Fallout Series: Is the Ghoul a Villain? Here is What We Know So Far
As intense as Walton Goggins’ Ghoul may be, some fans are still wondering if the character is a villain in the Fallout story. Of all the colorful characters in Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout, based on Bethesda’s popular video game franchise, the Ghoul is perhaps the one with the longest history. To fully understand him, the audience needs to know where he started from. The star of the new Fallout series is fondly recalling his glory days on The Shield, the gripping 2002-2008 drama series about a hopelessly corrupt police unit. Goggins played Shane Vendrell, best friend and accomplice of Vic Mackey, the corrupt cop played by Michael Chiklis. Before the series Goggins had a rough decade as a professional, surviving with appearances on the series JAG and NYPD Blue and small roles in films like The Next Karate Kid and Shanghai Noon. In the early days, however, much of his income came from his valet parking business.
Before the War, the Ghoul Was Cooper Howard?
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Fallout.
While it’s unknown exactly when Walton Goggins’ Cooper Howard was born, he was once a hero who served in the United States Marine Corps before the Great War dropped atomic bombs on what’s left of America. Most notably, he fought in a battle to defend Alaska from the People’s Republic of China, which allowed him to gain experience with T-45 armor, the armor of choice for the Brotherhood of Steel. After being dishonorably discharged, he began a career in Hollywood as an actor. This path proved incredibly successful, leading him to a much more questionable career choice: shooting commercials for Vault-Tec.
Cooper’s face has become synonymous with the Vault and the iconic image of him giving the thumbs up. While working on those ads as a favor to his wife, with whom he had a son, he began to question the very nature of Vault-Teh, the company he worked for, something you would never expect from a villain. However, things became more questionable when his doubts led him to spy on his wife. One thing leads to another, and he learns that his wife was directly involved in a possible plan to bomb America itself, with the intent of restarting humanity under the leadership of Vault-Tec. Needless to say, things didn’t go too well. Her marriage broke down and led to divorce. However, the world had bigger problems, as the bombs soon fell.
The Ferocious Ghoul of the Wasteland?
The present-day timeline of the Fallout TV series finds itself 219 years later, in 2296, where Howard is now a Ghoul. He is essentially a zombie, retaining his former humanity and resisting becoming savage. After over 200 years in the wasteland, Cooper Howard is no more. In his place is an expert bounty hunter who has no patience for bullshit and has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to get what he needs. It’s no surprise that not long after leaving Vault 33, Lucy crosses paths with the Ghoul, whose existence is the exact opposite of her bright, naive optimism. As the two fight over a bounty they both seek for different reasons, the Ghoul doesn’t treat Lucy well. He even tries to sell his organs on the black market. This is where the character could easily be mistaken for a villain.
However, with all his experiences in the wasteland, he has understandably lost his way since his days as Cooper Howard. As the series continues, his true motivations become clearer: He’s still searching for his family. Given his wife’s involvement in Vault-Tec and the “good” vaults, he believes they are alive. It’s information that Hank MacLean, Lucy’s father and the man who turned out to be the true big bad of the series, believes he has. After injuring Hank and causing him to retreat, he prepares for the next chapter in the Fallout story. Now, Lucy’s entire sense of the world is turned upside down after learning of the atrocities committed by her father. She begins to understand the Ghouls’ cold outlook on life. Bright optimism no longer exists: the former vault inhabitant has become as cynical as the Ghoul. By the end of the series, the Ghoul won’t truly be the villain of Lucy’s story, but will instead become one of her most valuable allies.
