Cole MacGrath

Cole MacGrath is the original protagonist of the inFamous games.

Originally, he was a simple bike messenger who was delivering a package for someone to somewhere in the Historic District of Empire City. In the midst of his delivery however, the package exploded, destroying half the city and killing thousands in the process. However, this event resulted in Cole activating his power of Electrokinesis.

Appearance
Cole wears a leather jacket and pants with a stripe on the right leg, forming a small union jack design on his knee, and a sling bag with his phone attached to the single strap. This sling bag has a Sly Cooper logo and the numbers one and 3 designed onto it. He has a shaved head with a light stubble beard, and speaks in a gravelly voice. Cole shows a high form of intelligence, and is able to logically deduce the outcomes of any actions he might take.

Personality
In his Good Karma state, Cole is selfless, caring about other and how his powers will benefit the citizens of Empire City and New Marais. He shows concern for those around him, and tries not to destroy things around him.

Cole has underwent character development over the course of InFamous and in lesser extent, InFamous 2. In the first game, though this played out as part of the game's mechanic, Cole at times finding himself reluctant and/or conflicted whenever facing choices to use his powers to help others along with its consequences, as he was framed by Voice of Survival and became public enemy as result. When he later praised by civilians for saving an entire train that hijacked by the Reapers, Cole initially thought of them as hypocrites before eventually relieved upon feeling what it's like to be a hero and accepted their credits. He also initially worried that his powers may corrupting him upon seeing Sasha's deformed state. Despite this, the said concern eventually diminished the more he used his powers to help others.

As he committed more good deeds, Cole gradually realized that becoming a hero who used his powers selflessly is the right thing to do. He eventually becomes a heroic figure driven by sense of justice and not to give up his decisions to stop The Beast no matter it costs. This newfound sense of justice even reflected by the way he utilizes his powers: Cole's attacks become much more accurate, able to take down enemies with little harm, and discovering the ways to heal weakened civilians. He also appear cleaner, as though he is "the symbol of health & longevity".

Abilities
Four years prior to the Blast, Cole began practicing Urban Exploration; parkour and climbing. He also traveled down to New Marais during his training, exploiting the drop of law enforcement. Through extensive training, Cole was able to perform parkour with ease, able to walk on narrow cables and climb buildings. This has aided him well in his job as a bike messenger in Empire City.

Being a latent Conduit, Cole also seemed to have a stronger resistance and endurance to injury, as he was able to make it out alive after being run over by a freight truck during the time before the Blast. Zeke mentions this to Trish when the latter was worried if Cole will get out of his coma or not, assuring her that he'll be fine.
 * Electrokinesis and Electromagnetism: This gives Cole the ability to channel lightning in and out of his body. Cole can use this to a variety of means, one notable example being its use in hand-to-hand combat. Cole combines martial arts while electrifying his hands to fight his enemies. He can greatly improve the damage he can inflict by charging both of his arms with electric energy (Gigawatt Blades), and taking down almost any human in a single hit.[2] Cole could also use his Electrokinetic abilities to his advantage in various ways. He could use it like a radar (Radar Pulse) to locate electric sources nearby, and differentiate friend from foe, find Blast Shards, or locate John White's Dead Drops. He could use his powers in an almost Telepathic way, reading a deceased persons thoughts through neuroelectic energy absorbed from their synapses (Psychic Vision). He could read a memory of his choice, such as finding out how a person died, or finding something they hid (namely Blast Shards). Should he see how they died, he would also see an "echo" through neuroelectric remnants of a person connected with the death. he could see the echo through the use of his Radar Pulse. Cole's primary offensive ability was to fire an Electrokinetic bolt of lightning out of his hands and onto any target he has it aimed to (Lightning Bolt). This bolt passed a current through any target, stunning enemies, electrifying bodies of water (thus killing anyone in it), or charge up electric devices. Several variations of this attack include: a continuous chain of lightning (Arc Lightning), a massive amount of energy concentrated into a single bolt (Overload Burst), and a sniper-like bolt of electricity, shot while speeding up Cole to a point where time appeared to slow down. This allows him to use electricity in order to generate magnetic and anti-magnetic effects. He can also charge himself with energy as he falls, creating a powerful explosion as he lands (Thunder Drop). With Electromagnetism, Cole could perform several attacks with various uses. He could bind an explosive kinetic charge with Electromagnetism, sticking to any enemies, bouncing off walls, and exploding a few seconds after impact (Shock Grenade). He could also trap a massive explosive charge in a swirling rocket-like mass, that would explode on contact (Megawatt Hammer), and generate a shockwave that knocks targets into the air (Electromagnetic Shockwave (TK Blast)). Cole could hover in the air using electromagnetism (Static Thrusters), and also grind through metal wires and railings (Induction Grind). Cole could also use magnetic tethers to throw vehicles and objects at enemies(shown in the comics)and could lift any object, even non-magnetic ones, and could even use it to lift and throw enemies. Cole had the ability to form a defensive barrier that can protect him from harm through the use of electromagnetism (Polarity Wall). Also, Cole possessed "touch-related" abilities, such as "leeching" an individual's neuroelectric energy to instantly heal any body damage inflicted unto him (Bio Leech), restraining a wounded individual with the use of electrokinesis and electromagnetism (Arc Restraint), and also healing a nearby injured individual back up their feet (Pulse Heal). He also possessed upgrades for most of these powers, with the general upgrade path being accurate and more inclined to damaging the opponent and leaving civilians unharmed (Good Karma) or destructive and splitting into multiple blows, maximizing destruction (Evil Karma). He also possessed a unique ability, to gain an endless supply of energy for 30 seconds (Karmic Overload).
 * Weather Manipulation: Cole can control weather phenomena such as lightning storms. He exhibited this power firstly after The Blast, when he summoned a thunderstorm over Empire City. The energy from such a feat would require thousands of megatons. This storm was also powerful enough to accidentally destroy the Fremont Bridge. Afterwards, he gains full control over this ability by being able to create thunderstorms at will and rain lightning upon his enemies.

Basic Conduit Abilities

 * Superhuman Strength and Durability: As a Conduit, Cole MacGrath gains superhuman strength, resistance to injury, reflexes, agility and physical abilities have been enhanced to levels far beyond that of any human. He is able to survive the Ray Sphere Explosion, which completely vaporized six blocks of Empire City (the energy of which would be equivalent to a 50 megaton explosion), and is able to tank attacks from other Conduits on his level. He has been exposed to powerful explosions, energy blasts, shockwaves, and flaming debris, and is able to shrug them off with ease. He is strong enough to harm Conduits comparable to himself with physical blows, pry open the mouth of a Devourer with his bare hands, lift giant metal beams, toss around cars with physical strength (via Lightning Hook), and was able to overpower Kessler at the climax of their fight.

Over the month after his fight with Kessler, his powers grew tremendously. For one he appeared to have an unlimited supply of energy, and his hands had electricity flowing through them when in a fight, as though he was using a permanent form of Karmic Overload. His Bolts had become much more powerful, with the size and power of Rockets (they never hurt him if he fired too close to himself), but chained electricity like Lightning Bolts, and had a smaller radius of explosion. His grenades apparently lost their adhesive abilities, as any grenades he threw would bounce off the Beast's skin. His Electromagnetic Shockwaves had evolved into Blasts, no longer appear like swirling circular electrified blasts, instead appearing more similar to an expanding Polarity Wall, and a wider area of effect.
 * Healing Factor: Cole gained a healing factor from the Blast, able to quickly heal any damage his body takes in in seconds, due to his body's natural ability to heal being greatly accelerated, through the stimulation of Cole's muscle tissues and his immune system when electricity isn't available. Cole was rendered impervious to most diseases, such as the extreme toxic gases that Kessler's air balloons had released (by-product of Sasha's mind-controlling Black Tar). Even these toxins did not give the user complete control over him, only causing him a lot of pain and draining him of his powers temporarily. His healing ability was accelerated when Cole absorbed electricity (Electric Drain).

His endurance had increased to the point that he could survive being crushed between the Beast's hands for a very long time. His Static Thrusters were much more powerful than before, though he still couldn't use them to fly. He had also learned how to summon Lightning Storms while on uneven ground, giving him a huge advantage in battle.

At the end of the battle with the Beast, Cole's powers were drained, and he lost a lot of his advanced powers. He could no longer fire Megawatt Hammers, create Polarity Walls, or summon Lightning Storms. He stopped using some of his other powers such as Overload Burst (Good Karma) and Arc Lightning (Evil Karma). Cole received new powers through the use of the Blast Cores, refined cores of used Ray Spheres.
 * Electrokinesis: Cole furthered his Electrokinesis in inFamous 2 to impressive levels. Originally, his Lightning Bolts became slightly weaker (this may have been intentional) and began consuming energy. However, Cole began honing his skills and powers in New Marais in preparation for The Beast's imminent advent. Cole retained many powers, including Static Thrusters and the Precision attack (though he needed to "reawaken" the latter with a Blast Core), while other powers were revamped considerably. Most notably, Cole's powers evolved after stressing his body in different ways. The first evolution took place after Cole took down several Militia, which granted him new powers. His primary ability evolved from blasting a single bolt (Alpha Bolt) to blasting three bolts at once (Pincer Bolt), and also able to gain other variations, such as the ability to blast a longer, stronger bolt (Magnum Bolt) and also the ability to blast a bolt that has a farther range (Artillery Bolt). Cole further evolved several of his abilities, including the Grenades and Shockwave attacks. Cole's melee combat has been improved, now using a powerful electric weapon instead of hand-to-hand (The Amp). Cole gained Electrokinetic abilities that improved his mobility, such as the ability to jump at a higher altitude while on top of a car (Car Jump) and also the ability to create a tether that allows Cole to drag himself to a surface that allows the tether to attach (Lightning Tether). He has also exhibited new forms of attack, such as the ability to use lightning as a lasso, and drag enemies off of their feet (Lightning Hook) and an enhanced Shock Grenade, able to electrocute several enemies before detonation (Electrocution Grenade). He gained a new precision Blast that had a much longer range, though a smaller area of effect, and a Grenade that hops towards the nearest enemy.

Cole is also able to gain bonuses that coincide with his Karmic rank, such as the ability to heal several civilians at once, and also able to gain unlimited power for a limited time after performing a Bio Leech onto an individual. Both of these upgrades are automatically received after reaching the specific Karmic rank. Several other upgrades function the same, and can only be gained once a specific Karmic rank is achieved.
 * Electromagnetism: In addition to many of his powers from before, Cole was able to use a form of telekinesis, as Cole is able to lift a metallic object through the use of his powers, and able to throw them at his opponents (Kinetic Pulse).
 * Ionic Manipulation: Cole lost the ability to manipulate Lightning Storms through his own Electrokinetic abilities, instead relying on Ionic Manipulation. Occasionally, one of his enemies dropped a charge when taken down. He could use its power to perform devastating powers akin to the attribute, such as conjuring a powerful hurricane (Ionic Vortex) or a more powerful, stationary Lightning Storm (Ionic Storm).
 * Matter Manipulation/Transmutation: Cole is able to use his powers to affect matter and energy on an atomic level. He can transmute matter such as bullets, as well as other energies, into electricity. He is able to manipulate ions, and absorb ionic charges into his body. Kessler, his future self, was able to create a new type of ion with his powers.
 * Power Transfer Device: Through the Power Transfer Device, Cole gained abilities and attacks attributed to either Napalm Manipulation (if he chooses to transfer powers with Nix) or Cryokinesis (if he chooses to transfer powers with Lucy Kuo). Several powers exhibited by Cole involve gliding at a low altitude while wrought in fire (Firebird Strike), and spiking off a tall icicle from the ground, able to jump greater heights (Ice Launch). Powers attributed to an ionic charge can also be used to perform attacks akin to the two elements, such as the ability to spike off several icicles from the ground, freezing nearby enemies (Ionic Freeze) and also the ability to drain the life force of nearby hostiles and bystanders (Ionic Drain). Several attacks are different variations of Cole's electrokinetic powers, only done in their element (such as the Nightmare Blastand the Frost Shield). Both abilities are attributed to negative (Napalm) and positive Karma (Cryokinesis), meaning both cannot co-exist in one inning.
 * Ice Manipulation:  If the player chooses the "good karma" side in inFAMOUS 2, then Cole will have the ability to manipulate ice; the ability that he got from attempting to transfer powers with Lucy Kuo.  Among the new powers that he'll acquire  are the Ice Launch, (Cole flash freezes water molecules under his feet, creating a large pillar of ice that lets him jump higher than a Super Jump), Ionic Freeze, (Cole uses an Ionic Charge to launch a wave of ice at his enemies. Human sized enemies are instantly frozen by this move), Shatter Blast, (Cole flash freezes a small group of icicles and launches them at his targets. Consumes twice the energy of the Alpha Blast but with twice the damage), Frost Shield, (Cole creates a small field of ultracold air that blocks bullets and converts them into energy, similar to the upgraded Polarity Wall), Ice Grenade, (Cole throws a ball of ice that detonates on impact, creating a small field of icicles that can be used as temporary cover. Weakened targets hit directly by this grenade are instantly frozen), and Freeze Rocket, (Cole launches a ball of subzero gas at his targets, instantly freezing anything caught in the blast radius. Travels at a faster speed than other Rockets).
 * Napalm Manipulation:  If the player chooses the "evil karma" side in inFAMOUS 2, then Cole will have the ability manipulate napalm; the ability that he got from attempting to transfer powers with Nix.  Among the new powers that he'll acquire are the Firebird Strike, (Cole envelopes his body in fire and flies a short distance before creating a small explosion), Ionic Drain, (Cole uses an Ionic Charge to expand his Bio-leech ability, draining life energy from his surroundings, including energy sources. Larger enemies are not affected by this power), Nightmare Blast, (Cole creates a cloud of smoke and ash, blinding human sized enemies caught in the blast radius), Napalm Gernade, (Cole throws an explosive ball of oil that detonates on impact, delivering a greater blast radius and damage than other Grenades), and Hellfire Rockets, (Cole launches a cluster of five fireballs that explode on impact, delivering greater damage than other Rockets).

At the end of his final confrontation with the Beast, he got a glimpse of his full potential when the fully charged RFI amplified his powers. He began to fire Missile Bolts like he did during his first battle with the Beast. He appeared to have a permanent form of Karmic Overload he was seen using in the first battle. His Static Thrusters allowed him true flight ability, and was less hindered by the Beast's attacks. His powers were amplified to the extent that he could bring down the Beast within moments, while it had taken a much longer time when the RFI wasn't fully charged.

Since Kessler was Cole's future self, it can be assumed that he would have gained all of Kessler's abilities had he stayed alive for as long, and perhaps even surpassed them (Kessler may not have had to restore electricity to Empire City, or look for Blast Cores in New Marais).

Trivia

 * In InFamous: Second Son, it's stated that a "certain Bio-terrorist's body has gone missing." It's assumed that this refers to Cole, and that he will somehow return in a future sequel.
 * Although Cole isn't the first Conduit in his timeline, as the NSA, FBI and DARPA all knew of Conduits and regularly worked with inactive ones, and worked with the First Sons who had Kessler, Sasha, and Alden Tate within their ranks, Cole is the first publicly known Conduit.
 * Cole is a playable character in the crossover fighting game PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, alongside other Sony characters like Jak and Daxter, Nathan Drake, and Kratos. "Evil Cole" is also a playable character. Evil Cole's level 3 ability is the power to transform into The Beast, making this the first time "Beast Cole" has been playable.


 * Cole's last name, MacGrath, is coincidentally similar to that of Douglas McGrath, the director of an unrelated movie named Infamous.
 * Cole's default tattoos in inFamous 2 were the following:
 * A decorative armband-like tattoo on his right biceps.
 * A modified caduceus on his left forearm, with a sort of gear attached to the staff-like motif of the symbol.
 * An Old English-like lettering on his left arm, with the initials "TD" (meaning Trish Dailey).
 * It is ironic that Cole dropped out of college since in a conversation with Zeke in InFamous 2 Zeke states that Cole took mostly college prep classes in high school while he took mostly shop classes.
 * In the InFamous DC Comics, Kuo tells Cole she worked with John White in the NSA, yet in InFamous 2, Cole asks who her contact was in Empire City, to which she tells him again, that it's John, and Cole reacts surprised to this.
 * Cole wore a different sling bag during his initial confrontation with the Beast. It was brown, similar to the current bag he's wearing, but there were no latches where he can place a melee weapon. Like his other bag, the Sly Cooper logo is present in the bag.
 * While Cole's Jacket is seen as iconic to his appearance in the original game, and in the opening of the sequel, in most outside media, he's mostly shown in his New Marais rendition, such as the Michaelcommercial, and PlayStation All Stars promo.
 * There are several easter eggs and similarities from the Sly Cooper series, which was also developed by Sucker Punch Productions, that can be found in Cole.
 * Cole has a sprinting and parkour style similar to Sly Cooper, the Sly Cooper series' lead protagonist.
 * If you look closely at Cole's backpack, it features a Sly Cooper symbol, along with the numbers "1" and "3".
 * The Sly Cooper symbol reappears on Cole's new sling bag in inFamous 2 (both his bag in Empire City and New Marais).
 * Cole's Thunder Drop technique might be a reference to "Thunder Flop", a signature move of Murray, one of the members of Sly Cooper's gang. Both involve falling from a distance and using splash damage.
 * A simple thing such as Cole running or jogging has about twenty animations, for the way human beings change balance when changing directions, to subtle motions in different body parts.
 * InFamous 1's Cole's Good and Evil Karma versions appear as downloadable skins in the multiplayer mode of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, along with Zeke, and several other characters from PS3-exclusive games. "Good Cole" and "Zeke" are characters on the "Heroes" team, and "Evil Cole" is a character on the "Villains" team. There are some slight alterations of Evil Cole's design in Uncharted 2 from his original look, as he doesn't have the same pale skin or the black veins on the back of his head.
 * In addition to being a skin for the multiplayer of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Cole's courier clothing from the first game also appear as an outfit for avatars in PlayStation Home for playing the demo. Cole from inFamous 2 is also a purchasable downloadable costume for PlayStation Home, including his face and amp, and a special charging animation rather than just his clothing.


 * Cole compares the feeling of being in an area without power to that of being "thirsty".He and Zeke also have a habit of referring to electricity as "juice".
 * In the inFAMOUS 2 mission Nix's New Family, Cole mentions having a younger brother. It is unknown as to his current status or location.
 * Cole appears to be ambidextrous, meaning able to use both hands for writing, etc. This is most likely due to Cole being able to change which hand he'll use to shoot by pressing the right analog stick and at several points during the story. This is a trait exhibited by no other character except Zeke Dunbar. Also, in the gameplay trailer of inFamous 2, Cole switches the Amp between his left and right hands, which further suggest that Cole is ambidextrous.
 * Cole appears in Street Fighter X Tekken, as an exclusive character in the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita versions.


 * Cole's name changed through the development of the character: Talon, Gear Wolfe, Chance, Dylan and Cole. The reason Dylan was changed was due to the similar name of the Spider-Man Marvel electric super villain Electro, who's name was Max Dillon.
 * Cole is only called "The Electric Man" on three occasions.
 * When he is trying to retrieve the first blast core, the Miltia guarding it will say, "It's the Electric Man, open fire!"
 * Bertrand, during his speech, will call him by that name, saying, "Cole MacGrath.. The Electric Man.. is here, in New Marais".
 * During the final good Karma ending, two Miltia soldiers will have a talk cheer for Cole, the first calling him "Demon" and the second saying, "Go get 'em, Electric Man!"
 * Cole's phone number is 555-0127, which was once advertised in TV by Zeke during one mission, trying to get Cole in a new romantic relationship.
 * A statuette of Cole was included in the inFamous 2 Hero Edition, appearing in his neutral karmic state. Two other statuettes, each based on his maximized Good and Evil Karma appearance, are available as part of the prizes in a UGC Contest held by Sucker Punch.
 * Cole MacGrath was featured in the live-action commercial dubbed "Michael" as part of the PlayStation 3's Long Live Play advertising campaign. In the commercial, Cole talks with another patron at a pub about his exploits in New Marais, and how the gamer, "Michael", brought out his good side, showing his powers glowing in a blue hue. He would then chant Michael's name in unison with the other characters.
 * According to Cole in Festival of Blood, he'd read Dracula as he claimed to know how to properly kill vampires(which is likely a reference to how recent entertainment outlets such as films, television, video games and especially comic books have gone far off from how Bram Stoker portrayed how to kill a vampire in said novel). It's likely Cole read the novel in question in high school as in New York(which Empire City is based on), reading Dracula is a requirement for passing the class.
 * Cole shares similarities from Raiden from Mortal Kombat
 * Both have power over electricity.
 * Both of their eyes glow blue due to their electric powers.
 * In Mortal Kombat 2011, Future Raiden, in order to prevent a future where Shao Kahn conquers the world, sends visions to his past self so he could change events. This is similar to how Kessler gave Cole visions of his future in order for his younger self to stop the Beast.
 * In Mortal Kombat:Deception and Mortal Kombat X(which takes place in a new timeline created by Mortal Kombat 2011.), Raiden is tainted by the evils of Onaga and Shinnok respectively, his attire is warped black and dark red, along with this his lightning gained a black hue in Deception, and red colored in Mortal Kombat X, similar to how Cole's attire and lightning changes color along with his karma.
 * Cole has appeared in a total of ten games, seven outside of his own. As a playable character with access to his powers, Cole appears in inFamous, inFamous 2, Festival of Blood, Street Fighter X Tekken, and Playstation All Stars Battle Royale. As a costume, Cole appears in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, LittleBigPlanet, LittleBigPlanet 2, and PlayStation Home. He also appears as a non-playable character in DC Universe Online, due to the production of inFamous comics by DC.
 * In the Japanese version of InFamous 2 Cole is said to be 26, however due to it only be stated in the Japanese version it is considered non-canon.


 * The Voice of Survival mentions that Cole once did a robbery, and his parents bailed him out. Although this isn't internally confirmed, considering that Dallas was finally getting info of him, such as his name, it is possible to be true. If so, it creates a similarity between him and Delsin Rowe, as both have a superior family member bailing them out.
 * There are electronics stores inFAMOUS: Second Son's Seattle named Cole McG's Electronics, a reference to Cole and his electric powers. A second reference is the store Cooper & MacGrath, a parody clothing store of Abercrombie & Fitch, which uses the names of both Cole and Sly.
 * Cole exists as a PlayStation Network avatar as Pixel Cole (along with Pixel Kessler), with the release of Second Son.