Karen Daniels[1][2] is a supporting character in Grand Theft Auto IV, a minor character in Grand Theft Auto V, and a main character in Grand Theft Auto Online.
She is voiced by Rebecca Henderson.
History[]
Background[]
Very little is known about Karen's background because of her status as an undercover agent. She claims to have been raised in the Midwest and was apparently coerced by the United Liberty Paper Company into becoming an agent for them, so she may have past criminal connections herself. This notion is made more likely to be true by a statement made by the United Liberty Paper Contact, who said that in exchange for working for them, they would 'give her her life back', suggesting that she had something to hide, possibly a criminal past. Even though her job requires her to deceive those around her and keep a certain level of emotional detachment, she appeared to genuinely care about Niko, and seemed remorseful for betraying him, further suggesting she was coerced into her job.
Events of Grand Theft Auto IV[]
Niko's first encounter with Karen (then known as Michelle) is during the mission Three's a Crowd where Niko has to pick her and Mallorie Bardas up from the subway station and take them back to Karen's apartment in Rotterdam Hill. During the car ride, Mallorie suggests that she and Niko go out. Karen tells Niko that he's "the kind of guy she wants to get to know." After this encounter, the mission First Date will unlock. After the first date, Niko can take her on a number of dates there after until the mission The Snow Storm is completed, where she will confess to Niko that she has been watching him and working for the government.
Sometimes if Niko asks her to come in for a coffee, she will make references to the Hot Coffee controversy. For example, in one instance if Niko asks to come in for coffee, she will say that "would cost almost $20,000,000" This is a reference to the total amount that Rockstar Games agreed to pay in settlements for various lawsuits caused by the Hot Coffee Mod in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
After revealing her identity, she confiscates Elizabeta's cocaine, and naturally, she and Niko break up.
After she takes Niko to the United Liberty Paper contact's office, she is never seen again for the rest of the game. However, the United Liberty Paper Company's answering machine's voice sounds as if it was recorded by Karen.
During a mission for ULPC, Niko asked what Karen's reward for bringing in Niko was, to which he replies "We gave her life back", once again hinting towards a previous criminal affiliation.
Events of Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Five years after the events of Grand Theft Auto IV, it is revealed that Karen is now a high-ranked IAA agent. She appears during The Humane Labs Raid first set-up mission, where players are tasked to meet up with Karen in order to receive access codes to the facility. Karen asks if the protagonist's heist crew were involved with The Fleeca Job and warns them what they're getting into now is a "whole different ball game". After receiving confirmation from the IAA that the crew is legitimate, she prepares to hand the code to the crew leader, but when she puts down the briefcase containing the access code, an FIB team ambushes the meeting and kills her bodyguard. Karen immediately runs off while the crew covers her escape by killing the FIB agents.
She is later seen at the end of the heist finale, where she talks about how the IAA can get anyone to do their dirty work by paying them. She then hands one of the crew members a grenade to destroy the evidence and then leaves the area.
Events of Grand Theft Auto V[]
She is seen in the mission Three's Company, where she tortures Mr. K by attacking both his hands with a flashlight and then threatens to sodomise him with it. However, before she can carry out her threat, Michael De Santa interrupts the torture session by smashing through the office window as part of an FIB rescue operation. Michael and Franklin Clinton, who was stationed in a nearby building with a sniper rifle, start opening fire on the agents, but Karen manages to escape unharmed and calls for back-up. Nevertheless, Michael gets away with the prisoner and she is not seen again for the rest of the main storyline.
In what must be a continuity error on the part of Rockstar Games, her IAA identity card[3] is signed with the name "Michelle ABC" instead of her real name, "Karen".
Character[]
Personality[]
Every single encounter that Niko has with "Michelle" has a hint that she is trying to gain information from him. She will always ask Niko if he is seeing or involved with someone dangerous, will constantly say that she is a good listener and that Niko can tell her anything he wants. When Niko takes her to a bar, he will even mention while drunk, that he saw her putting something in his drink. Sometimes, after a random date with her, Niko, will say that "There is something strange about her", showing that Niko is suspicious about her behavior. After disclosing her true identity, it is revealed that Karen is a smoker. She is not seen drinking alcohol, though it is unknown if this is related to her job or as a lifestyle choice.
She is an excellent pool player; capable of pocketing 3–5 balls in a row, and rarely makes mistakes, even though she may comment she hasn't played pool for ages.
Her favorite radio station is Vladivostok FM, although this may be a ruse to appear more compatible with her target(s).
Despite her intentions, it appears as though Karen genuinely fell for Niko during their time together. This is due to the fact that she is sometimes surprised, upset and genuinely happy when talking to Niko, and after a fair amount of dates, Niko doesn't have to ask to be invited inside. She is also visibly hurt when she is forced to betray him, and upset when Niko calls her a "fucking bitch." After this, she is seen outside the United Liberty Paper building in Algonquin smoking a cigarette. She apologizes to Niko for lying to him and says that he is a "nice guy" who is "better than the creeps [she] normally date[s]", indicating that she took a liking to Niko even though she was only supposed to spy on him.
In her appearances in GTA V and GTA Online, she is portrayed as an efficient, more ruthless government agent.
Appearance[]
Between Karen's appearances, her eye color changes from brown in Grand Theft Auto IV to blue in Grand Theft Auto V, possibly due to contacts.
Influence[]
Karen is possibly based on the character Nina Myers from the TV series 24.
Dating Preferences in Grand Theft Auto IV[]
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Prominent Appearances in Gameplay[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- Three's a Crowd (as Michelle)
- First Date (Boss, as Michelle)
- Luck of the Irish (Post-mission phone call)
- The Snow Storm (Betrayal)
- Photo Shoot (Post-mission phone call)
- Wrong is Right
Grand Theft Auto V[]
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
Heists[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
Grand Theft Auto IV[]
- There is an unused phone call in which Michelle would apologize to Niko, explain that Michelle doesn't exist, and wish Niko luck before hanging up for good. Here is the transcript:
- Michelle: Niko, I thought I'd call you one last time to apologize. I used you.
- Niko: You did, and now some guy in a suit is using me instead. There seems to be a pattern emerging, doesn't there, Michelle?
- Michelle: Michelle is dead. She only existed to serve a certain purpose. Now that I've blown my cover, she has to die. She doesn't exist anymore. The apartment has been cleared out; the phone is about to be cut off. The person you were speaking to is very different from her. Goodbye, Niko. Look after yourself.
- Niko: I will try.
Grand Theft Auto Online[]
- Unused assets in the Heists update have her wearing two unseen outfits, including a white bikini.[4]
- Karen's appearance was changed in Humane Raid - Key Codes after The Diamond Casino & Resort update. She will now wear the same outfit with an IAA badge as seen in Three's Company.
- Karen's appearance remains unchanged during the heist finale.
References[]
- ↑ 3D model dataCutscene model file:
\GTAV\update\x64\dlcpacks\mpheist\dlc.rpf\x64\models\cdimages\mpheist_cutspeds.rpf\cs_karen_daniels - ↑ Quote“Karen Daniels! I.A.A.!”—Karen Daniels' pedestrian quote in GTA Online (
GENERIC_WAR_CRY_03)\GTAV\update\x64\dlcpacks\mpheist\dlc.rpf\x64\audio\sfx\dlc_mpheist\karen.awc\GENERIC_WAR_CRY_03 - ↑
- ↑ 3D model data
Unused Grand Theft Auto Online outfits. File Data:
Grand Theft Auto V\update\x64\dlcpacks\mpheist\dlc.rpf\x64\models\cdimages\mpheist_streamedpeds.rpf\ig_karen_daniels\*uppr_001_r.ydd/lowr_001_r.ydd *uppr_002_r.ydd/lowr_002_r.ydd
