Fallout, the TV series, has always distinguished itself from the game through original characters. These new characters are so beloved that now they’re even getting . But Season 2, in particular, has tied the show more closely to the games.
Season 1 wrapped with Barb Howard telling those in authority, “War. War never changes”—the line that became the Fallout game franchise’s defining catchphrase. Now, Season 2 has introduced the voice behind that original line—and he’s playing a critically important creature.
Warning: Spoilers for Fallout Season 2 Episode 6 ahead!
The last time we saw The Ghoul (a.k.a. Cooper Howard), Lucy MacLean had thrown him out a window, leaving him impaled on a spike in the heart of New Vegas. He struggles fruitlessly to free himself before finally giving up—until a monstrous figure arrives to rescue him.
After bringing him to a hideout and healing him with a glowing green substance, the Ghoul’s savior shares a bit of context: “They call us abominations, but they created our kind,” he says. The Ghoul disputes this, but his rescuer clarifies: “Ghouls, mutants—we’re family. We should unite against our shared enemy.”
So who is this mutant, and what does his arrival mean for Fallout? Super mutants have appeared in every Fallout game, but they’re fundamentally different from ghouls. Ghouls emerged naturally from post-nuclear radiation, while mutants were intentionally created by the Enclave (the odd scientific group we saw in Season 1) using the Regardless, both are shunned by humans and other survivors.
But this isn’t just any mutant: this still-unnamed character is played by Ron Perlman—the voice actor behind perhaps the most iconic element of Fallout altogether: the haunting opening narration of each game, which always concluded with “War. War never changes.” (He also voices the closing narrations, delivering an epilogue based on the player’s choices.) His voice is slightly altered—mutants have distinct vocal inflections—but a brief glimpse of the mutant’s face confirms Perlman isn’t just voicing the character; he’s physically portraying him.
Given super mutants’ central role in Fallout lore, it was only a matter of time before they joined the series. Now, the question is how their story will intersect with the rest of the cast’s.