| “ | Are kittens good? Are miniature horses good? Hey, I freakin' nailed it, bro. Don't I get a little endzone dance? | ” |
Bradley Smith, also known as Brad, is one of the five main protagonists and a playable character in The Dark Pictures Anthology's first installment, Man of Medan. He is the younger brother of Alex. He was voiced and motion captured by Chris Sandiford and was modelled on Tom Weston.
Appearance[]
Brad is a young African-American with light brown complexion. He has short, curly black hair and brown eyes, covered with a pair of rectangular black glasses. This also makes Brad the only protagonist in the group who wears glasses.
Brad wears a blue two-button polo shirt with a dark top and a light bottom at the chest and navy plaid shorts with light blue lines. He also wears two brown bracelets on his left wrist and goes barefoot. Brad maintains this look throughout the game, even while he's sleeping.
As the game progresses, Brad's appearance, especially his feet, become dirty due to movement around the ship. In Finding Friends he can find a black gas mask, which he will wear over his left shoulder until the rest of the chapter.
Personality[]
| “ | Alex's younger brother, who both admires and resents his older sibling for his achievements and poise. He's quiet and quite the history geek, specialising in the WWII era. | ” |
Brad's profile at the start of the game.
As the youngest in the group, Brad is the most innocent. He comes across as friendly, polite yet very shy. This causes Brad to sometimes get into awkward situations when making new acquaintances, but he becomes more confident as he gets to know new people a little better.
Brad has low bravery and can often be a pushover, having a hard time saying "no". However, his cowardly side can be countered by his brave side, in which he risks his own safety to save his loved ones. Thus, Brad reveals himself to save Alex from Danny and climbs aboard the ship to find his friends despite apparent fear.
Another notable trait of Brad is his intelligence. He is knowledgeable in various topics such as medicine, engineering and World War II. The latter is his main hobby, which he has been fascinated by since early childhood. Brad is so well versed in this subject that only with his calculations, the group was able to to find a sunken B-29 plane. He also showed quick wit, being the only one who managed to hide from the pirates.
Biography[]
Brad was born on February 18, 2001 and with his older brother Alex was raised in a typical American middle class family. His interest in World War II began when Brad learned that his grandfather was in the Navy. He wanted to understand what his grandfather went through and that got him hooked. He's very smart, but doesn't know what he wants to learn, so he decided to take a sabbatical to think it over.
Before the events of the game, Alex and his girlfriend Julia decided to arrange a dive trip in South Pacific and try to find a military plane that sank there, according to Brad's calculations. Brad was also invited, for 2 reasons - Julia wanted to personally see Brad, having previously heard about him only from Alex's words, and this could also introduce both Smiths to her brother Conrad.
On June 20, 2019, Brad, along with his brother Alex, Alex's girlfriend Julia, and Julia's brother Conrad went on a summer vacation to French Polynesia. With the help of Fliss, skipper of the Duke of Milan which they would stay in for the trip, Brad was able to enjoy his trip. However, his trip took a turn to the sinister when three pirates ambushed the Duke and drove them to an abandoned WW II freighter. His fate would then be decided by the player's decisions, in which he would either escape or die like the former passengers in the ship.
Man of Medan[]
| Chapter Appearances | |||
| Chinese Market | Absent | ||
| The Duke | Debut | Finding Friends | Appears (Possible Death) |
| Wreck | Appears | Ritual | Determinant (Possible Death) |
| Dive | Mentioned | Pressure | Appears (Possible Death) |
| Uninvited Guests | Appears | Plunged | Absent |
| Ghost Story | Appears | Glamor Girl | Determinant (Possible Death) |
| Intrusion | Appears | Revenge | Determinant |
| Storm | Appears | Open Deck | Determinant |
| Abandoned Ship | Determinant | Distress Signal | Determinant |
| Trapped | Determinant | Depths | Determinant |
| An Escape | Determinant | Junior | Determinant (Possible Death) |
| Danny | Determinant | Olson | Determinant |
| Caskets | Absent | Flooded | Determinant (Possible Death) |
| Echo | Appears (Possible Death) | Matters of the Heart | Absent |
| The End | Appears (Possible Death) | ||
Main Story[]
Act 1[]
The Smith brothers take all the equipment they need to the Duke of Milan as they wait for the rest. At first, Brad and Alex discuss their problems, and with the arrival of Julia and Conrad, he befriends the latter over a beer. When Fliss, the boat's captain, arrives, all five of them sail into the ocean.
While Alex and Julia prepare their gear and dive for the wreck, Brad spends most of that time in the cabin, either reading a book at the table or lying in his bed since he suffers sea sickness. During this time he can have a little chat with Alex, Conrad, and Fliss on various topics. In the evening, Brad asks Alex and Julia about wreck/their proposal, and then goes after Conrad and Fliss. On deck, Brad talks to Fliss and Conrad about girls, after which the group gathers to discuss Alex's document on Manchurian Gold. After hearing Fliss's accusations about the recklessness of divers, Brad ends the night with a scary story.
At night, the pirates sneak on the Duke, but Brad manages to hide under the bed before being spotted. He can stay in cover, unless he crawls out to help Alex against Danny, or he tells him to go to the deck, where he will be captured.
Act 2[]
If Brad was caught, he, along with the rest of the protagonists, will board on the SS Ourang Medan, who will then be locked in a room. There, the group discusses the stolen the distributor cap and after looking around the room, escape through the vent. Having escaped from Junior, Brad and the others examine the upper deck and begin to experience fleeting hallucinations (although nothing was shown in Brad's case). In a cargo hold, Brad (himself or with Fliss) tries to reclaim the distributor cap. The attempt fails and Brad is either caught by the pirates again or he manages to hide and follows Danny. Either way, Brad and Fliss make it to Cargo Hold 3, where the pair split up as the door closed.
Following Fliss, Brad falls into a loop with various hallucinations, but in the end he manages to get out. Brad eventually falls into Cargo Hold 2 and encounters an undead soldier, whom he can run away from, kill it, or die to it. If the undead soldier is killed, Brad will find Conrad and chase him through the officers' quarters, in which Brad can die in the process. At the end of the act, Brad reunites with the others and flees fo the control room.
If Brad was able to successfully hide, after a few hours he crawls out from under the bed. He follows the others to the ship, but takes an alternative route, along the way meeting many corpses of soldiers. Also along the way, he can find a gas mask with which he can dispel hallucinations. Regardless of the route, Brad ends up on the top floor of Cargo Hold 2, where he hallucinates a hanged living corpse and jumps down in panic, where he collides with Fliss. Both can hallucinate and kill each other, or find out and go looking for the others together.
If Brad and Fliss recognize each other, they will go through the purification deck. Trying to get out of there, one of them finds themselves in a flooded room and may drown. Soon, the couple stumbles upon Conrad, but the latter doesn't recognize them and runs away in panic as he's hallucinating. During the chase, Brad either lags behind (If Fliss is alive) or chases Conrad to the funnel (If Fliss is dead or hallucinating). At the end of the act, Brad reunites with the rest of the survivors and flees to the controls room.Act 3[]
Brad, along with the other survivors, discuss the hallucinations they saw and try to understand what happened on the ship, based on the secrets they found, after which the group decides to find the radio. After reaching the radio room, the group manages to contact the military, but due to the lack of power, the radio turns off. Finding a hole to the lower deck, the survivors discuss who will go downstairs, where Brad can go with Fliss/Julia/Alex.
If Brad went downstairs, he, along with another protagonist, will enter the lower deck and find the engine room, activate the generator. In the next room, the couple stumble upon a hallucinating Olson and run away from him. Before that, they will find the rebreather and can take it, and Brad can also find Julia's ring. Escaping from Olson, the protagonists encounter a hallucinating Junior threatening them with a gun. Brad can be shot if he cannot convince Junior that he didn't breath the mist, or save him if the protagonists have previously taken the rebreather.
If Brad is the only one left in the radio room, after hearing the gunshots, he will decide to go down to search for the others. Eventually, Brad reaches Cargo Hold 2, where he will fight Olson and can secure the distributor cap. Depend on decisions made and whoever opened the bulkhead door, Brad may survive the encounter, die by being split in half, being choked by Olson, or electrocution. If Brad survives, he returns to the others, optionally with the distributor cap.
Noticing Olson on the balcony, Brad (possibly with another protagonist and Junior) runs after him. He can dive into the flooded part of Cargo Hold 2, from where he will be washed into the main part of the hold. Depend on decisions made and whoever opened the bulkhead door, Brad may survive the encounter, die by electrocution, or have his head smashed by Olson. If Brad survives, he returns to the others, optionally with the distributor cap.
The End[]
At dawn, Brad and any other surviving protagonists gather on the weather deck. His further fate depends on the player's decisions:
- If the distributor cap was taken, Brad will leave the ship on the Duke.
- If the distributor cap was destroyed, Brad will either remain on the ship or try to escape on the inactive Duke.
- If Conrad escaped on the boat, Brad will be saved.
- If Conrad didn't escape on the boat and the military was called, they will fly over and arrest Brad.
- If the military was told the name of the ship, they will shoot Brad.
- If Brad died, his body will be shown where and how he died.
If Brad survived, he will talk about his experiences on the ship or mourn the dead.
Possible Deaths[]
| Chapter | Mechanism of Kill | Caused by | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Echo/Finding Friends/Ritual | Stabbed in the stomach | Fliss | Fliss finds the knife; Fliss is hallucinating when Brad arrives; Brad fails QTEs when Fliss attacks. |
| Same conditions; Fliss attacks the hallucination (Theatrical Cut). | |||
| Pressure | Drowned | Himself (Indirect) | Brad goes down the hole; Brad doesn't tell Fliss to break the hinge (Curator's Cut). |
| Fliss (Indirect) | Same condition; Fliss doesn't break the hinge. | ||
| Glamor Girl | Fall from high place | Himself (Accidental) | Brad fails QTEs while climbing the ladder. |
| Throat slit | Conrad | Alex gave the knife to Conrad in Caskets; Conrad hides and fails the Keep Calm segment; Conrad attacks the hallucination (Theatrical Cut). | |
| Same condition; Brad fails the QTE when Conrad attacks. | |||
| Same condition; Conrad confronts the hallucination; Conrad attacks the hallucination (Theatrical Cut). | |||
| Same condition; Brad fails the QTE when Conrad attacks. | |||
| Junior | Shot in the head | Junior | Brad is with Alex and Alex agitates Junior. |
| Brad is with Fliss/Julia and says nothing. | |||
| Flooded | Split in half by cargo door | Alex | Olson opened the bulkhead door; Brad fails QTEs to escape Olson (Theatrical Cut). |
| Fliss | |||
| Julia | |||
| Choked | Olson | Same condition; The lever is not pulled (Curator's Cut). | |
| Electrocution | Himself (Voluntarily) | The diving protagonist opened the bulkhead door; Brad helps Olson; The diving protagonist doesn't help him. | |
| Himself (Voluntarily) | Same condition; Olson kills the diving protagonist; Brad attacks Olson. | ||
| Electrocuted water | Same condition; Brad does nothing. | ||
| Head smashed by sledgehammer | Olson | Brad opened the bulkhead door; The other protagonist grabs the distributor cap; Both protagonists fail QTEs. | |
| The End | Shot | Soldiers | The group gave the name of the ship to the military; the distributor cap is destroyed; Conrad did not escape on the speedboat. |
Killed Victims[]
| Chapter | Character | Mechanism of Kill | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Echo/Finding Friends/Ritual | Fliss | Head split open | Brad didn't find the gas mask; Brad found a wrench before descending into Cargo Hold 2; Fliss fails to dodge Brad's attacks. (Theatrical Cut) |
| Same condition; Brad chooses to attack the undead soldier. (Curator's Cut) | |||
| Flooded | Alex | Split in half by cargo door | Olson opened the bulkhead door; Brad pulled the lever; Alex failed to escape Olson while being strangled under the cargo door. |
| Conrad | Same condition; Conrad failed to escape Olson while being strangled under the cargo door. | ||
| Fliss | Same condition; Fliss failed to escape Olson while being strangled under the cargo door. | ||
| Julia | Same condition; Julia failed to escape Olson while being strangled under the cargo door. | ||
| Olson | Same condition. | ||
| Assist - Electrocution | The diving protagonist opened the bulkhead door; Olson kills them; Brad attacks Olson. | ||
| Same condition; Olson doesn't kill them; Brad attacks Olson. |
Relationships[]
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Alex[]
Alex is Brad's older brother. They have a typical brotherly relationship, but in the game they are strained, with Alex not wanting Brad to be an over-nerd and belittling him and Brad being a little jealous of Alex.
Despite this, they take care of each other, as during the pirates' attack, Alex worries about his brother and Brad can intercede and save Alex when he cannot take Danny hostage. On the ship, they are not often together, being in different groups, but Alex is still proud of Brad and trusts him, inviting him to go down for the generator.
In the end, if the distributor cap is destroyed, Brad can stay with Alex or Fliss, whom he spent most of the time with in the Ourang Medan.
Fliss[]
Prior to the events of the game, Brad and Fliss had never met. They had little interaction at the start of the game, having a little talk about Alex or Brad's fascination with WWII history.
On the ship, Brad and Fliss spend all their time together, separated from the rest of the protagonists - first, under Danny's supervision, and possible when they look for the others. Although due to hallucinations, Bred and Fliss may not recognize each other and unknowingly kill each other, considering them a threat, if they dispel the fog, they will become loyal friends and in the end Brad may go over to Fliss' side.
Conrad[]
Prior to the events of the game, Brad and Conrad had never met. When they first met, Conrad immediately expressed a desire to befriend Brad and offered him a beer while discussing Brad's diving experience. Although Brad will later become nauseous after beer, they form a strong friendship, just like Brad and Fliss. Although sometimes Conrad gets bored with Brad's nerdy attitude, he likes to give him nicknames such as "Ray Bradlebury", "Braddifer Brayson Leigh", "Bradical", "Professor TMI" and others. During the pirates' attack, Conrad can also be worry about Brad, just like Alex.
Although they have almost no special interactions on the ship, if Conrad was able to escape and Brad was stuck on the ship, they would be happy to see each other again, with Brad also nicknamed him "Con-Man".
Julia[]
Prior to the events of the game, Brad and Julia had never met. Despite this, Julia has heard a lot about Brad from Alex's words and feels that she already knows him. She is also the reason why Brad was invited on the trip, as she wanted to get to know him in person.
Despite this desire, they rarely interacted in the game. However, Brad and Julia still get along and are worried about each other. Julia, having found an anti-aircraft shell, decides to show it to Brad. During the storm, Julia is the first to express her feelings for Brad, fearing that he might drown. If Brad died, Julia will blame herself, saying that if she hadn't invited him, it wouldn't have happened.
Trivia[]
Playability[]
- Brad is the least playable protagonist, having 10 playable chapters in total.
- Brad has 6 official playable chapters in Theatrical Cut, that being one in The Duke, Echo/Finding Friends, Depths, Junior, Olson, and Flooded.
- Brad has 9 official playable chapters in Curator's Cut, that being one in Ghost Story, Echo/Finding Friends, Pressure, Glamor Girl, Open Deck, Depths, Junior, Olson, and Flooded.
- Brad appears in 19 chapters (23 if he was captured).
- Brad is the only playable protagonist in Echo/Finding Friends.
- Brad is the only protagonist who cannot be controlled in Distress Signal and Matters of the Heart.
- Brad can replace Fliss in Glamor Girl if the latter is dead.
- The player's decision about Brad hiding in the Duke of Milan determines which chapter will play - Echo or Finding Friends - and also (with Fliss) determines whether Pressure appears or not.
Pictures[]
See also: Category:Pictures found by Brad
- Brad can find the least pictures, with 4.
- Brad can find 3 white pictures and 1 gold picture.
- Only Brad can find Copper Bottomed.
- Brad appears in 3 pictures: High and Dry, Close Quarters (as the Grim Reaper), and Cut of Your Jib.
- Brad and Rachel are the only protagonists in the anthology who cannot find a black picture.
Secrets[]
See also: Category:Secrets found by Brad
- Brad can find the least secrets, with 14.
- Only Brad can find Co-Pilot Badge, Hastily Written Message, Infantry Badge, Locks Memo, and Radio Operator's Memo.
Facts[]
- Brad's highest base relationship status is with Alex.
- Brad's lowest base relationship status is with Conrad, Julia, and Fliss.
- Brad is extremely clever, but he still isn't sure what he wants to study next and decided to take a sabbatical to think about it.
- Brad is likely 18 years old due to the fact that "he deferred for a year" the idea of going to college, but this is unconfirmed.
Deaths[]
- Brad and Fliss are the second protagonists who can die, starting with Ritual/Echo/Finding Friends.
- Brad is tied with Conrad and Julia for having the second most deaths (with 10) and has the second least chapters to die in (with 6).
- In Echo, it's possible to have Danny shoot Brad if he fails to move, but this is just a hallucination.
Other[]
- Brad shares the same face model as:
- A cop from Hidden Agenda.
- George Hawthorne from The Inpatient.
- Scarecrow from Bravo Team.
- Alex Smith from the same game.
- Nicolas Kay from House of Ashes.
- Joseph Morello from The Devil in Me.
- Brad's "Ray Bradlebury" nickname comes from the movie The Ray Bradbury Theater. Coincidentally, the actor Shawn Ashmore was one of the cast members for said movie.
- Brad has the most nicknames out of every character in the anthology.
- Brad is the only protagonist who is not bound and gagged by the pirates in Intrusion.
- Brad is the only protagonist who never changes his outfit at any point.
- Brad and Fliss are the only protagonists who are barefoot throughout the game.
- Conrad also starts walking barefoot from the end of Act 1.
Trophies[]
- Brad has 5 trophies associated with him:
- He shares with the other protagonists the trophies "That's something, I suppose" and "Not a sole survivor".
- He shares with Alex and Conrad the trophy "Right there with ya, boys".
- He shares with Alex the trophy "Medium bro".
- His personal trophy is "Brother thing, you know".
Quotes[]
| “ | Are kittens good? Are miniature horses good? Hey, I freakin' nailed it, bro. Don't I get a little endzone dance? Watch me. Oh yeah... oh yeah... | ” |
| “ | During World War II they built these suckers to cruise at the highest altitude possible while maintaining the ability to carry nuclear warheads and - Sorry. Yeah. Nerdburst. | ” |
| “ | Horrified, he looks closer to see the dead man's face in the dark. Closer... closer... and he sees - It's his own face! And then its eyes bulge out and screams! | ” |
| “ | Well typically a distributor cap is designed to distribute voltage from the coil to the correct rotor which, in turn... It's an essential part of the engine. We're not taking the Duke of Milan anywhere without it. | ” |
| “ | Holy shit on a shamrock! What happened here? | ” |
| “ | Argh! No. No I'm not hearing this. I'm not hearing this. | ” |
| “ | That! It-it w-was... didn't you see it? Okay, so I'm seeing things, but you're not. Okay, so... follow my thinking here. We know the ship was carrying the "Manchurian Gold", but that was really some sort of hallucinogenic bioweapon, developed in China during World War II. And, we know what it was super unstable and leaked all over the ship. So maybe... it's still here? Maybe it hasn't dispersed after seventy years, and it's having the same effect on us? You know, paranoid hallucinations! All of this crazy shit we're seeing, none of it's real! This isn't a ghost ship, it's a floating bioweapon! | ” |
| “ | You know, I just keep going over it and over it... and it doesn't make any sense, y'know? It just... And I know what I saw. I just don't believe in... whatever it was I that I saw. | ” |
Gallery
References[]
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| Man of Medan Characters | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protagonists |
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| Antagonists | |||||||
| Supporting Characters | |||||||