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The ones that did survive had to push forward. Gears of War 4 and 5, set two decades after the end of 3, brought back several major characters. Marcus returned, alongside most of his surviving gear buddies. 4 even managed to slip in flashback cameos by Dominic “Dom” Santiago and Anya Stroud, allowing them to make an appearance despite their deaths by this point in the timeline. But there are still several characters who either have not been addressed at all, or who should really get more attention. With Gears 6 likely happening in the future, there may be some good opportunities to re-introduce these characters.
6 Sofia Hendrick
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Gears of War Judgement experimented with subverting the usual formula by doing a prequel shown through four different perspectives. It brought back a few younger versions of familiar faces, but also introduced some new people. Aside from Baird and Cole, both major characters throughout the last three games, the central cast also included (and made playable) two other allies- Garron Paduk and Sofia Hendrik. Paduk made a big comeback in Gears 5, when Kait meets him in the Vasgar Desert, but Hendrik still remains unaccounted for. Her fate after the events of Judgement was intentionally left ambiguous to leave more options open for the creative team.
In the DLC campaign Aftermath,Paduk reveals that she was kidnapped by a group of men who turned out to be gears. While certainly not the most optimistic fate, there is no confirmation of her death. This leaves open a lot of questions about her whereabouts through most of the series. That includes her experience through the entire 17-year-long Locust war, the twenty years after that, and the Swam War that started in Gears 4. Gears 6 would be a great opportunity to take advantage of that open-ended plotline.
4 Victor Hoffman
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Technically, Hoffman made a cameo in Gears of War 4, but it didn’t give him an opportunity to do much. He appears at a commemorative ceremony in the opening scene, but he only gets to say or do anything in the three flashbacks that made up the game’s tutorial. While this does provide a fun bit of continuity for longtime players, it is a pretty small part for a major character in the original titles.
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Sure, he is obviously getting old by the events of 4 and probably not in the best shape for fighting, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way for him to come back somehow. Perhaps he could act as a mentor to Kait, or he could fill a tactical support role similar to Anya in the first two games. Even simply hearing his voice over the radio would probably be pretty exciting for many fans.
2 Bernie Mataki
Bernadette “Bernie” Mataki might not have had a huge presence in the games, but she did have enough of an appearance to stand out among the various characters encountered by Delta Squad. Bernie was a cog soldier first introduced in the novel Aspho Fields who later made an appearance in Gears of War 3, and had a cameo during a flashback section in 4. She was easily identified by her heavy New Zealand Galangi accent and a general “no nonsense” attitude when it came to command. This is a veteran who had ties to Colonel Hoffman and had fought alongside him since the Pendulum Wars. Her connection and eventual romance with Hoffman would also provide an easy way to work her into a story.
Granted, Bernie wasn’t exactly young in 3 and would have aged a lot by 4. This might leave her in less than stellar shape for fighting, but other members of the original cast have managed to keep going despite their age. But even seeing her as an old woman still displaying the same level of cunning and ruthlessness would be exciting for fans. Bernie’s popularity has already led to her being added to 5’s multiplayer, so it’s not unlikely that she may make a comeback at a later time.
1 Dizzy Wallin
First appearing in Gears of War 2, Dizzy was a mechanic who could easily be identified by his thick southern accent. He worked alongside Marcus on several occasions during the campaign, usually handling complex machinery or operating a vehicle. He returned in 3, where helped Marcus get the submarine he needed to reach Azura. He was an enjoyable character, but not much has been seen of him since. Part of this may be due to some behind-the-scenes developments. Dizzy was shown to be a chain smoker as part of his “tough guy” image, but the more recent games have been trying to avoid depictions of smoking.
However, despite his absence in either campaign, Dizzy is a playable character in multiplayer for both 4 and 5. This does seem to suggest the character has not been forgotten and could potentially make a return in some form. The developers may simply have to consider the possibility of Dizzy giving up smoking in the 20 years between games.
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