Hump Day Husbandos: Cliff Unger (Death Stranding)

All Articles Features Headliners Hump Day Husbandos
Lilia Hellal
May 3, 2023
7

I have been really digging Death Stranding for the last month, and its character-specific story arcs have all hit me hard. But if I was forced to declare who my favourite character is, then it would have to be Cliff Unger.

Starting out as one of the most intriguing of the game’s characters and quickly becoming key to one of its most emotionally charged storylines, he’s a truly memorable character for sure. Here is why he will have a lasting effect on me.

Spoilers mentioned.

Who is Cliff Unger?

In this Hideo Kojima game that features celebrities portraying the entire cast, one head-turning talent on board is Mads Mikkelsen, who puts his heart and soul into his performance as the “combat veteran”. Mads would go on to portray one of the title’s antagonists, whose true nature and complexities are hinted at throughout your time in the game.

Whenever the player leaves any private room facility in Death Stranding, right up until the climax hits, flashbacks of your baby companion BB’s origins play out, revealing a hospital room — and Cliff always appears or is at least in shot. The contents of the memories always vary, such as Cliff celebrating anniversary with his wife, BB’s birthday, or promising BB that he will send him to the moon.

This non-linear progression of his story arc makes for two brilliant effects: these short clips not only build intrigue around Death Stranding’s most mysterious character, but they carry enough emotional weight to make them striking even as standalone scenes. In the end, these few minutes we have with Cliff throughout the game help us make sense of the overall picture of Death Stranding’s storyline — especially once these memories are linked to the current events involving Sam.

Why we love him

Having served in the military for years across his lifetime, Cliff would end up prioritising time with his wife, Lisa, and their unborn child, intending to dedicate his entire being to fatherhood. As a character who seemingly represents the regrets of leaving a life and legacy behind, and one who missed out on fulfilling his duty as a father and family unit rather than just as a capable army man, Cliff’s fate is as tragic as they come.

He would be forced to lay his wife to rest and shortly follow her after failing to escape with BB from the facility that betrayed his trust: one in which he entrusted the fate of both his wife and unborn child so that he could be of further help and service to the greater good of mankind by advancing research in BB technology. Ultimately gunned down next to Lisa and with only lingering thoughts of wanting a better fate for his son, Cliff would only ever appear as an obstacle in Sam’s way – a lost soul who is searching for his BB.

Why you will love him

Cliff was a good man who always brought his men back alive and unscathed during his time within the United States Army Special Forces. His involvement in certain dynamics such as Die-Hardman brings even more emotional weight to both of their storylines, since Die-Hardman owes Cliff his life. His loyalty never wavered when it came to serving Cliff; it meant he was loyal to the person instead of being blindly faithful to his allegiance with the company Bridges.

Cliff was a family man all the way to the bitter end – this being the exact reason as to why he lingered as a BT in search of his son all this time. It was only when he realised that Sam was the BB he was always seeking that he was finally able to find some degree of peace. The grand revelation in the game’s climax is one that well and truly tugs at the heartstrings. It concludes a quality character arc in Cliff as he learns to not only move on but to also forgive, despite everything he has suffered through — in both life and even in death.

To top it off, it has been a while since a single line – “being a father didn’t make me scared, it made me brave” – hit me as hard as this, and it is thanks to the build-up and conclusion to his character arc that this line is quite so powerful.

Experience Death Stranding for yourself now on PS4, PS5 or Microsoft Windows.

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