Merc

Biographical information
Membership	Team Darkstar
Physical description
Species	Combat bot
Gender	Male
Behind the scenes
Portrayed by	Phil Morris

Merc is a major support character in Deadlocked. He is one of two combat bots, alongside his companion Green, that were members of Team Darkstar, assisting Ratchet in combat during his DreadZone challenges. Merc was the more confident and battle-ready of the two, and both used equipment and upgrades provided by Al.

Merc and Green fight alongside Ratchet in most missions in the single player campaign of Deadlocked. Players can purchase upgrades and equipment, as well as cosmetic changes, for them both, and issue commands in battle. Merc also provides tips in multiplayer.

History

Ratchet meeting Merc and Green.

Merc's history prior to DreadZone is unknown, though it is implied he is a war veteran. At some point, Merc became partners to Green, another combat bot. The two served a DreadZone contestant prior to Ratchet. During their time, they made use of the Beta Ravager, though the recoil on the weapon caused them to misfire it into DreadZone grandstands. Al acquired them for Team Darkstar following the contestants' death. Thereafter, Merc served alongside Ratchet throughout his time at DreadZone. During the Maraxus challenges, Ratchet was required to free Merc and Green from the Maraxus Prison, and Merc was freed during the first challenge, "Jail Break".

Merc and Green in Galaxy Burger.

After Ratchet defeated Gleeman Vox and the DreadZone Station was destroyed, Merc and Green took jobs at Galaxy Burger, serving millions of eager customers who clamored to see the famous combat bots from DreadZone. However, the two bots eventually decided they wanted a quiet and calm life, and later on petitioned themselves to become the new den leaders of the Ratchet fan club, which had lost its former den leader "Big Tool" (Al) after he got into an argument over Exterminator trading cards.

Characteristics

Appearance

See also: Combat bot § Cosmetics

Merc has an identical appearance to Green: he is a humanoid combat bot with a visor, lighting up when he talks, and thruster in place of legs, as he hovers over ground. He comes with 2-ply Orxonian plate armor, and a helmet that is standard DreadZone fare. Merc has a brown and blue design by default, the original paint scheme from a DreadZone Champion Bot.

Personality

Merc is a gruff soldier with strong nerves. He has a great degree of confidence, and is normally unafraid of danger, but admitted on Kronos to having a fear of heights. Merc also has a sense of humor, often making disparaging comments at the enemies' expense. In addition, Merc also appears to struggle articulating his thoughts, and after mispronouncing the word "drink", Al suggested his language memory was poorly programmed.

Abilities and equipment

See also: Combat bot § Equipment and upgrades

Merc comes with DreadZone communications software, a targeting system, and upgradable Orxonian plate armor. Al made some other modifications to Merc's helmets: the Cyclone helmet would display targeting information if the bot's central computer was damaged, and the Crash V6 came with crack-proof glass, six High Stack sensors, and an internal code reader playing Al's top 40 favorite songs like "Shamus on Youmus" and "I love You so Much I'd Eat Dirt".

Merc made use of many weapons that were developed by Go-Comet, and Ratchet could purchase from Al's workshop during his time in DreadZone. Merc made use of a Pistol Flux LX by default, a two-handed carbine weapon firing single laser rounds at opponents. His other weapons included the Bogo, a grenade launcher adapted from hovership-mounted grenade launchers that was once the pride of the Maraxus Air Patrol; the Range Warrior, a sniper rifle; and the Beta and Alpha Ravager, devastating weapons designed specifically for combat bot use, that unleash a ball firing lasers at enemies before exploding.

In addition to his weapons, Merc also used several gadgets to aid Ratchet in battle: a Grind Cable, a Shield Link, an EMP Grenade, a Hacker Ray, and even an OmniWrench to turn bolt cranks. Unlike the weapons, the Hacker Ray was developed by Vox Industries.

Behind the scenes

Merc was voiced by Phil Morris, who also voiced Reactor and Captain Starshield. In the official Prima guide, Merc is referred to as "Murph", a possible early name.

According to unused audio files, Merc had spent time in prison, charged due to parking tickets.

References

• Insomniac Games (2005). Ratchet: Deadlocked [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 2.
• Greg Off (2005). Ratchet Deadlocked Prima Official Game Guide [Book]. Prima Games. ISBN 0761552049.