Ubisoft has confirmed that the villain from Far Cry 2, The Jackal, is the main protagonist from the original Far Cry, almost 13 years later.
After more than a decade of speculation, Ubisoft has officially confirmed a long-running fan theory about Far Cry 2’s villain, the Jackal, and how the professed character is connected to the original game’s protagonist. The Far Cry series is known for its villains, and Ubisoft has never been shy about creating nefarious characters for their popular story-driven action franchise. So far, three major villains have impacted protagonists, defining the franchise’s narrative by putting players to the test, and the next instalment, Far Cry 6, is set to expand on this with a tyrannical dictator.
Far Cry was originally developed by Crytek and released in 2004. It followed former American special forces operative Jack Carver as he searched for a journalist on a mysterious chain of islands after being attacked and stranded by mercenaries. Despite having the open-world dynamics that made Far Cry famous, the game lacked a memorable villain and introduced an underdeveloped “mad scientist.” Ubisoft developed and released a sequel to the original Far Cry in 2008 after acquiring the franchise’s rights. Far Cry 2 introduced a new gameplay style and setting, the cast of characters, and the main antagonist. The main protagonist in Far Cry 2 is tasked with tracking down and killing a notorious but mysterious arms dealer known as the Jackel.
Far Cry 2’s Creative Director, Clint Hocking, confirmed that the Jackal is indeed the main protagonist of the original Far Cry, Jack Carver, in an interview during IGN’s latest Insider Stories documentary, How Far Cry’s Iconic Villains Were Created. Despite being a former member of the United States Army Special Forces, Carver is described by the director as a “shifty, smuggler, gun runner kind of crook,” with Far Cry 2 set 10 years later to show how he stepped up his game as a contrabandist and became involved in Central Africa’s civil war. “The idea was that [the Jackal] was just him, 10 years later or something, after he’d seen whatever he saw on this island [during Far Cry’s events].” So perhaps it was drug-induced, perhaps it’s post-traumatic stress disorder, or perhaps it’s real,” Hocking speculated.
For more than a decade, fans have speculated that the Jackel is Jack Carver, with plenty of evidence suggesting that Carver would later become the continent’s most wanted face. To begin with, Jackal and Carver have similar military backgrounds and smuggling experience. Further evidence is provided by the ending of Far Cry Instincts, which shows Carver taking a box full of Blood diamonds, which turns out to be a major plot point in Far Cry 2. More evidence can be found in the Far Cry 2 game files, where Jackal’s textures are labelled as “jackcarver,” even though the character is never given a name in the game.
While one of the Far Cry’s biggest theories has come to an end, it’s still unclear whether Jack Carver is alive or dead, as he was never found after the conclusion of Far Cry 2. However, Ubisoft is still expanding the series, with pivotal main villains set to reform the series’ main formula, and Carver could make a comeback at some point. Until then, players can prepare for the series’ next main villain, Antón Castillo, by taking on the role of a guerilla fighter and putting an end to the dictator’s regime in Far Cry 6, which will be released on October 6.
On October 7, 2021, Far Cry 6 will be released on Google Stadia, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
Source: IGN, IGN/YouTube
