- “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]
Diane McClintock was Andrew Ryan's mistress before the period of the Civil War in Rapture.
History
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"...if you're going to do such things, at least you should
do them properly." - Brigid Tenenbaum This article, Diane McClintock , or a section of this article may require overall cleanup.
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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 enamored with him that she even began talking about carrying his child, an idea that Ryan briefly considered in the Audio Diary Generation.
Diane was present at the Kashmir Restaurant on New Year's Eve for a masquerade ball, a party she had planned to attend with Ryan before he blew her off. When the restaurant was attacked Diane suffered injuries to her face causing disfigurement. After the riots, it is mentioned in her first few diaries that she went to the Medical Pavilion to undergo some form of facial reconstruction. She was seen to by Dr. Steinman, who was very attentive to her during this period and showed great interest in her case (likely due to his growing insanity and obsession with surgery). However 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 ventured to Apollo Square hoping to confront those responsible for her injuries, she was appalled by how Ryan was merciless in his handling of the rebels, ordering his guards to fight splicing with splicing, and turning the square into a prison camp.
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 is portrayed 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 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.
BioShock 2
- Main article: BioShock 2
She is mentioned 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 overworking 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.
BioShock 2 Multiplayer
- Main article: BioShock 2 Multiplayer
Some quotes by Diane are seen in the loading screen, about her changing side to a follower of Atlas.
- "We didn't start this thing....Ryan did."
- "I saw a woman climb over the fence trying to escape… One of Ryan's guards pointed at her, and she lit on fire… just like that. What's happening here?"
Audio Diaries
BioShock
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's corpse uses 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]
- It was hinted on Twitter by Ken Levine that Diane would make an appearance in Burial at Sea, however she was not seen or heard of in the DLC's two episodes.[3]
References
- ↑ Barbara McClintock on Wikipedia
- ↑ BioShock with designer JP LeBreton Part 3 video playthrough hosted by Idle Thumbs
- ↑ The Tweet
sv:Diane McClintock