The Uncharted video game series has become one of the highest-grossing game franchises there is and that's thanks to the well-researched, history-based narratives with state-of-the-art game mechanics. But the series wouldn't be as successful without one key ingredient, and that's the charming and exciting characters.
Between the charismatic, smart-talking Nathan Drake and the cigar-smoking Sully, there's so much energy in the characters alone. The same goes for the smaller characters too, and with the series overflooding with unique characters, some of them are unjustly wasted.
Jeff Wynia
Jeff Wynia appears in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves as Alena's new documentarian. What's interesting about Jeff is that he wasn't a treasure hunter or an expert with a gun, he was just an everyday, normal guy. That explains why he was quickly shot, but it would have been interesting to see more of the overarching Uncharted narrative from his perspective.
Wynia, unfortunately, didn't get to see the secret city of Shambhala, as he was simply murdered at point-blank by Lazarevic in the Nepal war zone. However, that did help convey Lazarevic's absolute brutality to the audience, and that storytelling is why Uncharted 2 is the best Naughty Dog game.
Karl Schafer
Being another underused character in Among Thieves, Karl Schafer acts like an elder statesman to Drake, having already attempted to find Shambhala 70 years prior. Though he essentially acts as a placeholder until Nate's real mentor, Sully, appears on the scene, Karl was an interesting and unique character.
The German expeditionist has a rich history, as he was ordered by Nazis to find Shambhala during World War II. But despite his many fabled stories that he could have relayed back to Nate over the years, his time was sadly cut short when Lazarevic raided the Tibetan village.
Vargas
In a world full of fascinating villains, Vargas was one of the most interesting and underused. Being a prison warden, he secretly worked with Nate at the Panamanian prison in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End to find clues to Henry Avery's treasure for mutual benefit.
However, yet again, Vargas was murdered early on by Rafe, even though it seemed like the game was setting him up to be some kind of primary antagonist. Fans probably wish that Vargas was set up as the main villain, as one of the very few criticisms of the game is the real antagonist, Rafe Adler, who was nothing more than a trust fund kid.
Gabriel Roman
In the one game Gabriel Roman appeared in, he wasn't all that wasted. Uncharted is basically Indiana Jones for a lot of reasons, and one is because of the supernatural elements. Roman was the main antagonist for most of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and had one of the most thrilling deaths in the series, as he transformed into a Descendent and was then shot by Navarro.
However, though he had a strong presence in the first game, the reason why he was wasted is because the game hints at a riveting backstory that gamers never got to see. The whole reason why Roman and Nate are at odds with each other is that Sully owed the villain money from past events. That storyline would have been great to see in other games, either through flashbacks or even in a Sully spin-off game.
Talbot
There are a select few Redditors who have the unpopular opinion that Talbot is a great villain, but for the most part, he was completely wasted and a fairly useless sidekick to Katherine Marlowe. He had some interesting characteristics, but they just weren't ironed out, which was frustrating considering Drake's Deception is as close to perfect that a PS3 game ever came.
What makes Talbot such a wasted character is that he's one of the biggest mysteries in Drake's Deception that isn't ever explained. Talbot has some kind of supernatural abilities, as he can randomly appear and disappear in an instant, but the narrative never once touches on how that's possible.
Eddie Raja
One of Nate's funniest qualities is how, no matter how bad the situation, he's always able to make jokes at the villains' expense to their faces. There's no better example of this than in the first game with Eddie Raja. Though Raja was the head of a pirate gang, he was also once best friends with Drake, which explains why they bicker as brothers would.
Eddie and Nate's bond was unique, and Nate doesn't have anything like it with any other character. It was a love/hate relationship, and it should have continued throughout the series. The character did appear once again, but it wasn't part of the main series, as Eddie featured in the motion comic, Uncharted: Eye of Indra.
Hector Alcazar
Just like with Vargas, it seemed as if Hector Alcazar was going to be a major antagonist in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. He was like the boogie man, as Sam spoke of the drug lord in absolute fear when he was under his thumb, and he was known as the "Butcher of Panama."
Though the character is real, as Sully had done business with him decades beforehand, everything involving Hector didn't actually happen. It was all part of Sam's big lie to convince Nate to help him search for Avery's treasure, which was a little disappointing given how Alcazar was unlike any other Uncharted villain. Where the villains are generally military leaders with huge armies, Alcazar was a sleazy mob boss.
Tenzin
Tenzin's relationship with Nate is an interesting one, as the Tibetan explorer is the only character in the whole series who can't speak English. Nevertheless, the two of them got along really well and they made a great team when exploring the Ice Temple in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
It's one of the Uncharted video game locations fans want to see in the movie, but what made it special was the way the two of them traversed the temple together. He could have been added to Nate's Rolodex of adventurers that appear to help him out here and there, and it's strange that he didn't, as Tenzin is one of the few characters who survived but hasn't returned.
Harry Flynn
Harry Flynn was introduced in the second game, and it's the only game that he ever featured in. Though he did appear throughout the whole of Among Thieves, and though the series doesn't exactly need another male smooth-talking treasure hunter, there's something special about Harry.
Naughty Dog told Eurogamer that the studio created Harry Flynn to present a darker side of Nathan Drake, almost like the yin to Nate's yang. But just like Eddie, Harry appeared in another format, as he was a supporting character in the Uncharted comic book series.
Charlie Cutter
Charlie Cutter was the MVP of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, as the cockney was courageous and loyal, despite looking like a common meathead thug. He worked well in the team dynamic, which the third game took advantage of. Charlie, Chloe, Nate, and Sully working together made for the best missions in the game, which is why it was strange that Charlie was completely absent from A Thief's End.
It might have been because there were so many new characters in the fourth game that were imperative to the plot, meaning there was just no space for Charlie. However, an updated character skin was created for multiplayer games. And with a design already made, keeping Charlie absent from the storyline of A Thief's End, and even the spin-off The Lost Legacy, was a complete missed opportunity.