7 Video Game Characters Influenced By Movie Characters

Ideas don't just materialize out of nowhere. Even if it seems that way, the root of the idea usually comes from some influence. The game characters below were clearly influenced by movies and the specific characters and actors who played them.

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This doesn't mean the creators of the game characters deserve to be sued, though such things have happened before. With video games being around as long as they have, for once, the medium is finally returning the favor and influencing a lot of movies. The way these video game icons were influenced by film varies from the aesthetic to more nuanced features like personality.

This list is mostly spoiler-free except for the last entry, which contains major spoilers for both Alan Wake and the Twin Peaks series

7 Solid Snake From Metal Gear

Snake Plisken From Escape From New York

Every Metal Gear game is based on the simple concept of infiltrating a place, completing an objective, and then getting out. Snake Plissken does the same exact thing in Escape From New York.

Not only that, but Solid Snake and his father were clearly inspired by the character played by Kurt Russel. John Carpenter refrained from legal action because he already knew Hideo Kojima and the two were friendly.

6 Ken Rosenberg From Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

David Kleinfeld From Carlito's Way

It's no secret that the Grand Theft Auto series is heavily influenced by American television and film. The entirety of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City feels like you're playing Miami Vice: The Game from the criminals' perspectives. Ken Rosenberg, Tommy Vercetti's Lawyer, is influenced by a character from a different crime drama.

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He shares a striking resemblence to David Kleinfeld from Carlito's Way, played by Sean Penn. They're both sleezy lawyers, but the main difference between them is the people they represent. Tommy is a criminal mastermind all the way, while Carlito's Way's titular protagonist is trying to get away from organized crime.

5 Buff Film Buff From Borderlands 3

Tommy From The Room

This one gets a little meta because of who Tommy Wiseau is and who he plays in his own movie. The Room is a legendary 'so bad it's good' drama that has become the darling of midnight showing and given its director and star, Tommy Wiseau, some celebrity status.

Buff Film Buff talks like Tommy Wieau's character from the room, Johnny, and by extension is also exactly like the actor/director. The character's side quest in Borderlands 3 involves you helping Buff Film Buff screen his film that he is sure is going to be a masterpiece.

4 Raiden From Mortal Kombat

Lightning From Big Trouble In Little China

Most people already know about Johnny Cage's connection to John Claude Van Damme. However, fewer might realize Raiden's inspiration also comes from classic 1980s cinema.

Raiden's look and his lightning powers are directly inspired by Lightning from Big Trouble in Little China. It's fairly obvious once you compare the two side-by-side, and Mortal Kombat character designer John Tobias confirmed the relation between the two on Twitter.

3 Kratos From God Of War

Derek Vinyard From American History X

In an interview, God of War creator David Jaffe mentioned Dereck Vinyard from American History X as an influence for the anger and aggression within Kratos. When you think about how blinded Kratos was by hate, the connection makes perfect sense. Fortunately, the character cooled down in the years between God of War 3 and the 2018 sequel.

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This should go without saying, but just because the influence for a character comes from a white supremacist character, it doesn't mean that God of War endorses the views of Derek Vinyard from American History X. The film itself is very much anti-racism.

2 Max Payne From Max Payne 3

John Creasey From Man On Fire

These two characters share no physical similarities, but their attitude and place in life are directly related. Fans of the first two Max Payne games definitely noticed a change in the character in Max Payne 3, which was handled by Rockstar Games. He is recognizable, but not quite the same as before.

Watch Tony Scott's Man on Fire and it all starts to make sense. The characters are extremely similar and the movie itself is an obvious inspiration for Max Payne 3's story. Both characters are dependent on alcohol and barely holding on by a thread. Their addiction similarly causes them to fail at their tasks throughout their respective journeys.

With Max Payne receiving remakes from original developer Remedy, it is hard to know if Max Payne 3 will be considered canon after these come out.

1 Scratch From Alan Wake

Dale Cooper's Doppleganger From Twin Peaks

The parallels between Alan Wake and Twin Peaks is just about the only straightforward thing about both esoteric and perplexing series.

Season 2 of Twin Peaks ends with Dale Cooper's doppelgänger escaping the Black Lodge, and the first Alan Wake ends with Scratch escaping the Dark Place in the titular character's form. Both characters similarly torment those around them, using their doppelgänger appearance to trick those close to both main characters.

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