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.
Goldman[src]
Caleb Goldman (カレッブ・ゴールドマン, Karebbu gōrudoman) was a genetic engineer and the CEO of the DBR Corporation. Detesting humanity's self-destructive tendencies and abuse of nature, he sought regulating populations to revert mankind to its "natural state". He funded and used the research of the late Dr. Roy Curien to produce hostile biologically-engineered creatures, before masterminding two worldwide incidents.
He is the main antagonist of The House of the Dead 2 and The House of the Dead 4.
Biography
The House of the Dead
Goldman took interest in Dr. Curien's "Bio-Reactor" project, which was to remove the barrier between life and death and cure the scientist's terminally-ill son, Daniel. Funding Curien's work, he established the DBR Corporation and hired Curien as its research director to avoid public suspicion.
With a team of researchers, Curien continued his inhumane experiments within a mansion. The departure of so much personnel and his obsession with curing Daniel drove Curien insane, resulting in him unleashing his creations upon researchers on December 18, 1998. AMS agents Thomas Rogan and "G" repelled the threat, with Curien dying at the hands of his magnum opus, the Magician.
Sometime after the incident, Goldman visited the abandoned mansion and took all that remained of Curien's research. He spent the next two years continuing the doctor's work with his own resources.
The House of the Dead 2
On February 26, 2000, Goldman unleashed waves of zombies upon an unknown, European city. AMS agents James Taylor and Gary Stewart protected the populace, killing Goldman's Judgment, Hierophant, and Tower creations. Upon hearing of the AMS' arrival, Goldman left a message on agent Amy Crystal's phone, civilly inviting her, James, Gary, and Harry Harris to meet him at the Coliseum. The four split up, but the undead Strength captured Amy and Harry; the latter was injured. Goldman appeared on a giant screen and taunted the group, claiming that he was looking forward to meeting them again.
Goldman commits suicide.
By the following morning, February 27, Goldman had returned to his headquarters, where he simply awaited the AMS agents' arrival while tending to his most powerful creation, the Emperor. After defeating a revived Magician, James and Gary confronted Goldman, who calmly used the life cycle as reasoning for his actions. He unleashed the Emperor, a being intended to rule over mankind, which was destroyed by the agents.
Serenely claiming that a "successor" will eventually come, Goldman committed suicide by leaning backwards over the top of his headquarters, falling to his presumed death. However, his plans had only begun. It was not known if the successor Goldman was referring to was either to Thornheart, a former colleague who appears in House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn, or to the World in The House of the Dead 4, the successor to the Emperor.
The House of the Dead III
While Goldman does not appear in the game, he is mentioned in a flashback to The House of the Dead 2. The Wheel of Fate, the game's final boss which is actually Curien's resurrected form, is one of his final projects.
The House of the Dead 4
Goldman is the posthumous antagonist of The House of the Dead 4, appearing largely through recordings and flashbacks.
In 2003, James and rookie agent Kate Green fought a new outbreak of creatures. Both were unsure who was responsible, although James suspected that the events from 2000 hadn't ended as they thought. In a Classified Information Room, they discovered an impending nuclear missile launch. Finding the city in ruins, James received an e-mail on his PDA from Goldman, who stated that "everything's set" and began an hour-long countdown to the launch.
Racing to Goldman's headquarters, James and Kate defeated the Star in "a test of strength" as Goldman's "parting wish". Although James was injured, the two reached Goldman's office. They halted the missile launch, but found a recorded message from Goldman, who claimed that the launch was to merely revert humans to their "natural state". He then noted that since Pandora's Box had been opened, he could not stop it.
Following the message, an insect-like humanoid, The World, emerged from below the courtyard of Goldman's headquarters. James and Kate fought the World, which continuously evolved and resurrected itself. James set his PDA to self-destruct, sacrificing himself in the resulting explosion to destroy the World and finally close Pandora's Box.
In the game's "normal" ending, the camera cuts back to Goldman's office computer. In a recording, Goldman says "Ah yes, there is one thing I forgot. The human race has not been eliminated. Travel north... Hope is such a splendid thing." In the "bad" ending, the camera focuses on Goldman's face, which morphs into a zombie-like visage, indicating that Goldman was resurrected as a zombie.
Another ending involves a mysterious man chastising Goldman for being "soft" and that humans "have no need of hope",. He states that the "true end" will soon begin, and that there is more than one Pandora's Box.
House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn
Goldman and Curien are revealed to have worked with a mysterious tycoon named Thornheart, whose ancestors had founded the DBR Corporation. The pair of them are seen alongside Thornheart in a photograph taken years before the first game's events. Monuments to Goldman and Curien are later seen.
The Typing of the Dead
As the game serves as a parody of The House of the Dead 2, the plot and dialogue are largely unchanged, aside from one notable exception: the game's ending. Depending on the answers chosen during the final phase of the Emperor battle, one of three endings are seen after Goldman bids farewell to the agents. Given the comical tone of the game, none of these endings are canon and are immediately followed by the credits.
- 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.
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.
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 this world if humans continue to breed? Don't you see? Humans have set themselves upon the path to inevitable destruction." | |
| "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?" | |
| "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
- In the "bad" ending of The House of the Dead 2, the player will confront a zombified Goldman after leaving his headquarters.
- A Goldman costume, for use in Original Mode, can be acquired in the home versions of the game, including The House of the Dead: 2 & 3 Return.
- 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".
- In the unmade sequel House of the Dead 3, Goldman was going to appear as the main antagonist.
- His family name "Goldman" is of Jewish heritage, implying that he is from a Jewish family background.
- There is also an a possibility that Goldman resurrected Dr. Roy Curien as the Wheel of Fate in the third game as the ending of a flashback sequence for the second game shows him walking into Curien's laboratory and stopping by the scientist's corpse.
Gallery
The House of the Dead 2
Screenshots
The House of the Dead 4
Official Art
Screenshots
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