Amazon Prime’sFalloutshow has been one of the most successful video game adaptations to television in recent years. The series has received high praise from fans and critics alike, with the show receiving 16 Emmy nominations at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards and winning an Emmy for Outstanding Music Supervision. With theFalloutshow taking place in the same universe as the games and season 2 already confirmed to be in production, Bethesda Game Studios should consider incorporating some elements of the show into the eventualFallout 5game. One way Bethesda could do this is by replacing the Mysterious Stranger with the Ghoul from the show.
Fallout Mysterious Stranger Explained
Throughout the wastelands of post-apocalyptic California, Nevada, Virginia, Washington D.C. and New England, vault dwellers and ordinary survivors alike may be randomly aided bya Mysterious Stranger in times of crisis. Back inFallout 1and2, this individual could appear as either a man or a woman adorned with meager leather armor and could be equipped with rifles, shotguns, and even laser rifles, depending on the player’s level. If both the Mysterious Stranger and the player survive their combat encounter, the player can talk with the Stranger, but they’ll only respond in short phrases such as “I will help thee” or “I don’t talk much”.
By the timeFallout 3andFallout: New Vegaswere released, the Mysterious Stranger had changed dramatically. Instead of being either a man or a woman in leather armor, the Stranger is now consistently a white man dressed in a trench coat with a fedora. They’ll also consistently utilize a revolver that will mysteriously cause a short western guitar riff to occur when he engages in combat. Unlike theirFallout 1and2counterparts, the Bethesda-era Stranger won’t engage in dialogue with the player. InFallout 3andNew Vegas,the Mysterious Stranger can only appear after using V.A.T.S.when the Mysterious Stranger perk is selected.
The Mysterious Stranger of Fallout 4 and 76
The Stranger’s appearance remains relatively the same fromFallout 3and New Vegas inFallout 4, but he now dons a mustache on his face. Instead of guitar playing during his appearances, a short piano riff would play. Private investigator and old Synth Nick Valentine will additionally react to the Stranger’s appearance if the player has him as a companion on their travels. Players can find a case file on the Stranger in Valentine’s Detective Agency. InFallout 76, the Stranger will seldom appear toplayers who have the Mysterious Stranger perkbut no longer has a mustache.
The Mysterious Stranger additionally appears inFallout Shelterbut only grants players extra caps if they’re spotted in vaults instead of helping in combat.
The Ghouls' Potential as The Mysterious Stranger in Fallout 5
While the setting and the time period ofFallout 5are still unknown, there’s still a lot of potential for the Ghoul, also known as Cooper Howard, to appear as the Mysterious Stranger inFallout 5. While theFalloutshow does take place afterFallout 4,Fallout 5could take place before the show or even at the same time asFallout 4but out west near the New California Republic. This could allow theGhoul to take the place of the Mysterious Strangerwithout having to worry about story conflicts with events seen in the show.
The Ghoul already acts and looks similar to the Mysterious Strangersince both wear trench coats and utilize revolvers expertly. In Valentine’s case file on the Stranger, the Synth hypothesized that the stranger may be a ghoul due to his widespread appearance over the decades, so having Howard be the Stranger could confirm that suspicion and explain how the Stranger appeared fromFallout 76to4. If the Ghoul does replace the Mysterious Stranger, he could still be called the Mysterious Stranger for players who haven’t seen theFalloutshow and could have Walton Goggins return to voice some lines whenever he appears to help players.
Fallout
Cast
Created by Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout is based on the post-apocalyptic RPG gaming franchise that started in the 1990s. Set hundreds of years after the Great War, Lucy leaves her Vault bunker to travel the Wasteland in search of her kidnapped father.
