When a devastating attack on an American base opens a terrorist war against the United States, elite agent and Splinter Cell Sam Fisher is asked to lead the newly formed 4th Echelon to confront the Blacklist threat.

Working with a team for the first time, Sam must transform from lone wolf to leader in time to prevent a series of devastating attacks on American soil. But as they grow deadlier, Sam’s margin for error vanishes, and the choices he makes lead him to places he never thought he’d go.

Character Bios

Sam Fisher, Commander

The original Splinter Cell, Sam Fisher returned to active service to spearhead the initial 3rd Echelon field initiative at the request of his friend, Irving Lambert. Sam served until shortly after Lambert’s death during his infiltration of domestic terror group John Brown’s Army, at which point Sam walked away. Drawn back by Anna Grimsdóttir, Sam stopped the D.C. EMP Event and left the corrupt 3rd Echelon in ashes. After being reunited with his daughter Sarah, Sam chose to work part-time for Victor “Vic” Coste instead of rebuilding the agency. After the first Blacklist attack, Sam was thrust into the middle of the conflict. Now tapped to lead 4th Echelon, Sam must combine his unparalleled skills as a field agent with the leadership necessary to forge a team and stop the Blacklist.

Anna Grimsdóttir, Control

A trusted advisor to President Patricia Caldwell and team liaison with the White House, Anna “Grim” Grimsdóttir is the driving force behind the new 4th Echelon initiative and spearheads the development of the SMI, a bleeding-edge analytics device. Grim is key to getting Sam the intel he needs to choose his missions, and to helping him survive them once he’s in the field.

Isaac Briggs, Ops

A cool, analytical, relentless, and by-the-book CIA officer, Briggs was the first to see the signs of the impending Blacklist attacks. Prior to Blacklist Zero: American Power, Briggs pushed his findings to his superiors, but his warnings were disregarded in the weeks leading up to the attack. After he fell out of favor with the CIA, Anna Grimsdóttir, who had been following Briggs’s career from afar, quickly had him seconded to 4th Echelon to serve as Sam Fisher’s support in the field. In addition to being a superb analyst, Briggs is also a skilled marksman and driver; his talents are an excellent compliment to Sam’s more freewheeling style.

Charlie Cole, Tech

A brilliant hacker and tech geek, Cole got himself into trouble at an early age with some of his online exploits, and in doing so attracted Anna Grimsdóttir’s attention. Working for her, Charlie helped design the original SMI prototype. An instinctive smartass, Charlie is cocky, arrogant, and almost as good at his job as he think he is. While on board the Paladin, Charlie provides technical support, spearheads the onboard R&D efforts, and makes improvements to weapons, body armor, and field gear.

Victor “Vic” Coste, Paladin Nine Security

Victor “Vic” Anthony Christopher Coste is one of Sam Fisher’s oldest friends. The two served together on SEAL Team Two in Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991. During their time in Iraq, Coste single-handedly rescued Sam from a hostage situation after Iraqi forces captured him during a disastrous mission. After leaving the Navy, Coste later became a private security consultant. Vic and Sam were working together for Vic’s company, Paladin 9, when Vic was injured trying to protect Sam during Blacklist Zero: American Power.

Andriy Kobin, Arms Dealer

The son of a Ukrainian American shipping clerk from Baltimore, Kobin was a mid-level operative in the Ukrainian mob. The 3rd Echelon turned him into a useful, deniable asset. Asked to provide a body to help fake Sarah Fisher’s death, Kobin did so, earning as a reward a ticket out of the country and a setup in Malta as a “fixer.”

In the wake of the D.C. EMP Event, for which he had provided the actual pulse devices, Kobin went underground. Presumed dead by Anna Grimsdóttir, he set up shop as an arms dealer and operated profitably out of Benghazi after the regime change. However, after selling weapons used in American Power, he realized that either the Americans or his former customers would hunt him down. As such, he turned himself in to the CIA, exchanging intel for protection.

Patricia Caldwell, President of the United States

American’s first female president, Caldwell was reelected after the shocking assault on the White House by “unknown terrorists” during the D.C. EMP Event.

Adjusting her policies to focus more on national security, Caldwell tasked Anna “Grim” Grimsdóttir with developing a blueprint for an elite black ops team that would report directly to the Oval Office. Grim’s new 4th Echelon was designed to prevent another institutional failure like the one that corrupted 3rd Echelon and nearly brought down Caldwell’s presidency.

Majid Sadiq, Engineer Leader

A former MI6 deep cover agent turned by the terrorists he was assigned to infiltrate, Sadiq is the best the Group of Twelve can find to put together their terrorist collective. Fluent in six languages and trained to be Sam Fisher’s equal, he is an efficient, calculating mastermind. He’s also done work for several of the countries in the Group of Twelve, not to mention Iran’s Qods Force and the ousted regimes of Egypt and Libya. Trusted by all parties involved, driven by a cold hatred of the West, and brilliant at tactical planning, he is the tip of the spear that the Group of Twelve will turn against America. His ultimate goal is the destruction of the West, and the Blacklist—and all of the horror and death it generates—is just a means to this end.