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Have you ever thought about the future? What will happen to the world if humans continue to breed? Don't you see? Humans have set themselves upon the path to inevitable destruction.

Goldman[src]

Caleb Goldman (カレッブ・ゴールドマン, Karebbu gōrudoman?)[note 1] was a genetic engineer and the head of an unknown financial group. He is the main antagonist of The House of the Dead 2 and, posthumously, 4.

Believing that mankind threatened nature, Goldman sought reverting humans to their "natural state". An expert of the Genome Theory, he funded Dr. Curien's 1998 BioReactor project, which involved hostile biologically-engineered creatures.

After Curien's death, Goldman produced more creatures to fuel a citywide incident in 2000. Among these creations was Emperor, a being meant to rule over mankind. Goldman committed suicide after AMS agents destroyed Emperor, warning that a "successor" would come.

It was later discovered that before his death, Goldman planned for nuclear missiles to be launched worldwide in 2003. The World, Emperor's successor, was also released in the opening of "Pandora's Box". While these efforts were foiled, the resurgence of creatures led to the collapse of civilization and the AMS' dismantling.

Biography

DBRMembers

Goldman (left) pictured with Thornheart (center) and Dr. Curien (right).

Caleb Goldman was the head of a world-famous, unidentified financial group.[1] His ancestors, alongside those of DBR Corporation research director Dr. Curien and a man named Thornheart, established a mysterious organization in 1880.[2]

An expert of the Genome Theory,[3] Goldman believed that humanity's greed and self-destruction was creating increasingly frequent wars, natural disasters, and new illnesses.[4][5][6] His goal was to "revert [humans] to their natural state", rather than destroying them outright.[7]

BioReactor project funding

Main article: The House of the Dead (1996 video game)
HOTD2GoldmanCurienFlashback

Goldman near Dr. Curien's corpse.

Goldman funded Dr. Curien's experiments with the BioReactor, a DNA-editing machine, which produced hostile lifeforms.[3] Curien was killed by one creature, Magician, during a 1998 incident where he tried weaponizing the creatures to destroy mankind.[8] Sometime after these events, Goldman visited the Curien Mansion, where Curien's corpse remained.[9]

2000 incident

Main article: The House of the Dead 2

Sometime in his 40s,[note 2] Goldman developed more creatures at his headquarters. He redeveloped Magician and also produced Emperor, a being meant to rule over humanity.[10] The World, Emperor's successor, matured beneath the building courtyard.[11]

Goldmanfalling

Goldman commits suicide.

On February 26th, 2000, Goldman released the creatures in an unnamed city; AMS agents James Taylor, Gary Stewart, Amy Crystal, and Harry Harris responded to the threat. Goldman left a message on Amy's phone, inviting the group to meet him at the city Coliseum. This was actually a trap, with Harry wounded by a chainsaw-wielding behemoth named Strength. Goldman appeared on a giant screen and taunted the group, claiming that he was looking forward to meeting them again.[10]

Goldman tended to Emperor as James and Gary drove to his headquarters. When confronted in his office on the top floor, Goldman asserted that mankind "[disturbed] the balance of nature", and that he created Emperor to rule over humans. After James and Gary defeated Emperor, Goldman serenely claimed that a "successor" will eventually come. He then committed suicide by throwing himself off the roof of the building.[10]

2003 "Pandora's Box" events

Main article: The House of the Dead 4
HotD4 Goldman

Goldman's posthumous message to James Taylor.

Before his death, Goldman planned for a resurgence of creatures, as well as a global nuclear missile launch, at a later date.[7] In pre-recorded messages, Goldman associated these efforts with the term "Pandora's Box", claiming that he wanted to revert humans to their "natural state".[7][12]

In 2003, veteran agent James and rookie Kate Green discovered the missile launch in an underground Classified Information Room. James later received an email posthumously from Goldman, who stated that "everything's set" before starting an hour-long countdown to the launch. James and Kate raced to Goldman's headquarters and defeated the Star, a creature who sought testing their strength as Goldman's "parting wish", James was injured after the Star exploded.[11]

After stopping the launch, James and Kate found another message from Goldman on his desk computer, in which he explained his motives and claiming that he could not stop the "[opening]" of Pandora's Box. Following this, the World -- having fully matured -- emerged from below the building courtyard and battled James and Kate. James ultimately set his PDA to self-destruct, sacrificing himself in the resulting explosion to destroy the World.[11]

In another message on Goldman's computer, he cryptically told the viewer to "travel north", concluding that hope "is such a splendid thing".[13]

Legacy

HODSDGoldmanMonument

Goldman's monument, with his first name visible.

Goldman's associate, Thornheart, would chastise him as "soft". He claimed that the "true end" will begin, and that there was more than one Pandora's Box.[14] Thornheart would later dedicate a monument to Goldman.[15]

Personality

Goldman was a stoic, distant, and calculating human being. Even when confronted and defeated by his enemies, whom he addressed as "friends", his voice never rose above a serene, but stern tone. The closest he ever came to displaying anger was describing to James Taylor and Gary Stewart the "sin" man committed, but even then, Goldman's tone was still reserved and controlled.

He harbored a deep contempt regarding what the human race might become due to their self-destructive tendencies, disruption of nature, and their excessive "[breeding]". He also possessed calm, unshakeable confidence that his vision of a world free of the destruction wrought by man would indeed come to pass; it was not an issue of if he'd succeed, but a matter of when, with defeat only delaying the inevitable.

This same ironclad faith is perhaps why he stepped off his building with such serenity. As he had told James and Gary upon the Emperor's defeat, everything was far from over, and he had already made arrangements for the Emperor's successor in the form of Pandora's Box. He was absolutely certain his plans would come into fruition even after his death.

Goldman was also intelligent, being described as having extensive knowledge of the Genome Theory.

Non-canonical ending appearances

Goldman also appears in multiple other endings in The House of the Dead 2, 4, and The Typing of the Dead. These endings are not canon, either due to the tone or what is established in future games.

  • In The House of the Dead 2, Goldman may appear at the entrance of his headquarters as a creature.
  • In an alternate ending to The House of the Dead 4, after Goldman says "Hope is such a splendid thing" in his recording, he may remove his glasses; the camera zooms in on his face, with his eyes suddenly turning red and gashes appearing on his skin.
  • The Typing of the Dead, a parody of 2, has three possible endings depending on the answers chosen during the final phase of Emperor's fight. These endings occur after Goldman bids farewell to James and Gary.
    • Goldman leans back and falls off of the building, just like in the original game. Goldman's fall is now accompanied by an appropriate cartoon sound effect, and the entire fall is seen. The impact results in a large fiery explosion, leaving the agents speechless and dumbfounded.
    • Goldman leans back and falls off the building, but a bungee cord is tied to his legs. He is sprung back up, lands on the edge of the building, and burps.
    • Instead of leaning back to fall, Goldman raises his hands and farts as he flies straight into the sky. The agents look on, speechless and dumbfounded.

Quotes

The House of the Dead 2

Quote Audio
"Dogs of the AMS... time they made a move."
"It's been a while, hasn't it? My friends from the AMS. It's me, Goldman."
"Everything's set. All we need to do is wait..."
"[Laughs] People of the AMS, I am Goldman. I don't care if you people try to get in my way or not. In time, you'll find out who's right. [Laughs] This is a present from me, to you."
"Our Emperor shall awaken, soon... Hurry, friends."
At last you've come... friends. The door of fate shall open..."
"I'm fully aware of what I'm doing. Can't you see? Man committed a sin... disturbing the life cycle of nature... The original sin that man is responsible to... To protect the life cycle. I have made a creature to rule over mankind... [Stands up] This is the final battle. Show yourself! Our new ruler the Emperor!"
"In time... a successor will come. Farewell, friends."

The House of the Dead 4

Quote Audio
"Have you ever thought about the future? What will happen to the world if humans continue to breed? Don't you see? Humans have set themselves upon the path to inevitable destruction."
"Increasing wars and famines, diseases of unknown origin, increasingly frequent natural disasters. Don't you find it odd? A bit coincidental? Has anyone even noticed? Must we simply sit and wait for it all to end?"
"At some point in time, humans broke the natural harmony of the world. They came to know greed like no other species. They gave no thought to what their rampant breeding would do to the world."
"Earth has evolved in a way so that it naturally regulates the population of any given species. [Punches desk] Humans were once subject to this system, regardless of whether or not they knew it. [Grins as the agents draw their guns] Pandora's Box is opening [Interrupted by James]."
"To my dear AMS agents... Everything's set."
"First off, I just wanted to congratulate you. Do not worry, it was not my wish to destroy the world with nuclear missiles. I do not wish to kill all humans. I merely wish to revert them to their natural state. However, Pandora's Box has been opened. There is nothing I can do to stop it. If you were able to make it this far, there is yet still hope."
"Ah yes, there is one thing I forgot. The human race has not been eliminated. Travel north... Hope is such a splendid thing."

Trivia

  • A Goldman costume, for use in Original Mode, can be acquired in the home versions of 2 (including The House of the Dead: 2 & 3 Return).
  • On a flyer advertising the plot and mechanics of The House of the Dead 4, Goldman is addressed as "Dr. Goldman".
  • In the live-action sequel film House of the Dead 2, Goldman was briefly mentioned by one of the commandos who was thinking of selling the first-generation blood to "Goldman Pharmaceuticals".

Gallery

Wiki-wordmark To view the Caleb Goldman gallery, click here.


Sources

Notes
  1. Goldman's first name was never revealed in dialogue and print materials for The House of the Dead 2 and 4. Despite this, fans often gave him the first name "Caleb", which eventually appeared on a monument in House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn. Unless director Takashi Oda debunks this information, this wiki will assume that the "Caleb" fan name was accepted as canon because it made an official appearance.
  2. There are conflicting accounts of Goldman's age in The House of the Dead 2. In 2's Dreamcast manual, he is said to be in his early forties, while The House of the Dead III's Xbox manual claims that he is in his late forties.
References
  1. The House of the Dead 2 Sega Dreamcast manual, pg 4
  2. SEGA Interactive R&D#1. (13 September 2018). House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn. Sega. Level/area: Laboratory. Kate Green: [Explaining a photo of Dr. Curien, Caleb Goldman, and Thornheart to Ryan Taylor] In 1880...the organization their ancestors made was...the beginning of everything.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Sega Wow Inc. (17 September 2013). The House of the Dead 2. Arcade, Sega Dreamcast, PC, and Xbox. Sega. Level/area: Darkness. Harry Harris: Well, the 1998 Curien case. Guess who was behind it...It was Goldman. He's the head of one of the most eminent financial group [sic] and an expert on the Genome theory.
  4. Sega Wow Inc. (30 December 2005). The House of the Dead 4. Arcade and PlayStation 3. Sega. Level/area: Chapter 3. Goldman: Have you ever thought about the future? What will happen to this world if humans continue to breed? Don't you see? Humans have set themselves upon the path to inevitable destruction.
  5. Sega Wow Inc. (30 December 2005). The House of the Dead 4. Arcade and PlayStation 3. Sega. Level/area: Chapter 4. Goldman: Increasing wars and famine, diseases of unknown origin, increasingly frequent natural disasters. Don't you find it odd? A bit coincidental? Has anyone even noticed? Must we simply sit and wait for it all to end?
  6. Sega Wow Inc. (30 December 2005). The House of the Dead 4. Arcade and PlayStation 3. Sega. Level/area: Chapter 5. Goldman: At some point in time, humans broke the natural harmony of the world. They came to know greed like no other species. They gave no thought to what their rampant breeding would do to the world.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Sega Wow Inc. (30 December 2005). The House of the Dead 4. Arcade and PlayStation 3. Sega. Level/area: Chapter 6. Goldman: First off, I just wanted to congratulate you. Do not worry, it was not my wish to destroy the world with nuclear missiles. I do not wish to kill all humans. I merely wish to revert them to their natural state. However, Pandora's Box has been opened. There is nothing I can do to stop it. If you were able to make it this far, there is yet still hope.
  8. The House of the Dead
  9. The House of the Dead 2 - PC/Dreamcast extended opening
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 The House of the Dead 2
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 The House of the Dead 4
  12. Sega Wow Inc. (30 December 2005). The House of the Dead 4. Arcade and PlayStation 3. Sega. Level/area: Chapter 6. Goldman: Earth has evolved in a way so that it naturally regulates the population of any given species. [Punches desk] Humans were once subject to this system, regardless of whether or not they knew it. [Grins as the agents draw their guns] Pandora's Box is opening [Interrupted by James].
  13. Sega Wow Inc. (30 December 2005). The House of the Dead 4. Arcade and PlayStation 3. Sega. Level/area: Normal ending. Goldman: Ah yes, there is one thing I forgot. The human race has not been eliminated. Travel north... Hope is such a splendid thing.
  14. Sega Wow Inc. (30 December 2005). The House of the Dead 4. Arcade and PlayStation 3. Sega. Level/area: Thornheart ending. Thornheart: Goldman, you are soft. These wretched humans have no need of hope. Soon the true end shall begin...There is more than one Pandora's Box.
  15. House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn
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