Summary

• The Master is a horrifying Fallout villain who could make a great enemy for Fallout 5.
• The Master's charisma and mind control led to a massive following, even after his demise.
• The Master's legacy continues in the Fallout universe, with NPCs mentioning him in later games, and there's room for him to return in another form.

One of the most horrifying super mutants, but new enemy types could bring some fresh terrors for players new and old.

Throughout the years, there have been many iconic enemies in the Fallout realm, each with their own merits and levels of evil. Some of them have questionable morals, while some are just downright terrifying to encounter. There are even enemies that can become allies as non-human Fallout companions, which makes the wasteland a dynamic experience for everyone. Ghouls and Deathclaws are two of the most iconic enemies, but there are a few more sinister and horrifying creatures that could set the tone perfectly for an game. One in particular could add an eerie plot that would draw players in with mysterious quests.

The Master From The Original Fallout Is Still One Of The Series' Best Characters

Who The Master Is & Where He Came From

The Master is a legendary character from the original Fallout game. He began, like many do in the series, as a regular human, named Richard Moreau, who sought shelter in a vault when the bombs fell. He became the main antagonist in Fallout because he felt as though humans should become extinct and be replaced with super mutants. As the leader of the super mutant group "the Unity," he led thousands of super mutants towards the goal of transforming all humans. If it weren't for The Master, super mutants would not exist in the Fallout universe.

As one of the few of Vault 8, he was exiled for murder and had to set out into the wasteland on his own, changing his last name to Grey along the way. His past before this exile still remains a mystery, but as he traveled the wastes, he became a well-known and renowned doctor, garnering attention from other travelers that stuck with him. During a mission, Grey fell into a vat of the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) and thus began his journey into super mutant supremacy. He became extremely powerful and even more intelligent, making him believe that everyone in the world should be this way too.

Players can choose to meet The Master in person, and ultimately his cause, or they can choose to destroy him and the Unity.

The Master slowly grew more and more horrifying, with his final form being a mutated head on a computer that allows him to talk. As he mutated and transformed, he noticed that whatever he consumed became part of his consciousness, and slowly started adding different creatures to himself, dipped in FEV as often as possible. He not only assimilated into other beings and creatures, but he was able to connect himself to computer systems and was able to learn and grow his experiments. After an important discovery about radiation levels, he created his first intelligent super mutant, which he quickly assimilated.

While the Master was on his search for more people to assimilate, he came across a group of cultists and convinced the leader to follow him. These cultists acted as the human aspect of "Unity" and eventually started preaching about The Master and his ways to others. He started using mind control to gain followers, digging into the deep depths of people's minds and using their fears in his favor. With his hundreds of followers, he began his quest to eliminate humankind in favor of the bigger and better super mutant evolution.

The Master's Mind Control & Natural Charisma Make Him Irresistible

Despite His Horrifying Appearance, Hundreds Of People Followed Him

Even though The Master was eliminated in the first game, his influence and experiments led to a massive number of followers, not to mention the potential to bring back the program that he ed himself to. His charisma is a big part of what makes him such a terrifying and fascinating option as an enemy in a new Fallout game. This, mixed with his ability to access computers everywhere, can mean that his influence could grow stronger and make the next Fallout protagonist a target from the beginning.

The Master only appears in person in Fallout, but is mentioned throughout the series by multiple different characters.

Having a group of super mutants on the hunt for any human character could lead to intense random encounters across Fallout's wasteland, and could potentially lean on a Wanted mechanic, as seen in Fallout 76. There have been many different cults along the way, but one with access to computers could have players struggling to hide from him. His creepy appearance and different voices might be gone, but there are still people who his influence.

The Future Of The Master & Fallout

His Influence Could Still Prevail Over The Wasteland

The Master is still widely discussed in other Fallout games, which means that it isn't unlikely for people to still believe in his agenda. His legend continues as many NPCs mention him over the course of the next few games. Some, like Harold in Fallout 3, talk about him fondly, though he does not say his name. There is a chance that this could be an enemy seen in future Fallout games, even though it would be a different version from his original self. The enemy wouldn't necessarily need to be The Master himself, but a group of people who still worship him after all of these years.

The super mutants are already running out of FEV and are on the hunt for more, so this could also be a point of interest for the player. The main quest could be a vault dweller caught in the middle of a race to find FEV first, encountering The Master's creations along the way. There are a lot of different enemies that could be met, especially depending on what vaults the player is forced to search.

Regardless, The Master's mark on the Fallout universe is felt all across the wasteland. His experiments and beliefs brought new races and creatures that players still encounter today. Without his influence, many of the horrifying enemies that everyone knows and loves, like super mutants and floaters, would not exist and most of the iconic Fallout creatures would not be the same without him.