The Speaker is the main antagonist of the video game Gears of War 4. He is an elite Swarm Scion who commands the Swarm hive at Tollen Dam. During the course of the game, he leads the Swarm as they raid several Outsider settlements and capture their residents to convert into new Swarm Drones.
History[]
Like the other Swarm Scions, the Speaker was formerly a drone of the Locust Horde who had fought during the Locust War. Little is known about his past with the Horde except that he must have been an elite soldier within the Locust army, possibly even a member of the Queen's Guard. Like the other Locust, he fell on Victory Day when Adam Fenix fired his Imulsion Countermeasure device, causing all Locust drones to enter a state of suspended animation when the Imulsion within their bodies was expelled and formed indestructible crystalline shells around them. Though the surviving COG believed the Locust to be dead, they were actually undergoing a metamorphosis that would come to fruition twenty-five years after the war.
By 42 AE, the Speaker had emerged from his cocoon and, in the absence of a Queen, became the leader of his hive. Directed by the voice of Myrrah within the Swarm hivemind, he led his blight in several raids on human villages existing outside of COG jurisdiction, abducting their populations in order to convert them into new Swarm soldiers. Among the settlements that were attacked was Fort Umson, led by Reyna Diaz, the daughter of Myrrah. During this assault, the Speaker fought against Reyna in personal combat. Though Reyna put up a valiant struggle and even cut off the Speaker's left hand, she was ultimately overpowered and captured along with the rest of her people. The Speaker took Reyna to the Swarm hive at Tollen Dam, connecting Reyna to the heart of the hive itself. There, Reyna was to be possessed by her mother's consciousness and become the Queen of the Swarm.
The only ones to evade capture at Fort Umson were Reyna's daughter Kait and her ex-Gear friends J.D. Fenix and Delmont Walker. Seeking help from J.D.'s father, Locust War veteran Marcus Fenix, the young Gears sought to find Reyna and the creatures that had taken her. Their search would ultimately lead them to Tollen Dam, which had been turned into a Locust burial site following the war and was now a vast Swarm hive. Here, the group realised the true nature of the Swarm and their relationship with the Locust, as well as discovering what had become of all the missing villagers from the various Outsider settlements.
Kait, JD, Del and Marcus would eventually encounter the Speaker, Kait recognising him as the one who took her mother by his missing hand. The Speaker told Kait that her mother was where she belonged and that the only way to get to her was through him. The Scion then summoned his personal Swarmak mount and a ferocious battle took place. The battle was a grueling experience, but Kait and her friends overcame the Swarmak by firing upon the glowing blisters on its lower body. As the Swarmak died, the Speaker was thrown to the ground, wounded but still alive. He tried to reach for a Boomshot lying on the floor, but was dragged away by Kait. Kait addressed the Swarm hivemind, warning that she would be coming for them before she killed the Speaker by violently stomping on his head and crushing his skull.
Appearance[]
The Speaker has a similar appearance to other Scions: a tall, muscular frame covered in leathery grey skin with clusters of Imulsion crystals growing on his head, shoulders and hands. He wears armour over his upper torso, arms and legs.
Abilities[]
- Intelligence - The Speaker seems to have higher intelligence than other Swarm. Even as a Locust Drone, he had a more eloquent speech pattern than others of his kind and spoke fluent Tyran.
- Hivemind - All Swarm members are connected via a psychomagnetic link, allowing them to communicate telepathically with one another across vast distances.
- Combat Experience - The Speaker is both an experienced tactician and combatant. He is trained in the use of ranged weapons, heavy ordnance and bladed weapons. He is also experienced in mounted combat as he rides a Swarmak into battle against Kait and her friends.