How Many Big Daddies Are in BioShock?

There are six "named" Big Daddies that have been introduced in the BioShock game series so far. However, players encounter many unnamed generic Big Daddies throughout the iconic first-person shooters as well. These genetically and mechanically augmented humans clad in antiqued diving suits are both enemies and allies with a storied history in the underwater city of Rapture.

The Rise of Rapture‘s Guardians

Big Daddies originate from Andrew Ryan’s vision of Rapture as a utopia for scientists free from ethical constraints. By enhancing humans with the plasmids and genes that gifted residents superhuman-like powers, Ryan would create the ultimate protectors to maintain order in his objectivist society.

According to BioShock’s creative director Ken Levine in The Cult of Rapture:

“The Big Daddies were created by Ryan to do jobs that the other citizens of Rapture would rather not dirty their hands with. As the demand for ADAM increased, Little Sisters were created to satisfy said demand.”

While the lumbering figures in diving suits began as dock workers, the instability caused by mass plasmid adoption required their evolution. Dr. Yi Suchong proposed psychological conditioning – pairing Little Sisters to each Big Daddy so they would defend their charges at all costs through imprinting.

This turned out to be a huge breakthrough for Ryan. Not only would Big Daddies easily protect the invaluable ADAM production, they would operate on sheer instinct without need for payment, housing or amenities.

Iconic Models

There are a variety of Big Daddy models that take the role of guardians:

Rosie

• Named after their rivet gun weapon
• Can deploy proximity mines for area control
• Red lights and commonly found guarding Little Sister vents

Bouncer

• The muscle of Rapture, able to charge targets
• Power drills capable of devastating melee damage
• Green lights to distinguish them

Rumbler

• Utilizes ranged attacks with Miniature Turrets and RPGs
• First introduced in BioShock 2
• Named for the rumbling from missiles they launch

There were over 12 attempts to refine the Big Daddy concept within Fontaine Futuristics, with genetic manipulation proving to be the most effective pathway for Ryan to have totally loyal – and deadly – protectors.

Bonded to Little Sisters

The bond between Big Daddies and Little Sisters is two-fold. Dr. Suchong engineered a psychological imprinting akin to goslings recognizing the first suitable moving organism as their mother. This, combined with genetic pheromone secretion tied to plasmid introduction, created an unbreakable kinship.

Little Sisters even affectionately dubbed their armored guardians names like “Mr. Bubbles” or “Mr. B” when out harvesting ADAM. This is why attacking a little sister provokes aggressive defense from her Big Daddy. To them, the girls are essentially their children to lay down life for.

Analysis of Big Daddy Variants and Combat

On the battlefield, there are considerable differences in the capabilities of each Big Daddy design:

Some key things stand out:

• Rumblers are by far the toughest variant
• Bouncer‘s deadly charge makes them a force up close
• Rosies are weakest to electric based plasmids/ammo
• Rumblers lack weak spots, so armor piercing is a must

When squaring off against a Big Daddy, preparation is key. Study their attack patterns, equip the right plasmids and ammo based on their weaknesses, and manipulate the environment to your advantage – whether that means laying traps or using obstruction to break line of sight.

Notable Big Daddies and Their Stories

While unnamed Big Daddies routine patrol Rapture‘s corridors, some unique ones substantially impacted the city and BioShock‘s overarching narrative:

Subject Delta

The first successful Big Daddy candidate bonded to a Little Sister, Delta is the protagonist of BioShock 2. You play as him after your awakening 10 years after the events of the first game. As part of the Alpha series designed by Dr. Gil Alexander, Delta retained higher cognition compared to other more bestial Big Daddies. This was key to Delta’s desperate struggle to reunite with his original Little Sister, Eleanor Lamb.

Mark Meltzer

Introduced in BioShock 2’s Minerva’s Den DLC, Meltzer was obsessed with uncovering the secrets of the rumored disappeared city “Rapture.” His investigation eventually led to the abduction of his own daughter after stumbling upon one of the undersea city’s Atlantic Express train cars. He tracked it to Rapture itself, only to be captured by Sofia Lamb and converted into the very first Rumbler Big Daddy.

It was a tragic end fueled by his all-consuming thirst for the truth behind implausible rumors. As the first Rumbler, his model became the template for future ranged Big Daddies suited to Rapture’s ongoing unrest.

Big Daddies vs The Songbird

The Songbird of BioShock Infinite’s aerial city Columbia fills a similar role to the iconic Big Daddies of Rapture. Both behemoths encased in diving suit-esque armor relentlessly protect their charges – Little Sisters for Big Daddies and Elizabeth for Songbird. This has led many fans to compare the two despite existing in separate BioShock universes. However, a key difference is that multiple Big Daddies are mass produced protectors based on a partnership template, while the Songbird is a singular obsession-fueled creation focused solely on Elizabeth.

Songbird’s design also stems more from machinery and animal experimentation by the scientist Dr. Fink, rather than the gene splicing and psychological conditioning that birthed Big Daddies. Some fans have noted that Songbird seems to display genuine affection for Elizabeth despite programming, whereas Big Daddies are trained to treat Little Sisters as family.

Songbird has much more autonomy than #Bioshock's big daddies and you could argue that he exhibits true feelings for Elizabeth, whilst the big daddies are just programmed to protect their charges

— Samuel Horti (@SamuelHorti) May 2, 2020

Ultimately the Big Daddies and Songbird fulfill similar narrative roles despite differing specifics. As gamers, that’s part of why they resonate so much as fearsome guardians – whether on land or under the sea.

The Lasting Legacy of BioShock‘s Signature Figures

Over a decade since their first appearance in 2007’s BioShock, the image of a hulking deep sea diving suit figure lumbering through decrepit art deco corridors remains etched in gaming’s consciousness. As Ken Levine put it, Rapture wouldn’t be Rapture without the Big Daddies central to its chaotic downfall.

But beyond their importance as allies and iconic enemies is something more poignant. In their minds, Big Daddies believe fully that they are family to Little Sisters – thanks to the pairing process forced upon them by Andrew Ryan’s twisted ideology. It speaks to how Rapture‘s unfettered experimentation stripped people of agency and identity in the name of unrestrained progress.

One of the things I love about #Bioshock is the tragedy surrounding the Big Daddies. Though they have had their humanity stripped away from them, their devotion to the Little Sisters is oddly touching in a warped kind of way.

— Reece Heather (@ReeceHeather) October 14, 2021

That fatherly devotion that market researcher turned Rumbler Mark Meltzer displays towards a Little Sister that isn’t even his own daughter is simultaneously disturbing and oddly poignant. It reveals the gap between what Big Daddies believe, and the manipulation that created that belief solely for utility and compliance.

This emotional dissonance – why do we care about these warped protectors? – is a microcosm of the discomfort Rapture elicits. And it’s part of why after all these years, Big Daddies and BioShock still pull us like a sinking bathysphere into gaming’s most haunting setting.