Steve Haines

"I guess you getting involved with a clapped out, old agent who's been living off his past glories was your first mistake. You're my boy now, amigo. My career depends on this, and that's very important to me. So seeing as we're all boys now, that makes it important to you."

- Steve Haines

Steven "Steve" Haines is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series, appearing as a central character and one of the two main antagonists in Grand Theft Auto V.

Steve Haines is voiced by Robert Bogue, who also voices Troy in The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Background
Steven Haines was born in 1975 and joined the Federal Investigation Bureau in 1993. In the following years he became such a highly decorated and high-ranking FIB agent to the point that he was given leadership of his own FIB unit and became the handler and boss of several well-known FIB agents, including agent Andreas Sanchez and agent Dave Norton. In 2008, Haines was chosen to become the host of a then-new crime reality TV program called the Underbelly of Paradise. As host of the show, Haines (and his camera crew) regularly makes reports on gang activity and the overall criminal underworld of Los Santos which is divided between different crime gangs. Haines would then become a celebrity, thanks to the show.

However, despite the decorations from the Bureau, leading his own unit, and being famous as the host of the "Underbelly Of Paradise" show, by 2013 Haines and his right-hand man Andreas Sanchez were infamously corrupt. Haines in particular, was known to be on the payroll of several wealthy and powerful people, including eccentric billionaire Devin Weston, whom Haines considers a "close friend."

Events prior to Grand Theft Auto V
In 2013, both the FIB and the rival International Affairs Agency are in a heated battle to secure government funding after cuts had been made to the budgets of both organisations due to a decrease in terrorism activity. Haines actively engages in attempts to sabotage the IAA, in order to gain more prestige within the Bureau by securing more funding from the government and bettering his own public image in the process.

Events of Grand Theft Auto V
Haines uses his influence over Dave Norton to coerce Michael De Santa and his associates, Franklin Clinton and Trevor Philips, into carrying out several criminal tasks for him. All of these jobs are aimed at sabotaging rival agency, the IAA, so the government will allocate more funding to the FIB, allowing Haines to advance his career.

The first of these tasks involves breaking into the IAA Headquarters to kidnap Agency prisoner Ferdinand Karimov. After the kidnapping is a success, Haines later has Trevor torture Karimov to get information, so that Michael and Dave can locate and assassinate Tahir Javan, a man suspected to be involved with Azerbajani terrorists. After Javan is killed, Haines orders Trevor to kill Karimov, but Trevor instead releases him, telling Ferdinand to go into hiding in another country and become a "torture advocate".

Later on, Michael, Franklin, and Trevor meet up with Haines, Norton, and Sanchez at the Murrieta Oil Field to discuss business. Steve tells the protagonists of his new plan to sabotage the IAA: Robbing a Securicar carrying valuable government bonds that Haines claims will be used by the IAA to finance gang warfare and thus cause a situation which will require giving them more funding from the US government. Using boiler suits, masks, a Trash Truck, a tow truck and a getaway vehicle, the trio attack the armored car and escape with the bonds, giving them to Devin Weston at Haines' behest.

After some time, Haines and Norton meet with Michael and Trevor, who are now exiled to Sandy Shores (due to Trevor assaulting cartel boss Martin Madrazo and kidnapping his wife). This time, the FIB wants to raid an IAA compound, where according to Haines' sources, the Agency is developing an experimental neurotoxin that they plan to release in a metropolitan area as part of a staged terrorist plot meant to draw more funding for them. However, before the raid can be pulled off, the protagonists need acquire enough funds to obtain the necessary equipment. To this end, the trio contacts their associate Lester Crest and hatch a plot to rob the Blaine County Savings Bank. Despite some difficulty brought forth by the corrupt cops who used the bank to launder and store their pay-offs and extortion money, the heist goes off successfully and the crew obtain the necessary funds.

The trio meet with Haines and Norton at Cape Catfish to start the raid on the IAA Compound and, upon discovering the fact that the crew did not procure additional manpower for the job, the FIB agents reluctantly join the caper team. Michael, Norton and Haines take care of the theft, while Franklin and Trevor conduct the getaway. After infiltrating the research facility and stealing the neurotoxin, the theft crew are held back by unexpected IAA reinforcements. However, Haines manages to buy them enough time to pull off the getaway by shooting himself in the leg and pretending to be an inside man who was trying to stop the theft, thus distracting the IAA agents long enough for the rest of the crew to escape.

Haines' presence in the IAA compound during its raid causes the Bureau to start catching on to his corrupt and unsanctioned operations, which causes Haines to become increasingly paranoid. To prevent his arrest, Haines orders Michael to break into the FIB headquarters and steal all the compromising information the Bureau has on him, promising to delete Michael's files and cut him and his friends loose after the job is done. After getting a team together, Michael and Franklin successfully raid the FIB Headquarters, wiping out not just the evidence the Bureau had on Haines, but also the evidence Haines had on him and his crew, destroying Steve's leverage over them.

Despite all the FIB's info on him being wiped, Haines is still afraid of getting caught red-handed and decides to try and pin the blame for all his illegal operations on Michael and Norton. He calls them both to a meeting with himself and Sanchez at the Kortz Center and, once they arrive, he tries to have them both arrested. However, a rival FIB team arrive and Haines realizes that he has been promptly betrayed by Sanchez, who is revealed to have been working with the rival FIB unit all along. To complicate the situation further, separate groups consisting of IAA agents led by the United Liberty Paper Contact and a Merryweather battalion arrive.

The situation ultimately results in a massive four-way shootout. Haines gets shot in the leg (the same one he'd previously shot himself on) and, in retaliation, he kills Sanchez before escaping, leaving Michael and Norton behind to die. However, with help from the unexpectedly arriving Trevor, the duo manage to shoot their way out of the Center, killing all FIB, IAA and Merryweather operatives present. During the shootout, Trevor suggests that they kill Haines, however Norton refuses and instead says that he will try to calm him down.

After the Kortz Center incident, an infuriated Haines wishes to have all three protagonists killed, but Dave manages to calm him down and convinces him to spare Michael and Franklin, though he still insists that Trevor has to die, since he's too unpredictable to be kept quiet. He and Dave meet with Franklin after he drops off his friend Lamar Davis at home and task him with the killing.

However, soon after Franklin is contacted by Devin Weston, who tells him to kill Michael for interfering with his business and for accidentally causing his lawyer's death. As he can't kill both, Franklin is left with three choices: kill Trevor, kill Michael or save them both and team up to take down their enemies.

Endings
If Franklin chooses to kill Trevor, he meets him at the Murrieta Oil Fields and, after a brief chase, murders Trevor with Michael's help. Afterwards, Franklin calls Haines and informs him that he's done as requested. Franklin also asks Haines to persuade Devin Weston not to go after him for sparing Michael. Haines tells Franklin that he'll handle Weston, who's in a precarious position because Merryweather has lost its licence to operate in the country, but also tells him never to contact him again.

If Franklin chooses to kill Michael, he murders his former mentor on his own after a brief chase. Afterwards, Franklin calls Weston to inform him that he's done as requested and also to ask him to persuade Haines not to go after him for not killing Trevor. Weston tells Franklin he's already handled Haines and Norton, but tells him he's no longer useful to him and tells him never to contact him again.

If Franklin chooses to spare both his friends, he meets with Lester to tell him about his predicament. At first, Lester suggests killing both Michael and Trevor, but eventually thinks of a better plan - he will call Haines and Weston and tell them that the protagonists are melting the stolen gold from the Union Depository heist at a foundry in Murrieta Heights. Once both of them send their goons to take out the trio, the protagonists can ambush them and take them out. The plan is a success as Franklin, Michael and Trevor take out Haines' corrupt FIB unit and Weston's private Merryweather batallion, thus eliminating both Haines' and Weston's criminal muscle. The trio then decide to eliminate their enemies once and for all, agreeing to kill those they weren't directly associated with to throw off suspicion. While Michael goes after Stretch and Franklin targets Wei Cheng, Trevor eagerly goes after Haines. With Lester's help, Trevor locates Haines at the Del Perro Pier, where he is shooting an episode of his show. While Haines is filming a monologue on the ferris wheel, Trevor shoots him in the head with a sniper rifle (though Trevor can kill Steve with other weapons if the player is close enough), killing him while the camera is still rolling.

Aftermath of The Third Way
Los Santos Meteor Newspaper
 * A news article will shortly appear:

"''Steve Haines, decorated FIB agent and host of the popular TV show "The Underbelly Of Paradise" unwittingly helped expose that underbelly further yesterday as he was assassinated while filming a segment of his TV show on the Ferris Whale on Del Perro Pier. Agent Haines, who had twice recently been injured in the line of duty, had been an agent for nearly 20 years and a TV host for five. FIB spokesman Gary Lane told the Los Santos Meteor "Agent Haines died a hero, doing what he loved, which was presenting a TV show. He really helped combine the chaos of anti-terrorism and the mindlessness of network television into one highly successful career." Mr. Haines, who was not married, lived with his mother.''"
 * Dave Norton will call Michael and reveal to him that he will replace Steve as the host of the Underbelly of Paradise program after Steve's death.

Personality
Haines is a corrupt FIB agent who does not hesitate when it comes to breaking the law and Bureau procedure and policy if there is an opportunity to further advance his career. Haines first appears to be pleasant and charming on his TV show, but in person, his selfish, arrogant and overly confident personality quickly comes to light. When he and Michael meet for the first time, Haines introduces himself by saying "Steve Haines, but you probably already knew that" and becomes frustrated when Michael claims that he has never heard of Haines or his show. His true colors are shown when Michael mocks Haines and his team for their corruption. Haines initially plays along with Michael's joking but then grabs him by the throat and threatens to strangle him to death if he continues to disrespect him.

Haines is despised by almost everyone he comes into contact with (most noticeably by Michael, who answers a phone call from Haines and addresses him as "Agent Douchebag", and by Trevor, who calls Haines an "asshole" when they meet for the first time). Despite this, he claims a personal friendship with Devin Weston (it is implied that it was Weston's influence that brought Haines to his current position in the FIB). Haines has no qualms with torturing and/or killing suspects or people he sees as standing in the way of his career. This is shown when he orders Trevor to torture Ferdinand Kerimov for information on another possible terror suspect, before casually ordering Trevor to murder Kermiov when they have finished and leaves to attend a racquetball game.

Haines is an opportunist: he uses Michael, Trevor, and Franklin to do his dirty work and ends up betraying them when they outlive their usefulness. He attempts to have Dave and Michael arrested to deflect blame for all the criminal activities they participated in.

TV host
Since 2008, Haines has been the host of the Underbelly of Paradise - a reality TV show that explores (and exploits) the poorer, crime-ridden streets of Los Santos and all the gangs that have their own turf in the city, including the Ballas, Chamberlain Gangsters Families, Vagos and even The Lost MC, who had been tracked down for years from the FIB, according to Haines. If Franklin chooses option C, then Trevor will track down Haines, who is shooting an episode of his show at Del Perro Pier, and kill him. After Haines' death, Dave Norton will call Michael and reveal to him that he has replaced Haines as the host of the show.

Murders Committed

 * Andreas Sanchez - Murdered for passing information on Haines' criminal activities and for working with a rival FIB team.

Mission appearances

 * GTA V
 * Three's Company
 * By The Book (Boss)
 * Blitz Play (Boss)
 * Paleto Score Setup (Boss)
 * Derailed (Post-mission phone call)
 * Monkey Business (Boss)
 * Cleaning Out the Bureau
 * The Wrap Up  (Betrayal)
 * Lamar Down
 * Something Sensible (Option A; Boss/Post-mission phone call)
 * The Third Way  (Option C; Killed)

Trivia

 * If Michael calls Dave Norton before Three's Company, Norton mentions that Haines is his new supervisor at the FIB.
 * Haines is similar to Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption antagonist Edgar Ross. Both men are corrupt federal agents (Haines work in a agency based on the FBI, Ross work in the FBI's ancestor, the BOI) that blackmail the protagonists into doing their dirty work, and both eventually betray the protagonist by setting them up to be killed. Unlike in Redemption, Haines' plot to have the protagonist he betrayed murdered can fail or succeed based on the player's choices.
 * Haines bears many similarities to LSPD Officer Frank Tenpenny, the main antagonist of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Both Haines and Tenpenny are corrupt law enforcement officials who use their position to force the protagonist(s) to commit crimes on their behalf to further their own careers. However, unlike Tenpenny, Haines can get away with his crimes if the player chooses to assassinate either Michael or Trevor.
 * After Haines' death, a news article will reveal that he was unmarried and lived with his mother. This references real-life FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, who was unmarried and lived with his mother.
 * Even if the player chooses option A or option B, after some time, a Bleeter post will appear about Haines' death. This is possibly an oversight.
 * According to the Rush Casting Call, Haines' beta name was "Mitch Hayes".
 * In the Underbelly of Paradise, Haines implies that the FIB (or his unit at least) have a "community approach" with the Ballas. He tries to prove this by greeting a Ballas member, only to be talked back to and insulted by the gang member.
 * Haines is one of the few characters to survive a canon gunshot. A few others being, Roman Bellic, Pathos, and Sweet Johnson.
 * His phone number is 328-555-0150.

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