Russell (Video Game)

"I'm...I'm just not sure. We've been out here for SO long and seen so much bullshit. Is it really worth getting our hopes up?"

- Russell to the group about going to Tavia's community.

Russell is an original character and one of the main protagonists in Telltale Games' The Walking Dead: 400 Days DLC. He has his own personal story.

Location Unknown
Almost nothing is known about Russell's life before or as the outbreak began, besides that he graduated from college.

"Day 184"
In Georgia, Russell was formerly part of a group of seven people. A dad with a daughter about Russell's age, a man who said he was a cop that no one believed, a teacher with his wife and a leader named Steve who kept them alive by killing any other humans they came across and stealing their supplies. Unable to stand the brutality, Russell secretly leaves and hitchhikes to Statesboro in the hopes of reaching his grandmother's house. With 63 miles left to trek, Russell notices a passing truck. He has the option to either hide in the bushes or stand his ground to confront the driver. If he hides in the bushes, he will lay down next to the corpse of either Carley or Doug from Season 1, depending on who you saved in the first episode. Either way, the truck slows to a halt and the driver, Nate, will converse with Russell and eventually offer him a ride.

After getting in the truck and some dialogue, Nate gets a bit crazy and stops the car so a female walker can come at Russell's side of the vehicle. He then rolls down the window so Russell can get a better look. After Nate has his fun, he pulls out a gun and tries to shoot the walker, but has no ammo. Then, Nate drives off to get the zombie off the truck.

Their next stop is the truck stop where Nate suggests to grab supplies when he gets interrupted by a gunshot. Russell gets out of the truck and ducks down to a gas pump, though Nate urges him to come back while he covers. As Russell runs back to hide behind the truck, he is being fired at by the person in the gas station building, and notices Nate is not shooting back. Nate suggests moving to the red car across the station; giving Russell the option to go first or cover Nate. After they get to the second car, Russell will have to run to another car while Nate covers him. Shots still actively fire at Russell as he hurries along. Though he trips and falls, Nate saves his life.

Once they reach the back of the building, Russell will see a cop walker, who previously appeared in Vince's story. He has the choice to kill it or walk away. Allowing it to live will allow the walker to show up in Bonnie's story.

Russell can choose to sneak up on the shooter or run up on him, which has no direct impact on what occurs next. It is revealed the attacker is an elderly man, who was protecting his injured wife. Vehemently, he accuses Nate of having shot at them earlier while wearing a mask. The man thinks he is here to finish the job and steal their food. Nate denies being the masked assailant, and instead finds reason to suggest to Russell that they kill the couple and take their food. Russell has the choice to stay with Nate or walk away. No matter which decision is picked, Nate will shoot the couple. The bloodstains from their deaths make a cameo in Shel's story.

"Day 400"
Near Gil's Pitstop, Russell joins with Bonnie, Vince, Wyatt, Shel and Becca to set up a campsite. They are approached by Tavia with an offer to join a survivors' community. Depending on the choices the player makes, it will determine Russell's choice in either going with Tavia or stay in the group's campsite. If Tavia mentions about finding family or friends down there, Russell will go with Tavia. If not, then Russell will stay at the camp.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Russell has killed:
 * Clyde (Zombified, Determinant)
 * Possibly numerous counts of zombies.

Non-Canon Deaths
If Russell fails to do certain tasks, it is possible for him to die. These deaths are considered non-canon and will result in a game over. Russell will then re-spawn and be allowed to try again. Below is a pictorial list of when Russell can die.

Danny
"What?! That guy was an asshole! You should be happy he got killed before Shel and Becca joined us."

- Russell to Vince about Danny.

If Vince in his story decided to shoot Justin's foot, it can be assumed at some point Russell joins up with both Vince and Danny. From Vince's choice, a determinant epilogue dialogue will follow in which Russell expresses disgust at the mention of Danny. Based on what Russell says, he is aware Danny was sentenced to jail time for sexual assault. He comments with great relief that Danny died before Shel and Becca arrived to camp.

Nate
"I'LL KILL YOU!"

- Russell to Nate.

From the beginning, Russell is suspicious of Nate; displaying a heavy distrust of the man. Even so, he shares information about his former group to Nate. When Russell refuses to comply with the man's questioning about a woman in his former group, Nate allows a female walker to nearly bite him until the latter gives a rating of the attractiveness she might've been before becoming a zombie. Amused by Russell's frantic answer, Nate pulls out his pistol to shoot the walker, but realizes he forgot to reload the gun. To get away from the walker, Nate speeds off in the car. They end up at a gas station stop where Russell dodges a bullet from an unknown shooter. In fear, Russell runs out of the car to hide behind one of the gas pump machines, though Nate urges him to hurry back to the truck while he covers him. Though Russell follows his instructions, he gets angry upon making it back behind the truck while being fired at because Nate did not in fact cover him.

Russell, if given the pistol by Nate, has the option to pull it on him rather than cover him as he runs towards another car. Eventually, Nate wants to corner their attacker by sneaking into the building. They discover the shooter was an eldery man defending his injured wife, and claims Nate tried to harm them earlier while donning a mask. Nate takes offense when the man calls Russell a "spook" and refuses the accusation he was the masked assailant who attacked them. Instead, he proposes to Russell that they kill the couple and take their food for survival. Based on Nate's facial expressions, he is upset if Russell disagrees with him, and reacts similarly if Russell decides to have no part in the killing and simply leaves. Whether Russell agrees to the plan or not, Nate still murders the the couple in cold blood.

Tavia
"I don't like this guys, we should just walk away. I don't trust her."

- Russell about Tavia.

Due to what he experienced with Nate, Russell is extremely distrustful of Tavia from the beginning and doesn't trust her. He will refuse to go with Tavia regardless of his decisions in his story. If Tavia mentions about finding family or friends down there, Russell will go with Tavia, but tells her "if you try anything, you're gonna regret it".

Trivia

 * Russell, along with Bonnie, Vince, Wyatt, and Shel, was introduced via Vines from the Telltale Games official Twitter account in early June 2013.
 * Russell is the youngest playable protagonist of the "400 Days" DLC.
 * If the player chooses to hide rather than stand their ground in Russell's opening sequence, the corpse of either Carley or Doug (depending on who the player saved in Episode 1) will be found where Russell tries to hide. This is one of the "cameos" of Season One's characters mentioned by Telltale when teasers for "400 Days" were being released. Doing this also unlocks the achievement 'Reunited'.
 * Of all the five stories of "400 Days", Russell is the only playable character not in a group when introduced.
 * Russell will refuse to go with Tavia regardless of the decisions leading up to the ending unless the player chooses for Tavia to state that the survivors "may run into friends or family". This is likely because Russell has not abandoned his desire to find his family despite being scarred by his post-apocalypse life.
 * He has the most non-canon deaths in "400 Days" with seven.
 * Like Clive and Larry, his subtitle text's color was red when he wasn't the protagonist.
 * Also like the two, he shows to be very antagonistic and distrustful of others (due to what he experienced with Nate, whether or not he stayed with him or not).