Wich dropped JA1/JA:DG merc would you like to see return to JA3?

[Hendrix]

Many of the mercs in JA1 and JA:DG never made it into JA2, wich one would you like to see return in JA3?

I was personally sad that Snake was killed of. So if I got to pick the return of 1 merc it would probably be Kelly, although Boss is a strong contender as well.

Do you have a favourite you would like to see return in JA3?

[Taurean]

I always liked Major Spike Scallion. I took the habit of occasionally using "boy?" after questions and such, on the internet ^^ I find it hilarious that he would use that term to the player, indicating that he is older and "above" the player in some way, calling them "boy", even if he is serving under the player ^^ And he reminded me of a masoner that lived in my town, he looked literally exactly like him, the voice was very similar too. Which leads me to believe that they took most or all of the characters from real life. I looked through some pictures from a kind of party in my old town about a month ago, and one guy there that i didn't know, looked 99% like Fred Morrison in Drassen mine in JA2 ^^ It was freaky.

The JA2 alumni says: ""The departure of Spike Scallion from A.I.M. was a major loss to the organization. His demeanour and unwavering command of any situation always served as a comfort for those who found themselves neck deep in it alongside him. Major Scallion was offered a lucrative long-term contract serving as a military consultant for the North Koreans and no amount of negotiation could convince him to stay." - Jagged Alliance 2 Alumni gallery

There is nothing to say he cannot return for service, maybe older and more experienced, perhaps with lesser physical stats, sort of like Gus.

Edited April 3 by Taurean

[LoboNocturno]

Without a doubt Hector Alvarez, he was my favourite merc in JA1.

Am from Ecuador but it still made me very proud to see a merc from a neighbouring country, he was also the only South American merc in the game.

Edited April 8 by LoboNocturno

[LoboNocturno]

[scope112]

From JA1 DG there are bunch of mercs that I would like to see making a comeback:

 

Leech, Kelly, Boss, Spike, Hector, Vinny, Jimmy, Bud, Mike

[Hongweibing]

Now that we know the identity of almost all mercs in JA3 (see below), thought it would be interesting to return to this topic, and maybe even talk about the dropped JA2 mercs. For the record, I'm pretty sure most won't return, but maybe if the sales are good and the developers decide to make some DLCs, those could be nice options.

As for JA1 and DG characters (who were not in JA2), there aren't many who could/would return (e.g. Snake, who I'd like to return to be a thrifty merc commander's bro-version of Shadow, and see his interactions with the latter, unfortunately, was killed off; the aforementioned Hector, who was also a decent merc, was severely injured and is permanently disabled etc.), and among those that could, even fewer I'd like to return. I'd like to see Kelly, Spike, and Boss return - but I don't think that's very likely, and of the three, Kelly being the likeliest to return. I'd also like Vinny to return, but that's very unlikely, since he's in jail.
A few more that I could see returning (but doubt they would, and don't really care too much) are: Doc, Leech, Screw, and Rusty. Of these four the first two would make most sense - Doc could be on a humanitarian mission in Grand Chien, while Leech could be shooting animals (maybe as a poacher?).

Now, although that's a bit off-topic (but figured it wasn't worth opening a new topic) there are many more potential mercs that were dropped between JA2 and JA3, of these, I'd like to see the following return:
From AIM:
Lynx, Static, Cliff (seems unlikely, though I liked his character and versatility), Malice, Spider, Bull (would almost always get him, both for the San Mona fight, and as one of the best mules at the game, who could also fight pretty well, while being dirt-cheap).

From MERC:
Haywire, Razor, Numb, Gaston (would be particularly interesting considering the background of French colonialism), Stogie (the latter two from UB)

RPCs (that I could reasonably see becoming mercs and leaving Arulco, so not most of the rebels):
Hamous (because of course - someone must spot and shoot all the dogs, as he did in JA2), Iggy, Ira (could go there on a humanitarian mission as well, as she did to Arulco, could also be combined with Doc)

And just for everyone's reference, we know of 37 of the 40 mercs in the game:
Returning (32 in AIM):
Barry
Blood
Buns
Dr. Q
Fidel
Fox
Grizzly
Grunty
Gus
Hitman
Ice
Igor
Ivan
Len
MD
Magic
Meltdown
Mouse (from Deadly Games)
Nails
Raider
Raven
Reaper
Red
Scope
Scully
Shadow
Sidney
Steroid
Tex (JA1, DG, and JA2: UB)
Thor
Vicki
Wolf
 
New (4 in AIM, 1 not there):
Fauda
Kalyna
Livewire
Omryn
Smiley (not in AIM)
 
Plus, there are at least two unconfirmed ones:
Bald African guy
Biff (unclear whether he is playable)

[Flowable]

Two of my favourites are Jack 'Postie' Durham and Herman 'Turtle' Regents. I kinda wonder what the reasoning was for putting Mouse on the roster.

[Luthghasgo]

There's another returning face from MERC, showed up in the one odd stream that actually made it past the intro island to the mainland.  Like Biff, no idea if he's playable but looks to have a quest meant to help him... clean himself up.  

Regarding newbs, that same stream also showed off another potentially recruitable early-game RPC.

Got a feeling Static, Buzz and Lynx will make a comeback at some point; as series regulars since JA1 I think they're shoe-ins.  Apart from them, only one I'm really missing is Stephen; need more high LDR mercs on the roster.

I'm willing to bet money on there being a MERC expansion post-launch, and if that's the case then I want it to have the original 10, plus Gaston and Stogie.  I also think they'd put Maddog in there too, he's a fan favorite and talks about wanting to join the mercenary business as part of his endgame speech.  Though honestly I think MERC would be better served with the addition of some new faces than AIM.

Frederick would be nice to have back, too. 

 

Edited April 21 by Luthghasgo
Detail.

[snowburn]

Beth, so sad she is dead 😞

 

And Raffi, maybe now his medical skills rivals House MD.

Edited April 21 by snowburn
added raffi

[Hongweibing]

57 minutes ago, Flowable said:

Two of my favourites are Jack 'Postie' Durham and Herman 'Turtle' Regents. I kinda wonder what the reasoning was for putting Mouse on the roster.

I liked Turtle as well (mostly because he was a fairly cheap decent shot - as long as you didn't need him running around the map too much) - but I think that's completely unlikely. As for Mouse, I was also surprised, but I think that she was a fairly good candidate for a few reasons: first, she has decent stats (with her great agility and dexterity stats she could be a good stealth character that is also affordable) - unlike many of the other mercs from JA1 and DG that were dropped. Second, having appeared in DG only (which, I think, fewer people played, compared to JA1 and JA2), it's easier to tell a new story with her, without her having too much baggage (like those that appeared in all games) - so you gain both nostalgia value, and the feeling of a fresh character. Finally, I think that at least to some extent, it is also a question of representation - you get a woman and (quite likely) a LGBTQ character in one.

 

1 hour ago, Luthghasgo said:

There's another returning face from MERC, showed up in the one odd stream that actually made it past the intro island to the mainland.  Like Biff, no idea if he's playable but looks to have a quest meant to help him... clean himself up.  

Regarding newbs, that same stream also showed off another potentially recruitable early-game RPC.

Got a feeling Static, Buzz and Lynx will make a comeback at some point; as series regulars since JA1 I think they're shoe-ins.  Apart from them, only one I'm really missing is Stephen; need more high LDR mercs on the roster.

I'm willing to bet money on there being a MERC expansion post-launch, and if that's the case then I want it to have the original 10, plus Gaston and Stogie.  I also think they'd put Maddog in there too, he's a fan favorite and talks about wanting to join the mercenary business as part of his endgame speech.  Though honestly I think MERC would be better served with the addition of some new faces than AIM.

Frederick would be nice to have back, too. 

 

You're right, thanks for the information, I didn't watch beyond the first two sectors, so as not to spoil too much. Good to see that this great scion of the illustrious Roachburn family is still alive. Agree about Frederick - he was solid, would certainly like to have another chance at playing him, but I've got a feeling that it's not very likely (he's old). Maddog would certainly be a nice addition to MERC, would fit right in. I do hope they will bring back Static. The absence of both Lynx and Buzz is suspicious - worst case scenario, they're both dead, but in the last stream the developers mentioned there being a separated couple and that (at least) one is hirable, but will leave if the (ex)partner gets killed - though I can't imagine that it refers to those two, considering how they hated each other in JA2 (then again, who knows? They liked each other in DG).

[Hendrix]

1 hour ago, snowburn said:

And Raffi, maybe now his medical skills rivals House MD.

Raffi? Naah... his Cajun Funk band Rotis and Haggis made it big time! Wonder if we get to hear their greatest hit in the game "Bajun Bayous"? 😂

[LoboNocturno]

@Hongweibing The bald black guy is very possibly Gus or Pierre ( The guy on the cover, i have a feeling may Pierre can joins us too later on but you also have the chance to kill him to earn loyalty points in the final showdown of the small island)

[Luthghasgo]

7 hours ago, Hongweibing said:

You're right, thanks for the information, I didn't watch beyond the first two sectors, so as not to spoil too much. Good to see that this great scion of the illustrious Roachburn family is still alive. Agree about Frederick - he was solid, would certainly like to have another chance at playing him, but I've got a feeling that it's not very likely (he's old). Maddog would certainly be a nice addition to MERC, would fit right in. I do hope they will bring back Static. The absence of both Lynx and Buzz is suspicious - worst case scenario, they're both dead, but in the last stream the developers mentioned there being a separated couple and that (at least) one is hirable, but will leave if the (ex)partner gets killed - though I can't imagine that it refers to those two, considering how they hated each other in JA2 (then again, who knows? They liked each other in DG).

I admit I do prefer Frederick's 1.13 incarnation compared to UB; where he he filled a good niche on the MERC roster as a decent LDR experience amplifier for rookie mercs.  Part of the reason I'm hoping Stephen comes back because he filled a similar role; and felt like a natural fit for the African setting given his history in South African diamond security.  

Not to breach the spoiler pact but I think I have a good idea who the lovestruck merc is, and I don't think it's either Lynx or Buzz.  Can't help but feel their consummation would be a bit more explosive if that ended up being the case.

I do worry that the amount of investment that goes into making a single merc with todays standards (design, model, animation, voice) would ultimately lead to fewer being made overall, and I feel that's going to be most felt when it comes to the MERC roster.  Part of me fears that weaker, bordering-on useless mercs like Biff, Flo or even Haywire would get the axe in favor of ensuring those added actually have a good chance of being used by anyone.  Though I guess on the other hand that means the best of the best from JA1 like Spike or Kelly are strong candidates for addition, but still, a balance could be made.

 

[Elder III]

I would like to see all of them be added, but I realize that is unrealistic.  I do wonder if it will be possible to add mercs by modding them in using the I.M.P character models etc...

[MEXAHUK]

I hope Lynx will be sort of Mike in JA2. Hopefully, we will meet him at some point of the gameplay and try to hire but only by someone with a great wisdom/level/leadership 

[MateKiddleton]

Sparky. I always liked the cheap ditzy mechanic.

[FGSchichau]

Col. Leo Kelly and Maj. Spike Scallion MUST RETURN. Whether it would be a new DLC or in the next part of the game, it doesn't matter to me that much, but they need make a comeback. These are just too cool characters to abandon them completely, besides, their return would be entirely plausible and logical in JA universe, based on the information about them in the "JA2 Alumni Gallery." They never stopped being mercenaries, they simply left AIM at the time - Spike got a lucrative contract in North Korea and Kelly took part in various missions in parts of the world. Given that Gus is likely to retire and we probably won't see him in the next part of the game, the return of Spike and Kelly would fill this gap after Gus. I would expect that both of them would have experience level 7, leadership at least 70 (Kelly maybe even over 80, he's colonel after all). Also, it would be nice to see Spike reuniting with his old buddy Len, he could be also friend with Shadow (like Spike, he's also an ex-Ranger).

 

As for other characters from JA1/DG, the main problem with their return w is that many of them have been killed off in the JA universe (as we can learn from the "JA2 Alumni Gallery"), others have retired, are in prison or have completely changed professions.

 

Following JA1/DG characters are dead:

- Capt. Bob Adams (died in plane crash)

- Col. Leon Roachburn (died in fire)

- Hurl E. Cutter (murdered by Fidel)

- Johnny "Snake" Edwards (K.I.A)

- Lesley "Smoke" Peterson (blew himself up)

- Marty "Kaboom" Moffat (blew himself up)

- Mary Beth Wilkens (murdered)

- Mike (killed in Arulco)

- Willy "Weasel" Augustin (murdered)

 

Following JA1/DG characters are IMO very unlikely to return:

- "Unusually Ruthless" Reuban (serving life in prison)

- Bruce "Skitz" Bonner ("Skitz remains confined in Saint Michaels Hospital for the criminally insane." - JA2 Alumni Gallery)

- Dr. Mitch Shudlem (returns to working in hospital; "He says returning to his obstetric roots is the best thing that ever happened to him, and he wonders why he even left in the first place." - JA2 Alumni gallery)

- Hector Alvarez (seriously injured and now disabled)

- Dr. Mark "Needle" Kranhium (serious eye problems)

- Herman "Turtle" Regents (was too fat and resign from being a mercenary because "the pace of combat was too much.")

- Howard "Carp" Melfield (works behind a desk at AIM; he's an older guy and unlikely to return to the "field")

- Jimmy Upton (sentenced to many years in prison)

- Murray "Moses" Ebstern (an old guy who has retired and whose possible return would be bizarre, to say the least)

- Murray "Pops" McGillicutty (Pops was "forcibly retired" by AIM (because he didn't want to leave himself) and now runs a funeral home for fallen mercenaries. However... given his reluctance to retire, I'm able to imagine that he could once again resume his mercenary career and, for example, join M.E.R.C (since AIM won't hire him anymore). He'd probably be around 90 by now, which could be pretty funny in a game.)

- Roger "Dyno" Wittman ("he realized he just wasn't cut out for the profession" - JA2 Alumni Gallery)

- Samuel Garver (another old guy who retired)

- Speck T. Kline (it would be nice to play with him again, beacause he was great and cheap mechanic, but I think his current position of "founder and director" of M.E.R.C completely satisfies him)

- Vincenzo "Vinny" Massimo (probably serving a long prison sentence)

- Walter "Wally" Yuntz (completely blind)

 

Thus, we are left with the following JA1/DG mercenaries who theoretically can return:

- Alan "Spam" Webster (fired from AIM over the incident that led to Snake's death. Personally, I'd like him to join M.E.R.C (which is known hiring AIM dropouts), especially since he was a pretty decent mercenary good stats and an interesting backstory)

- Carl "It" Goodman (After retiring from wrestling, he could make a comeback and be mercenary again, althouh I personally don't find him a particularly interesting character, another "muscleman" would be useful though, since Bull is apparently no longer in AIM)

- Dr. Ahmad "Doc" Koolhan (I also consider his return to be quite probable, and, as Hongweibing wrote, his presence in JA3 as an RPC could be convincingly explained by some humanitarian mission in Grand Chien as Doc works with Doctors Without Frontiers)

- Dr. Bernie Gloveless (kicked out of AIM, could possibly join MERC (he's in M.E.R.C in 1.13 mod). But in "Alumni Gallery" it is explained that he currently works as for an insurance company, so it's rather unlikely.)

- Dr. Eli Summers (he's a golfer now, but he may conclude that playing golf is not as exciting as being a mercenary? Who knows?)

- Dr. Margaret Trammel (Why Stella didn't make a comeback in JA3 is puzzling for me. The fact that Mouse is back in JA3 but Sella isn't leads me to the conclusion that we probably won't see Stella again, especially since both ladies were in a romantic relationship. Maybe Mouse and Stella are no longer together and that is why Mouse decided to the mercenary profession? If they actually broke up, maybe it's even better that there won't be Stella in JA3, because it would probably be a big drama like in case of Lynx and Buzz)

- Dr. Raffitto "Raffi" Leevon (maybe M.E.R.C 🙂?)

- Edward "Ears" Stockwell ("surveillance expert"; too weak for AIM , but it's possible he could find employment at M.E.R.C.) 

- Elroy B. Tolken (very interesting backstory considering his involvement in Watergate scandal; actually I would like to see him in M.E.R.C as a some kind of a spy)

- Gary Roachburn (another "maybe", comeback of Gary (and Sparky) would be interesting especially for the fact that The Roachburns do not get along with each another (apart from Larry and Sparky). I imagine that in possible interactions between them in the game could be quite funny)

- Glen "Boss" Hatchet (yes, I would love to see return of Boss 🙂, best mechanic in the game (together with Static and Speck), good marksman and real badass character. JA2 Alumni Gallery explains that he works in Vicky's car workshop, but if Vicky is still a merc, why Boss couldn't be back in buisness again?

- Hamous (funny guy who was in every previous Jagged Alliance game. It won't surprise me at all if we see him wandering around Grand Chien)

- Jack "Postie" Durham (I agree, Postie was great and funny 🙂 as a deranged postal worker; he seems too weak of AIM, but maybe Speck and Biff will hire him at M.E.R.C?)

- Lance Fisher (Biff's buddy and a National Guard soldier who took part in the US invasion of Grenada, where he gained "experience of a full scale military operation", who left AIM because of "personality clashes with Victoria Waters". Maybe Biff can convince him to resign from his position as an instructor of "tactical retreat" at Westpoint Military Academy and hire him at M.E.R.C? I see that as quite possible.)

- Lt. Bud Hellar (Also an interesting character with a military background. A real ass-kisser but he was a pretty decent marksman. According to JA2 Alumni Gallery, Bud allegedly works as a security consultant for the tobacco lobby. I would say that his comback is possible.)

- Megan "Sparky" Roachburn (Considering the price/quality ratio, Sparky was probably the best mechanic in JA1. Admittedly, she wasn't good for anything else, but for fixing things away from combat she was just fine. Although (according to the JA2 Alumni Gallery) Sparky currently works at a shopping mall, she could return to a mercenary profession, for example, with the encouragement of her brother Larry, who could get her a job at M.E.R.C. Given her previous stats, she would be a perfect fit for M.E.R.C.)

- Patrick "Screw" Phillips (another possible comeback, as Screw did not leave the mercenary profession, but only became a freelancer. Considering the fact that in JA3 the number of good mechanics has sort of dwindled (no Static or Trevor) Screw together with Livewire (and possibly Boss) would be an interesting option to fill the gap.)

- Reverend Clyde Potter ("Reverend Clyde Potter took a position with the Innercity Church of Christ in Baltimore. He currently denies ever having been associated with A.I.M.. He returns his pension checks and refuses to take our calls." - Jagged Alliance 2 Alumni Gallery. So... I would say he's return is possible, but rather unlikely.)

- Russell Hunter (I liked Rusty and I think he could make a comeback, especially since we have a little shortage of explosives experts in JA3 (only Barry, Fidel, Red plus maybe Nails))

- Timothy "Leech" Jenkins (One of the more likely comebacks and a mercenary I would definitely like to see again in JA3. An excellent sharpshooter (98 marksmanship!), however, with poor physical artibutes (which is actually understandable, after all, he is a "civilian" who is great at shooting a target at a shooting range at competitions, not a commando-sniper as Scope or Lynx). Although Leech was fired from AIM due to his insubordination, he later sued AIM, but his bio in the JA2 Alumni Gallery indicates that he had no intention of leaving the buisness at all and "to this day, he continues to flood this office with employment applications." So maybe if they don't want him at AIM, maybe he should seek employment at M.E.R.C?

- Wink E. Dickerson (rather unlikely comeback IMO, but his "powerful throws" could be an interesting perk in JA3)

[Povok]

23 hours ago, FGSchichau said:

Col. Leo Kelly and Maj. Spike Scallion MUST RETURN.

I wouldn't say must, but iis sure would be nice. Especially Spike obviously. 

Both would also fit nicely tto the game to fill that gap of missing mercs with high leadership. Spike amongst veterans/elite, Kelly obviously amongst legendary mercenaries.

 

 

[Lunokhod]

On 4/21/2023 at 5:51 PM, Luthghasgo said:

Got a feeling Static, Buzz and Lynx will make a comeback at some point

 

On 5/18/2023 at 9:28 AM, MEXAHUK said:

I hope Lynx will be sort of Mike in JA2.

Same feelings about Lynx. I dont believe they decided he is just another boring not important white guy.

[FGSchichau]

1 hour ago, Lunokhod said:

 

Same feelings about Lynx. I dont believe they decided he is just another boring not important white guy.

I have a similar hunch about Lynx. His absence from JA3 roster is puzzling, to say the least, considering that he has been with us since JA1 and was one of the most popular mercenaries. Or... as someone has already suggested, maybe Buzz killed him.

[Stuurminator]

Lynx traveled to Africa to finish off an endangered species. Buzz followed him there to kill him. You encounter them in a wilderness sector where they're sniping at each other from opposite sides of the map. You can trust me, my uncle works for Haemimont. 🤫

[ShadowMagic]

Would say Snake, stating:

He was not K.I.A. but 'adopted' by Kyle Simmons to be trained extensively as a professional Ranger, boosting his skills remarkably. Also got tought how to best use camouflage technics to stay unnoticed making him a deadly night hunter.

 

But that area has already been covered enough by existing MERCS. So perhaps Jimmy Upton would be a nice addition as his story could be he broke out of prison (again) and seeks refugee in this country. Who knows, even working for the bad guys this time. Maybe running a gang with Patrick Phillips as they kind of match.

 

3rd option would be Lt. Bud. Hellar. Someone with high leadership and simply one of the more classic characters from JA1.

[Claypl]

My brother Lynx and his ex Buzz are a miss for sure. Malice would be good addition to psycho roster as well.

[Uncle Nick]

Mike is alive, he came back as Mike Jones and now works in wilderness survival traning and entertainer in the Garand Thumb series.

[Povok]

I miss Dimitri. Poor Dimitri.

Unlikely to see him return though. He was useful in a support squad (decent marksmanship even) as a repair guy and a mule to carry stuff around.