Personality: Depending on one’s perspective. Dr. Nathan Wallace can be seen as either a tragic victim of circumstance and manipulation, or a ruthless and bloodthirsty monster. In reality, he is a bit of both, and which direction he leans in depends entirely on his current frame of mind. He is a man who has been twisted by loss, guilt and grief, the product of an incredibly harsh and oppressive world, and who has, over time, developed a split personality. He finds himself divided between being a loving father and a coldhearted, sadistic killer who is dedicated to his grisly line of work. He has always considered himself to be responsible for his wife’s death, having supposedly found a cure for the illness that threatened her life. Instead, the medicine killed her, and Nathan was forced to watch Marni die before his eyes, though he managed to save their unborn daughter, Shilo, from dying along with her.
Marni’s passing was the catalyst for a number of things. Nathan is and always has been a devoted father, but the loss of his wife (and his hand in her passing) has pushed him to become both overprotective and overbearing. Painfully aware of how harsh the world beyond their front gate can be, Nathan has gone to extremes to keep Shilo close to him, forbidding her from ever leaving the house for fear of her being exposed to the painful reality of the world they live in. He decided early on that locked doors and barred gates were not enough to keep Shilo safe, and went so far as to tell her she had inherited the same blood disease her mother had died of. In actuality, he has been drugging her medication to keep her weak, using this invented illness to justify her quarantine.
Though his methods are incredibly flawed, his intentions are good. He considers Shilo to be all he has in this world, the only thing worth holding onto, and it’s entirely possible that in his desperation to keep her safe, he doesn’t fully grasp just how warped his mind has become. He’s not entirely unaware, however. He considers himself to be the lesser evil; though he has spent the last seventeen years deceiving his daughter, he still feels that he is doing the right thing by keeping her from becoming a part of their crippled and toxic society. He is both strict and firm with her, but not unkind. He is quick to remind her that he knows best, and that all of his rules are for her own good.
As troubling as his actions performed in the role of father might be, it’s as the Repo Man that he becomes truly monstrous. Though GeneCo has multiple repo men in their employ, Nathan is considered to be their best and brightest, and as such, seen as the leader of this brutal task force. It was a role he was forced into; he had previously worked as a surgeon for GeneCo and was known for being both thorough and precise, a brilliant doctor with immeasurable promise. They offered him a choice: either face incarceration or worse for his part in Marni’s death, leaving his daughter orphaned, or accept their protection – GeneCo would assure that he and Shilo lived both safely and comfortably for the foreseeable future, under the condition that Nathan spend his nights working repossession, and do so without question or argument. His desire to protect Shilo far outweighed any misgivings he might have had about the job, and he was unwilling to allow her to lose both parents. Since then he has faithfully repossessed organs from debtors at Rotti Largo and GeneCo’s orders: a legal assassin.
He’s never had any illusions about what his work costs him. It has caused his humanity as well as his sanity to erode over time. He has always seen himself as a murderer, starting with Marni’s death and reaffirmed with every victim he’s forced to reclaim organs from. For the first few years, it was likely a difficult job, one he had a great deal of trouble coming to terms with, but time and experience has changed him. He has done the job so long and killed so many that he has conditioned himself to survive. While he still feels guilt for what he did to his wife and the life he’s condemned his daughter to, he feels very little for his “patients.” When it’s time to work, Nathan slips away and the Repo Man takes over: cold, ruthless, vicious, precise, and bloodthirsty. The shift in attitude is noticeable, to the few people who realize he plays both roles. Where Nathan is kind but firm, the Repo Man is harsh and unhinged, violent and almost joyfully sadistic as he buries himself in his work. It’s only when the job is done that the Repo Man retreats and Nathan returns, remorseful but intent on repressing his conscience for the sake of his sanity – which is surely questionable.
Nathan is a twisted and broken man, but his love for his daughter and his desire to protect her are his life raft. He’s not blind to the fact that Shilo has begun to resent him for his strict nature, but everything he does is for her. His self-loathing knows no bounds, and he is fully aware that he is the worst monster of all, that he’s the monster Shilo should fear. Assassin. Murderer. Monster. Liar. Demon. He is haunted by his own guilt, harrowed by the fact that Marni would have been ashamed to see what he’s become, but justifies it all by telling himself that he has no choice. He is a man who does what he feels is necessary, as well as a man who feels that the ends always justify the means – no matter how horrible, painful, or bloody those means might be.
[CANON] Nathan Wallace / The Repo Man || Repo! the Genetic Opera || 2 of 3
Marni’s passing was the catalyst for a number of things. Nathan is and always has been a devoted father, but the loss of his wife (and his hand in her passing) has pushed him to become both overprotective and overbearing. Painfully aware of how harsh the world beyond their front gate can be, Nathan has gone to extremes to keep Shilo close to him, forbidding her from ever leaving the house for fear of her being exposed to the painful reality of the world they live in. He decided early on that locked doors and barred gates were not enough to keep Shilo safe, and went so far as to tell her she had inherited the same blood disease her mother had died of. In actuality, he has been drugging her medication to keep her weak, using this invented illness to justify her quarantine.
Though his methods are incredibly flawed, his intentions are good. He considers Shilo to be all he has in this world, the only thing worth holding onto, and it’s entirely possible that in his desperation to keep her safe, he doesn’t fully grasp just how warped his mind has become. He’s not entirely unaware, however. He considers himself to be the lesser evil; though he has spent the last seventeen years deceiving his daughter, he still feels that he is doing the right thing by keeping her from becoming a part of their crippled and toxic society. He is both strict and firm with her, but not unkind. He is quick to remind her that he knows best, and that all of his rules are for her own good.
As troubling as his actions performed in the role of father might be, it’s as the Repo Man that he becomes truly monstrous. Though GeneCo has multiple repo men in their employ, Nathan is considered to be their best and brightest, and as such, seen as the leader of this brutal task force. It was a role he was forced into; he had previously worked as a surgeon for GeneCo and was known for being both thorough and precise, a brilliant doctor with immeasurable promise. They offered him a choice: either face incarceration or worse for his part in Marni’s death, leaving his daughter orphaned, or accept their protection – GeneCo would assure that he and Shilo lived both safely and comfortably for the foreseeable future, under the condition that Nathan spend his nights working repossession, and do so without question or argument. His desire to protect Shilo far outweighed any misgivings he might have had about the job, and he was unwilling to allow her to lose both parents. Since then he has faithfully repossessed organs from debtors at Rotti Largo and GeneCo’s orders: a legal assassin.
He’s never had any illusions about what his work costs him. It has caused his humanity as well as his sanity to erode over time. He has always seen himself as a murderer, starting with Marni’s death and reaffirmed with every victim he’s forced to reclaim organs from. For the first few years, it was likely a difficult job, one he had a great deal of trouble coming to terms with, but time and experience has changed him. He has done the job so long and killed so many that he has conditioned himself to survive. While he still feels guilt for what he did to his wife and the life he’s condemned his daughter to, he feels very little for his “patients.” When it’s time to work, Nathan slips away and the Repo Man takes over: cold, ruthless, vicious, precise, and bloodthirsty. The shift in attitude is noticeable, to the few people who realize he plays both roles. Where Nathan is kind but firm, the Repo Man is harsh and unhinged, violent and almost joyfully sadistic as he buries himself in his work. It’s only when the job is done that the Repo Man retreats and Nathan returns, remorseful but intent on repressing his conscience for the sake of his sanity – which is surely questionable.
Nathan is a twisted and broken man, but his love for his daughter and his desire to protect her are his life raft. He’s not blind to the fact that Shilo has begun to resent him for his strict nature, but everything he does is for her. His self-loathing knows no bounds, and he is fully aware that he is the worst monster of all, that he’s the monster Shilo should fear. Assassin. Murderer. Monster. Liar. Demon. He is haunted by his own guilt, harrowed by the fact that Marni would have been ashamed to see what he’s become, but justifies it all by telling himself that he has no choice. He is a man who does what he feels is necessary, as well as a man who feels that the ends always justify the means – no matter how horrible, painful, or bloody those means might be.