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“This is war... A war on crime.” — Director Charles Goodwin, in Crackdown's intro


Charles Goodwin, also known as the Agency Director who referred to himself as the "Voice of the Agency" is an enigmatic man who runs the Agency, and the true main antagonist of the Crackdown series.

He was the sole handler of the Agents in Crackdown and Crackdown 2.

He returns as a handler in Crackdown 3 but is joined by Echo, who acts as an unofficial handler for the revived Agents. By this time, the chain of command had also been extended; the Agents report to Agent Isaiah Jaxon, their field commander. 

Crackdown[]

Personality[]

In Crackdown, he takes a more friendly role than in Crackdown 2. He congratulates the Agent when he achieves tasks or things such as reaching high elevation, multiple kills, and other things the player might achieve that Goodwin will comment on. However, he does still make angry comments when you kill civilians or Peacekeepers. There have been reported glitches where the player may be on the ground level and the director will still narrate saying you reached a high point. In some instances, he will even say something more humorous, such as when the player creates a chain of explosives, in which case Goodwin will say "splosions" in a maniacal voice.

In Gameplay[]

Crackdown starts off with Goodwin explaining Pacific City's current state to the Agent(s), how the three main gangs have taken over, and how the Agents were created.

Throughout the game, Goodwin will explain and advise the player on how to tackle certain situations; he will also warn the Agent of danger, for example, when the Agent's armor or health is low, he will say "That hurt", or when the Agent is at great heights he will say, "I can see my house from here", among other comments. Goodwin continuously monitors the Agent(s) and their skill advancements, congratulating them when they advance and condemning them when they perish in the line of duty ("Is this your idea of a joke?").

Ending[]

Crackdown_Ending

Crackdown Ending

At the end of the game, Goodwin reveals to the player that the Agency was not as pure as originally presumed, revealing that the elimination of Pacific City's three main gangs was in fact the beginning of a new world order that would spread to the rest of the world, with the Agents leading the way, and it was in fact the Agency itself that supplied the three main gangs to cause chaos in Pacific City.

Goodwin would reveal this in the final cutscene:

"Congratulations Agent, peace at last... You overthrew the world's most evil criminal masterminds and their dominant empires. You have returned law and order to Pacific City. You gave the people back their lives. Thank you.

(sinister laughing)

It's taken years of meticulous planning and patience to reach this stage, but it was worth it. Who do you think supplied Los Muertos? Who do you think turned a blind eye to the Volk's activities? Who do you think was Shai-Gen's biggest supporter? Who do you think ran organized law-enforcement, and ran it into the ground?

The people had to experience absolute anarchy before they would accept unconditional control. You are the portent of a New World Order, Agent. Pacific City was only the beginning."

Then, the default Black Agent shoots the screen.

Crackdown 2[]

CD2 Agency Voice 2

The Director at a press conference in Crackdown 2's introduction cinematic

Personality[]

In Crackdown 2, Goodwin has a more serious and strict tone than in Crackdown. He compliments the player less than in Crackdown. If you are to kill a Peacekeeper in Crackdown 2, the director will make angrier comments, even yelling at the agent, saying: "Don't kill Peacekeepers, agent! I don't know how much clearer I can make that!". Furthermore, Goodwin makes quotes that fans will remember from the first game, such as "Skills for kills, Agent... skills for kills", or quotes that have been altered from the first game, such as "I can see the charred remains of my house from here". In Crackdown 2, he also appears to be far more sarcastic towards the player, especially if the player either remains stood still for a period of time or if the player is to visit an already-activated absorption unit.

Despite his apparent dislike of this generation of agents, he does congratulate the player upon receiving achievements by actually telling the player "That's an achievement!", along with some other positive dialogue.

Crackdown 3[]

Director Crackdown 3

Goodwin gives more positive reinforcement to the Agents again and even seems to have less dark humor about their injury. He is genuinely concerned when losing contact with Jaxon's team. Furthermore, when the Echo makes contact with him, Goodwin is not immediately dismissive, and in fact, gradually warms to the idea of using a militia.

A loading screen reveals that Goodwin was once a field Agent famous for heroic exploits and lived by the creed of "Justice by Any Means Necessary". It is unknown if this was his personal motto, or of the Agency's at that time, it can be assumed that he was not genetically enhanced, at least not at that time, for it was before the use of Balthazar Czernenko's work on modern agents. It also means that it is highly unlikely for him to have been one of the founders of the Agency unless he performed as a field Agent to draw attention away from the true objectives of the organization or his whole personal backstory could have been fabricated.

Motives[]

It was revealed through the Whistleblower audio logs, various cutscenes, and dialogue that Goodwin was set out on creating a dictatorship where the citizens are brainwashed into obedience, turning him into a real main antagonist in the Crackdown series who used Agents only to grow in power.

Trivia[]

  • Goodwin is voiced by Michael McConnohie.
  • There were many glitches in both games; at any height above sea level, if you looked in one direction for long enough, he would tell you he could see his house from there, even if you looked into the ground or water.
  • If the player continues a spree of killing civilians/peacekeepers, he may say "What is your major malfunction, agent?!" referring to Gunnery Sergeant Hartman's quote "What is your major malfunction?!" from the film Full Metal Jacket.
  • Goodwin was simply known as "The Agency Director" or "The Director" for the last two Crackdown games, before the most recent installment to the series, Crackdown 3, in which his name was finally revealed.
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