| Johnny Powell | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biographical Information | |
| Race: |
Human |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Status: |
Alive |
| Gameplay Information | |
| Affiliation: |
Jackie Estacado (Employer) |
| Appears in: | |
| Real World information | |
| Voice Actor: |
David Hoffman |
Johnny Powell is a brilliant yet estranged occultist who acts like an adviser to Jackie Estacado and will give information about the supernatural world.
Biography[]
Early History[]
As a graduate student, Johnny Powell became an unparalleled expert on the world of mystical power and magic. He kept himself busy studying ancient relics that were shrouded in dark (and even fantastical) histories, and which were purportedly connected to some of the most infamous figures from antiquity. However, he ended up discovering that the mythology surrounding these artifacts was all true, and that they all pointed to The Darkness.
The objects Johnny researched were tinged with Dark Essence, a substance that clings to objects and people who have come into contact with The Darkness. The Essence that was left behind on the relics Johnny was studying proved to be something of a narcotic for him, and he quickly found himself addicted to it. From there, his lifestyle degenerated from that of a promising (if obsessive) student to one of a muttering, semi-coherent junkie.
During a period when he was still somewhat functional, Jackie Estacado sought Powell's assistance in dealing with his internal battle with The Darkness. Johnny explained the role of Dark Essence, and how it could be harnessed from the relics. Eventually, with Powell's help, Jackie was able the bottle up The Darkness, more or less. However, spending all this quality time with a bearer of The Darkness only worsened Johnny's affliction. Realizing this, he fled without Estacado's knowledge, and has been essentially homeless ever since.
The Darkness II[]
Eventually Jackie uses his men to find and bring Johnny to his penthouse suite. Johnny explains that Jackie is being pursued by a secret society called the Brotherhood who seek the Darkness' powers for themselves using the Siphon, an object created to contain the Darkness by an entity known as the Angelus, which is the Darkness' female counterpart. After discovering who set up the attack at the restaurant, Johnny then provides a lead to the Brotherhood's location at a nearby brothel. After Jackie heals his fatal wounds sustained from the Brotherhood attacking his home, he wakes back in the library of his home with Johnny explaining that he had been unconscious for four days, and that the Franchetti enforcers drove the Brotherhood off before they could make off with Jackie's body. He's the first to tell Jackie his Aunt Sarah is dead.
Throughout the course of the game, Johnny will also provide exposition on the various Darkness relics Jackie finds. He takes particular interest in The Abysmal Maw, a Darkness cannon which he admits could send even Mother Teresa straight to Hell. He also expresses particular concern over the last relic he finds, the Prism of the Brothers, which he is still somehow able to narrate despite Jackie being trapped in Hell when he found it. He explains it was made by the Brotherhood to contain the Angelus as the Siphon could contain the Darkness, and was previously thought to be responsible for her disappearance during WWII. But what worries him is that he could tell just by looking at the Prism that the Angelus never even touched it, which begged the question, "Where the fuck is she?"
After Jackie returns from the Brotherhood's attack on Sarah's funeral, he tells Johnny he's going to a place called Hellgate Field at the old Boardwalk in Astoria to stop the Brotherhood for good, despite agreeing with Johnny that it was a trap. Johnny tells Jackie he can't let the Darkness nor the Brotherhood have the Siphon, or else "we are all fucked." The player also has the option of questioning Johnny further about the Siphon and Angelus, in which Jackie will come to understand that the Siphon could truly kill him and send him straight to Hell, and that "one day this broad’s gonna show up wantin' to kill him". Unbeknownst to Johnny, Jackie would confirm both warnings firsthand by the end of the game.
Vendettas[]
During the Vendettas campaign, Jackie hires the Darkness mercenaries to save Johnny from a group of thugs and bring him to the mansion. There, Johnny deciphers the various clues they find and guides them remotely on their assaults on the Brotherhood and their underlings. Ultimately, he uncovers and explains the Brotherhood's mission, to retrieve the Spear of Destiny and use it to kill Jackie and become all-powerful. He impresses upon the mercenaries the importance of stopping them and their leader, millionaire David Graves, which they do. With Graves dead and the spear retrieved, Johnny begins to research a way to destroy the artifact once and for all.
Personality[]
Although seen by most as totally crazy, Johnny is extremely intelligent and has vast knowledge about everything related to the Darkness. He also shows empathy and care to Jackie for bearing the Darkness.
Trivia[]
- He first appears in the What is The Darkness? Trailer.
- He appears to have heterochromia (one eye green and one blue) which can be seen during close-ups of the What is The Darkness? Trailer.
- Johnny Powell seems similar to Ricardo Irving from Resident Evil 5 in terms of appearance, personality, and speech pattern. Both are cowardly, timid, fast talking individuals with knowledge on the main subject in their respective storylines (Ricardo Irving having knowledge of Bio Organic Weapons/B.O.W.S such as the Las Plagas Virus and Powell having knowledge about The Darkness).
- Johnny Powell seems to be inspired by Wenders from the comic's series.
- During one of the radio broadcasts in The Darkness II, the radio show host talks with a professor named Edward Powell. Its unknown if the two are somehow related.
Gallery[]
