In GTA V and GTA Online we encountered various characters in recent years. Some of them are parodies of real personalities, others are entirely fictional. However, in 2017, Rockstar Games introduced a very… special… character into the game.
In December 2017, GTA Online introduced the Doomsday Heist, which is a heist where we players must prevent the end of the world. Our good acquaintance Lester Crest introduced us to Avon Hertz, whom we first meet in a former underground government base.
Avon is presented to us as a tech billionaire who founded his first company at just 22 years old. He is also the developer of the supercomputer Clifford. We are to work together with both from now on.
In a video sequence, Avon explains to us that a danger threatens the United States. Throughout the story, we encounter a former Russian agent named Bogdan, who reveals to us: He is not trying to destroy American democracy but to stop Avon and Clifford. Their goal is to provoke a nuclear war.
An egocentric billionaire with evil plans
Avon turns out to be the antagonist of the story and pursues a malicious goal: He wants to create a society that meets his ideals. The simple, working citizen must be kept away from the rich and successful. The perfect world is run by private companies. And to create this world, the current society must be eradicated through a nuclear catastrophe.
Avon presents himself as unemotional and very egocentric. He sees himself at the center of world events and feels hurt because the American government did not want to work with him. Moreover, he is very self-absorbed and does not tire of talking about his high intellect.
However, he is also very insecure, stutters when he reaches the limits of his arguments, and uses his success and intellect as an excuse when someone confronts him with logical counterarguments.
The insecurity of the tech billionaire also shows in other areas. For instance, it seemed important to him to tell us that his hair is indeed real while he discusses the alleged threat.
Moreover, Avon has a questionable relationship with the artificial intelligence Clifford, who is supposed to call him “Daddy.” He sees himself as the father of the supercomputer, yet never speaks of a human family or loved ones.
In the finale of the Doomsday Heist, Clifford turns against all humans and wants to destroy the entire world with nuclear missiles – Avon is also supposed to die. We ultimately stop Clifford, but in a final attempt, Avon risks his life to escape with the original code of Clifford and save the AI – even though it turned against him and all of humanity.
Let’s summarize again:
- Avon is an egocentric tech billionaire who appears very insecure regarding his appearance and intellect.
- He struggles to interact with other people and lacks any empathy.
- Avon tried to prove his worth to the American government.
- He apparently has no family who loves and supports him and sees only a failed society in which he probably has no place.
- The only form of emotional closeness he experiences is through a computer.
Perhaps Rockstar Games was once again inspired by a famous person when they created Avon Hertz in 2017. I feel as though the story and personality of the insecure tech billionaire remind me of someone. If only I knew who…
