- “These findings have been astonishing me for years. All this about extraterrestrial beings and their relevance to ancient history. Now...I am bringing them to life. One by one. Day by day. Year by year. No one can stop me. Not even them.”
- ―Dr. Van Lucker, from one of the radios found in "Cyborg Reliance"
Dr. Van Lucker is the secondary antagonist of the Soul of the Machine storyline. He is the head scientist of the CODOL Institute, responsible for the creation of the cyborgs and their takeover of the world. He makes an appearance in Cyborg Reliance during the final cutscene and is heard in the hidden radio logs. He is referenced in quotes only by the characters in S.O.D. 2036, appears during the final cutscene of Reign of Fire and is heard and seen throughout the major Easter eggs for Guilin Peaks and M.A.R.S..
Biography[]
Soul of the Machine[]
Not much is known about Dr. Van Lucker's past. Not even his first name or age is known to anyone else. It is known that he was born in Scotland during the Medieval period and was the brother of Cortex and the son to a woman named Lucia Shaw, who is actually the host of a Nexu called The Angel. Because of this, both him and Cortex inherited their mother's Nexu DNA and it's powerful benefits. From his early childhood he has always wanted to explore deep into time, space, alternate realities, machinery, and history. During his teen years, Van Lucker and Cortex would often go on adventures. One such adventure involved finding a mysterious and powerful stone known as the Soul Stone. He would use the Soul Stone to perform evil acts such as resurrecting the dead, taking over villages and small kingdoms, and to hatch the last known dragon egg in existence. He would attempt to declare a full scale war against the then Kingdom of Scotland. Cortex finds out about this an attempts to end his brother's reign of terror during a battle. Cortex takes the Soul Stone away from Van Lucker and uses it to cast out the dragon. During the battle, their mother was killed and Van Lucker would place the blame on Cortex, spending an extremely long lifetime hellbent for revenge.
After spending thousands of years in various lands with various different identities, he would become the head scientist of the CODOL Institute after poisoning the original head scientist Dr. Richard Cambridge. He would, alongside Dr. Wilhelm, create a top secret Research station on Mars and capture the Martian species by converting them into cyborgs. Sometime after he took over, the cyborgs began to revolt against their human masters. All of them except for Van Lucker himself, who once ordered the cyborgs to attack a group of protesters.
He is also responsible for the creation of the Power Core, the main object in the Soul of the Machine saga. It is an extremely powerful object, similar to the Summoning Key from the canon Treyarch saga of zombie maps. It is used by him to take full control of the cyborgs and to power the Death Ray on M.A.R.S.. After the Soul Stone went missing following his battle with Cortex, it somehow ended up in Egypt. He made plans to combine the Power Core with the Soul Stone to resurrect his mother. He brought the tomb that she was buried in to the Research Station on Mars in order to use her powers to power up the Death Ray and destroy the planet Earth. When he finally did this, he and the Mercs were transported to an unknown battle arena, where the tomb finally opened. But instead of Lucia Shaw, his mother, it was the Nexu that had been using her as a host even before Van Lucker and Cortex were born, The Angel. Nevertheless, Dr. Van Lucker attempted to talk to her like she was his mother, gloating about his achievements and how he was able to takeover the world. The Angel then verbally scolds Dr. Van Lucker for ruining Earth and not using his intellect for her benefit instead. He was then evaporated to death by The Angel and her dark energy.
Appearance[]
He appears as an elderly aged man with grayish-silver hair, clean shaven face, and a pair of small rectangular glasses. He wears a white lab coat with a dark blue dress shirt, dark brown pants and black shoes.
Call of Duty: Nexus Arena[]
Dr. Van Lucker appears in Call of Duty: Nexus Arena as an Ancient Leader/Support Character. He has five Abilities, two Unique Traits and a Leader Trait. None of his abilities has him physically attacking enemies. He also synergies well with The Angel, Scientific Observations Laboratory and Zombies allies.
He is categorized into the following: Antagonists, Leader, Support, Soul of the Machine, Scientific Observations Laboratory.
- Excellent Composure (Special)
During Dr. Van's turn: Dispel all Debuffs on target ally if any ally has Debuffs. Apply Heal Over Time twice on all allies for 2 turns.
Out of turn: Inflict Damage Over Time on target enemy for 2 turns and remove 5% Turn Meter. This Ability can't be Evaded or its effects cannot be Resisted.
- Medical Research (Special)
Dispel all negative status effects from all allies. Each ally recovers 5% of their Max Health for each effect Dispelled this way. In addition, if any ally already has full Health, they gain Bonus Protection (100%) for 3 turns.
- Fire At Will (Special)
Call all Scientific Observations Laboratory allies to assist, each dealing 50% less damage. If the target enemy is defeated by these assists, allies that assisted have their cooldowns reset by 2.
- Mass Manufacture (Special)
At the start of battle, Dr. Van Lucker gains 10% Turn Meter and access to the following Tech in the form of Abilities. When Dr. Van Lucker uses a piece of Tech, his target ally gains its effects until defeated or the end of battle.
The cooldown of each piece of Tech is set to max and can't be reduced if all allies have Tech or if it is active on an ally. Tech can't Copied, Dispelled, or prevented, and an ally can only have one piece of Tech at a time.
Advanced Medkit: Recover 5% Health and Protection at the start of every Character's turn, and 5% Bonus Protection if this Character is a Scientific Observations Laboratory ally.
Juggernog: Grants Defense Up whenever this unit is damaged from an attack and Dispel own Debuffs; Tank Characters Taunt while they have Protection.
Stopping Power: Gain 10% Turn Meter at the start of each enemy's turn; attacks ignore enemy's Defense and Protection, and enemies defeated by this unit can't be Resurrected.
| Trait Name | Trait Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Overseer | Leader | At the start of battle, Scientific Observations Laboratory allies gain Max Protection equal to 30% of Dr. Van Lucker's Max Health. All Scientific Observations Laboratory allies also have +30% Critical Avoidance while they have Heal Over Time.
Whenever an ally with Tech uses a Special Ability, Dr. Van Lucker is called to assist. In addition, if The Angel is present, has a piece of Tech and uses a Special Ability, Dr. Van Lucker gains Motivation for 2 turns. If there are no other allied Characters at the start of his turn, Dr. Van Lucker escapes from battle. Motivation: Gains 15% Turn Meter whenever The Angel inflicts a Debuff on enemies. |
| Cyborg Overlord | Unique | Whenever Dr. Van Lucker is Debuffed by an enemy, all Zombies allies present attack the enemy that Debuffed Dr. Van Lucker, dealing 30% less damage. If the enemy is defeated by these assists, Dr. Van Lucker's cooldowns are reset. |
| Lucia Shaw | Unique | Whenever The Angel scores a Critical Hit, Dr. Van Lucker gains Tenacity Up for 3 turns. In addition, if The Angel is defeated, Dr. Van Lucker gains her unique buff Retribution for rest of battle.
Retribution: Dr. Van Lucker cannot be Critically Hit, Resists all detrimental effects from all enemies, and cannot be Stunned. |
Trivia[]
- He is inspired by a few other villainous characters from other maps and storylines such as Edward Richtofen, Wallace Mann, and Tom McPhillian.
- He, along with Cortex, is possibly the oldest character in the Soul of the Machine arc. Though his age has yet to be officially known.
- 1169 was when Lucia Shaw, already an adult woman, became a host for The Angel, and the beginning of Soul of the Machine: The Movie shows Dr. Van Lucker and Cortex as young children in 1178, meaning that they might've been born sometime between 1170 to 1175.
- In Call of Duty: Nexus Arena, his second Unique Trait "Lucia Shaw" is named after his mother, a host of The Angel.