“Listen - I know Salim. And I know you. I know what you're capable of. He'll make it. And you'll get back to him, even if all hell stands in your way.
”
James Henry Mitchell is a major character in Amnesia: Rebirth. He was the expedition leader and one of the fourteen members of the Triple Crown Sadiola mining expedition to the French Sudan, and as such was one of the passengers aboard the Cassandra when it crashed in the desert.[1][1] He is voiced by British actor John Macmillan.[2]
History[]
Early Life[]
Not much is known about Hank Mitchell's early life. From his accent, it is likely he was born somewhere in North America, possibly in the United States or in Canada. It is unknown how Hank became involved with commercial European expeditions to their African colonies.
Adulthood: Victor Trianon[]
At some point, Hank became heavily acquainted with Victor Trianon, a Frenchman who led a large number of expeditions to colonial Africa. He became very close to Victor, seemingly serving as his second in command.[3] Victor's then-teenage daughter, Tasi, also accompanied them and befriended Hank as well.[3] Another regular feature on their expeditions was Malick Tamboura, a seasoned and stoic Sudanese rifleman and guide.[4] He also met Tasi's future husband, Salim Hannachi, during this period, and it is implied Salim was another experienced member of their group.[5]
Becoming the Team Leader[]
After Tasi and Salim unofficially married and had their daughter, Alys Trianon, in 1933, they appeared to take a step back from going on expeditions to raise their daughter. Meanwhile however, it appears that Victor ended up dying somewhere between 1933 and 1936.[6] Hank then stepped up as an expeditionary leader and led several expeditions himself in that time frame.[3]
In 1936, Alys would tragically die from a genetic wasting disease, a broken Tasi would call Hank about the tragedy, which made him determined to help Tasi's grieving process by getting her out back out into the world.
Project: Jake Sanulama ― The Sadiola Expedition[]
Prior to the events of Amnesia: Rebirth, the Triple Crown Mining Company was formed through a collaboration between three powerful businessmen, Oscar March, William Garrison, and the noted shipping magnate Robert Sterling.[7] The company was involved in various mining operations in West Africa. In early 1937, Triple Crown acquired the Jaka Sanulama gold mine in Sadiola, a small commune to the south of Kayes in the French Sudan.[8][7] They started a project called "Project: Jaka Sanulama,” with the intention of overhauling the mining procedures through the implementation of machines and focus on richer areas of the mine. To achieve this, samples were taken, as mentioned by Hank.[9][10][8] The samples were most likely soil, analyzed for gold content and possibly for other minerals as well.
Spoon after, the company decided to send an expedition of specialists to Sadiola to properly renovate the mine and its operating procedures. To begin with, the company hired Hank, who was most likely picked out for his veteran experience on colonial African expeditions, and allowed him to vet, and in some cases select people that handled managerial and field support aspects of the expedition.[11][12] he brought Malick onto the team as their first gun and guide.[1][13] As usual, the Sudanese man handled forward preparations of supplies and other affairs personally in Algiers. Another person Hank selected was a newcomer assistant, Rachael Holt, who had been recommended by one of Hank's associates and proved a valuable addition for the team, handling scheduling, special requests, and communication.[14]
The company directly hired most of the various experts for the refit of the mine, such as the Afrikaner mining supervisor Leon De Vries, the German geologist Eva Ritter, and English mining engineer Jonathan Webber.[1] However, Hank had a hand in hiring a still-grieving Salim and Tasi for the expedition as their third gun and engineering drafter respectively.[15][16][17] Its likely he convinced Triple Crown to specifically hire Tasi as their engineering drafter based on her seasoned field experience and his personal vouching for her. On Salim's end, Hank revealed he had to personally talk up how dangerous Sudan was with one of the Sterlings in order to secure their approval for the hiring of a third gun, which Hank believed was unnecessary for the expedition's success but necessary for both Tasi and Salim to heal from the loss of their beloved daughter.[16][17]
However, Hank also faced consternation due to the meddling of the company as well. They hired his second gun, Lukas Ritter, as part of a package deal with the man's wife, geologist Eva Ritter.[1][18] Hank was wary of having a second gun that had no experience in the French Sudan, as well as one he didn't know and select personally.[18][19] Some at the company then made a series of unnecessary additions to the team for various reasons Hank thought were not well founded.
Alex Sterling, the eldest son of Triple Crown co-owner Robert Sterling, and an experienced businessman in his own right, was one of the main figures involved in dealing with the planning, likely on behalf of his father.[20] With the man personally meeting Hank in Mayfair o at least one occasion.[20] During the expedition's planning process, Alex decided to personally accompany the expedition along with his private secretary Richard Fairchild.[20][21] Alex promised to know his place, but the annoyed Hank was skeptical. The expedition leader believed the cheerful tycoon wanted an adventure, but planned to include him and Fairchild and keep them sweet, albeit with no special treatment.
The Sterling family's primary company, Sterling Shipping Co., also provided the plane and selected their own pilot, Nicolas Masson, whom Hank had a prior association with.[22] They also selected a hostess for the plane, Yasmin Chabani, which Hank thought of as a frivolous addition on Sterling's part, although he did think Yasmin would be able to help out with Tasi.[23]
Robert Sterling also meddled into Hank's planning. The man insisted on bringing a European doctor rather than relying on the locals in case of injury or sickness, Hank thought this was unnecessary due to the fact it was only a weeklong trip to Kayes, but Sterling was not dissuaded and hired the Swiss physician, Dr. Anton Metzier.[24]
In Algiers[]
Events of Amnesia: Rebirth[]
Knowledgeable and calm in the face of disorder, Hank navigated his team to some caves near the site of the crash. Later he helped most of the team survive an attack by a strange desert creature inside the fortress, but not without suffering a grave wound that was almost certain to end his life. After the attack, the survivors happened upon an oasis where they encountered the Empress, who led them to the Other World, promising to help if Tasi accepted her offer. While Hank knew his life hung in the balance of Tasi's choice, he did not pressure her to accept like the others, and encouraged her to choose for herself.
After being healed by the fountain of the Empress, Hank remarked on the incredible discovery of the other world and expressed some regret in having to leave it. Soon after, he experienced the first signs of the Harvester transformation, wincing in discomfort from a darkness in his eye. His transformation imminent, he implored Tasi to run as he lost control of his body, killing Malick in the process, who volunteered to allow Tasi her escape.
Fate[]
That moment was Tasi's last memory of Hank, until she returned to the Otherworld to retrieve her kidnapped daughter near the end of the game. She found him alive but fully transformed into a Harvester, between the barred walls of the Tower. However, he was still of a sound mind and had managed to trap himself in an elevator shaft, restraining himself with a cable fashioned into a noose around his neck (possibly in an attempt to take his own life). He encouraged Tasi to keep fighting the curse and to not let it overtake her. Tasi mournfully lamented that she couldn't help him and had to save Amari, leaving him behind. If Tasi returns to the elevator shaft, after escaping the last Wraith, she finds Hank dead and he no longer reacts to her presence.
It is not clear, but extremely likely due to his physical appearance, that his transformation progressed to the point where Harvesters become nigh-immortal to even fatal damage.[25] Which is evidenced by the fact Hank is still alive despite having the makeshift noose around his neck.[25] With this evidence, it can be further inferred that Hank has been hanging himself over and over again in the time that Tasi and the rest off the group escaped to when Tasi comes back to the tower, and yet he is being regenerated by the Harvester toxin.[25] If this is the case, then it is very likely that Hank completed his transformation and lost his mind, doomed to forever roam the Other World.[25] However, if this is the case, it is also possible Hank would have died in the Iconoclast ending, in which the Shadow destroyed the tower and claimed it with its red flesh.
Description[]
Hank is a seasoned explorer, with a history of several expeditions under his belt. He seems to have known both Tasi and Salim for some time, even prior to their marriage. He was the one to reach out to Tasi to invite her on the expedition,[15] and was aware of the possibility that this experience could help the couple heal from the loss of their daughter.[17]
Physical appearance[]
As a human, Hank had brown eyes, black hair, and appears to have been of above average height. His exact age is unknown, but his long career as an expeditionary, lack of visible signs of aging or of youthfulness, and healthy physical state would suggest Hank is somewhere between 35 to 45 years old. By the time Tasi Trianon runs into him again, he is in the final stage of the Harvester transformation. Due to this, his eyes turned red, his teeth shredded his cheeks into a maw, and he has grown to monstrous proportions.
Personality[]
Keenly aware of the needs of his team, Hank's considerations are clearly illustrated in his notes found in the Algerian caves. In flashbacks, Hank is often taking care to look out for Tasi's grief and assuring her whenever he can.
Quotes[]
- Main article: Hank Mitchell/Dialogue
As a Human[]
- « There are days where I wish it wasn't me, when I wish your dad was still the one carrying the load and all I had to worry about was packing a bag and turning up. »
- « Tasi? It has to be your choice. It's your life. »
- « What would your old dad have made of this, Tasi? To stand here, to have seen this place! Almost a shame we have to leave. »
- « I... I'm all right. I... can't quite see properly. Something... at the edge of my eyes... »
As a Ghoul[]
- « You are nearly lost... Fight it... fight it... »
- « It will take you, Tasi... it has taken me... »
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Crew Roster (Rebirth)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Amnesia: Rebirth – English credits
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Flashback: "James Henry Mitchell" (Rebirth)
- ↑ Flashback: "Malick, Marrakesh, Mules, and Leon too" (Rebirth)
- ↑ Flashback: "Salim Hannachi" (Rebirth)
- ↑ Removed note: Letter from Antoine (Rebirth)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Newspaper Article (Rebirth)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Sadiola." Accessed 25 February 2023. Last revised 24 August 2022. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadiola.
- ↑ Flashback: "Yasmin and Tasi" (Rebirth)
- ↑ Engineering Document (Rebirth)
- ↑ Flashback: "James Henry Mitchell" (Rebirth)
- ↑ Flashback: "Malick Tamboura" (Rebirth)
- ↑ Hank's Dossier: Malick Tamboura (Rebirth)
- ↑ Hank's Dossier: Rachael Holt (Rebirth)
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Page from Salim's Diary (3) (Rebirth)
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Hank's Dossier: Salim Hannachi (Rebirth)
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Hank's Dossier: Anastasie "Tasi" Trianon (Rebirth)
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Hank's Dossier: Lukas Ritter (Rebirth)
- ↑ Flashback: "Lukas Ritter" (Rebirth)
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Hank's Dossier: Alexander Melville Sterling (Rebirth)
- ↑ Hank's Dossier: Richard Fairchild (Rebirth)
- ↑ Hank's Dossier: Nicolas Masson (Rebirth)
- ↑ Hank's Dossier: Yasmin Chabani (Rebirth)
- ↑ Hank's Dossier: Dr. Anton Metzier (Rebirth)
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Dialogue (Rebirth) – Leon: "Maybe it’s already too late. Or maybe I could end it… but why should I? You brought us to this. You made us this. I won’t let it on be easy on you… I can smell the taint in you… I can see the change your eyes… It won’t take long now. Then we’ll be the same… Together, hey, Tasi. How does that sound? We can play happy families till the world fucking ends!"
[]
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