List of characters from The Expendables film series
The following is a list of characters from The Expendables.
Appearances
| Character | Film | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Expendables | The Expendables 2 | The Expendables 3 | |||||||
| The Expendables | |||||||||
| Barney Ross | Sylvester Stallone | ||||||||
| Lee Christmas | Jason Statham | ||||||||
| Yin Yang | Jet Li | ||||||||
| Gunner Jensen | Dolph Lundgren | ||||||||
| Toll Road | Randy Couture | ||||||||
| Hale Caesar | Terry Crews | ||||||||
| Billy The Kid | Liam Hemsworth | ||||||||
| Galgo | Antonio Banderas | ||||||||
| Doc | Wesley Snipes | ||||||||
| John Smilee | Kellan Lutz | ||||||||
| Luna | Ronda Rousey | ||||||||
| Thorn | Glen Powell | ||||||||
| Mars | Victor Ortiz | ||||||||
| Supporting Characters | |||||||||
| Trench Mauser | Arnold Schwarzenegger | ||||||||
| Lacy | Charisma Carpenter | ||||||||
| Tool | Mickey Rourke | ||||||||
| Sandra | Giselle Itié | ||||||||
| Booker | Chuck Norris | ||||||||
| Bonaparte | Kelsey Grammer | ||||||||
| C.I.A Members | |||||||||
| Mr. Church | Bruce Willis | ||||||||
| Maggie | Yu Nan | ||||||||
| Max Drummer | Harrison Ford | ||||||||
| Primary Antagonists | |||||||||
| James Munroe | Eric Roberts | ||||||||
| Jean Vilain | Jean-Claude Van Damme | ||||||||
| Conrad Stonebanks | Mel Gibson | ||||||||
| Secondary Antagonists | |||||||||
| Dan Paine | Steve Austin | ||||||||
| General Garza | David Zayas | ||||||||
| The Brit | Gary Daniels | ||||||||
| Hector | Scott Adkins | ||||||||
| Goran Vata | Robert Davi | ||||||||
The Expendables
The following characters are recognised as being members of the Expendables at some point in the films.
Barney Ross
- Played by Sylvester Stallone
The leader of the Expendables. He is hired by Agent Church in the first film to investigate suspicious activities in Vilena and take out its fanatical dictator General Garza. Barney at first thinks about abandoning the job after finding out that renegade CIA agent Munroe is using Vilena as a source of narcotics production. However, he is impressed by the courage of Garza's rebellious daughter and ends up taking down Garza and Munroe. Though Barney completes his assignment, Church wants compensation for the death of Munroe and hires Barney's crew to find an unrecovered briefcase from a downed plane in Albania (The Expendables 2). Since the case is locked in a safe rigged with explosives, Church forces Barney to take hacker Maggie Chan along for the mission. Barney accepts reluctantly and the mission goes without a hitch. However, Barney's crew is ambushed by the arms-dealer, Jean Vilain, and his gang, The Sangs. Barney's rookie member, Billy the Kid, is murdered by Vilain who takes the briefcase, actually containing a computer map showing the hiding place of five tons of discarded plutonium. Barney and the crew start on a mission of revenge in order to take down Vilain. Barney confronts Vilain at the airport where the two battle one-on-one.
In The Expendables 3, Barney and his crew, reinforced by veteran member Doctor Death, are sent to take down an arms dealer who turns out to be Expendables co-founder Conrad Stonebanks. The mission ends in disaster with Hale Caesar severely wounded. As Barney is tasked by CIA agent Drummer to arrest Stonebanks and deliver him to the Hague for war crimes, Ross forms a new team, disbanding the former members. He seems initially successful, catching Stonebanks during a deal in Poland, but his new team is captured when Stonebanks' lackeys come to rescue him. Barney initially plans to go after Stonebanks, accompanied only by the ex-mercenary Galgo, but Barney's old team rejoins him on a mission to take down Stonebanks in Asmenistan. Barney confronts Stonebanks on the floor level of a demolished hotel in a fist fight which ends with Barney gunning Stonebanks down as he's reaching for an assault rifle.
Barney is very close to his team-mates and worries over their safety. He shows great remorse over the death of Billy the Kid and disbands his former team after Hale Caesar is seriously wounded. Barney's signature weapon is a revolver pistol which he keeps hidden in a holster behind him in order to take targets by surprise. Barney is also an expert pilot. Barney has an affinity for skulls which feature prominently in his personal effects, especially his lucky ring which he gives to Hale Caesar while he's recovering at the hospital.
Lee Christmas
- Played by Jason Statham
Lee is Barney's closest friend on the Expendables team. Barney frequently trusts Lee with dangerous missions and takes him along on the recon to Vilena. In the first two movies, Lee struggles with his commitment to the team and his girlfriend Lacy, whom he initially intends to marry. Lee often questions Barney's decisions but loyally sticks by him.
He shows some hostility towards Doctor Death, both being expert knife-users. Lee uses throwing knives and is able to throw them with amazing accuracy and speed, often taking down multiple opponents at the same time. Lee is also extremely capable in unarmed combat.
Lee is constantly the target of belittling and jokes from other members, especially Barney. He is picked on due to his size, ego, last name (which lends itself to puns) and his accent, which Agent Drummer isn't able to understand.
Galgo
- Played by Antonio Banderas
Galgo is a former Spanish soldier, whose unit is killed during a peace-keeping mission. Later Galgo struggles to find work due to his age, sending many fake resumes to Bonaparte. He meets Barney while he's looking to form a new team to take down Conrad Stonebanks. When the new team is captured, Galgo comes to Barney personally begging to be allowed to help. Barney takes him along and Galgo proves himself useful, despite getting on everyone's nerves with his constant talking. Barney eventually deduces that Galgo's incessant talking is due to his guilt over being the only one of his unit to survive. After Stonebanks' death, Galgo is accepted officially into the Expendables.
Antonio Banderas intentionally played against type in the role of Galgo. Whereas Banderas had established himself as a suave and serious Latino lead actor, as Galgo he performs exaggerated mannerisms and talks incessantly.
Yin Yang
- Played by Jet Li
Yin Yang is another capable unarmed combatant in the team. In the first movie, Yang complains that he should be paid more, due to being smaller than everyone else, and thus having to do more work. He and Gunnar share animosity with one another, although by the time of Expendables 2, this animosity seems to have eased into a playful rivalry between the two. Yang is seen at the start of The Expendables 2 but is left behind by the team to deliver a hostage (called "money bags") while the rest of the team return to the US. Yang is seen again at the finale of The Expendables 3, when he is called in on short-notice by Agent Drummer and Trench Mauser to help the Expendables take down Conrad Stonebanks.
Simon West confirms that Jet Li's lessened role in The Expendables 2 was due to scheduling conflicts, which is why Li was only able to appear at the film's opening and one fight scene.[1]
Doc
- Played by Wesley Snipes
Doc, a.k.a. Doctor Death, is a martial arts, a medic and knifes expert of the team. He was introduced in the third Expendables film. He was one of the original members that was founded by Barney Ross and Conrad Stonebanks before he was imprisoned for 8 years. He was rescued and freed from a prison train by Ross, Christmas, Road and Gunner. He would often be in a playful competition with Lee Christmas over who was better at using knives. He assisted the team in Somalia to take down a dealer named Victor Minz, only to be startled in discovering that Minz was none other than Stonebanks. After Stonebanks wounds Caesar, he along with Christmas, Road and Gunner would be dismissed by Ross. Later on, they would all rejoin Barney to go after Stonebanks.
Wesley Snipes was originally offered the role of Hale Caesar, but he turned it down due to serving a three-year sentence for tax evasion, which was referenced in the third Expendables film. Once he was released, Stallone offered him the role of Doc.
Gunner Jensen
- Played by Dolph Lundgren
Gunner is the Swedish member of the Expendables. He plays a notable role in the first film where he is fired from the team by Barney, after he needlessly tries to hang a Somali pirate at the end of a hostage recovery mission. Gunner is hired by James Munroe to gather intel on Barney and the Expendables, when they begin disrupting his drug plantation operation in Vilena. After a chase and a fight with his former team-mate Yin Yang, Gunner is shot by Barney but he survives and gives Barney the info he needs to take Munroe down. He follows Barney and crew on subsequent missions in the next two films.
Gunner is let go from the team due to being a drug-user, he seems to have reformed by the later movies. He shares a playful, teasing relationship with Yin Yang. He plays the part of a comic relief in The Expendables 2, making many in-jokes related to Dolph Lundgren's real-life persona (his degree in chemistry and his Swedish heritage) as well as through his unsuccessful attempts to hit on Maggie Chan. The role of Gunnar was retooled for Lundgren after Jean-Claude Van Damme turned the role down for the first Expendables movie.
Toll Road
- Played by Randy Couture
Another member of the team, he feels self-conscious about his cauliflower ear and easily angered by other team members making comments about it.
Hale Caesar
- Played by Terry Crews
Caesar is the muscle-house of the Expendables team and is usually called in to handle assignments that require amazing feats of strength. In The Expendables 2, Caesar holds one of two spring-loaded doors open to allow Maggie Chan access to a safe, while the other half of the door is held back only with the combined strength of Barney and Lee. Caesar is used for comic relief (his name being a pun on "hail Caesar") and has some unexpected talents, such as being a good cook.
The plot of The Expendables 3 revolves around Barney and his crew exacting vengeance on Conrad Stonebanks who nearly kills Caesar. After a failed assassination mission, Caesar is shot through the back by Stonebanks with a sniper rifle and left hospitalised. He is on the road to recovery by the film's end, when he returns Barney's lucky ring.
Billy The Kid
- Played by Liam Hemsworth
An expert sniper who is a member of the Expendables during the second movie. Billy is an ex-soldier who joins the Expendables after a disastrous mission in the Middle-East which leaves his former unit dead, as well as a stray dog he had adopted being put down by superior officers during a retreat. Billy tells Barney that he intends to leave once he can earn enough money to start a new life with his girlfriend Sophie. However, Billy is taken hostage by Jean Vilain during the Expendables' mission in Albania and killed. His death motivates Barney into hunting down Vilain to exact vengeance.
John Smilee
- Played by Kellan Lutz
A former marine who is recruited to the new Expendables team. He is first approached by Barney and Bonaparte in Mexico after losing a fight. He helps Barney and the new team to capture Stonebanks, but later he along with the new team are captured by Stonebanks' mercenaries. Barney and the old Expendables team rescue Smilee and the other members and fight Stonebanks' team. At the end of the film he along with Galgo, Luna, Mars, and Thorn become members of the Expendables and jokes to Barney about being the new leader.
Luna
- Played by Ronda Rousey
Luna is the only female member of the Expendables team. She was a bouncer and was introduced to Barney Ross by Bonaparte in the third film. Impressed with her fighting style, Ross immediately hires her. She along with fellow new members Smilee, Thorn and Mars help Ross capture Stonebanks. However, Stonebanks manages to free himself and then captures the new team members. They all would later be rescued by Ross and the old members.
Galgo (Antonio Banderas) is often shown flirting with Luna when the older and younger members team up. She considers the entire team as her family.
Thorn
- Played by Glen Powell
An expert hacker and mountain-climber. He is brought along Barney's new Expendables crew to help capture Conrad Stonebanks in Expendables 3. Thorn is able to hack the security of the building where Stonebanks is having a meeting. He is later captured along with the rest of the new Expendables and used as bait by Stonebanks to capture Barney in Asmenistan. Barney, his old crew and Galgo rescue Thorn and the others which is when Stonebanks activates timed explosives inside the building where they were held. Thorn delays the explosives using Gunner's PDA and is able to hold the signal until the PDA runs out of batteries.
Thorn is shown to clash with Gunner during a brief meeting between the new and old Expendables, though meeting Thorn leads Gunner to also get a PDA later. Thorn is frequently put on the spot by his fellow team-mates, such as improvising the plot to capture Stonebanks during his meeting. Thorn is also shown to be an expert rock-climber, climbing an unfinished elevator shaft without any assistance towards the film's end.
Mars
- Played by Victor Ortiz
Mars is a one of the four newest members introduced in the third film. He was a U.S. soldier who was recruited by Barney Ross after demonstrating the use of latest deadly rifle. He along with Smilee, Thorn, and Luna helped Barney capture Conran Stonebanks until Stonebanks' men helped Stonebanks escaped and capture the four new members. They are later rescued by Barney and the older members.
Supporting characters
Following characters play a notable role in one or more of the films as assistance to The Expendables, but are not considered part of the team itself.
Trench Mauser
- Played by Arnold Schwarzenegger
The head of a competing mercenary group who turns down the job offer from Church in the first movie. Barney and Trench know each other and have great animosity towards each other in the first movie. At the start of The Expendables 2, Barney's crew rescues Mauser who had become imprisoned in Nepal trying to rescue the same Chinese billionaire the Expendables are trying to rescue. Trench lets the Expendables take the hostage (referred to as "money bags") and is left indebted to Barney. Trench returns the favour later by rescuing the Expendables who had been trapped in a mine by Jean Vilain. Trench, Church and the Expendables collectively take down the Sangs and Vilain, who are trying to escape Albania with 5 tons of weaponised plutonium.
Trench helps out Barney on his mission to capture Stonebanks in The Expendables 3. The two have seemingly become friends now, though Mauser calls Barney an idiot when he initially plans to go after Stonebanks by himself when his second Expendables team is captured. At the finale CIA Agent Drummer, Trench and Yin Yang, provide support for the Expendables as they are attacked by the Asmenistan army, controlled by Stonebanks.
Schwarzennegger parodies his own action-movie persona with the role of Trench. He is often seen smoking a cigar (a real habit of the actor) and he delivers several lines from his prior action-movies. Trench's appearance in the first film was limited as Schwarzenegger was still serving as Governor of California during production. This is referenced to jokingly by Stallone in the film where he claims that Trench "wants to become President".
Max Drummer
- Played by Harrison Ford
Drummer is Barney's CIA liaison in the third movie. Drummer is implied to be sent in Church's place after Barney first fails to assassinate Stonebanks. After Barney gathers a new crew composed of John Smilee, Mars, Thorn and Luna - Drummer informs Barney that Stonebanks is to be captured alive in order to be tried for war crimes. Later, when Barney goes after Stonebanks with his old crew, Drummer takes Trench Mauser and Yin Yang along as support. Drummer is shown to be a capable helicopter pilot. Despite Stonebank's death, he seems to be in good spirits meeting Barney after their escape from Asmenistan, commenting: "I haven't had this much fun in years".
Harrison Ford was hired to replace Bruce Willis after Stallone and Willis couldn't agree on Willis' pay. Ford makes several meta-jokes commenting on Church's absence, Stallone's stroke and Jason Statham's heavy accent.
Mr. Church
- Played by Bruce Willis
A CIA agent who hires the Expendables to take out General Garza in Vilena. Barney deduces that Church has been turned down by all other mercenary groups, including Trench Mauser at their first meeting, which is why he demands $5 million, half of which is to be paid in advance. Though Barney and his crew complete Church's assignment, he's left with a grudge over the death of James Munroe, the real mastermind behind Garza's coup and a rogue agent. As compensation, he demands Barney deliver a map of an Albanian plutonium dump to him. However, the Expendables go AWOL in order to avenge the death of Billy the Kid, which leads to an intervention by Church and Trench, who comes along in order to repay Barney. Church is replaced by agent Drummer as Barney's CIA liaison in the third movie.
Church's real name is unknown. His alias is in direct reference to the place where he and Barney meet for the first time, but he keeps using the alias during his subsequent meetings with Barney. Though accused by Barney as being a man who lets others do his dirty work, he comes to aid Barney personally by the end of the second film. Church is not seen in Expendables 3, seemingly due to Barney's failure to kill Conrad Stonebanks. In truth, Willis' lack of appearance was due to disagreements with Sylvester Stallone over his pay which led to his role being retooled for the character of Drummer.
Tool
- Played by Mickey Rourke
A tattoo artist who is the recruitment liaison for the Expendables. His tattoo parlor is the base and headquarters of the Expendables, although he no longer participates in missions. He regularly participates in knife-throwing competitions with Lee Christmas. While he has a limited appearance in the movie, Tool spurs Barney to return to Vilena to finish his mission and to rescue Sandra after confessing to allowing a woman to commit suicide instead of saving her during a mission in Bosnia.
Booker
- Played by Chuck Norris
A mercenary who acts alone. Booker rescues Barney and most of the Expendables during a battle with the Sangs and also helps the heroes at the end of Expendables 2, while they are trying to stop Jean Vilain. After his battle with Vilain, Barney Ross finds Booker in the company of Mr. Church, with Booker saying he's moving on with the death of the Sang gang.
Simon West admitted that Chuck Norris was cast due to his recent internet popularity in the form of the Chuck Norris joke memes.[2] Booker is called "the lone wolf", in reference to Norris character in Lone Wolf McQuade. His leitmotif during appearances is the theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Ennio Morricone.
Bonaparte
- Played by Kelsey Grammer
Bonaparte is a retired mercenary who was introduced in the third film. He is a friend of Barney Ross and ally to The Expendables. He helps Barney recruit a team of younger people who are efficient in combat, experts in weaponry, and are technology savvy. It is revealed that Bonaparte has two ex-wives and three children.
Maggie Chan
- Played by Yu Nan
Maggie is a martial arts expert and hacker who works with Mr. Church. She was introduced in the second film. She was assigned to work with Barney Ross and the rest of the members of The Expendables, to fly down to Albania and retrieve a program that carries access to plutonium. Much of Maggie's history is not revealed in the film, however the character is somewhat of a substitute to Jet Li's character Yin Yang.
Villains
Following characters are antagonists in The Expendables film series
James Munroe
- Played by Eric Roberts
Munroe is a rogue CIA agent "pulling the strings" behind General Garza, the military dictator and ruler of the island of Velena, in order to grow cocaine. The Expendables are hired by Church to kill Garza, although Barney surmises that Munroe is the actual target. After initially passing on the job after scouting the island, Barney, along with the team, goes to Vilena after learning Garza's daughter (who assisted Barney and Lee in scouting the island) on a rescue mission. During the Expendables' attack of the palace, Garza challenges Munroe resulting in Munroe killing him. This causes the army to attack in retaliation. During the battle Munroe attempts to flee and is killed by Barney and Lee after wounding Barney.
Dan Paine
- Played by Steve Austin
Munroe's main henchmen and bodyguard, and apparent 2nd in command. Paine is said to have trained Garza's soldiers is seemingly in charge of them. Paine is always seen accompanied by "The Brit", who also serves as Munroe's hired muscle as well. Paine, a tough, dangerous man fights Barney, ending in Barney getting his "ass kicked", before facing off with Toll Road (while trying to escape), After a serious brawl Toll Road kills Paine after throwing him into a fire.
The Brit
- Played by Gary Daniels
The 2nd of Munroe's henchmen/bodyguards/hired muscle, seemingly the 3rd in command under Paine. The Brit (his name never given) has a verbal confrontation with Gunner and is struck by Gunner in the face as a result; then later attacks Barney after Garza's men capture him; and is finally killed by Yin Yang in a martial arts brawl (both actors, Li and Daniels, being former martial arts champions).
Jean Vilain
- Played by Jean-Claude Van Damme
Vilain is an arms-dealer and former French Foreign Legion member who is looking for an abandoned Cold War-era plutonium storage in Albania. A computer map to its location is retrieved by the Expendables and stolen by Vilain. He also murders Billy the Kid, which incites the team's wrath. Vilain dies in a one-on-one battle against Barney Ross.
Not much is known about Vilain other than he appears as an extremely agile fighter and a cold-hearted person. He hires an Albanian gang called the Sangs as his muscle, and enslaves local villagers to mine for the plutonium. He speaks with a strong French accent, but his nationality is never disclosed.
Jean-Claude Van Damme was offered a role in the first Expendables but declined, with said role eventually going to Dolph Ludgren. After the success of the first film, Van Damme reconsidered and was included in the second film as the villain. Simon West noted the challenge of filming dialogue scenes with Van Damme as he would never deliver a line of dialogue the same way twice, many of these alternate takes ending up in the film's official blooper reel.[1]
Hector
- Played by Scott Adkins
Hector is Vilain's 2nd in command and an extremely dangerous martial arts expert. Before he became a mercenary, he'd served in French Foreign Legion along with Vilain. He, along with Vilain, kills Billy the Kid. Hector is killed by Lee Christmas in a fight.
Conrad Stonebanks
- Played by Mel Gibson
Stonebanks is an arms trader and former co-founder of The Expendables. He was introduced in the third Expendables film. He was originally presumed dead, but was revealed to be alive when he was seen delivering a shipment of bombs to warlords of Somalia under the alias Victor Minz. When Barney discovered the arms dealer who was making the delivery was none other than Stonebanks himself, he along with his Expendables team engage in a shootout against Stonebanks and his men. In an act of retaliation for Barney's interference, Stonebanks severely wounds Hale Caesar.
Barney Ross plans to go after Stonebanks by retiring his old members and hires a new team of younger Expendables members Smilee, Luna, Thorn and Mars. They, along with Trent Mauser, manage to track Stonebanks, as he is conducting a business deal in Romania. Stonebanks is then captured by Ross and the new team members, and they attempt to bring him in a van to the International Criminal Court by orders of CIA operative Max Drummer. However, Stonebanks' men manage to catch up to the Expendables as Stonebanks had a GPS Tracker in his possession. Stonebanks escapes and captures Smilee, Luna, Thorn and Mars, and brings them to a building located in the country Uzmenistan.
Stonebanks then sends Ross a video, challenging Ross to come after him. Ross is now accompanied by his old team members and seasoned new team member Galgo to rescue the new team members, only to be informed by Stonebanks that the Uzmenistan building is wired with explosives. Thorn manages to hack into systems by using a jammer device to stall the timer in the explosives. They are then attacked and ambushed by armed forces Stonebanks sends over. Drummer, Mauser and Yin Yang arrive in a helicopter to aid the Expendables. Everyone manages to fight the armed forces off and escape the building except for Ross, who is then attacked by Stonebanks himself. The two have a massive fight that results in Ross killing Stonebanks. It is revealed in the film that Stonebanks has a daughter.
References
External links
- Cast list for The Expendables on the IMDB
- Cast list for The Expendables 2 on the IMDB
- Cast list for The Expendables 3 on the IMDB