Luc Deveraux
Encyclopedia
Luc Deveraux is a fictional character, and the protagonist
of the Universal Soldier film series
. He is most famously portrayed by Belgian
actor
and martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme
. Van Damme portrays Luc in the 1992 film Universal Soldier
and its sequels Universal Soldier: The Return
(1999) and Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009); he is portrayed by Matt Battaglia
in the direct-to-video
sequels Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms
(1998) and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business
(1999).
Luc is initially portrayed as a main protagonist
, and military
infiltration unit. He first appears in Universal Soldier, as GR44, a deceased Vietnam War
veteran. Luc becomes a UniSol after being reanimated
in a secret government project along with other previously dead soldiers. A recurring theme in the series is that he is also the only UniSol strong enough to break the barrier of his commands and become more human.
with his father and mother. Most of the facts about Luc's childhood are unknown.
and did his full-time service, his sergeant and friend, Andrew Scott went mad. He tried reasoning but ended with both Luc and Andrew dying.
When the Universal Soldier U.S. Government project goes underway, they pick Luc's body as a UNIsol. He rebelled when he met Veronica Roberts, a TV journalist and his love-interest. They go through an adventure while Andrew and other UNIsols chase after them. In the end, he finds out secrets about his creation and his memories. When he returns him to Louisiana his parents are happy to see him and greet them. When Andrew comes and kidnaps Veronica and his parents are held hostage. Luc and Andrew fight to the death and Luc wins when he throws him on spikes from a hay harvester, as Luc and Veronica embrace.
All of the new UniSols, codenamed Unisol 2500, which are faster and stronger than the original Unisols, are connected through an artificially intelligent computer system called SETH, or Self-Evolving Thought Helix.
When SETH discovers that the UniSol program is scheduled to be shut down because of budget cuts, he takes matters into his own "hands" to protect himself.
Killing those who try to shut off his power, and unleashing his platoon of super soldiers, led by the musclebound Romeo, SETH spares Devereaux, only because Deveraux has the secret code that is needed to deactivate a built-in program that will shut SETH down in a matter of hours. With the help of Squid, a rogue cyberpunk, SETH takes human form.
Luc must contend with the ambitious reporter Erin Young, and General Radford who wants to take extreme measures to stop SETH. SETH gets Romeo to find Luc's 13-year-old daughter Hillary and kidnaps her, killing Maggie in the process.
Luc is the only person who can rescue Hillary and stop SETH, because Luc knows firsthand how a UniSol thinks, feels, and fights. Luc infiltrates the UniSol building, where he finds Maggie, who is now revived as a UniSol. Luc and SETH begin fighting each other in hand-to-hand combat, ending with Luc freezing SETH with liquid nitrogen, then shatters SETH's frozen body, killing him.
Despite SETH's demise, the UniSols still live. Luc then turn his rage towards Romeo, who gains the upper hand on him, but Romeo would be stopped by Maggie, who has rebelled against the UniSols following SETH's demise. Maggie allows Luc to get himself and Hillary out of the building on time. However, the bomb that General Radford had placed was deactivated by SETH before he was destroyed. As Romeo and the UniSols starts to march out to declare war, Luc fires at the explosive charge blowing up the building, killing all of the UniSols.
As Deveraux escorts the children to safety, they are attacked by the NGU. Deveraux and the NGU take the fight to the site of the bomb, with less than two minutes remaining. During the melee, Deveraux removes the detonator and jams it in the back of the NGU's uniform as they both jump out the reactor chamber. NGU pulls the detonator off his back, but it is too late, as it explodes, taking him with it.
, Michael Jai White
, and possibly Mike Pyle
as well. It will be the first Universal Soldier to be filmed in 3D.
Unlike the Terminators from the Terminator franchise
, Luc has more human attributes then others. He has basic human emotions, handwriting, reading and etc. He is the most human of the other UniSols like SETH, Andrew, or the NGU. He has changed from a confused misfit, witty government agent, and a worried middle-aged man. He is still good in hand-to-hand combat even in his old age.
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the Universal Soldier film series
Universal Soldier (series)
Universal Soldier is an American action science fiction film series started from the 1992 original same title film written by Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch, and Dean Devlin; directed by Roland Emmerich; and distributed by Sony Tri-Star....
. He is most famously portrayed by Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
. Van Damme portrays Luc in the 1992 film Universal Soldier
Universal Soldier (1992 film)
Universal Soldier is a 1992 American science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam but are reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead...
and its sequels Universal Soldier: The Return
Universal Soldier: The Return
Universal Soldier: The Return is a 1999 American science fiction action film directed by Mic Rodgers and starred Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michael Jai White, professional wrestler Bill Goldberg, Heidi Schanz, Kiana Tom and Xander Berkeley as Doctor Dylan Cotner...
(1999) and Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009); he is portrayed by Matt Battaglia
Matt Battaglia
Matteo Martin "Matt" Battaglia is an American actor and former American football player.-Background and football:Battaglia, one of four siblings, was born in Tallahassee, Florida and is of half Italian and half German/Dutch heritage.When Battaglia was three years old, his family moved north from...
in the direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
sequels Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms
Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms is a 1998 direct-to-video science fiction film, sequel to the 1992 film Universal Soldier. Despite featuring the same characters as the original, the film features none of the original cast or crew. It was followed the same year with triquel titled Universal...
(1998) and Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business
Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business
Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business is a 1998 direct-to-video science fiction film. It was produced as a miniseries for a potential TV series. Like Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms, none of the actors or crew of the original returned, but all the cast and crew from the first sequel...
(1999).
Luc is initially portrayed as a main protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, and military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
infiltration unit. He first appears in Universal Soldier, as GR44, a deceased Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran. Luc becomes a UniSol after being reanimated
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
in a secret government project along with other previously dead soldiers. A recurring theme in the series is that he is also the only UniSol strong enough to break the barrier of his commands and become more human.
Early life
Devereaux grew up in a farm in LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
with his father and mother. Most of the facts about Luc's childhood are unknown.
Vietnam and Universal Soldier (1992)
When Luc joined the Vietnam warVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and did his full-time service, his sergeant and friend, Andrew Scott went mad. He tried reasoning but ended with both Luc and Andrew dying.
When the Universal Soldier U.S. Government project goes underway, they pick Luc's body as a UNIsol. He rebelled when he met Veronica Roberts, a TV journalist and his love-interest. They go through an adventure while Andrew and other UNIsols chase after them. In the end, he finds out secrets about his creation and his memories. When he returns him to Louisiana his parents are happy to see him and greet them. When Andrew comes and kidnaps Veronica and his parents are held hostage. Luc and Andrew fight to the death and Luc wins when he throws him on spikes from a hay harvester, as Luc and Veronica embrace.
Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
Seven years after the events in the first film Devereaux is now a technical expert who is working with the government with his partner Maggie, who's been through countless hours of training and combat with him, to refine and perfect the UniSol program in an effort to make a new, stronger breed of soldier that is more sophisticated, intelligent, and agile.All of the new UniSols, codenamed Unisol 2500, which are faster and stronger than the original Unisols, are connected through an artificially intelligent computer system called SETH, or Self-Evolving Thought Helix.
When SETH discovers that the UniSol program is scheduled to be shut down because of budget cuts, he takes matters into his own "hands" to protect himself.
Killing those who try to shut off his power, and unleashing his platoon of super soldiers, led by the musclebound Romeo, SETH spares Devereaux, only because Deveraux has the secret code that is needed to deactivate a built-in program that will shut SETH down in a matter of hours. With the help of Squid, a rogue cyberpunk, SETH takes human form.
Luc must contend with the ambitious reporter Erin Young, and General Radford who wants to take extreme measures to stop SETH. SETH gets Romeo to find Luc's 13-year-old daughter Hillary and kidnaps her, killing Maggie in the process.
Luc is the only person who can rescue Hillary and stop SETH, because Luc knows firsthand how a UniSol thinks, feels, and fights. Luc infiltrates the UniSol building, where he finds Maggie, who is now revived as a UniSol. Luc and SETH begin fighting each other in hand-to-hand combat, ending with Luc freezing SETH with liquid nitrogen, then shatters SETH's frozen body, killing him.
Despite SETH's demise, the UniSols still live. Luc then turn his rage towards Romeo, who gains the upper hand on him, but Romeo would be stopped by Maggie, who has rebelled against the UniSols following SETH's demise. Maggie allows Luc to get himself and Hillary out of the building on time. However, the bomb that General Radford had placed was deactivated by SETH before he was destroyed. As Romeo and the UniSols starts to march out to declare war, Luc fires at the explosive charge blowing up the building, killing all of the UniSols.
Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009)
Years after the events of the original film, Luc is being rehabilitated in Switzerland by Dr. Sandra Fleming to rejoin society. He was taken back by the military to participate in a mission to rescue the Russian prime minister's children, kidnapped by General Boris in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. After Capt. Kevin Burke is killed by the New Generation UniSol, Deveraux is geared up and sent to the plant, where he kills every terrorist in sight. He searches the buildings further and sees the children cornered by the clone of Andrew Scott. Before Scott gets a chance to kill the children, Deveraux attacks him, and a grueling fight ensues. In the end, Deveraux kills Scott by impaling his forehead with a lead pipe and fires a shotgun through it.As Deveraux escorts the children to safety, they are attacked by the NGU. Deveraux and the NGU take the fight to the site of the bomb, with less than two minutes remaining. During the melee, Deveraux removes the detonator and jams it in the back of the NGU's uniform as they both jump out the reactor chamber. NGU pulls the detonator off his back, but it is too late, as it explodes, taking him with it.
Universal Soldier: A New Dimension (2012)
A new sequel is currently being developed by Foresight Unlimited and director John Hyams with Van Damme still returning as the role of Luc, Dolph LundgrenDolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, director, and martial artist. He belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero stereotype including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.A graduate in chemical...
, Michael Jai White
Michael Jai White
Michael Jai White is an American actor and martial artist who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn...
, and possibly Mike Pyle
Mike Pyle (fighter)
Michael Wayne Pyle is an American mixed martial arts fighter. He held the WEC Welterweight Championship in 2005/6 before joining the IFL and UFC competitions. He holds notable victories over Jon Fitch, John Hathaway and Ricardo Almeida-Early life:Mike Pyle grew up in Dresden, Tennessee. At age...
as well. It will be the first Universal Soldier to be filmed in 3D.
Characteristics
In the fictional Universal Soldier universe, Luc was first GR44 a UniSol used only for the U.S. government. When the vision of the tortured Vietnamese people who Scott killed in the 1960s returns to him he loses control and breaks free from the government's control.Unlike the Terminators from the Terminator franchise
Terminator (franchise)
The Terminator series is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and other media concerning battles between Skynet's artificially intelligent machine network, and John Connor's Resistance forces and the rest of the human race....
, Luc has more human attributes then others. He has basic human emotions, handwriting, reading and etc. He is the most human of the other UniSols like SETH, Andrew, or the NGU. He has changed from a confused misfit, witty government agent, and a worried middle-aged man. He is still good in hand-to-hand combat even in his old age.
Personality
In Universal Soldier he is a Vietnam veteran tired of war and wishes to go home. He is then turned into a UniSol. After breaking free he is confused and believes he is dead. When Veronica convinces that he is still alive he gets more emotional and more "human". In Universal Soldier: The Return, he is more human and has more of a sense of humor. He is serious about finding the villain, SETH. In Universal Soldier: Regeneration he is worried and confused, much like the original portrayal from the original 1992 film.Powers and abilities
Luc has great hand to hand combat training. His powers consist of super-strength, which is an essential tool for any UniSol. They are resistant to gunfire, stabbing weapons and poisons. Explosives, bombs, or corrosive agents are effective weapons against them. Any bone fracture to a UniSol is painless and has no effect on the UniSols flexibility. They only have moderate intelligence mostly because they need commands and have chips and other mechanical parts to do the bidding of the government. Luc had combat training before his death so he can still perform the techniques he knew before. He also, unlike most UniSols, has more human attributes, such as human emotions, memories, smell, touch, sound.See also
- Universal SoldierUniversal Soldier (1992 film)Universal Soldier is a 1992 American science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as soldiers who kill each other in Vietnam but are reanimated in a secret Army project along with a large group of other previously dead...
- Universal Soldier II: Brothers in ArmsUniversal Soldier II: Brothers in ArmsUniversal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms is a 1998 direct-to-video science fiction film, sequel to the 1992 film Universal Soldier. Despite featuring the same characters as the original, the film features none of the original cast or crew. It was followed the same year with triquel titled Universal...
- Universal Soldier III: Unfinished BusinessUniversal Soldier III: Unfinished BusinessUniversal Soldier III: Unfinished Business is a 1998 direct-to-video science fiction film. It was produced as a miniseries for a potential TV series. Like Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms, none of the actors or crew of the original returned, but all the cast and crew from the first sequel...
- Universal Soldier: The ReturnUniversal Soldier: The ReturnUniversal Soldier: The Return is a 1999 American science fiction action film directed by Mic Rodgers and starred Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michael Jai White, professional wrestler Bill Goldberg, Heidi Schanz, Kiana Tom and Xander Berkeley as Doctor Dylan Cotner...
- Universal Soldier: Regeneration
- Jean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
- Matt BattagliaMatt BattagliaMatteo Martin "Matt" Battaglia is an American actor and former American football player.-Background and football:Battaglia, one of four siblings, was born in Tallahassee, Florida and is of half Italian and half German/Dutch heritage.When Battaglia was three years old, his family moved north from...
- Dolph LundgrenDolph LundgrenDolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, director, and martial artist. He belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero stereotype including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.A graduate in chemical...