Nick

"Name's Nick, but don't bother learning it 'cause I ain't sticking around much longer."

- Nick

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

- Nick

Nick (also known as Nicolas) is one of the four playable Survivors in Left 4 Dead 2. He is a gambler and a con-man with a shady (even violent) past. He seems reluctant to be a part of the group at all and takes the role of "the complainer", finding fault in other people's plans, the increasingly sorry state of his once-fine suit and his teammate's character flaws, as he judges them. This makes him difficult for the others to like at first, but that changes as time goes by, as he learns to trust them and proves himself a valuable part of the team.

Nick's facial features are based on Taymour Ghazi and he is voiced by Hugh Dillon.

Relationships with other Survivors
Nick's sarcasm, pessimism and self-centred cynicism arguably make him the most antagonistic character in the series. Right from the very first encounter, almost everyone he meets picks up on these attributes and takes a wary or active dislike to him. Nick's autonomous personality makes him reluctant to become a fully integrated group member: (e.g.) at the beginning of the game he tells the others not to bother remembering his name as he does not intend being with them long. Strong hints of a violent, criminal past also surface when, for example, he says that it is illegal for him to have a firearm, is an expert at using First aid kits, and when badly hurt he blurts out "It's been a long time since I felt this bad". He also possesses a body of gruesome knowledge that he shares from time to time; including the ease of getting brains out of suits and how hard it is to get blood out of a wedding dress both which he suffixes with the line "...don't ask how I know that". Nick speaks with a Boston wise-guy accent, an attribute that accentuates perceptions of his having a shady past and a personality impregnated with a capacity for violence. However as the game progresses and Nick comes to experience his team-mate's abilities and to share their common dangers and dire circumstances, his stance towards the others seems to thaw, and although he never quite loses his self-contained and me-first attitude, there are cues that he is not as callous as he appears to be on first acquaintance.


 * Coach: Nick and Coach seem to live to trade jabs with one another, like Francis and Bill. Nick insults Coach and makes fun of his weight, but will also not hesitate to compliment him when he does something good like killing a Special Infected. He seems to respect Coach's status as the group's putative leader, even though he is the first to voice doubts about any of Coach's proposed courses of action. Nick seems to recoil quickly when he has clearly annoyed Coach, and Coach is quick to shut Nick down if his complaints get close to the line . Their antagonism stops at words, as neither one ever looks likely to abandon the other. If Nick sees Coach dead, he will be sad, saying "You were a hell of a man, Coach," and "I'll miss ya".
 * Ellis: Nick has little respect for Ellis and will mock everything about him, though his most common target is Ellis's sunny attitude and appearance, often implying that he is a stereotypical hillbilly. In The Passing, he outright threatens to leave Ellis behind. However, his respect for Ellis does seem to grow as the story goes on; for example, after escaping in Dead Center and starting the events of Dark Carnival, he will either compliment Ellis or upset him . He also seems to insult Jimmy Gibbs Jr. on purpose just to annoy Ellis and Coach. Though he will ask Ellis if the Midnight Riders, a band that Ellis likes, are good, which might be an attempt to get along with him. Even when Ellis dies, his attitude is negative, unless both Coach and Rochelle are killed, which is when Nick will say "Hey Ellis, all that stuff I said about you? I was kidding". Outgoing, friendly Ellis doesn't seem fazed by any of the abuse, although if Nick kills a Special Infected, Ellis will suggest darkly "Why does it not surprise me that you're good with a gun?". In the Dark Carnival, Ellis does seem to rub off on him for example, when Ellis talks about his favorite rides, causing Nick on a rare occasion to say, "Now I wanna ride one!"
 * Rochelle: Rochelle is the one Survivor Nick seems to like from the very start. She is the one character he won't threaten with violence if she shoots him, and will instead tell her firmly to stop. He is less reluctant to use his medkits and items on her early in the game. Sometimes when Nick sees Rochelle dead, he will say "I can think of two other people I would have rather seen go first, " or "So much for repopulating the Earth," implying that his interest in her may be primarily reproductive/sexual. This may be due to his status as a ladies man, however Nick is utterly dismissive of Zoey, the only other uninfected female he meets in the game. After Francis takes a liking to Rochelle, Nick reacts almost jealously, calling Francis a "greasy pig" or her boyfriend. For her part, Rochelle acts rather ambivalently towards Nick. She's nice to him the same way she's nice to everyone and can be quick to take his side after he shoots the Infected helicopter pilot, but in The Passing she goes as far as saying that she hates him when he mocks Ellis' crush one too many times. Still, the two seem to have more in common than with the others, as they are both out-of-towners, like sarcasm and (when controlled by the AI) have similar taste in weaponry (assault rifle variants). They stand next to each-other in every single mission poster.
 * Francis: Nick and Francis instantly dislike each other. At the start of The Riverbank, if Francis is present, he refers to him as a "greasy vest-wearing monkey" while Francis calls him "Suit" or "Colonel Sanders". During The Passing, he will refer to their mission as to "lower the bridge and kick the biker's ass". He also shows a great distrust of Francis, believing he will not keep his word to lower the bridge. However, Nick isn't far from thanking Francis for lowering the bridge, and may sometimes express concern for the trio . If Francis mentions losing a man, Nick may say "Hey...sorry for your loss".
 * Zoey: Nick and Zoey also dislike each other at first glance. Nick starts things off by patronizing Zoey, calling her "cupcake" and asking if there is a "man" up there he can talk to. Zoey will act sarcastically helpless She even threatens to hurt/kill him, to which Nick might say he was merely joking . She, like Francis, calls him "Colonel Sanders" . Nick will mercilessly tease Ellis for his crush on Zoey, even suggesting Ellis get Zoey's name tattooed on his butt. When they meet up again during The Port, Zoey is most reluctant to help Nick, but does support him along with everyone else once the battle starts.
 * Louis: Nick seems to have a dismissive attitude about Louis. Because of this, Nick is the only Survivor Louis dislikes. Louis will occasionally agree with Francis, saying "Bill would have shot him by now." Nick is also the only Survivor Louis doesn't wish luck to at the end of The Passing. However, Nick seems to appreciate Louis's shooting skills, and even offers to leave Ellis behind for him to come along. Louis will reverse his distaste for Nick, even if he doesn't remember his name.

Nick will eventually apologize to the original Survivors for his coldness, which they acknowledge by warning him about incoming Infected, helping him and the other Survivors out, and bidding them farewell on their way.

Quotes
"See: Nick/Quotes"