Roy Batty from Blade Runner.
Roy is a replicant, a bioengineered android that physically resembles a human. He was created to be a soldier to fight in wars against other colonies. He has a life expectancy of four years and in the film he is nearing the end of his life.
All he wanted for him and the other replicants with whom he traveled was to extend their lifespan. He did not want to start a revolution and free the replicants, nor enslave the humans, nor take control of the human empire.
When Deckard begins to eliminate the other replicants, Roy has every interest in killing him. He could easily have killed him twice. The first time, he pulls Deckard’s arm through a wall and breaks two fingers, then tells him to run. The second time, Deckard tries to jump on another roof but he is left hanging on the ledge. Roy easily makes the jump and it looks like he could drop Deckard.
But he saves Deckard’s life, even if Deckard would have let him die in the same situation. Instead of using the last moments of his life to get revenge, he uses them to do something “more human than human” and show that he has more empathy and compassion than a human. This act of compassion could also ensure that at least one person can remember Roy long after his death. In any other type of story, a character like Roy would be the protagonist we are supposed to support and Deckard the antagonist.
0 Comments