Michael De Santa

"I want to be a good dad, love my family and live the dream. But at the same time, I really want the other stuff too."

- Michael talking to his therapist

Michael De Santa, formerly Michael Townley, is one of the three main protagonists in Grand Theft Auto V.

Background
"You see it in the movies. I wanted to retire. From what I was doing, you know? From that, that... line of work. Be a good guy for once, a family man. So, I bought a big house. Came here, put my feet up, and thought I'd be a dad like all the other dads. My kids, would be like the kids on TV. We could play ball and sit in the sun. But well, you know how it is."

- Michael during Trailer #1

What is known of Michael's background comes from his dialogue with other characters.

Michael was born somewhere on the East Coast, in 1968. As a kid, he didn't have the advantages his children have and grew up in a poor environment because of it. During his time in high school, Michael was an all-state football quarterback. As time moved on, Michael eventually became a criminal, with his first bank job being in the outskirts of Carcer City, in 1988, where he was able to steal $10,000. In the same year however, he had been arrested twice at the age of 20. While in prison, Michael was able to master many skills, sometimes through bizarre events, such as learning how to do tattoos by tattooing his name on his cellmate's buttocks. Throughout his criminal career, Michael wasn't just a successful robbing banks, as he smuggled narcotics in from other states.

As the years went on, Michael met Trevor Philips and was able to induce the latter into robbery as well. Both men were hugely successful at their profession. But while the friendship between them was in fine condition, it was later strained as Michael met his future wife, Amanda, who was a stripper at the time. Michael was even able to buy Amanda some breast implants, which would help with her stripping as well as her days as a hooker. This lead to Michael creating his own prostitution racket.

While the couples love for one another grew over time, Amanda soon gave birth to their two children, Tracey and Jimmy. Michael, who was able to see that he has a lot more to lose, grew more cautious over time as a criminal, much to Trevor's annoyance.

In 2004, At Ludendorff, North Yankton; Michael, Trevor, and a fellow robber did a bank heist that led to disastrous results. The crew was ambushed by over a dozen police officers ready to arrest or kill them. Michael drove the crew to where he claimed an escape chopper was to be, but they found the location to be another ambush spot. The other bank robber was killed and Michael was wounded, forcing Trevor to escape. Michael made a deal with an agent in the FIB, which resulted in Michael Townley to be pronounced dead and for Michael to be redubbed "Michael De Santa". Soon after that, Michael and his family moved to Los Santos; hoping to live a normal life and spend time with his kids.

Events of GTA V
Years later after the events of his false death, Michael's domestic life is spiraling out of his control. Amanda rarely shows love towards him and his children have little respect for him. With all of this, Michael goes through a midlife crisis and goes to therapy often.

Jimmy later buys a SUV from Simeon Yetarian, an Armenian car salesman who sells the car to him with unaffordable prices. This led to Yetarian's repo man, Franklin Clinton, to "repossess" the SUV from the De Santa household. However, Michael spotted Franklin sneaking in and hid in the backseat of the car as Franklin steals it. Michael reveals himself and holds Franklin at gunpoint, ordering him to go to Yetarian's shop and drive the SUV through the store's window. Afterwards, Michael pays Franklin to leave and beats Yetarian into submission, threatening more violence if he pulls another of his sale tactics on him or his family again.

At home, Michael attempts to relax by his pool, only to be interrupted by Franklin, who takes up his offering of a drink earlier. Surprised that Franklin actually took it to heart, Michael decides to sincerely take him out drinking. Unfortunately, Jimmy calls that instant and reveals he has tried to sell Michael's boat, ending with the "buyers" highjacking the yacht themselves. Enraged, Michael and Franklin drives after the boat, saving Jimmy but was unable to rescue the yacht. Michael becomes angry at Jimmy but becomes fond with Franklin, who he tells to visit him anytime and maybe be friends with Jimmy.

After the fiasco with the boat, Michael discovers Amanda sleeping with her tennis coach, leading him and a recently arrived Franklin to give chase. Furious, Michael chases the coach to an exotic house on the side of the Vinewood Hills. Michael then orders Franklin to hook their truck's winch onto the supports of the house and pulls them loose, causing the house to collapse, much to Franklin's shock and Michael's joy. However, it turns out that the house did not belong to the coach, but the girlfriend of a powerful Mexican gangster named Martin Madrazo, who sends men after Michael and Franklin. The two manages to fend them off, but Madrazo arrives at the De Santa residence and demands that Michael pays for the damages by paying him about two million dollars, money that Michael does not have.

With no other choice, Michael decides to return to bank robbing and contacts his old partner Lester Crest. Crest agrees to help Michael get the money if the latter agrees to sabotage founder of LifeInvader Jay Norris' phone. Michael does so and causes Norris' death when he calls the entrepreneur's sabotaged phone, which exploded next to his head.

After collecting information about a jewelry store and its gems, Michael and Lester set up a heist, with Michael insisting that Franklin be a part.

"You forget a thousand things every day, pal. Make sure this is one of ‘em."

- Michael to the security guard during the heist.

The heist goes smoothly and Madrazo is paid. Unfortunately for Michael, the job is reported on the news, which Trevor sees on his TV. Trevor recognizes Michael's modus operandi from the report and goes partially berserk, making his way to Los Santos to confront the "ghost" of his former partner and friend.

Back home, Michael finds marijuana in the fridge, and correctly assumes it is Jimmy's. This creates an angry argument among the family until Trevor arrives, much to everyone's shock and horror. Thankfully, the tension is broken by Jimmy revealing that Tracey has gone to audition for Fame or Shame. Realizing that Tracey will embarrass herself in front of the nation due to her horrible dancing, Michael and Trevor rush to the Maze Bank Arena.

The two find Tracey doing a stripper-like dance and the show's host Lazlow Jones beginning to do a sexual pose behind her, enraging both Michael and Trevor. The two give chase to a fleeing Lazlow to the Los Santos river. Trevor forces Lazlow to take off his pants and dance for them as he records on his phone. In the aftermath, Tracey angrily blames her father for ruining her life, which doesn't seem to bother him.

Characters Murdered by Michael De Santa

 * Jay Norris - Murdered for Lester Crest, so that he would re-join Michael for robberies.
 * Walton O'Neil - Murdered for seeking retribution against Trevor Philips
 * Wynn O'Neil - Murdered for seeking retribution against Trevor Philips.
 * Rocco Pelosi - Murdered for harassing Solomon Richards.
 * Gianni - Murdered for harassing Solomon Richards.
 * Trevor Philips - Murdered if Franklin follows orders from Steve Haines and Dave Norton to kill him but doesn't shoot Trevor at the end then Michael will instead. (Kill Trevor Ending)
 * Harold "Stretch" Joseph - Murdered for trying to have Franklin Clinton and Lamar Davis killed. (Deathwish Ending)
 * Devin Weston - Murdered for trying to have Michael killed. (Deathwish Ending)

Optional Murders

 * United Liberty Paper - Can be killed during the mission The Wrap Up.
 * Isiah Friedlander - Can be killed during Michael's final visit to him.
 * Abigail - Can be killed after the Strangers and Freaks mission Death at Sea.

Personality
Michael's good side is that he is thoughtful and calculated and likely to keep his motives hidden. But, he also has a composed side as well, which is his large ego, an inability to control his temper, his willingness to make large moral compromises and his hypocrisy. He wants to compartmentalize and be a good guy some of the time. But yet, Michael also wants to return to his old life that place him in this predicament. Another bad thing about Michael is that he hasn't been a good husband or father. Michael's aggressiveness towards his family and his addiction to chaos makes him alienate them. But yet, he loves and cares for his family. Dan Houser has also stated that despite seeming to be the good guy (at least compared to Trevor), he might end up being worse than Trevor in the end.

While Michael is seemingly the more level headed of the three, he admits to his therapist that he kills with no remorse (and that he possibly killed someone on his way to the therapist) but says that he is neither a psychopath or a sociopath, this causes Michael confusion as he doesn't know where he fits in as while he does tries to be a good person, even if it is sometimes half-hearted, he enjoys the thrill and rewards of his old life. The therapist himself says that Michael is "addicted to chaos" despite some of latter's complaints about almost getting killed and risking his life numerous times.

The second time Michael visits his therapist, he can be told that he is a combination of a psychopath and a deluded sociopath, though clearly Michael has emotions that make him unlikely to be a true sociopath even if he is capable of remorselessly killing.

Relationships With Other Characters

 * Trevor Philips - Trevor's relationship with Michael started at an unknown time period, but the two met when Trevor spotted Michael robbing people by a bridge. Michael convinced Trevor to join him to commit further robberies and thus started a long partnership, Michael and Trevor would often have troubled friendship with one another. After a heist goes wrong, Michael and Trevor both assumed that one another was dead. After Michael's relapse into crime, Trevor discovers he is alive and comes to the conclusion that he faked his death. Trevor and Michael's friendship becomes strained as Trevor feels betrayed by Michael but both still get on well enough.


 * Franklin Clinton - Franklin meets Michael after the stealing a car from the latter's house, Michael then has Franklin take him to whomever tasked Franklin to steal his son's car.  After a while and a few meetings and a heist, they develop a father-son relationship with Michael saying in one mission that Franklin is the son he always wanted, and saw potential in him. Franklin in turn seems to have respect for Michael and is grateful for improving his life and is loyal to him for it. Dan Houser has also stated that the father-son relationship between the two could lead to some "interesting situations."


 * Amanda De Santa - Amanda's relationship with Michael also started in an unknown time where she was a stripper and a hooker, Michael paid for Amanda's breast implants so that she could earn more money. The eventually two fell in love with one another, got married and had two children. During the events of the game, she can barely tolerate him anymore (mainly because Dan Houser also confirmed that Michael has been awful to her in the past few years). One of the reasons she fell in love with Michael is because she is bound to him by their past lives, but now both of them can't stand each other anymore (another statement by Dan Houser). Amanda is also having an affair with her Tennis coach which further strains their marriage. Amanda finally hits the breaking point when Fabien LaRouche, her yogo instructor, does a sexual pose which angers Michael and attempts to punch him, only to trip and land on the swimming. Amanda then berates Michael for his attempted action, calling him "a pathetic psychopath" and leaves him with their kids. Michael later suffers from depression after his wife and kids leave him. However, Jimmy soon comes back and attempts to bring back his dysfunctional family together. Amanda was then seen hanging out with Fabien at a coffee shop and she becomes annoyed with his arrogant behavior and allows Michael to beat him up.


 * Jimmy De Santa - Jimmy's relationship with his father is rocky as well and even though Michael is far from perfect, he loves his son but does not know how to display it. His son is not very moral either as he often takes drugs and attempted to sell his father's boat without him knowing. They've both have a confused and strained relationship with each other. Michael does try to improve their relationship by spending time with his son, but to no avail as his son lacks any form of respect for his father and even at one point drugs him, takes money from his bank account, and steals his car. However, Jimmy soon regrets his actions and visits his father, saying he does love him and promises to get a job and not be a lazy, pot-smoking, video game addict.


 * Tracey De Santa - Michael's relationship with his daughter was also said to be weak, by Rockstar, though the second trailer, her first appearance, didn't show any dialogue with Michael. Despite their weak relationship, Michael does love his daughter but is often angry at Tracey's loose behavior and social life such as her hanging out with drug dealers and porn stars. Tracey is embarassed by her father's attempts to protect her and usually shouts and screams at him for it.

Appearance
Michael has a nice clean-cut appearance, along with nice clothes, usually seen in screenshots and artworks with a gray, black or dark blue dress suit with a light green or white dress shirt underneath. He bears a resemblance to his voice actor, Ned Luke. In the "Michael, Franklin and Trevor" artwork he is seen dressed with a creamy-yellow collared shirt with blue dress pants. During the opening scene in the second trailer, Michael walks outside to his pool with nothing on but sandals, swimming trunks and a pair of glasses, showing us that he is a small portion over weight but still in good shape.

Skills and Abilities
Like Franklin and Trevor, Michael has a special ability to slow down time while shooting (Bullet Time).

Development
As Rockstar Games made their way into the character development stages of Grand Theft Auto V, Michael was the first protagonist they came up with.

Reception
Michael has had a very positive responses from critics and fans, one of the reason is because of him being the first playable character in the entire GTA Series that has a family.

Dan Houser's Description of Michael
"Michael, to me, is... Who is he? I know who he is, I'm just trying to... He's the person who is trying to ignore some rather large mistakes that they have made. The person who's trying to forget about certain practical but still selfish decisions that they took. He's a man, also, obsessed by images and by appearances and who, when the world doesn't live up to those images and appearances, doesn't know what to do. He just retreats into his head. What he also is, when we started out... What he kind of evolved into as we began thinking about him and developing him... He was the first character we came up with. He began as the idea of, what happens to a regular GTA protagonist after they retire? Then you think, what would make him retire? He's a man with a big ego and plenty of good values and plenty of bad values."

"A guy who's in his mid-40s and on the cusp of middle age who doesn't know what to do, but made a bunch of money and does not know what to do with it. He's theoretically won, but the spoils of victory aren't necessarily what he imagined. For us that's a very interesting character, unlike what we've done in the past or what we've seen in much entertainment in general, let alone any video games. That was interesting."

Trivia

 * Michael was the first protagonist that came to Rockstar's mind when they began the development of Grand Theft Auto V.
 * Michael is the only protagonist in the entire Grand Theft Auto series to be a family man.
 * As seen in Trailer one and two, Michael is seen with green eyes and an older look. In the Michael and Gameplay trailer, Michael has brown eyes and a younger look. This includes a Beta version of this protagonist.
 * Being in his mid 40s, he is the oldest protagonist in the GTA series.
 * The song that plays in the Michael trailer is "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen.
 * Michael's special ability might be a reference to Max Payne, another Rockstar-owned franchise, where the title character possess an ability called "Bullet-time", that allow him to slow down time. Elements for Michael's ability might also be taken from Rockstar's Red Dead games, which feature a similar ability called "Dead-eye".
 * The quote that Michael uses in Prologue and The Jewel Store Job, "You forget a thousand things everyday, make sure this is one of them.", is from the Solomon Richards movie Author's Penny Sanatorium, although slightly modified. The original line is "We forget a thousand things everyday, can't we just make this one of them?"
 * Michael Townley is a real person under federal witness protection.
 * In a cutscene, Michael revealed that he was a football star in high school. He then claims that his high school football career "didn't work out like the way he planned", possibly pushing him towards a life of crime.
 * If you shoot at Michael's house as Trevor Phillips or Franklin Clinton, he will text you saying 'stop shooting at my house'.
 * Michael along with Trevor are currently the first protagonists in the GTA series who can become a final boss and must be killed in the finale. However this is if Franklin chooses to kill either of them instead of the "Death Wish" choice.
 * Michael seems to love watching movies, specifically "classic Vinewood", as he is seen watching one in his house during several cutscenes. In a phone call with Lester during the mission "Friend Request", he seems to pride himself as being a "movie guy", according to the comments he makes about his opinion on films.

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