- “He said, 'Innocents? If they haven't chosen to defend Rapture, they've chosen to side with Atlas and his bandits. So there are no innocents. There are heroes, and there are criminals.'”
- ― Diane McClintock[src]
History
Diane McClintock was Andrew Ryan's mistress before the period of the Civil War in Rapture. Being intimately involved with the most powerful man in Rapture gave McClintock a somewhat distorted view of life in the city. In the beginning, she fully supported Ryan and his beliefs. She became so enamoured with him that she even began talking about carrying his child, an idea that Ryan briefly considered in the Audio Diary "Generation."
As mentioned in the first few diaries, she went to the Medical Pavilion to undergo some form of facial reconstruction, after sustaining injuries to her face during the 1958 New Year's Eve Riots. Her surgeon Dr. Steinman was very attentive to her during this period. Despite the work Dr. Steinman performed, her face was not in the same condition it was prior to the events of the New Year's Eve ball.
While in the Medical Pavilion, McClintock heard rumors of what was happening between Atlas and Ryan, as well as the subsequent social decline of Rapture. She did not really believe these rumors, but she realized how much the citizens of Rapture were suffering from the effects of fear-induced splicing and the battle between Atlas and Ryan after visiting Apollo Square. In fact, she was initially furious at the supporters of Atlas for "ruining" her body. When she returned to Ryan, she found him a changed man. He was merciless in the handling of the rebels, ordering his guards to fight splicing with splicing. He had also taken Jasmine Jolene as his new mistress, possibly leaving McClintock due to her facial scarring.
Witnessing the severity of Ryan's methods changed Diane. After seeing the internment of people that were considered opponents of Ryan, she became disillusioned and was taken in by the supporters of Atlas.
As revealed in Audio Diaries, McClintock was shocked to find herself becoming so actively involved in Atlas' revolution. After personally participating in raids, robberies and other missions for Atlas' rebellion, she was eventually introduced to Atlas himself. She seemed to become enamored with him, calling herself a fool for ever thinking Ryan "a great man" and later expressing excitement to inform him about the fruits of her missions.
While Atlas sat in his office recording a diary, "The Longest Con," in his normal 'Fontaine' voice, Diane unexpectedly walked in. He quickly stammered back into an Irish accent, and while it is unknown if she discovered Atlas' true identity, was curious about the Bronx accent, or even heard it at all, for Frank Fontaine it was a risk one could not take. A body that is likely to be Diane McClintock's can be found on a desk in Atlas' headquarters a few feet away from the Audio Diary.
Despite her connection to Ryan, McClintock serves as something of an "everyman" character, representing the common citizens of Rapture during its decline and fall. Initially she was enthralled by Ryan, but the pursuit of his ideology and work made him repeatedly ignore her needs. She was harmed in "terrorist" attacks by Atlas' revolutionaries during the riots and McClintock's face was never returned to normal. Ryan stopped thinking about her entirely, not visiting her in the hospital and ceasing to date her (when he gained a single-minded focus on saving Rapture by defeating Atlas). Initially embittered by the early attacks by the revolutionaries, McClintock and other average citizens became increasingly horrified at the strong measures that Ryan imposed on the city. As the civil war escalated, some became so dissatisfied with his control that they ceased to support him or even sided with the rebels. McClintock and the other citizens who had joined the rebels had been duped by the demagogue Atlas. Roped in by Atlas' act, McClintock became an active revolutionary and even joined other guerrilla bands of Splicers to attack Big Daddies and kill Little Sisters, only to then be betrayed by Atlas/Fontaine, who had no concern for the welfare of the people of Rapture. McClintock's audio diaries thus present the story of how the average citizens of Rapture became the violent, feuding Splicers fighting in the streets by the time Jack arrives in the city.
Audio Diaries
BioShock 2
There was mention of her in the Audio Diary, "Generation" by Andrew Ryan in BioShock 2. It was revealed that Diane had urged Ryan to take breaks to prevent him from over-working and to spend time with her. It was also revealed that Diane had at least once spoke of possibly bearing Andrew Ryan's child. This made Ryan think that maybe he should put some thought into his legacy.
Gallery
Behind the Scenes
- It is possible that Diane's last name, "McClintock," is a reference to renowned cytogenetecist Barbara McClintock, who contributed considerable understanding to the concept of genetic recombination during cell division, among other topics (her work eventually netted her a Nobel Prize).[1]
- McClintock is a variation of the Baby Jane Splicer model.
- As seen in the above gallery, Diane McClintock's Audio Diary portrait is based on the mugshot of Tanya Williams, a woman working at the Melody Lane club in San Francisco, arrested in 1942 for "indecent entertainment." The same photograph for Williams was also modified for the original concept art for Lady Smith.[2]
References
- ↑ Barbara McClintock
- ↑ BioShock with designer JP LeBreton Part 3 video playthrough hosted by Idle Thumbs