Desmond Miles

Desmond Miles is one of the main protagonist from the Assassin's Creed games.

Desmond is a genetic descendant of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze and Ratonhnhaké:ton. He is a full-blooded Assassin, who is dragged into the Secret War against his will. Not the greatest fighter at first, but the "Bleeding Effect" of being constantly exposed to the Animus and his ancestors, coupled with his genetic ties, allows him to develop agility and fighting skills on a par with his forefathers.

Following his death, the Templars retrieve his body and use his DNA as the basis for Abstergo Entertainment's Sample 17 project.

Personality
Desmond was a gruff and cynical individual, who held a serious outlook on life. This was mainly due to him learning of the Templars and Assassins in his youth, and even of their connection to Abstergo, as he was educated to their power and reach during his childhood at the Farm. However, he grew to disbelieve this, eventually dismissing what he was taught as paranoid delusions – and his parents as "conspiracy freaks" – until he was kidnapped and brought to Abstergo.

Despite this, he was not above jesting about his situation, and would occasionally crack jokes, although they rarely elicited a good reaction from anyone. After his emancipation from Abstergo, Desmond's demeanor became considerably more relaxed, and he spent a notable amount of time conversing with Lucy. However, he began to question his sanity after experiencing the Bleeding Effect.

After Lucy's death and the discovery of his confinement in the Black Room, Desmond was overcome with grief and remorse. While trapped in the Black Room, he reflected on his life, his family, and his choice to not be an Assassin. However, Desmond eventually found closure while recalling his past and learning from Ezio and Altaïr's final genetic memories; he came to realize that his easier times were over, and that he had to face the fact that he was an Assassin and not to shy away from it.

Upon reuniting with his father, the two had a strained relationship due to William's rather cold-hearted nature along with Desmond's past decisions, leading Desmond to personally refer to him as an 'asshole' and thus the two distanced themselves from each other for some time. Eventually however the two were able to reconcile their differences and began to show more care for each other, as proven when Desmond personally journeyed to Abstergo in order to save his father.

Desmond could also be selfless and brave, an example being his decision to save his father from Abstergo, even if he thought of him as an "asshole", as he put it. He also had little issue with taking lives when necessary, evidenced in his conflicts with Abstergo's guards and when he used the Apple to kill Vidic.

Abilities
As Desmond was trained during childhood as an Assassin, he was proficient in basic reconnaissance skills, such as eavesdropping and pickpocketing, both of which he used in his first days at Abstergo. After about a week of being forced to relive the memories of his ancestor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Desmond developed an extra-sensory ability dubbed Eagle Vision.

Later on, after willingly exploring the memories of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Desmond gained his ancestor's freerunningskills, allowing him to scale structures easily. Additionally, he learned sword-fighting and fist-fighting techniques, including disarming and countering. Not long afterward, he was able to easily fend off a Templar attack on the hideout. After fully synchronizing with Ezio, Desmond was able to use most of his ancestor's abilities in the modern era, most notably freerunning across Monteriggioni and the Colosseum.

After waking up from his coma, Desmond explored the memories of one of his ancestors, Ratonhnhaké:ton, improving his agility when traversing man-made structures and natural elements. As such, he easily outmatched Daniel Cross' freerunning capabilities. Desmond could also blend with crowds more effectively and use foliage to bypass enemies undetected. Most prominently, Desmond gained Ratonhnhaké:ton's deadly combat skills and dual-wielding capabilities, allowing him to engage and triumph over multiple opponents during his mission to rescue his father from Abstergo.

Desmond naturally used a single Hidden Blade prior to his coma, which he used with great proficiency. He was also capable of using a tactical baton in combat during the Templar attack in the Hideout. After his coma, Desmond was now able to rely on his fists and legs alone, and was now wielding a bowie knife and Daniel Cross' MK23 pistol, which Desmond obtained after killing Cross. Desmond managed to use the pistol with great skill and force, without ever losing aim.

By the end of his life, Desmond had become a particularly strong being, being capable of fighting against multiple armed guards with ease, guards who were trained to the point they could easily shatter ballistic glass simply by jumping, a feat Desmond could also be capable of doing. He was capable of sending his enemies several meters into the air just by kicking them, as his ancestors could in the past.

Trivia

 * The etymology of Desmond's name was stated as "the world" by a Ubisoft developer who worked on the game, possibly deriving it personally and incorrectly from the French words "des mond(es)", or "worlds". The correct, and accepted, academic etymology however is that the name is of Irish Gaelic origin deriving from "Deasmhumhain" meaning "South Munster". Either way, Desmond's name deviates from Altaïr and Ezio, who were both given names with avian meanings; Altaïr, meaning "the flying one", and Ezio, meaning "eagle". Desmond's surname has a more pertinent meaning to the game, as Miles is the Latin word for "soldier"; it has, however, been also suggested to be a derivation of Slavic mil, meaning "grace, gracious".


 * Desmond was modeled after Francisco Randez and voiced by Nolan North.
 * A "missing-person" poster, purportedly made by Desmond's friends after his disappearance, gave Desmond's physical characteristics as "Age: 25 - Height: 6' - Weight: 195 lbs - Brown hair - Brown eyes".
 * The medical report from Abstergo's evaluation of Desmond, dated 3 September 2012, described him as physically fit. His weight, however, was listed as 189 lbs.
 * Yet another weight, 170 lbs, is given in the Assassin's Creed game manual.
 * Also, while the poster stated that Desmond had brown eyes, his eye color has changed on multiple occasions. In Assassin's Creed they were golden; in Assassin's Creed II they were brown again; and in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, when he entered Subject 16's virtual maze, they were displayed as blue. The latter was best seen during the dialogue between him and Subject 16.
 * According to the Assassin's Creed game manual, Desmond was an A+ blood type.
 * Desmond's ancestors Altaïr and Ezio both possessed scars identical to Desmond's on their lips.
 * In Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II, Desmond's face model matched that of the game's respective protagonist.
 * In Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Desmond's scar had been removed, possibly due to an oversight. The scar on his lip was returned in Assassin's Creed III, however.
 * Desmond possessed a tattoo on his left forearm, the top part of which resembled an eagle with its wings spread.


 * Desmond's history showed that he never wanted to be an Assassin, nor did he have the skills before Assassin's Creed II to be one; as Shaun put it, he "didn't even try to escape." However, in the graphic novelof Assassin's Creed that was included with the limited edition of the game, he did call himself an Assassin, and showed skills of stealth and lethal prowess.