David Anderson – Mass Effect 3. Twelve Most Memorable Deaths in Video Games
Table of Contents
Game: Mass Effect 3
Cause of death: bleeding do death from a gunshot wound to the abdomen / being shot by the Illusive Man
Last words:"You did good, son/child. I'm proud of you.”
How we will remember him: as the man who shaped Commander Shepard, the toughest councilor in the history of the Citadel Council, the uncompromisingly brave soldier, and the man whose right hook would probably knock out a Reaper
The Mass Effect series is teeming with moments that would bring the toughest man to tears. From the sacrifice of Mordin Solus, through the tragic death of Thane Krios, to Tali's suicide – there was certainly no shortage of emotion in this series. But in most cases we are able to prevent the tragic deaths of most of our comrades; suffice it to say that each and every one of our crew members could have survived the suicide mission in the second game, if we played our cards right.
Meanwhile, David Anderson, Shepard's superior officer and mentor, who has accompanied us since the beginning of the trilogy, cannot be saved. In the first installment, he helps the protagonist become a Specter and gives him the command of the Normandy, in the third, he enters the Citadel with the main protagonist and confronts the indoctrinated Illusive Man. There he is shot in the stomach (by the hands of Shepard, controlled by the Illusive Man) and after defeating the leader of Cerberus, he bleeds out, watching the last moments of the battle for the future of the galaxy together with his protégé.
Although Anderson has never been a central character in the series, his final moments carry a huge emotional weight. It is the death which signals that we are reaching the end of the whole story – we are left behind by the man who was with us from the beginning to the very end and always supported us. There is an almost familial bond between these two bloodied, exhausted characters, and the admiral calls Shepard his son (or child, if we played as FemShep)
This is one of the few moments in which Shepard does not have to decide the fate of the galaxy or fight for his own life – they can simply sit down with an old friend in the sense of accomplishment and accompany him in his last moments. And to remember the long road they both traveled from the events of the first Mass Effect to near victory over the Reapers.
Although Mass Effect: Andromeda takes place in a completely different time and in a completely different world, it features a ton of references to the original trilogy – and perhaps the most honorable one was given to Anderson. During the campaign, our character saves the life of a pregnant mother – first in the new galaxy – and has the opportunity to talk to her right after she gives birth. Hearing a humorous suggestion to name the newborn after the protagonist, the woman reveals that she chose the names David Edward – after an old friend. Anderson's middle name was Edward, so it's hard to think it's just a coincidence.
