Nick

"I have not... come this far... to die now."

- Nick

Nick is one of the four playable Survivors in Left 4 Dead 2, voiced by Hugh Dillon. He's a gambler and a conman in a slick, expensive suit. He is also very cynical, so he takes the role of "the complainer" of the Group. Nick joined the other three in their quest to find salvation but is unsure about whether or not he can trust them, often comparing them to The Three Stooges. Still trying to figure out the best "angle" to get from the recent zombie apocalypse, as the time goes by, he starts to value his Survivor compatriots.

Official Description


Age: 35

Hometown: Unknown

A lifetime of drifting from city to city, finding back-alley card games and trying to stay out of jail has taught Nick two valuable lessons: Don’t trust anyone, and look out for number one.

He’d come down to Savannah looking for some gullible fish on the riverboat gambling cruise circuit. Instead he found a city about to be engulfed by infection. Now he finds himself forced together with three complete strangers in a fragile alliance that goes against every instinct he lives by. But he’s going to have to learn to trust them if he wants to survive.

Relationships with other Survivors
Nick portrays a role similar to Francis of the original Left 4 Dead in that he is constantly complaining and subtly insulting others.


 * Coach: Nick and Coach appear to have somewhat of a "love-hate" relationship, similar to Francis and Bill. Nick insults Coach and makes fun of his weight, but also won't hesitate to compliment him when he does something good, like killing a Special Infected. Nick also seems to recoil fairly quickly when he has clearly annoyed Coach, and Coach is quick to shut Nick up if he complains about the current situation.
 * Ellis: Nick seems to get more annoyed at Ellis than the others, even making fun of him and making him the butt of the joke on a few separate occasions. He may sometimes say "Ellis" while imitating his accent. However, he does treat him as a valuable asset to the group during the course of the events. His attitude swings between friendly and intimidating with Ellis, for example, after escaping "Dead Center" and starting the events of "Dark Carnival", he will either compliment Ellis ("Don't sweat it, at least you got us out of that mall") or upset him ("Goddamn you, Jimmy Gibbs Jr.!"). He also seems to purposely insult Jimmy Gibbs Jr. just to annoy Ellis. He does make a few sutble attempts to get along with Ellis, for example, asking if the Midnight Riders are good (a band which Ellis likes), if only to please Coach. Even when Ellis dies, his attitude is negative saying "I didn't think you'd last this long.". Also, if both Coach and Rochelle are killed, Nick may apologise to Ellis for the things he previously said about him.


 * Rochelle: Nick seems to have a friendly relationship with Rochelle. He speaks more gently to her than the other Survivors, and only insults her when she has shot him. In addition, she is quick to side with Nick when Ellis yells at him for killing the chopper pilot at the beginning of Swamp Fever. Sometimes when Nick sees Rochelle dead, he will sometimes say "There goes repopulating the earth." One of his possible lines for her death is also "I can think of two other people I would've rather seen go first," further indicating his preference for Rochelle over Ellis or Coach. He also sometimes says he needs Rochelle (We...I need you for a while longer).

Quotes
"See: Nick/Quotes"

Trivia

 * Nick is the only Left 4 Dead 2 Survivor whose design did not change greatly.
 * Like Louis and Zoey, Nick has been placed next to Rochelle in every campaign poster.
 * In the 'Zombie Survival Guide' trailer, Nick seems to spend most scenes using the P220 Pistol in his left hand. In fact, he is the only one of the Survivors who has a gun at the beginning of the trailer, the others wielding a Baseball Bat, a Crowbar, and an Axe. He is also the only one seen wielding a Silenced Submachine Gun in the trailer.
 * In the Zombie Survival Guide trailer, Nick is seen wielding weapons in either his left or right hands at different times, indicating he may possibly be ambidextrous.
 * It is possible there is a romantic atmosphere between him and Rochelle, as Rochelle fondly seems to hand him items. In return, Rochelle is the person Nick is most often kindest to, speaking to her in a softer voice than the others.
 * Ellis makes a comment about being not-surprised that Nick is capable of shooting well, insisting he may have used guns in some sort for criminal activity, as most view Nick as a sort of 'mobster'.
 * Nick bears the same symbol on a ring of his as Francis has on one of his tattoos, it consists of a ring of eight skulls. Perhaps a means to connect characters or symbolizes both characters' possible criminal past.
 * Nick is shown as a rather vain and materialistic character, due to his expensive suit, various gold rings and over-concern for himself. Over a minute of his voice clips are devoted to friendly fire.
 * Upon hearing a Witch, Nick may make a reference about his ex-wife, showing that he was in a bad relationship before the infection.
 * Nick is never quick to blame himself, as seen in the intro of Swamp Fever, where he blames the pilot for getting shot and will sometimes respond to the other survivors complaining to him about friendly fire that they should stop standing in front of him.
 * In the commentary for Left 4 Dead 2, its stated that Nick's character was originally a escaped prisoner that stole a nice suit, but he was eventually adapted into his current con man persona. It is probable that he is still a convicted felon, as Nick can make a remark to the effect that he is not legally allowed to own firearms-an American only loses their right to possess a firearm upon being convicted of a felony, or some severe misdemeanors.
 * After picking up a baseball bat, Nick will sometimes remark how it reminds him of his early life, but when Coach asked if he played baseball, he responds by saying he once was a bouncer.


 * He could be referencing Gob from Arrested Development when he says "Are you really going to shoot a guy in a $3,000 suit? Come on!"
 * Nick makes various references to being a ladies man, during Dark Carnival several are in the Tunnel of love sequence, commenting how an air duct is 'not very romantic', that he had several fond memories in the tunnel of love after being asked by Coach. He mentions being concerned about 're-population' when Rochelle dies. This apparently means he believes that Rochelle was the last woman in the world.
 * Nick is the Survivor who seems to be the most disgusted when the group realizes that the military is killing humans in The Parish due to his concern of survival.
 * In Dead Center, Nick comments on getting blood on his suit. this could be a direct reference to the Spy class in Team Fortress 2, another wildly popular game by Valve
 * Although unconfirmed, fans speculate Nick is from the northeast area of the United States due to his accent. His mention of Atlantic City, a gambling hub located in New Jersey, likely indicates he is from the area. New Jersey is also a state frequently stereotyped with high amounts of criminal activity. If Nick is as friendly with the law as his dialogue suggests, it only strengthens the theory he hails from there.
 * Evidence shows that Nick was once involved in crime, but one of the strongest pieces of evidence is his quote of:" Brains come out, swamp water doesn't. Don't ask me how I know that". This hints that he may have been involved in murders or lethal self defense.
 * Nick may be very sensitive on his suit due by the fact he's wearing formal wear.
 * Nick has, what seems to be, a scratch of sorts right at the unbuttoned part of his shirt. This could either be a Zombie scratch or it could be from his life before the outbreak.