“ | I just wish we all could've made it... | ” |
Anthony Clarke is a playable character and the true central protagonist of The Dark Pictures Anthology's second installment, Little Hope. He is the adopted younger son in the Clarke family, as well as the only survivor after a fire in their house in 1972. He was voiced and motion captured by Will Poulter, who also provided the likeness for his younger self, while his older self was modelled on Simon Bond. His motion capture performance was assisted by Jack Archer.
Appearance[]
In the prologue, Anthony is shown as a young teenager with a white complexion and smooth skin. He has light green eyes and medium long thick dirty blonde hair. His hairstyle is done in the popular 70's style, with a side swept fringe. Anthony wears a dark blue stitched sweater with a white collared shirt underneath, dark brown slacks and blue and white sneakers. During his family's funeral, Anthony wears a traditional black suit.
In the main story, Anthony is shown as an older man with wrinkled skin and brown hair. He has a hairstyle similar to his father's, with his hair combed back, making Anthony's forehead appear large. He also has burn marks on his left ear after a fire. Anthony wears a bus uniform from the "Ferrimen" company, which includes a gray shirt with two front pockets on the chest and three patches, black pants, and black boots. By the end of the game, Anthony suffers a wound above his left eye after a bus crash, and he becomes dirty as a result of walking around Little Hope.
Personality[]
Anthony was friendly and kind. He worried about family problems but hesitated to act himself, as he sent Tanya to check on Megan instead of going himself. Despite this, Anthony cared deeply for his family, as he risked his life trying to save Megan and Anne and was horrified when he saw his relatives die. Anthony is fond of witch trials, which can be understood from the puritan figurine that Tanya finds in his room and in a similarly-themed book that Taylor finds near the bus. This interest was also reflected in his "other personality" Andrew.
After the fire, Anthony suffered psychological trauma. He became depressed, began seeing hallucinations, and developed intense guilt over his family's death, which lasted nearly 50 years. During the bus crash, Anthony received amnesia. This, coupled with psychological trauma and a love of witchcraft, increased Anthony's hallucinations to the point where he imagined a group from college, Little Hope in 1692 and demons symbolizing his dead relatives.
After Anthony remembers everything, he concludes his guilt, given a fictionalized adventure through Little Hope. Anthony either redeems himself by saving his family's reincarnations and forgives himself or falls into pure despair, blaming himself for his inability to save his family even in other lives, and even attempts suicide.
Biography[]
Anthony was born in the early 1950s and was subsequently adopted by the spouses Anne and James Clarke, becoming the younger brother for Tanya and Dennis and the older brother for Megan. At some point, Anthony became interested in witchcraft and witch trials.
On January 17, 1972, Anthony spent his usual days at his house before the fire started. The entire Clarke family died except Anthony, who was outside the house at the time of the fire. He was arrested for suspicion of arson, but was released soon when it was discovered that Megan's doll was the cause of the fire. Anthony later left Little Hope and continued with his life, in which at some point he started working as a bus driver for the "Farriman" company.
On May 27, 2019, Anthony was driving through the woods of Massachusetts when he was forced to take a detour to the abandoned town of Little Hope, where Anthony got into a car crash. Due to the resulting trauma, Anthony hallucinated himself as a college student on a field trip as well as the witch trials and the demons hunting his fellow college members. Anthony would then forgive himself and move on, continue to blame himself, or even join his family by committing suicide.
Little Hope[]
Chapter Appearances | |||
Diversion | Debut | Family | Appears |
Darkest Dreaming | Mentioned | Lost | Absent |
Reunion | Absent | Troubled History | Absent |
No Escape | Absent | Pursued | Absent |
Vince | Mentioned | Surrounded | Absent |
Playing Tricks | Absent | Low Point | Absent |
Confrontation | Absent | Reflections | Absent |
Off Track | Absent | Ruined | Pictured |
Another Way | Absent | Heavy Burden | Pictured |
The Crossing | Absent | Full Circle | Absent |
The End | Appears (Possible Death) |
Diversion[]
Anthony, as a bus driver, exits a roadside diner and starts his bus before setting off into the road. On the way, he is stopped by an officer, who tells Anthony to detour through the abandoned town of Little Hope because of an accident on the main road. Driving along the road to town, he overhears a conversation between a man and a woman. Getting annoyed by the woman's complaint about the detour, Anthony attempts to shut her and the man up, before seeing a little girl on the road. He manages to swerve and avoid the girl, but causes the bus to crash.
Family[]
Young Anthony is first seen in the living room, looking at some vinyl with Dennis. The brothers first discuss Tanya's boyfriend Vince and then Megan, who stepped on one of Dennis' records. When the two hear Tanya having trouble opening the door because of the ice, Anthony goes to help his sister open the door. After letting Tanya in, the siblings discuss family problems, after which Anthony asks Tanya to check on Megan. He lights the stove with a match in the kitchen and checks on James.
After a while, Anthony hears Tanya yells out for him and goes outside, where he finds Tanya locked out by Megan on the balcony. When Anthony tries to return to the house, he finds the door locked and the kitchen on fire. After this point, he tries to save his relatives, only to witness their deaths one by one, except for his mom, Anne. A passerby runs into the fire and finds Anthony holding a box of matches, before the latter runs into the burning building to find his mom.
Main Story[]
As the protagonists make their way through Little Hope, they can find secrets related to Anthony and his family, one of which reveals that Anthony survived the fire.
The End[]
After the result of Andrew's fate, it will be revealed that Andrew was Anthony all along, who suffered psychological trauma and hallucinated his dead relatives as his college associates, as well as the witch trials and the demons. Anthony is seen in a few flashbacks where he talked with the officer, got up from the crash, shutting "others" up, inspecting a bridge (in fact, the bridge never collapsed), and meeting with Vince in the bar, the church, and the factory.
- If Andrew reaches the diner, Anthony will stand there alone.
- If Andrew is arrested, Anthony will sit in the police car.
- If Andrew fails his suicide attempt, Anthony will sit on the porch of the ruined house (possibly with Megan comforting him).
- If Andrew completes his suicide attempt, Anthony's corpse will lay on the floor.
Possible Deaths[]
Chapter | Mechanism of Kill | Caused by | Conditions |
---|---|---|---|
The End | Shot in the head | Himself | Andrew found and kept the gun; Andrew fired fewer than five times; Mary was executed; Vince did not call the police. |
Killed Victims[]
Chapter | Character | Mechanism of Kill | Condition |
---|---|---|---|
Family | Tanya (Indirect) | Neck snapped | Anthony chose to help Tanya; Anthony asked Tanya to go down the drainpipe (Theatrical Cut). |
Burned | Anthony chose to help Tanya; Anthony asked Tanya to go into the window (Theatrical Cut). | ||
The End | Himself | Shot in the head | Andrew found the gun; Andrew fired less than five times; Mary was executed; Andrew has a good relationship with Vince. |
Relationships[]
James[]
James is Anthony's adoptive father. The two had a strained relationship due to James' alcoholism, but still treated each other well, as shown in their dialogue in the living room and in Anthony's worries about his parents' quarrels. During the fire, Anthony tried to help his father escape and was horrified when James died.
Anne[]
Anne is Anthony's adoptive mother. The two didn't interact in the prologue, but it was shown that Anthony is worried about his parents' quarrels. During the fire, Anthony risked his life to save his mother, not knowing that Anne was already dead. It can be assumed that Anne and Anthony were very close, since they were the only ones who really cared about Megan.
Tanya[]
Tanya is Anthony's adopted older sister. As shown in the prologue, the two got along very well, even though Tanya cared less about family problems than Anthony. During the fire, Anthony is able to help Tanya escape from the balcony and is horrified when he sees her death.
Dennis[]
Dennis is Anthony's adopted older brother. The two got along well, although they could fight a little, such as over Megan. During the fire, Anthony tried to help Dennis by telling him to go to the balcony and was terrified when he died.
Megan[]
Megan is Anthony's adopted younger sister. The two did not talk in the prologue, but it was shown that Anthony cared about his sister and was worried about her problems. During the fire, Anthony is able to help Megan by trying to get her out of the burning house, but sees her die.
After the tragedy, Anthony, blaming himself for the fire, also subconsciously blames Megan for what happened as shown in her hallucination that contributed to the car crash and Mary, whom the protagonists can blame for the witch trials. At the end of the game, if Anthony is left in Little Hope and tries to commit suicide, Megan (her spirit or Anthony's hallucination) will either scream at Anthony, causing him to shoot himself, or stop her brother and comfort him.
Vince[]
Anthony and Vince initially get along well, as shown in the prologue when Anthony speaks well of Vince and when the two greet each other when Tanya returns home. After the fire, however, Vince hates Anthony, blaming him for Tanya's death. The two meet again 48 years later, but because of amnesia, Anthony does not recognize Vince. Depending on how Anthony as Andrew treats Vince, he will either forgive Anthony or continue to hate him.
Trivia[]
Playability[]
- Anthony is playable in the Theatrical Cut of Family.
- Technically, he's also secretly playable as Andrew, considering that the latter is a recreation of himself through his hallucination.
- Since the main protagonists of Little Hope are Anthony's hallucinations, he and Tanya are the only real protagonists in the game.
- Although Anthony is the true main protagonist, he is introduced as a false protagonist.
Pictures[]
- Anthony appears in 3 pictures.
- As a teenager, he appears in 1 picture: A Little Hope.
- As the bus driver, he appears in 2 pictures: Shackled and Human Sacrifice.
Secrets[]
- Anthony is the only protagonist who can obtain the Crude Doll secret.
- Anthony is associated with some secrets:
- He is depicted on Family Photo and Newspaper Clipping.
- He made Marks on the Walls in the police station, as well as the Crude Doll.
Facts[]
- Anthony recreated himself as college student Andrew in 2019 and Puritan Abraham Alastor in 1692.
- He also recreated himself as one of the soldiers in 1917.
- Anthony has been interested in witchcraft since his youth, which later served as the main setting for his hallucinations.
- Anthony shared a bedroom with Dennis.
- Anthony is the only child in the family without his middle name revealed.
- The bus company Anthony works for is called Farriman, alluding to Greek Mythology. As the ferryman Charon rows the souls of the dead across the Acheron/Styx river, Anthony driving a bus with five protagonists is the first clue that the characters are already dead.
- As revealed in the comics, Anthony visited Little Hope before the events of the game and tried to convince himself that he was not to blame for the fire, using the help of his therapist Hannah Stone (who turns out to be Anthony's hallucination).
Deaths[]
- Anthony's death is the only real one in the game as the other deaths are either hallucinations or occurred in a dream.
- Anthony is the only member of the Clarke family to not die in the fire.
- Anthony cannot die until the ending of the game since the demons are just mere hallucinations and cannot kill him.
Other[]
- Both versions of Anthony share the same face model with several other characters in the anthology as well as other games made by Supermassive Games.
- His younger-self shares the same face model as Andrew and Abraham Alastor from the same game.
- His older-self shares the same face model as:
- William Vanstone from Hidden Agenda.
- Jefferson Bragg from The Inpatient.
- John Ferris from Man of Medan.
- Charles Lonnit from The Devil in Me.
- Anthony, Vince, other characters from 1972, and the officer are the only real characters in the game.
- Before the revelation that Anthony is the bus driver, in Diversion, he speaks in a different voice.
Quotes[]
“ | At least one of us is out having a good time. Give her a break. | ” |
“ | He came in last week, we shot the breeze a little bit. I like him. | ” |
“ | No need to be so tough on her, it was an accident. | ” |
“ | Just Dennis doing what he good at, being really Dennis. | ” |
“ | I don't get why everyone keeps picking on her. | ” |
“ | Megan! You have to get out! NOW! | ” |
“ | Tanya hold on. I've got to get Megan out. | ” |
“ | I just wish we all could've made it. | ” |
“ | It's okay, I'm gonna be just fine. | ” |
“ | Yeah, I'm fine. I just want to get these folks to where they need to be. | ” |
“ | Can everyone just shut up! This isn't helping us find help, or getting us out of here. | ” |
“ | Hi there. How are you doing? Excuse me but we're looking for our bus driver. Have you seen him? | ” |
“ | Better not, thanks. Need to keep a clear head. | ” |
“ | I don't think he gets how bad a mess we're in. | ” |
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Protagonists |
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Supporting Characters |
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