Who was the enemy in Fallout 1?
The main antagonist and key enemy in the original Fallout game was The Master. Originally known as Richard Moreau, The Master engineered a plan to mutate humankind that made him public enemy number one.
As a passionate gamer who has analyzed the Fallout series extensively, I want to provide fellow fans with riveting details on the iconic villain‘s backstory, his horrifying threat to humanity, and his ultimate defeat at the hands of the hero Vault Dweller during Fallout 1‘s climax.
The Master‘s Origin Story
Long before the nuclear war that devastated Earth, Richard Moreau was born in the town of Los Angeles in 2102. Even from a young age, those who knew him described him as gifted but disturbed. He possessed extreme intelligence but struggled to relate to others emotionally.
Moreau studied science and worked briefly for an American weapons manufacturer after college. During this time, he became consumed with evolutionary theory and what he viewed as humankind‘s genetic destiny. More human than human was his mantra according to colleagues.
When war broke out in 2077, Moreau happened to be visiting a military base when nuclear bombs dropped. Trapped underground, he eventually emerged to find a hellish radioactive wasteland waiting.
Early concept art of The Master from original Fallout game
In the rubble of the base, Moreau discovered research on a classified program – Forced Evolutionary Virus. The virus was meant to accelerate evolution by mutating exposed subjects. Moreau injected himself with the FEV out of fascination with advancing evolution.
The initial FEV batch imperfect – instead of evolving, Moreau physically mutated into an amorphous mass of flesh. He lost his human form entirely. However, perhaps due to his genius intellect, his conscious mind remained intact even as a mutant.
This newfound mutation allowed The Master (as he now called himself) to absorb and assimilate humans exposed to FEV over time. Each new mutation only increased his disgust for pure strain humans who had not "evolved".
By 2102, radio signals from survivors drew The Master back to the ruins of Los Angeles. And thus his dreams of mutating all living humans began…
The Master‘s Threat to Humankind
Establishing a base in an old cathedral, The Master created vats to manufacture a refined strain of FEV and cultivated a growing army of super mutants. Unwilling humans were rounded up and brought to the Cathedral to be forcibly exposed to virus doses in liquid form.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2102 | The Master begins Unity movement in LA, converting mutants |
| 2130 | Super mutant army raids human settlements for more subjects |
| 2134 | Failed mutant attack on Brotherhood, super mutant numbers devastated |
| 2155 | Unity rebuilds strength, The Master has over 1,200 super mutants under his command |
Key events in The Master‘s quest to mutate mankind
The process would strip them of free will and twist their bodies into bulking, green-skinned killing machines. Only 3 in 6 exposures resulted in super mutants – the rest resulted in unfortunate deaths or ghoulification.
Menacing concept art of The Master‘s mutant army
These virtually unkillable super mutants served as the Master‘s foot soldiers, tasked with capturing more unwilling humans to bring back to the Cathedral‘s conversion chambers. Some fled east but many tribes fell under horrific mutant raids.
By 2161, over 20 major regions had been pressed into The Master‘s Unity movement – joining or face eradication. Irradiated but intact Los Angeles now answer directly to The Master‘s psychic commands.
The ambitious plan was to establish an all-powerful "master race" – with The Master as its eternal god-like leader. In his mind, forced mutation ascending man to the next stage was an acceptable cost. To resistors, it was genocide against humankind.
The Final Showdown
In Fallout 1, no one had managed to stop The Master‘s terrifying plans until the player enters the story as the Vault Dweller. The Dweller traverses the apocalyptic wastelands on a desperate mission to save their home settlement.
This quest eventually leads the Dweller straight into the dark heart The Master‘s domain – the Los Angeles Cathedral. Approaching the bloodstained church, the area is crawling with patrolling mutants eager to rip any human apart. Getting inside required stealth, mowing down mutants, or even aligning with their factions.
The foreboading facade masking The Master‘s inner sanctum
After navigating the mutant-infested interior, the player finally comes face to blobby face with the Master himself. His bloated body now stretches across an entire room – outfitted with computers and display screens tracking his forces across California.
The Master‘s endgame battle
This climactic boss fight is no walk in the park. The Master utilizes potent psychic attacks and can spawn additional mutants if the fight drags on. But with smart tactics, the hero eventually prevails.
Their deciding blow – destroying the FEV vats nourishing The Master‘s operations. Without the virus supply, his ambitions crumble. The Master lets out an anguished wail, declares his plans finished and detonates the Cathedral‘s reactor – committing suicide.
Humankind persevered but this iconic villain left his ruthless, inhuman mark on Fallout‘s history. And for me as a passionate gamer, defeating him stands as one my most epic gaming memories. Almost makes you wish games allowed players to side with the villains!
So for those curious who the big bad was in the very first entry – now you know it was the deadly, mutated Master. Did this deeper dive into Fallout bring back memories for you as well? Let me know in the comments if you also took down this villain back in the day!
