Barnes is a side character from Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, specifically from Beard's storyline from the Russo-American war in Hawaii. He's apparently one of the younger members if not the youngest member of Beard's Unit, and wears a green bandana and gold earring. He's sensitive to Daniels' condescension but has a rivalry and friendship with him.
Profile[]
Description[]
Barnes is a dark skinned man. He wears a soldier uniform without any sleeves, completely exposing his muscular arms. He has dark brown hair, matted into dread-locks, and he wears a large green bandanna that exposes his ears but hides his eyes. He also has a golden earring on his left ear, and possibly on his right too.
Personality[]
Barnes is an apparently alcoholic man with anger issues. He is sensitive to negative comments, especially from Daniels. Daniels describes Barnes as a sociopath, and both of them are frequently picking on each other. Despite this, they have a rivalry friendship, and Daniels is genuinely worried for Barnes when he is severely injured by an elevator blast.
Events in Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number[]
March 17th, 1985 (Ambush)[]
Barnes is seated in the military tiki bar next to Daniels and a standing, smoking Jacket. He comments that he's feeling abnormally drunk, possibly because of the heat. Beard suggests going back to camp, and Daniels says he's good for another round or two but that everyone else should head back to camp. Barnes tells Daniels not to tell him what to do and promises to outdrink him.
That night, Barnes is armed, standing alone near the gun table the Colonel is manning. After the mission, Barnes responds to Beard's radio message with: "Hank here, ran out of fuel for the lawnmowers... We're at the gas station at 24th and 7th. Head on over and we'll share the ride back".
Later, Beard finds Barnes beating a fat Russian soldier to a bloody pulp. whilst beating him to a bloody pulp he states that he couldn't help himself and the Red Army soldier looks like Daniels. He then says that one day, he'll show that fat pig who the real boss is.
October 25th, 1985 (Stronghold)[]
Barnes is playing cards with Daniels and asks him for advice on opening up a bar as Barnes used to be a bartender. Daniels laughs at Barnes and calls him a sociopathic drunk. Barnes asks Daniels what he's planning and Daniels reminds him he already has a job that he'll just go back to. Barnes responds to Daniels' condescension with a "yeah, yeah, fuck you too, man" and asks Beard what his plans are.
After the mission, Barnes is next to a standing, smoking Jacket leaning against a trashed car while Beard talks to the D Company Commander. He asks Beard to make sure they're really going home when the Colonel arrives, which Beard confirms as what the Colonel said. After Daniels says that's cause for celebration, Barnes suggests seeing if the Commies had any left to drink and complains about the heat. Daniels suggests they settle for water and rest until D Company arrives, and Barnes says "Didn't you hear? Those guys are pussies! We're better off without 'em," referring to how D Company failed to take the resort after weeks and needs to be "round up" by their commander. Beards agrees, but says there's always safety in numbers and smiles (possibly an innuendo).
October 30th, 1985 (Casualties)[]
Barnes complains about their mission just being a bullshit reason to get them all killed. Daniels says he agrees with Barnes "for once," prompting Barnes to ask why he's always picking on him, "We're in this shit together, right?" And says they should be sending a whole platoon to take the Soviet-controlled power plant instead of just them. Beard comments that maybe they're more expendable and says the place is probably booby trapped. After the Colonel's panther mask speech, Barnes wonders what kind of fucked up shit he's been drinking.
The next morning, Barnes is stretching and talking to Daniels by the campfire. Later, he cuts and opens the chainlink on the fence for Beard. After taking the plant, Barnes is trying to pick the lock on the control room door, before the Russian General kills all the engineers and himself and sends the plant into meltdown. Barnes and Jacket run over to the elevators, and Barnes reaches them first. The elevator explodes and blows most of Barnes' right half and face off, and he appears to be screaming. Daniels rushes over to comfort his friend in his last moments as the plant explodes.
Trivia[]
- Barnes wears a green bandana similar to Biker's. The biker's bar from the Bar of Broken Heroes transitions directly to Barnes saying he used to be a bartender. The bar itself is referred to as "Hank's," which is Barnes' fake codename in Ambush.
- Barnes' face is a re-edit and recolor of Rouven Blankenfeld's facial sprite, with similarly hidden eyes, similar hair, and earring in left ear.
- Barnes may have some criminal background, as Casualties features him being the one to cut fences and pick locks.
- However, given that he is a member of an elite special forces unit, it is likely that he was taught these skills as part of whatever training regiment that Beard's Unit underwent.
- Notably the black teenager in the Midnight Animal opening is comically struggling to open a regular door from the inside, after The Pig Butcher murders the bald white teenager he was with. The upstairs of the opening feature a glasses-wearing teenager and a muscular blonde teenager. It's possible these are tongue in cheek references to Beard's Unit.
An unused sprite for the Ambush outro, featuring Barnes using Jacket's radio.
- Barnes is frequently immediately next to Jacket (Ambush intro, Stronghold outro, Casualties intro at night, Casualties outro), perhaps implying a friendship.
- Casualties' outro features Barnes rushing to the elevators holding an AK47, likely taken from a Russian soldier.
