The Most Interesting Characters in BioShock
These are the most interesting characters in BioShock. Keep in mind that we’ll only be discussing characters from the first game.
Many characters intrigue the player in BioShock. They’re written in a way that makes the player loathe or admire them. In any of those cases, however, these characters are very unique. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Obviously, this article contains major spoilers for the first BioShock game. If you haven’t played it yet, click away now.
Dr. J.S. Steinman
This is a case of obsession. Dr Steinman was obsessed with human anatomy, and with the use of ADAM, he aspired to make art of human beings. Because of this obsession, he clearly went insane, and he stated that He is Picasso, and his brush is the scalpel. But he almost never made any art that’s pleasing to the eye. He often found inconsistencies in the bodies of people he promised to make beautiful, and this caused him to act erratic. When you encounter him, he will be maniacally slashing a body of a woman. Steinman also believed that the goddess Aphrodite was with him and that she was watching him. That’s obviously a hallucination; a common symptom of schizophrenia. Plus he appears quite delusional.
Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty. It’s clear why Steinman thought this particular goddess was with him: because he’s the Picasso that would make beautiful art with humans. He’s completely unhinged, and all throughout the level of Medical Pavillion, you see pictures of his failed experiments.
Brigid Tenenbaum
This genius of a genetic scientist was held at Auschwitz before she came and settled down in Rapture. She was extraordinarily talented in science since she was little, earning her the name “The Wonderchild”. Tenenbaum is the mastermind behind the creation of the Little Sisters whose bodies contain ADAM. Tenenbaum eventually began to care for the Little Sisters so greatly as if they were her own children. According to Frank Fontaine, there’s something much more to Tenenbaum than she lets on. Fontaine believes that it’s rather odd and even bizarre how she survived WW2 and Rapture without getting hurt.
Sander Cohen
Another artist that’s insane beyond redemption, Sander Cohen’s art might be strangely beautiful to some, but they’re certainly intensely sinister and bizarre to all. This is another case of obsession leading to unfathomable levels of psychosis, I reckon, as he was one of the most gifted and intelligent men in Rapture. Cohen’s art consists of corpses ‘decorated’ in various ways and plaster figures of brutalised people.
Frank Fontaine
The villain of Jack’s story and the one responsible for much of the chaos that ensued in Rapture, Frank Fontaine is a manipulative genius who’s also a criminal mastermind who owns Fontaine Futuristics. He destroyed Ryan’s kingdom and masterpiece that was Rapture from within, and he effectively manipulated Jack and the player in a disturbing way all throughout the game as the enigmatic Atlas. He’s arguably more dangerous than Ryan. After all, some say that whatever Ryan can do, Fontaine can do double.
Andrew Ryan
Arguably the greatest character of the game and media in general, Andrew Ryan is the mastermind behind Rapture and the Ryanist philosophy that led the utopian underwater city to greatness for a long while. His beliefs are truly rational and it’s scary how relevant he manages to be. While he is still an incredibly dangerous man, his true brilliance lies not within his masterful creation that is Rapture or his impressive wealth and influence, but within his great odd mind. He’s a philosopher, through and through, and one that’s truly influential.
