In the games, but also in the series of Fallout, there are Ghouls. These are strange beings that somewhat resemble a corpse, but usually appear very lively. What is the deal with these creatures?
Anyone who has played Fallout or seen the related series on Amazon Prime knows them: Ghouls. At first glance, they resemble corpses that are not as dead as they look. After all, their skin is decayed in most cases, sometimes looks charred, and has holes in it.
In the Fallout series, which will receive a second season starting December 17, 2025, a Ghul plays an important role who was also part of Season 1: the former Hollywood actor Cooper Howard, who roams the wasteland known as “the Ghoul” after the Great War.
Creatures like him are completely normal on the surface of the Fallout world, after all, there are far more terrible things – but what has led to Ghouls like Cooper Howard looking like this?
Radiation doesn’t have to be deadly
What did Ghouls look like in the past? Just like most Ghoul beings from Fallout, Cooper Howard was also a human. However, there are also animals affected by the phenomenon. Basically, what happened to them is: they mutated because they were exposed to the dangerous radioactive radiation of the wasteland for too long and in constant small amounts. Or they were part of experiments that turned them into Ghouls, which is particularly unlikely in the case of Cooper Howard.
Many beings are killed by radioactive radiation in a very painful process, where a mix of bleeding and necrosis causes the affected to meet their demise. In some cases, however, the opposite happens, and a human slowly mutates into a Ghoul – including some practical abilities.
Anyone who has seen Fallout Season 1 knows: Ghouls like Cooper Howard can be very resilient. Normally, they survive injuries that would be fatal to ordinary humans. This is because the bodies of Ghouls can heal their own wounds. Additionally, further radiation encountered in the wasteland does not cause harm anymore.
For this reason, Ghouls live much longer than humans and can even be considered immortal. This is also evident in concrete examples: Many of these mutated beings experienced their transformation during the Great War in 2077, but still roam the wasteland over 200 years later – for example, in Fallout New Vegas, which takes place in 2281. The Amazon series, by the way, takes place even later, namely in 2296.
Can Ghouls actually not die? Yes, they can. If violence is used against them and essential parts of their bodies are destroyed, it is also over for Ghouls. This is particularly evident in the games, where Ghouls are a type of enemy. But not only that: in some cases, Ghouls can also be encountered in a friendly manner as NPCs. Some even have quests for the player.
Here it is important to emphasize that there are mainly three types of Ghouls:
- Intelligent Ghouls: This includes the Ghoul from the Amazon series and various quest givers from the games. This type behaves similarly to a human, can think and speak normally. Just like humans, these Ghouls pursue their own goals and act well or evil.
- Wild Ghouls: This form often appears as an enemy in the game. They cannot think normally, but behave as their instincts dictate. Visually, they appear even more decayed than their intelligent relatives.
- Glowing Ghouls: A hybrid of the other two, the Glowing Ghouls have received significantly more radiation and therefore glow ominously. Among them, there are both wild and intelligent Ghouls. Because they are considered an exception among their kind, they are often ostracized.
The latter applies to Ghouls in general: Because they are eerie and often unpredictable beings, and simply “different” from humans, these mutants experience discrimination. Some, like the Ghoul from the series, seem to be completely indifferent to this – if in doubt, the cool guy just shoots his way through. By the way, his actor has a clear stance on gaming: The coolest guy from Fallout Season 2 has never played the games and wants to catch up “only in a few years” for good reasons
