JD Fenix

According to then-studio head of the Coalition Rod Fergusson, the ideas of setting the fourth main series game in the future and for Marcus to have a son named JD were originally conceived at Epic Games prior to the Microsoft's acquisition of the intellectual property.[1] Fergusson made the decision to set Gears of War 4 25 years after Gears of War 3,[2] paired with a "fresh visual aesthetic" to match its new story which feature a vibrant and youthful cast. In a 2019 interview with VentureBeat, Fergusson further elaborated that this helped give the developers "a lot of head room" in terms of where the younger cast of characters as they could be changed and transformed over time, and referred to JD's character arc in Gears 5 as an example.[3] In writing for new characters, Franchise Narrative Director Bonnie Jean Mah stated that these new characters, with or without their connections and trappings to the Gears of War universe, need to be interesting and believable in their own way as part of their guiding principle.[2]

Within the game universe, JD is the son of Marcus Fenix and Anya Stroud.[4] He is named after Marcus' deceased best friend, Dominic Santiago.[5] He is described as "an idealist who wants to live his life with purpose", and the character's backstory involve him running away from home as a youth and enlisting with the armed forces of the Coalition of Ordered Governments, leading to a rift between him and his father who disapproves of his actions.[6] JD eventually attains the rank of lieutenant before going AWOL with his best friend Delmont "Del" Walker due to a classified incident involving the deaths of innocent civilians by COG security forces, and seeks refuge within an Outsider village led by Reyna Diaz, who oppose the autocratic rule of the COG government.[6] JD's distinguishing features include blond hair, blue-grey eyes, a slight unshaven stubble, as well as a previously broken nose which The Coalition intended to "give him more character".[7] Unlike his father, JD is written as a goofier and more lighthearted character,[6] who regularly makes quippy remarks instead of growling in a dour manner.[8]

For the character models of JD and his friends, the team attempted to redesign the human characters of the Gears of War franchise with more realistic body proportions.[9] The team experimented with taking personal effects off a character model's waists or legs to reduce their overall mass. They concluded that it "looked odd" as there is already an established set of subjective expectations for the franchise's characters, particularly with the way they would move around in the in-game environment or take cover.[9] According to creative director Chuck Osieja, the team resolved to find a middle ground between the "giant moon boots and big blocky characters" of the original games, and realistic and believable sensibilities while retaining the "power and strength" that Gears characters.[9]

The Coalition intended for JD's character design to be recognizable when portrayed by a cosplayer at a fan convention.[7] Visually, JD's look undergoes a number of changes between Gears of War 4 and Gears 5. In the former, JD is a former COG soldier trapped between two divergent worlds and is trying to adapt to the Outsiders' lifestyle.[7] To reflect and convey the concept of duality in JD's visual design, his style of dress integrates COG tech with the Outsiders' signature reclaimed clothing to help visually differentiate him.[7] JD is not shown to be wearing any armor when his first appears as a member of the Outsiders; instead, he combines a reclaimed leather jacket with typical COG-styled accessories like a holster, backpack and military boots.[7] To reflect the introduction of hazardous weather elements into the gameplay of Gears of War 4, concept artists explored putting a hood and googles on JD's face to show protection from strong winds, but settled on a subtler approach via a faded army green scarf as an accessory instead of obscuring his face.[7] JD's final look, following his reunion with Marcus, has him wearing khaki work pants and a rolled-sleeve sweatshirt under his protective chest plate.[8]

JD's look and personality in Gears 5 undergoes a dramatic change following an incident at the conclusion of the game's first act, which is intended to reflect his intense combat experiences since Gears of War 4.[10] Besides a shaved head and grown out beard, he also has a severe scar on his face, and wears a medical device for pain management of his still-healing arm which glows blue when activated.[10] Like the game's other main characters, JD undergoes costume changes to match the environments they visit.

Portrayal

It's kind of terrifying, because I get to be the lead in a new era of Gears, which is unbelievable, amazing, and exciting. I'm the legacy, because my dad is Marcus Fenix. JD's a soldier and a bit of a freedom fighter, and in his heart he's a bit of a renegade. He's different from Marcus, but he's still that heroic archetype."

Liam McIntyre[11]

Liam McIntyre voiced JD Fenix for all video game appearances

JD's voice actor, Liam McIntyre, described his character as "very different to his father in the sense that he gets to be the new young kid on the block. He's sort of the millennial of the story."[12][13] McIntyre noted that JD brings a fresh perspective into the series, noting that "he sees his tough grump of father but he's the young hopeful one", and describe JD's attempts to reconcile with his father as yielding potential for a "wonderful kind of conflict".[13] As JD is born after the war with the Locust Horde and had not gone through any of the hardship his father had experienced, he thinks that he is making the world a better place and that he does not want to emulate his father.[12] McIntyre said the events of Gears of War 4 is a formative experience for the character as he starts to encounter some of the terrible things his father once saw, and his personality would evolve from these experiences.[12]

McIntyre acknowledged that he is a lifelong fan of video games, and that he was excited to secure the role of JD Fenix, his first video game character role.[14] He admitted to have experienced pressure about playing the son of an iconic video game character as he wanted to live up to the expectations of "hardcore fans of the franchise".[12] On the differences between portraying a video game character as opposed to working in television or film, McIntyre explained in an interview that he is more likely to be working in an actual set which replicates the setting, which is something he had taken for granted; whereas for a video game character role, he would be reliant on extensive instructions to visualize a given scene respond to the circumstances the player character find themselves in, and that he spends a lot of energy vocalizing to his best ability.[13] McIntyre opined that other actors in the industry have begun to form the view that "uniquely amazing stories" could be told through the video game medium due to its interactive nature, and that while he portrays JD Fenix, the player also has agency in the character's actions and is not a passive observer.[12][13]

JD Fenix is first introduced in a promotional cinematic trailer for Gears of War 4 running and defending himself from hostile enemies, which is interspersed with flashbacks of his childhood with his parents.[15] A detailed statue of JD Fenix riding a COG Bike by TriForce is included with copies of the Collector's Edition of Gears of War 4.[16]

The character's physical appearance and personality has received a varied commentary from various sources. Robert Zak from PCGamesN summarized JD as the "surprisingly (and generically) handsome son of surly, gorilla-like series icon, Marcus Fenix".[17] Steven Hansen from Destructoid described his "Instagram model" features as "focus tested to all hell" and is basically the "modern handsome man ideal". Hansen said JD is essentially the "Brad Pitt in Fight Club alt machismo to Marcus' Dolph Lundgren".[18] Jason Hidalgo from The Reno Gazette Journal thought JD looks like the "perfect amalgamation" of his parents, with some of his father's stubbornness as well as his mother's softer features.[19]

In a review of Gears of War 4 for Killscreen, Reid McCarther singled out JD's habit of making "lighthearted, Whedon-esque quips" to his friends as one of two moments which stuck out from the game.[8] To McCarther, JD is "a hero in the Harrison Ford mold", a "winking rapscallion who is tough enough to weather inhuman conditions", yet wears distinctly normal person clothes and is sufficiently down to earth to complain about his physical discomfort. In terms of personality, McCarthier found JD and his like-minded friends to be "too earnest, jovial, and just plain soft to hang with the snarling monsters and viscera-soaked battlefields" in the latter half of the game, and suggested that the Coalition's attempt to humanize JD by "replacing a caricature of manliness with a subtler and less immediately ridiculous one" to be ineffective, suggesting that this is undermined by Kait being the only same-aged woman in his proximity as well as the sexual tension between the characters. McCarther formed the view that JD would be less confused and more effective as a character if he is fully accepted by the developers as the kind of man who is born into the series' setting, which is a violent, militant world.[8]

Other reviewers share similar sentiments as McCarther. Sam Mackovech from Ars Technica said JD Fenix "reek of Generic Tinder Guy" in terms of his happy-go-lucky "vacant personality".[20] Zak argued that he could not take the game's new generation of characters seriously whenever Marcus Fenix is absent, and specifically singled out an "anodyne running joke" between JD and Del as more appropriate for a subreddit chat than a battlefield, though he conceded that the "oftentimes bland filler banter" is drowned out by a solid overarching story.[17] Maddy Myers observed that Gears of War 4 tried for a "Marcus 2.0" with JD, but argued that his "total lack of charm" demonstrated that being a series lead takes more than "huge trapezius muscles" or being the "blue-eyed son of a famous war hero".[21]

Conversely, Arthus Gies from Polygon praised JD as a less morose lead compared to Marcus, as well as the comparative simplicity of the storyline which follows the search and rescue efforts by his group for their family and friends as effective.[22] Gies also appreciated the nuanced depiction of the strained relationship between him and his father, which offers a lot of perspective on both sides and "not a two-way street" as often seen in previous Gears games.[22] Elijah Beahm from The Escapist considered Gears of War 4 to be a storytelling improvement over its predecessors, and that its protagonist is essentially "Nathan Drake in power armor", a pleasant character who wise-cracks without despair and is willing to take risks to protect those he cared about.[23] JD's role in the narrative of Gears 5 has been better received: for example, Mackovech approved of his transition into a "grizzled and distant personality" as he felt that it neatly fits into the game's Kait-centric plot.[20] Beahm said the sense of familiarity presented by Gears of War 4 is "a masterstroke of subversion" upon hindsight, with the revelation that JD has a deeply problematic personality hidden behind a blustering and joking persona, which comes undone in its sequel as his friends learn the truth behind his decision to defect from the COG.[23]

The narrative decision to let players decide JD's fate near the end of Gears 5 has generated critical discussion due to his status as a major series character, and the resulting storyline implications this causes for future sequels.[24] Ford James from Gamesradar said the decision is not an easy one as both JD and Del are likeable characters.[25] Connor Makar from Eurogamer expressed a preference for JD's survival at the end of Gears 5, as it progresses the character development of both Marcus and himself, whereas Del's narrative importance is extraneous as his arc is nearly wrapped up by the game's ending. Makar said while he prefers a version of JD "that doesn't stupidly leap into dangerous situations to try and show up his dad", it's clear that the Coalition wanted to take the series in a different direction. Makar argued that it makes more sense if JD survives as it resolves the acrimonious nature of the relationship between both characters which began in Gears of War 4, and move it past bravado.[26] On the other hand, both David Thier and Paul Tassi from Forbes argued that Del is the more logical choice as the survivor, and directed criticism towards what they perceive to be an uneven character arc for JD, as well as the abrupt and contrived nature of the choice which they argued had undermined the series' narrative direction.[27][28]

• Gears of War 4 Cosplay Guide: JD Fenix