger friendship that you end up seeing in the games original trilogy. With the fact that Dom also loses his children on E-Day, we could possibly see a more berserk and unhinged side of him as Marcus tries to be there to console him.
Everyone's favorite loveable Gear, the Cole Train, will most likely appear in E-Day but probably not as a playable character, or even a Gear, that is. At the time of E-Day, Cole was still a Thrashball superstar for the Hanover Cougars, #83 baby Wooo! After losing both his parents on E-Day, Cole enlisted in the COG days later to do his part, and due to his popularity, caused countless others to volunteer as well. While he did later serve alongside other members of Delta in the fight against the Locust, there's a low chance that we will see Cole brush shoulders with Marcus and Dom. However, we definitely may see plenty of cameos of Cole in the form of statues, posters, billboards, or even television appearances due to his celebrity status. It's safe to say that the Coalition will show Hanover's favorite son some form of love in the game.
Baird grew up in a wealthy family and had a passion for building and tinkering with machinery. His plan was to go to engineering school, but his parents outright refused to grant him his inheritance unless he enlisted in the military. Baird's parents were both killed on E-Day as well, causing him to enlist and, in time, serve alongside Cole. Though I'm not too confident everyone's favorite smart mouth will make an appearance in E-Day, there's a chance we could see some type of cameo of him or hear of his family's name.
In the opening of Gears Of War 4, we see Hoffman and Anya in Ephyra attempting to rendezvous with Minh Kim at the House of Sovereigns. Not much is known if at any point they meet up with Marcus and Dom, but I'd wager that we at least will hear from Anya and Hoffman throughout the campaign over radio communications instructing them where to head next.
Tai is a character we were introduced to back in Gears Of War 2, and it will be interesting to see if he's involved in E-Day. He met and fought alongside Marcus in the Pendulum Wars and a few other times throughout the Locust War. Tai is the inspiration behind the Mark 2 Lancer as he used a power saw to cut through a Locust that had Marcus grabbed by the collar. Marcus tells his father, Adam, that they needed something stronger to cut through the Locust hide, mentioning Tai using the power saw. This led to the iconic chainsaw Lancer being created and distributed. However, this didn't happen until almost a year after E-Day. It's intriguing to see how this will work, knowing the game's story is about the first few days of the Locust War. Will they sacrifice canon for fun, giving us the Lancer in the campaign or have us play without it? Only time will tell.
Myrrah, otherwise known as the Locust Queen, is the driving force behind E-Day. Deep in the Hollow, the Locust were at war with the parasite known as the Lambent. Myrrah enlisted the help of Adam Fenix to help cure Lambency as they were closer to being driven out of the Hollow. Running out of time to protect her people, Myrrah was forced to emerge and launch an attack on humanity to colonize the surface. While it is unlikely Marcus and Dom run into Myrrah, maybe we could witness Myrrah giving a speech to the Locust moments before launching an attack on the people of Sera.
Decorated soldier, scientist, and father of Marcus Fenix, Adam has a high chance of appearing in the E-Days campaign. Not much is known about where Adam was during E-Day; however, we are aware he knew of the Locust invasion years before it began. Adam would be filled with guilt knowing he is responsible for not finding a cure for the Lambent in time and the reason E-Day is happening. He also would be determined to know if Marcus is ok amid all the chaos going on, so it would be possible for us to run into or hear from him at some point.
Carlos is the older brother of Dom and Marcus's closest friend until his untimely death in the Pendulum Wars two years before E-Day. I believe Carlos will be a major factor in developing the bond between Marcus and Dom throughout the game as they try to cope with his passing. We may see flashbacks to the day he was killed while serving with Marcus during the battle of Aspho Fields in the form of a memory or a nightmare. Carlos had little to no mention throughout the Gears games so far, only appearing in novels and comics, where I believe now he will take a larger role in E-Day.
Maria is the wife of Dominic Santiago and the mother of his two children. On E-Day, as previously seen in Gears 2, Maria sent their kids to stay at her mother's for the day while she was home with Dom until he had to report back for duty. During the Locust attack, Maria's parents are killed, while her and Dom's children are swallowed by an emergence hole. So it does seem possible we will see a bit more of her at the beginning of the game and possibly hear or tell the news of their children's fate to Dom.
Who else do you believe we may see when we get our hands on Gears Of War: E-Day? Leave a comment below, and be sure to follow us here at Couch Soup to stay up to date on all things Gears!
