This page consists of an overview of all characters in Until Dawn.
Protagonists
There are eight playable protagonists. They are a group of American friends who attended the same high school and annually visit the Washington Estate located on Blackwood Mountain in Alberta, Canada, for a getaway consisting of partying and general good times. The player will control all of them and follow them on their journey through the night. Created to be "strong, identifiable, but flawed,"[1] these distinctive personalities will show there is more to them than meets the eye over the course of their horrifying ordeal.
By clicking on their names, you will visit their pages and learn more about each character.
A curious academic with a big imagination who loves books and gets scared easily.
A methodical and loyal nerd with a tendency to clown around and pull pranks.
A brash and adamant fashion lover who uses her smarts to get her way.
A flirty, airheaded party girl with a larger-than-life personality.
A mysterious, complex film enthusiast who has been struggling to cope with the disappearance of his sisters.
A motivated, gentle - yet protective - young athlete.
A popular, driven young man who is a fan of women, attention, and taking matters into his own hands.
A nature-loving pacifist who cares for her friends, often acting as the group's mediator.
Supporting Characters
There are also multiple supporting characters who appear in the game.
Beth's older twin and Josh’s younger sister. She comes across as a bit naive and has a long-time crush on Mike.
Hannah’s younger twin and Josh’s little sister. She is attentive and protective of her family. She is the only playable supporting character.
A psychiatrist who appears throughout the game. He provides commentary and advice for the player.
A mysterious hermit named Jack Fiddler (known in-game as The Stranger or Flamethrower Guy) who lives on Blackwood Mountain and follows the group from afar.
A wolf that accompanies the the Stranger and meets Mike on his path in the Sanatorium.
Characters that are only mentioned or appear briefly.
Antagonists
| "Boom: Butterfly Effect." - Plot and ending details follow. |
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There are two main antagonists that hunt the protagonists throughout the game.
A skull-masked 'psychopath' who stalks and torments members of the group through various Saw-like tests. He is later revealed to be a familiar face.
Former humans turned into monsters through the act of cannibalism, after being possessed by an evil spirit. Inhabiting Blackwood Mountain, they are the real antagonists of the game and, depending on the actions of the player, the protagonists can all meet their demise at the hands of one Wendigo, also later revealed to be a familiar face.
Trivia
- The names of the protagonists appear to have been selected from the list of the top 4 most popular baby names for both boys and girls in the USA in the year 1994.[2] While none of the characters were canonically born in 1994 except possibly Josh, Until Dawn was originally in development for PlayStation 3, and thus was supposed to be released earlier.
- Apart from Joshua Washington and Michael Munroe, the last names of the other protagonists were unknown until they were revealed on a scoreboard in the VR spin-off Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. It displays on the scoreboard which characters had the highest score and thus the best aim. In order: Joshua Washington, Christopher Hartley, Emily Davis, Michael Munroe, Matthew Taylor, Samantha Giddings, Jessica Riley, Ashley Brown.[3]
- Despite the game taking place in Canada, the group lives in the USA, namely in California. Details indicating this are as follows:
- Emily and Matt talk about their shopping trip on Rodeo Drive.
- In the Sanatorium chapel, there is a note on the Stranger's map which says "American girls died," referring to Hannah and Beth.
- Josh's medical file was sent to an address in Burbank.
- Mike's dream job – per the Companion App – is to be president.
- In the remake, Matt and Josh's vehicles have California license plates.
- In the remake's Epilogue The Scar's Awakening, Sam is shown living in Los Angeles, California.
- In cut dialogue, Emily says that Jessica never used to be the "biggest bitch on the Western Seaboard."
- In an unused subtitle, Matt references the Hornets, a college football team from California.
- The characters' grade levels were changed during production, according to Will Byles, the director of the game. Initially all the protagonists were in high school, but this shifted later in order to age them up.[4]
- Byles initially said they were from all over the United States and met in college, but then corrected himself, citing that there is information within the game confirming the group knew each other since high school, and this is because they were all high schoolers earlier in development.
- Matt's Companion App Bio states that he is trying to get into his preferred college via a football scholarship, indicating he is still in high school.
- According to the Companion App, Josh was in college during the Prologue. His bio states that he dropped out due to the disappearance of the twins.
- This also indicates that Chris is in his second year of college as of Chapter 1, since he says he and Josh met in the same third grade class.
- The prom photo indicates that Mike, Sam, and Emily are also in Chris and Josh's class, as they were seniors in spring of 2013. This places them as college sophomores by Chapter 1.
- Chris and Emily refer to Mike as "class president," which might be them referencing his position in high school, although this can also be a college position.
- Hannah was also in the prom photo. However, the threatening letter and newspaper fragment both confirm that she was born in 1997, and was sixteen during the Prologue, therefore she was likely still in high school at the time she went missing.