Left 4 Dead Wiki
Register
Advertisement

"He needed to feel huge, fit believably into the world and read well as a silhouette."
―Jeremy Bennett, Valve
"*phew* Good thing I'm indestructible."
―Francis

Francis is one of the four playable Survivors in Left 4 Dead. He is a tough biker with tattoos covering his arms and neck. His tattoos identify him as a member of "Hells Legion", a name possibly inspired by the real-world Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. In official media, he can usually be seen wielding either the Pump Shotgun or the Auto Shotgun.

Francis, along with Zoey and Louis, appears in Left 4 Dead 2 in the downloadable campaign "The Passing" as they meet with the Left 4 Dead 2 Survivors. Nick and Francis bicker with each other a lot due to their brash natures, although Rochelle finds herself strangely attracted to him.

Francis' facial features are based on Taylor Knox and he is voiced by Vince Valenzuela.

Official Description

Francis
The sacrifice francis 1280 wp Age: Unknown
Hometown: Unknown
Cocky, loud, and pretty sure he's indestructible, Francis acts like the zombie apocalypse is the world's biggest bar fight. When the virus hit, everybody else stockpiled food and looked for a place to hide. Francis found a gun and had some fun. No cops, no laws, no order—if it wasn't for all the zombies, he could almost get used to life like this.[2]

Background

Francis 1

At one point, Francis was employed by the shipping company Hersch, but was presumably fired after assaulting a man.

Francis attempted to steal a flat-screen television two days after the first Infection. When he is caught, his claim that he is a cop gathering evidence for a crime is not taken seriously. He is next shown in a bar boasting to his friends about why he is going to jail. When one of his friends reveals to him that Pennsylvania jails do not allow conjugal visits, Francis' presumed girlfriend Sandra then says "better not waste any more time" and grabs Francis' arm and pulls him into the bar's back room. Francis and Sandra begin kissing in the back room when she gets sick on his vest. He almost leaves, but she convinces him to stay and then promptly bites him. She is about to attack him when Francis's paranoid friend, Duke, shoots her. Realizing that this is no ordinary flu and that most people cannot be considered human anymore, Francis realizes the possibilities of the lawlessness the outbreak has brought, and has Duke and Danny lug a jukebox to the roof where he grabs a shotgun to begin picking off Infected one by one with Duke, Danny, and a few other barmates.

It is unknown what had happened to his friends, but it is most probable that he either left them or they weren't immune or carriers and succumbed to the flu at one point of time before Francis had joined the group. In the Sacrifice, Francis admits to Zoey that he finds his old friends more fun to be with during the apocalypse but would not have lasted two weeks if he hadn't met the group.

Relationships with other Survivors


WARNING: The following is conjecture and may not be considered canon.



Of the four original Survivors, Francis is the cockiest and insulting. Dream sequences and dialogue in the third and fourth episodes of The Sacrifice comic provide evidence that Francis has a well-developed alpha-male self-image. Despite this, the other Survivors may sometimes look down on Francis for his stupidity at times.

  • Bill
    Francis and Bill tease each other a lot. On some occasions, he flat-out insults him[3] and often makes sarcastic retorts to his comments.[4] Francis also shows that he would rather live and let Bill die[5] Bill is quick to let Francis know that the feeling is mutual, and dislikes his pessimistic and rude attitude. The arguing and teasing is likely just joking around between the two; if Bill dies, Francis is quite shaken up. It is not known whether it is because he cares for Bill or if he is disturbed at the nature of his death.
    In The Sacrifice comic, Francis defends Bill when Zoey is mad at him, (despite insulting him several times in the buildup to it) by saying that "Bill doesn't always do the right thing but does it for the right reasons." He mentions how he knew that he would have been dead if he traveled with his drinking buddies; this is most likely the reason that Francis takes orders from Bill even if he does complain about them.
    There is a noticeable change in tone when he talks about losing Bill in "The Passing", and he hated the idea of lowering the bridge when Bill was the one who gave his life to raise it, hinting that he had a large amount of respect for him.
  • Louis
    Francis doesn't seem to talk to Louis much, but when he does, it is mostly in the form of sarcasm and insults. Francis dislikes Louis' optimistic outlook on the Infection and perhaps the way Louis perceives Francis himself. Francis' deep-seated alpha-male contempt for Louis is revealed during his dream sequence (refer The Sacrifice comic, Part 4) when his unconscious mind exiles Louis to a separate island from whence he vainly calls out to the beer girls to come and join him there. When Francis does throw out a sarcastic remark directed at Louis, he either doesn't get the gist of it, turns it back on Francis or breaks from his kindly attitude to give Francis a barbed rejoinder.[6] They are also known to bicker about whether the Infected are zombies or vampires. If it comes to Louis' death, Francis is quite shaken and, while he does make a joke about his profession,[7] he also says that Louis had started to grow on him.[8][9] When Louis is incapacitated outside of the safe room, Francis doesn't seem to be above abandoning him if it was a unanimous team decision.[10] However, his other response indicates that it could just be reluctance on his part to show that he cares for Louis.[11]
    In The Sacrifice comic, when Louis gives up after the bridge stops and says he has a bad feeling, Francis tells Louis that they've survived worse in an attempt to convince Louis (unsuccessfully) that they will survive. This hints that, while Francis might not show it, he cares about Louis, or at least his state of mind.
  • Zoey
    In beta testing, Zoey and Francis were to share some sort of affection towards each other, but this was cut. Nonetheless, Francis seems to like Zoey more than the other Survivors, and shows extreme sadness if she dies. Zoey isn't as keen on Francis as she was originally intended to be, but they still get along well. At the start of "Crash Course", Francis is fairly annoyed at Zoey for causing them to crash-land as a result of her deliberately shooting their Infected helicopter pilot in mid-flight. Thereafter, during The Alleys, he directs pointed comments to her over this incident. Nevertheless, they still crack jokes together and Francis eventually warms up and puts the episode behind him.
  • Coach
    Francis doesn't have much interaction with Coach, but he does at first believe Coach to be Rochelle's father. This amuses Rochelle, but insults Coach somewhat, since he is only 15 years older than her.
  • Ellis
    Francis and Ellis get along well. They both have a mutual belief that the presence of "real" zombies means that there must also be vampires, werewolves, mummies, and aliens around.[12] Their only conflict comes over Jimmy Gibbs Junior, who Francis believes either to be a man or dog who sold tacos.[13] Ellis will get angry with Francis over this. Francis also claims that he hates Ellis' hat, but laughs as if it was a joke.[14]
  • Nick
    Nick and Francis seem to completely hate each other. At the start of The Riverbank, if Francis is present, Nick refers to him as a "greasy vest-wearing monkey" while Francis calls him "Suit" or "Colonel Sanders" in turn. However, the line "Brother, that's what I'm trying to tell ya. We can't get this thing down ourselves. You have to get to the other side," won't lead to an argument between them. He occasionally compares Nick with a Witch because of his complaining throughout the campaign[15] Despite their distaste for one another, Francis wishes Nick good luck and calls him a brother upon Nick's departure.[16] This is probably because Francis and Nick share a common affiliation to a gang or group, as Nick's ring and Francis' right shoulder tattoo share the same symbol. It's hinted that they knew each other in certain dialogue, too. Also, due to their abrasive natures, it is possible their supposed hostility towards each other may have no real hatred at all.
  • Rochelle
    Through the events of "The Passing", Francis becomes infatuated with Rochelle, going so far as call her his "lovely little angel" and sob at her departure. He might also cry out "I love you, Ro!" as they drive away. He compliments her taste in music when commenting on her shirt, referring to Depeche Mode as "classy". He becomes even more infatuated with her after realizing that she "hates things, too," including his vest, which then turns him off completely.

Hatred of Everything

Francis is notable for often contextually exclaiming how he hates something. Why Francis hates almost everything is unknown, but it can be assumed that it has something to do with his past of being an outlaw, or perhaps just a personality quirk added for comic relief. Among the things Francis hates:

Subject From Source Notes
Airplanes Dead Air WorldAirport0513
The Army Blood Harvest dlc2armytruck01
dlc2armytruck02
Later, at the finale, he takes it back claiming "I LOVE the goddamn Army!" Or "I forgive you, Army; I love you guys!"
Ayn Rand Dead Air WorldAirport0416
Barns Blood Harvest WorldFarmHouse0420 (cut)
Bill's Plan The Sacrifice c6dlc3secondsaferoom15
Birds Crash Course dlc2birdhate01 Zoey may agree "Yeah, birds are dicks"
Boats Death Toll
The Sacrifice
c6dlc3intro26
Boat people Death Toll WorldSmallTown0510 (cut)
Boat lawyers Death Toll WorldSmallTown0511 Only the subtitles mention "boat lawyers", in-game it's just "lawyers".
Bridges The Passing dlc1_c6m3_finalechat16
Canada Crash Course dlc2canadahate01
dlc2canadahate02
Caca Death Toll WorldSmallTown0207 (cut)
Car alarms Community dlc1_communityl4d105
Churches Death Toll WorldSmallTown0206 (cut)
Cold Community dlc1_communityl4d104
Cops No Mercy WorldHospital0404 Despite this, Francis is not above impersonating a cop, having done so multiple times throughout the game and comic.
Different Promo Steam for Mac A reference to Mac's "Think Different" slogan.
Doctors No Mercy WorldHospital0404
Elevators No Mercy WorldHospital0409
Electric fences Blood Harvest WorldFarmHouse0321 (cut)
Ellis' hat The Passing dlc1_c6m3_l4d1finalebridgerun06
Falling The Sacrifice (comic)
Fish The Sacrifice c6dlc3secondsaferoom20 Only hates live fish. Intentionally eats it just to prove his point to the fish.
Flying Crash Course dlc2intro07
Generators Crash Course
The Sacrifice
dlc2m2finalebuttonpressgen302
c6dlc3prestartlastgen01
Goodbyes The Passing dlc1_c6m3_l4d1finalecinematic13
Gravel hill The Sacrifice c6dlc3gravelhill07
Greece Dead Air worldairport0416 Only in the German version (replaces Ayn Rand).
Helicopters No Mercy
Crash Course
WorldHospital0501
dlc2intro19
dlc2intro32
Hospitals No Mercy WorldHospital0404
WorldHospital0408
Hotels Dead Air WorldAirport0230 (cut)
Islands The Sacrifice c6dlc3intro23
c6dlc3secondsaferoom28
Claims to have Insulaphobia (fear of islands).
Jumping Dead Air WorldAirport0232 (cut)
Latest issues Crash Course dlc2magazinerack01 Reply to Zoey's sarcastic "Hey Francis, they've got the latest issue of Hating Everything Magazine."
Lawyers No Mercy
Death Toll
WorldHospital0404"
WorldSmallTown0511
WorldSmallTown0512
Louis's good feelings The Sacrifice c6dlc3secondsaferoom02
Malls Dead Before Dawn francis_ihatemalls_dbd
Mondays Crash Course dlc2bulletinboard01 The only exception is if it's lasagna Monday. A nod to the Garfield comic.
Parades Crash Course dlc2intro29
Photos Promo (Steam Sale) Can be seen in the background of "Summer Camp Sale" with a small piece of paper saying "I hate photos"
Prisons Last Drop communitygeneric04 In The Sacrifice comic, two days after the first infection Francis was arrested for stealing, and then the outbreak changed everything.
Riverside Crash Course dlc2riverside02 Thinks Riverside is in Canada, which is why he hates it.
Sewers No Mercy WorldHospital0308
Small towns Death Toll WorldSmallTown0311
Snow The Passing dlc1_communityl4d102
dlc1_communityl4d103
Stairs No Mercy WorldHospital0410 Bill may reply "Damn straight".
Steam pipes Crash Course dlc2steam01 Only hates the pipes, not the steam itself.
Subways No Mercy WorldHospital0201
Suicide Missions The Sacrifice c6dlc3jumpingoffbridge03
Tanks The Passing dlc1_killfinaltank01
dlc1_killfinaltank02
dlc1_killfinaltank03
The South The Passing dlc1_l4d1tank03
Trains Blood Harvest WorldFarmHouse0211 (cut)
Train yards Death Toll WorldSmallTown0204
Tunnels Blood Harvest WorldFarmHouse0212
Turnpikes Death Toll WorldSmallTown0118 (cut)
Vampires Crash Course dlc2canadahate02
Vans Death Toll
Dead Air
WorldAirport0425
Vomit Death Toll WorldSmallTown0514 (cut)
Walking Crash Course dlc2intro22
dlc2m2finaletruckend01
Large bodies of water Death Toll WorldSmallTown0509 Later he quietly admits that he can't swim.
Whispering Generic Generic59 (cut)
Woods Blood Harvest WorldFarmHouse0112
Zoey's sacrifice The Sacrifice c6dlc3zoeydies04
Zombies The Sacrifice (comic)
Steam Summer Camp Sale

Promotional shot of Steam's Summer Camp Sale with Francis declaring his hatred for photos.

When asked by Bill if there's anything he doesn't hate, he replies "You know what I don't hate? I don't hate vests."[17] In "Crash Course", Francis states that he loves lasagna, and when Zoey walks past the steam pipe and sarcastically moans, "I love steam," he mutters, "Yeah... Steam's all right, I guess."[18]" This is a reference to Valve's game client, also called Steam. In the same level, the crash leaves him so dazed that he blurts out "I love helicopters!"[19] raising genuine concern for his mental health before he snaps out of it. From the tone of his voice, his statement that he loves helicopters may also be sarcasm that the other Survivors don't pick up on. During "The Passing", Francis states, "I love that car!"[20] referring to Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s stock car. Despite the fact that he hates cops, he often claims he is one when attempting to call a Rescue Vehicle, the Church Guy (who said he didn't sound like one), or when talking to the Left 4 Dead 2 Survivors, where he claims that he, Zoey and Louis are all cops (Nick, however, sees through this ruse), even yelling to the new Survivors who are escaping from the Port that they were cops. It is also pretty obvious that he does not hate Rochelle.

Quotes and Captions

Main article: Francis/Quotes and Captions

Behind the Scenes

Francis' original beta design was quite different from his current appearance. Originally, Francis had slightly long, black hair with a beard, blue jeans, and appeared overweight. His tattoos, and clothing style remained about the same, however, except for the vest which appeared to be a denim one instead of his current leather one. The in-game Developer Commentary states that Francis is 6 foot 5 inches tall.

Notes

Lambdafrancis

The Lambda logo.

  • The name "Francis" is an English form of the Latin name Franciscus which means "Frenchman". A famous bearer of the name was Sir Francis Drake, an English explorer and admiral of the Elizabethan era. 
  • Francis has the Lambda logo from the Half-Life series cut into his hair as an Easter egg which appears in almost every game that Valve has developed; upon further inspection, however, it appears to be a scar.
  • The quote "Groovy," which Francis says occasionally when picking up an Auto Shotgun or a Chainsaw, could be a reference to the cult horror film Evil Dead II. It may also be a reference to the Duke Nukem series, because when Duke Nukem sometimes picks up a gun, he will say "Groovy." This was put in the Duke Nukem games as a reference to Evil Dead II as well.
  • One of Francis' arm tattoos appears to show The Star of Chaos, a recurring symbol in the Warhammer franchise and Chaos magic.
  • Under the Star of Chaos tattoo is a visible portrait of the outlaw Jesse James.
    Francis Nick textures

    Texture files of Nick's ring and Francis' tattoo comparing the two.

  • In the game files, Francis is called "biker".
  • Each of the Left 4 Dead Survivors agrees with at least one thing Francis dislikes, even if it is mockingly.
  • Valve's design policy decision to grant each Survivor character equal physical abilities simplifies gameplay and player-character selection but creates certain anomalies. Nowhere is this more evident than in case of Francis: he is cast as a 6-foot 5 inch bear of a man, yet his physical strength and agility match that of Zoey who weighs about half as much and is nearly 12 inches shorter.
  • In "The Sacrifice", Francis may mention he has "Insulaphobia", a fear of islands. However, Insulaphobia is also attributed to a "fear of being isolated." Additionally, in The Sacrifice comic, Francis dreams about living a life of ease and gratification on a tropical island which contradicts his previous statement of fearing them.
  • During "The Sacrifice", in the starting safe room of the Port Finale, Francis may state that he is against the island plan. In response, Bill says, "They're defensible, Francis. As far as we know, zombies can't swim." After that, Francis will grumble, "They're not the only ones," which hints that Francis can't swim either and Louis will offer to "...teach you how to swim..." when they make it to The Keys.
  • During "The Sacrifice", in the starting safe room of the Port Finale, players will see graffiti by the safe room door, mentioning "The Angels of Death". Underneath that are drawings of 8 skulls. By looking carefully on the lower left side of Francis's neck, there is a tattoo with those same skulls. This could be a reference to the gang he used to hang out with before the infection, as shown in The Sacrifice comic.

Gallery

Francis
People

References

  1. "...all on a six foot five frame..." from developer commentary here.
  2. http://l4d.com/l4d/survivors.htm Survivors descriptions
  3. Francis: "Have a heart, we gotta a helpless old man with us!"
  4. Francis: "Don't let that stop you from smearing it all over yourself."
  5. Francis: "Bill, could I borrow your med kit? I just wanna look at it."
  6. Louis: "Francis, you can take your mustache, your vest, and your chaps, and go find yourself a parade!"
  7. Francis: "The manager's down for the count."
  8. Francis: "Shit! I was just starting to like that guy."
  9. Francis: "Damn it... he didn't deserve this."
  10. Francis: "We're just leaving Louis out there? I mean, I'm cool with that if everyone else is."
  11. "We should maybe go get Louis. I'm just sayin'..."
  12. Francis: "Yeah! Yeah! That's what I've been saying."
  13. Francis: "That's amazing. You mean this car used to belong to the taco dog?"
  14. Francis: "Hey Ellis, I HATE YOUR HAT! [laughs]"
  15. Francis: "WITCH! Oh sorry, got confused by all your crying."
  16. Francis: "Nick! Good luck, my brother."
  17. WorldSmallTown0513
  18. dlc2steam03
  19. dlc2intro20
  20. dlc1_c6m3_l4d1finalecinematic03
The Survivors
Left 4 Dead Left 4 Dead 2 Others
Francis hud
Francis
Advertisement