Spoiler Warning: Plot details, ending details, or both are in the text which follows.
A deuteragonist is the second most important character of a story, after the protagonist. The deuteragonist is normally the secondary protagonist of the story, being present for most of it and usually helping out the main protagonist in different situations.
The deuteragonists of the 3D Universe have a lot in common. They normally start out not getting along well with the protagonist (for example Sweet Johnson, who blames Carl for their brother's death and for having been absent at their mother's funeral), but eventually come around after seeing the protagonist has really redeemed themselves or that they share the same goals. Most deuteragonists also accompany the protagonist in the final mission (Ken Rosenberg, Sweet, Salvatore Leone, etc.).
The deuteragonists of the HD Universe have known the protagonist for a long time and have worked with them before. They are normally introduced early on in the game as a close friend or relative to the protagonist. However, some bickering may still be part of their relationship with the protagonists – Roman Bellic, for example, whom Niko Bellic criticized for his gambling habits.
List of Prominent Deuteragonists[]
2D Universe[]
 Brother Marcus |
Brother Marcus is the deuteragonist of Grand Theft Auto and the leader of the Brotherhood of Jah Army of Love (or the Rastas) in Vice City. After the protagonist is blackmailed by the corrupt Vice Squad officer Samuel Deever into doing his dirty work and attacking the Rastas, Brother Marcus invites the protagonist to join his gang for protection from Deever. Upon accepting the offer, Brother Marcus takes his revenge on Deever by sending the protagonist to kill Deever and his corrupt drug squad. After the protagonist does some more work for the Rastas, helping them deal with more corrupt agents and Babylon, Brother Marcus calls them one last time asking them to meet him in Greek Heights to collect their retirement pay. | |
| Mission appearances: Rasta Blasta (All missions) | ||
 Jack Parkinson |
Jack Parkinson is the deuteragonist of Grand Theft Auto: London 1969. He is a crime lord working for the Crisp Twins who dreams of going independent and becoming the crime kingpin of London. He hires the protagonist to help him achieve this goal, having them perform various jobs to weaken the Crisps' organization. Eventually, Parkinson sends the protagonist to kill the Crisp Twins as they attempt to flee London, and although the assassination attempt fails, the Crisps agree to leave the country for good and never bother the protagonist or Parkinson again. Afterwards, it is assumed Parkinson took over most of the Crisps' operations, finally achieving his dream. | |
| Mission appearances: Mods and Sods - Walkie Talkie Mission 1, Mods and Sods - Walkie Talkie Mission 2, Mods and Sods - Ending, Dead Certainty - Ending | ||
| There are no deuteragonists in Grand Theft Auto 2, as the protagonist Claude Speed has no allies during the story and eventually betrays everyone he worked for. | ||
3D Universe[]
 Maria Latore |
Maria Latore is the deuteragonist of Grand Theft Auto III. The wife of Salvatore Leone (who she met while working as a waitress at Caligula's Palace in 1992), she meets Claude when the latter begins working for her husband and quickly takes a liking to him, eventually lying to Salvatore about having an affair with Claude in order to make him jealous. However, Salvatore responds by trying to have Claude killed, leading Maria to warn Claude of the trap and escape with him and her friend, Yakuza co-leader Asuka Kasen, to Staunton Island. At the end of the game, Catalina kidnaps Maria in an attempt to lead Claude into an ambush, but he rescues her, although it is implied Claude later shot Maria to silence her when she started to complain about the kidnapping. | |
| Mission appearances: Chaperone, Last Requests, Sayonara Salvatore, Payday For Ray (voice), S.A.M., The Exchange (possibly killed off-screen) | ||
 Ken Rosenberg |
Ken Rosenberg is the deuteragonist of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. A bent lawyer running his own practice in Washington Beach, Vice City, he is reached out to by the Forelli Crime Family to help them facilitate their drug deal with the Vance Brothers. When that deal goes awry, Ken enters a near constant state of cocaine-fueled paranoia, fearing retaliation from the Forellis, but remains by Tommy Vercetti's side as he helps him rise through the ranks of the Vice City underworld, securing his position as Tommy's right-hand man. However, their partnership is short-lived, as by 1992, Tommy grows frustrated with Ken's substance abuse and sends him to rehab in San Andreas before cutting all ties with him. Ken would subsequently become the manager of Caligula's Palace in Las Venturas, acting as a middle man between the Sindacco, Forelli and Leone mob families, and later a close friend and ally of Carl Johnson, who helps him escape the criminal lifestyle by finding him new employment as Madd Dogg's accountant. | |
| Mission appearances: In The Beginning..., The Party, Back Alley Brawl, Jury Fury, Riot, Shakedown, No Escape?, The Shootist, The Driver, The Job, Keep Your Friends Close... | ||
 Sean "Sweet" Johnson |
Sean "Sweet" Johnson is the deuteragonist of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. He is the leader of the Grove Street Families gang in Los Santos, and the older brother of Carl Johnson, whom he blames for their younger brother and mother's death and for their gang's downfall during Carl's five year absence from Los Santos. After Carl returns home, he works with Sweet and their friends Big Smoke and Ryder to restore the Families' strength in order to re-gain his brother's trust, which he partially succeeds in doing before Smoke and Ryder's betrayal is revealed and Sweet is arrested. Eventually, Sweet is released from prison thanks to Carl's connections with government agent Mike Toreno, and although Sweet is initially angry with Carl for forgetting about their gang again, he forgives him after Carl proves his loyalty by helping Sweet rebuild the Families and killing Smoke. | |
| Mission appearances: The Introduction, In the Beginning (voice), Sweet & Kendl, Tagging Up Turf, Cleaning the Hood, Drive-Thru, Nines and AK's, OG Loc, Drive-By, Sweet's Girl, Cesar Vialpando, Doberman, Los Sepulcros, House Party, Reuniting the Families, The Green Sabre, Home Coming, Grove 4 Life, Riot, Los Desperados, End of the Line | ||
 Cisco |
Cisco is the deuteragonist of Grand Theft Auto Advance. The head of the Colombian Cartel in Liberty City, he first meets Mike when the latter almost kills him after being told by King Courtney that Cisco was to blame for the murder of his friend Jonnie. After Cisco exposes King Courtney's deception, he invites Mike to work for him in exchange for helping Mike with his investigation of Vinnie and Jonnie's death. However, Cisco is later murdered by Vinnie (who faked his own death) to prevent Mike from learning the truth. Mike avenges Cisco by killing Vinnie and later fends off several attacks from the Cartel, who hold Mike responsible for Cisco's death, before escaping Liberty City on Cisco's private jet. | |
| Mission appearances: Fine Dining, Flying High, Factory Wages, School's Out, Mystery Killer, Decoy Disaster, Truth Revealed (killed off-screen) | ||
 Salvatore Leone |
Salvatore Leone is the deuteragonist of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. He is the Don of the Leone Family (having seized control after a power struggle in the mid-1980s) and the boss of Toni Cipriani, whom he sent to murder a made man in 1994, forcing Toni to live in exile for four years. After Toni's return to Liberty City in 1998, Salvatore refuses to give him back his previous position within the family and assigns him to Vincenzo Cilli's crew, until the latter betrays Toni, who in turn kills him. Afterwards, Toni and Salvatore begin working together more closely, waging war against the Forelli and Sindacco families, until Salvatore is arrested by the recently-elected mayor, Miles O'Donovan. Salvatore continues to give orders to Toni from his prison cell, directing him to exact revenge on his enemies, before he is eventually released on bail. After saving O'Donovan from Massimo Torini, Salvatore is pardoned of his crimes and settles in with controlling Liberty City's underworld, with Toni as his right-hand man. Salvatore would later be killed by Claude in 2001. | |
| Mission appearances: Introduction, Don in 60 Seconds, The Offer, Ho Selecta!, Frighteners, Rollercoaster Ride, Contra-Banned, Salvatore's Salvation, The Guns of Leone, Sindacco Sabotage, The Trouble With Triads, Driving Mr Leone, A Walk in the Park (voice), Making Toni, Caught in the Act, Search and Rescue, Taking the Peace (voice), Shoot the Messenger (voice), Rough Justice, Dead Reckoning (voice), Shogun Showdown (voice), The Shoreside Redemption, The Sicilian Gambit | ||
 Lance Vance |
Lance Vance is the deuteragonist of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He is Victor Vance's younger brother who has a very lazy lifestyle, always looking to make money by doing as little work as possible. After Victor joins the Army to provide for the family and is later discharged in 1984, Lance joins his brother in Vice City to help him start and run a criminal empire. However, most of the time he only creates more problems for Victor, most notably when he inadvertently starts a conflict with the Mendez Cartel. Lance is later kidnapped along with Victor's girlfriend Louise by Armando Mendez, and although Victor manges to rescue Lance, Louise has been fatally injured. At the end of the game, Victor tells Lance of his intention to leave the criminal lifestyle behind, although the two would return to dealing drugs two years later, in 1986. After Victor is killed in an ambush, Lance works with Tommy Vercetti to find the culprit and avenge his brother, though he would later betray and be killed by Tommy. | |
| Mission appearances: Jive Drive, the Audition, Money for Nothing, Caught as an Act, Leap and Bound, The Bum Deal, Snitch Hitch, From Zero to Hero, Brawn of the Dead, Blitzkrieg, The Mugshot Longshot, Turn on, Tune in, Bug out, Taking the Fall, White Lies, Where it Hurts Most, Steal the Deal, Burning Bridges, Blitzkrieg Strikes Again, Domo Arigato Domestoboto, Lost and Found, Light My Pyre, Last Stand | ||
HD Universe[]
 Roman Bellic |
Roman Bellic is the deuteragonist of Grand Theft Auto IV. He is Niko Bellic's cousin who runs a small taxi depot and convinces Niko to come to Liberty City by lying to him about his success in America. Niko is subsequently forced to work for various individuals to improve his and Roman's financial situation, as well as protect his cousin from loan sharks he is indebted to. However, this only creates more problems for the pair, as Niko makes an enemy out of the Russian Mob, led by Dimitri Rascalov, who burns down Roman's apartment and depot and at one point even kidnaps him to lure Niko into a trap. This causes a rift in Roman and Niko's friendship, though the two remain loyal to each other and make amends. Eventually, Roman is able to open a new depot and buy a more expensive apartment, and marries his longtime girlfriend Mallorie Bardas, although the wedding doesn't go as planned: one scenario sees Roman being accidentally killed by a hitman sent by Dimitri to murder Niko, while another has Niko's girlfriend be killed in a drive-by shooting by Jimmy Pegorino. In the latter scenario, Roman helps Niko find Pegorino to exact revenge on him. | |
| Mission appearances: The Cousins Bellic, It's Your Call, Three's a Crowd, First Date (phone call, if Bleed Out was not completed), Bleed Out, Easy Fare, Jamaican Heat, Uncle Vlad, Crime and Punishment, Logging On, Shadow (phone call), Rigged to Blow (phone call), Roman's Sorrow, Out of the Closet, Hostile Negotiation, Dust Off (phone call, if Hostile Negotiation was completed), Weekend at Florian's, That Special Someone, One Last Thing (phone call), Mr. & Mrs. Bellic (killed in Deal), Out of Commission (Revenge) | ||
 Jim Fitzgerald |
Jim Fitzgerald is the deuteragonist of The Lost and Damned. He holds the rank of Treasurer in The Lost Motorcycle Club, and has a wife and an unnamed child. Jim is Johnny Klebitz's best friend and accompanies him on several occasions, including the Triad ambush at the Dragon Heart Plaza and a Lost MC ambush on corrupt LCPD officers. After Johnny entrusts Jim with the $2 million recovered from the ambushed diamond deal at the Libertonian, which was meant for Ray Boccino, an enraged Boccino has Jim kidnapped and taken to the basement of Drusilla's, where he is tortured with a blowtorch by one of Boccino's men. Johnny is able to rescue Jim, but Boccino later sends Niko Bellic to kill Jim, which he accomplishes while Johnny fends off several hitmen sent by Boccino. After learning of Jim's death from Ashley Butler, Johnny decides to give part of the stolen $2 million to his family. | |
| Mission appearances: Clean and Serene, Angels in America, It's War, Liberty City Choppers, Bad Cop Drop, Action/Reaction, I Want One of Those (phone call), This Shit's Cursed, Hit the Pipe, End of Chapter, Bad Standing, Collector's Item, Was It Worth It? (killed off-screen) | ||
 Wade Heston |
Wade Heston is the deuteragonist of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. He is a corrupt LCPD detective being investigated by Internal Affairs who needs one 'big bust' to clear his reputation. After intercepting Huang Lee following an ambushed drug deal, Heston proposes an alliance to uncover the identity of the leader of the Wonsu Nodong, who stole the Yu Jian Sword that Huang is looking for and is also an FIB informant, as they ratted Heston out to Internal Affairs and are actively working to sabotage the Triads. Huang and Heston work together to investigate the Wonsu Nudong, and despite several false leads and other problems along the way, they are eventually able to discover Huang's uncle Kenny was behind everything. After Huang kills Kenny, Heston finally clears his reputation by claiming to have been deep undercover all along and arrests Hsin Jaoming while leaving Huang alone. | |
| Mission appearances: Raw Deal, The Tow Job, The Tail Bagging the Dogs, Weapons of Mass Distraction, Street of Rage, Operation Northwood, Torpedo Run, Scrambled, Evidence Dash, Wi-Find, Salt in the Wound | ||
 Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince |
Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince is the deuteragonist of The Ballad of Gay Tony. He is a nightclub entrepreneur in Liberty City and the owner of two of its most popular clubs (Hercules and Maisonette 9), as well as the boss and best friend of Luis Lopez. After borrowing money from several individuals to keep his business afloat and ending up in severe debt, Tony asks Luis to carry out some jobs for his loaners in order to pay off his debts. However, Tony continues to make more reckless decisions, such as attempting to buy $2 million worth of smuggled diamonds later revealed to belong to crime boss Ray Bulgarin, who threatens to kill Tony and Luis, causing a rift in the two's friendship. When Luis is later presented with the opportunity to kill Tony and save himself, he refuses and instead kills Bulgarin, thus getting rid of all of his and Tony's problems. Although Tony and Luis remain friends afterwards, the former eventually moves away from Liberty City to open a new nightclub in Los Santos alongside the GTA Online Protagonist. | |
| Mission appearances: I Luv LC, Practice Swing, Chinese Takeout, Bang Bang, Blog This!..., Boulevard Baby, Frosting on the Cake, ...Blog This!, Going Deep (phone call), Not So Fast, Ladies' Night, Ladies Half Price, Party's Over, Departure Time | ||
 Lester Crest |
Lester Crest is the main deuteragonist of Grand Theft Auto V as he does many jobs with all three protagonists and is also the mastermind behind most Heists in the game. He is a skilled but crippled computer hacker who previously worked with Michael Townley and Trevor Philips on various heists before the events of the game, and lost contact with both of them after Michael faked his death and Trevor went into hiding. In 2013, Michael contacts Lester to perform heists again to pay off his debt to Martin Madrazo, and they later bring Trevor and Franklin Clinton onto the team as well as they perform more daring heists, culminating in the robberry they'd been waiting for their entire lives. Lester also gives a few assassination jobs to Franklin but doesn't work with Trevor outside of the heists they carry out together, as the two don't get along well.
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| Mission appearances: Friend Request, Casing the Jewel Store, The Jewel Store Job, The Hotel Assassination, The Multi Target Assassination, The Merryweather Heist, The Vice Assassination, The Bus Assassination, The Construction Assassination, Paleto Score Setup, The Paleto Score, Surveying the Score, Fresh Meat, Cleaning out the Bureau, The Bureau Raid, Architect's Plans, The Big Score, The Third Way (Option C) | ||
 Dave Norton |
Dave Norton is Michael De Santa's deuteragonist in Grand Theft Auto V. A corrupt but generally well-meaning FIB agent, he helped Michael fake his death during a deliberately sabotaged heist, which allowed Michael and his family to relocate to Los Santos under new identities. In 2013, Dave resumes contact with Michael after learning of his involvement in a recent robbery, fearing that people from Michael's past might start probing, in particular Trevor Philips. Dave's superior, Steve Haines, also starts looking through Dave's case files and uncovers incriminating evidence which he uses to force Dave to reach out to Michael, Trevor and Franklin Clinton and recruit them for several missions against the IAA, until eventually betraying both Dave and Michael during a standoff. After Steve is killed by Trevor at the end of the game, Dave replaces him as the host of the reality show The Underbelly Of Paradise and cuts ties with the three protagonists, though he and Michael remain friends. | |
| Mission appearances: Prologue, Mr. Philips, Dead Man Walking, Three's Company, By the Book, Blitz Play, Paleto Score Setup, Monkey Business, Cleaning out the Bureau, The Wrap Up, Lamar Down | ||
 Lamar Davis |
Lamar Davis is Franklin Clinton's deuteragonist in Grand Theft Auto V. Having known Franklin since childhood, the two are best friends and members of the Chamberlain Gang Families, although other members of the gang often don't take them seriously. Whereas Franklin is unsatisfied with this and wishes to get them both out of the gangbanger life, Lamar is perfectly content with his current lifestyle and often berates Franklin for not being "gangster" enough. After their friend Stretch is released from prison, Lamar tries to help him with several deals, unware they are all traps and that Stretch is trying to have him killed for his new gang, forcing Franklin to constantly save Lamar. Lamar repays his debt by helping Franklin with several car repossessions for Devin Weston, and by taking part in the shootout against the FIB and Merryweather at the end of the game. | |
| Mission appearances: Franklin and Lamar, Repossession, Chop, The Long Stretch, Hood Safari, Deep Inside, Pack Man, Lamar Down, The Third Way (Option C) | ||
 Ron Jakowski |
Ron Jakowski is Trevor Philips' deuteragonist in Grand Theft Auto V. He is Trevor's neighbor and business associate and the host of a podcast during the Blaine County Radio Community Hour on Blaine County Talk Radio, where he talks about various conspiracy theories. Ron is extremely loyal to Trevor, mainly due to his fear of him, and will do anything to appease him, oftentimes allowing Trevor to bully him or take his share of their profits. When Trevor moves to Los Santos for a while in search of Michael De Santa, he leaves Ron in charge of their organization, Trevor Philips Enterprises. By 2017, Ron has stopped working for Trevor, though not by his own accord, as he mentions Trevor "has gone Vinewood" and has become a "guru and lifestyle coach" and shows resentment towards his former boss for abandoning him. | |
| Mission appearances: Mr. Philips, Nervous Ron, Friends Reunited, Scouting the Port (phone call), Minor Turbulence, Derailed, Bury the Hatchet (phone call, if started the mission as Trevor), The Third Way (optional phone call; Option C) | ||
| There is no set "main deuteragonist" in Grand Theft Auto Online. As the story follows many separate narratives as time passes, the GTA Online Protagonist has many different primary allies in each GTA Online story update. There are many characters who could share the role as the "deuteragonist" for the protagonist. To date and in chronological order, the GTA Online storyline's deuteragonists may include (not counting player-owned business managers): Lamar Davis(?), Lester Crest(?), Agatha Baker(?), Brendan Darcy(?), Pavel(?), Sessanta(?), Franklin Clinton(?), Agent ULP(?), Dax(?), Charlie Reed(?), Jamal Amir(?), Vincent Effenburger(?), Jenette Eccles(?), and Jodi Marshall(?).
Technically, the player's online friends also assume the role of "deuteragonists" for the host player during certain missions. | ||
Trivia[]
- Salvatore Leone has the highest number of appearances out of all deuteragonists, appearing in twenty-three missions in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
- If also counting his appearances in Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, then he has appeared in thirty-one missions across the entire series (thirty-two with The Introduction).
- Lance Vance comes in second place, with twenty-two appearances in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, but if also counting his appearances in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, then he surpasses Salvatore, having been featured in thirty-four missions.
- If all appearances are to be taken into account for all deuteragonists, then Lester Crest has the most appearances, due to the numerous missions in which he has been featured in Grand Theft Auto Online.
- Jack Parkinson has the lowest number of appearances, appearing in only four missions in Grand Theft Auto: London 1969.
- Even if counting his one appearance in Grand Theft Auto: London 1961, he still has less appearances than every other deuteragonist.
- Deuteragonists that are law enforcement officials appear only in the HD Universe. They are: Wade Heston (LCPD officer), Dave Norton (FIB agent), Agent ULP (IAA agent), Vincent Effenburger (LSPD officer) and Jodi Marshall (former FIB agent).
- Salvatore Leone and Lance Vance are also antagonists in other games.
- Lance is also the tritagonist in the same game where he is an antagonist.