A blockbuster franchise needs a protagonist that fans can get behind and the Uncharted series ticks the right boxes where Nathan Drake is concerned. Tom Holland has sparked a revival of interest around the protagonist, as his live-action movie features Holland portraying a younger Nathan Drake.
Mainstream fans who aren’t familiar with the details of the games are certain to have many questions about who Nate is and it’s best to brush up on his history before watching the movie. Moreover, there are certain facts that not even video game fans would be aware of, so it’s always worth finding out more about an iconic character such as Nate.
Who Created The Character?
There are many memorable actions sequences, moments, and quotes in the Uncharted series that Nate is responsible for, and the person who made it possible was Amy Henning, the creative director of the series for the first three games.
Henning led the entire team of Naughty Dog during the games’ productions, bringing in the personality traits to Nate. The protagonist was modeled after daredevil Johnny Knoxville, which explains why Nate is so willing to go through daring stunts as part of his treasure hunting activities
How Many Ancient Places Has He Found?
Every entry in the series focuses on Nate’s attempts to locate a city that’s supposed to hold ancient treasures. His successes have been mixed because the treasures tend to get lost, but Nate is still successful in finding them after tracking down their hiding places.
In the prequel, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, he finds the lost city of Quivira. In the first game proper, El Dorado, the city of gold, turns out to be an idol on an abandoned island. Nate finds the lost city of Shambhala in the second, while the third sees him arrive at the mythic Iram of the Pillars. Nate’s final lost city is the pirate island of Libertalia, which he and his brother had always thought was their ultimate goal.
Which Actors Have Portrayed The Character?
Tom Holland has become the mainstream face of Nathan Drake thanks to his role in the big-budget Uncharted movie. However, Holland is far from the prolific performer for Nate, as Nolan North has portrayed the character across every video game he’s been featured in.
North completed both voiceover work and motion capture for Nate in the mainline and spin-off entries, while Britain Dalton voiced Nate as a child and Billy Unger did the same for the teenaged Nate. North’s influence as Nate is such that he was brought back for a cameo in Tom Holland’s movie.
Who Are His Love Interests?
The Uncharted movie focuses on a young Nate, which meant he didn’t have any love interest other than a flirtation with Chloe Frazer. In the games, Chloe is one of Nate’s romances, having an on-off relationship due to her flighty nature and unwillingness to go steady.
Elena Fisher is Nate’s primary love interest in the series, whom he meets in the first game, marries before the third, and settles down with a child by the end of their story. Nate also had a one-time dalliance with Rika Raja, sister of rival Eddie Raja, in the motion comic Uncharted: Eye of Indra.
Who Are His Closest Allies?
Most of the intelligent characters in Uncharted tend to be the protagonists and part of Nate’s list of allies. However, he’s only shown with one constant companion in Victor Sullivan, who is Nate’s mentor, apart from whom Nate tends to partner up with others for brief periods.
Nate’s allies include Chloe, who’s supposed to be the best driver out there, along with Charlie Cutter, who acts as Nate’s inside man against their enemies. Nate’s one-time allies during his adventures have been Tibetan Tenzin and Salim, leader of the Bedouin tribe in Saudi Arabia.
What Is His Family Background?
Fans have generally had their own theories about Uncharted where Nate’s background is concerned because some of it is shrouded in mystery. The identity of his father was never revealed, with Nate stating that he abandoned him and his brother at Saint Francis' Boy's Home orphanage when Nate was five-years-old.
Nate’s mother Cassandra, was an archaeologist who was particularly fascinated with the adventures of Sir Francis Drake. Cassandra took her own life when her terminal illness became too much to bear, leaving the children with the father who later abandoned him. All in all, Sam is the closest relative to Nate, with the latter idolizing his elder brother as a child while Sam was incredibly protective of him.
What Is His Real Name?
The historical aspect of Uncharted has garnered some memes from fans due to the liberties it takes with Sir Francis Drake’s history, but Nate isn’t even a real descendent. Although he claims to be Francis’ descendent from unknown children, Nate and Sam actually took the Drake name because of their mother’s fondness for the explorer.
In reality, Nate’s name is Nathan Morgan, with his surname implied to be his father’s since the brothers so readily gave it up. Despite the revelation of his true name, Nate keeps Drake as the family name that is passed down to the next generation.
What Is The Character's Final Fate?
Mainstream fans are unaware of where Nate’s story went and it’s a far cry from Tom Holland’s adventures in the movie. As it is, Nate decided to retire after the events of the fourth game, realizing that treasure hunting was never fulfilling because he would just want to go on another meaningless adventure.
Nate retires from the hunting life to his marriage to Elena, with the pair owning a salvaging company and a documentary series that follows their travels. In the future, Nate and Elena have a 15-year-old daughter, Cassie, who discovers her parents’ adventures and the couple decides to reveal their history to her.
How Old Is He Supposed To Be?
Nate’s age isn’t explicitly mentioned in the series, but he does point out in the third game that he was 14-15 years of age when he met Sully, which was two decades prior. Since the third entry is set in 2011, Nate would be 35 at the time, making his year of birth as 1975 or 1976.
The first three games are set four years apart, which means Nate was about 31 when the series begins and in his late-20s in the prequel stories. The final game is set around five years after the third, placing Nate’s age around 40 - the climax features his 15-year-old daughter and Nate would be 55 by that point.
What Media Can Nathan Drake Be Found In?
It’s natural for fans of a character to want to follow them in every avenue they can find, and Nate has been placed in several forms of media. His primary adventures are in the four Uncharted games, to go with Uncharted: Golden Abyss for PlayStation Vita and the turn-based card game Uncharted: Fight for Fortune.
Outside of his series, Fortnite Battle Royale features Nate as well, along with PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Uncharted: Eye of Indra is a motion comic about the character and Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth is a standalone novel. Tom Holland’s role as Nate has now brought the character into the live-action universe with the Uncharted movie.