Screenshots | Days Gone.

While playing Days Gone and witnessing the heart-wrenching scene in which Iron Mike dies due to Skizzo’s heartless actions, I made my own observation about his character in comparison to Iron Mike’s and came to a conclusion I thought I’d share with y’all. 

From the get-go, Skizzo was a bit of a shady character, and as time goes on, he only gets shadier. He starts questioning Iron Mike and displaying traits of disloyalty towards the camp. He denies that Iron Mike’s desire for peace between their camp and the Rippers is even possible and clashes with him because of it. 

Iron Mike on the other hand, is a man of his word. He doesn’t waver, he believes in his resolve to settle things peacefully whenever possible. His treaty with the Rippers is a testament to his will of resisting bloodshed. Iron Mike believes that the Rippers and the Freaks are just as human as he is, thus deserving of the same fair treatment. This likely stems from his past in which he apparently done his “fair share of killing.” This likely scarred him and changed his philosophy. He made mistakes, but he done everything in his power to make up for them. I found it interesting that he struggled to connect with God, as if he didn’t deserve to be in His presence, especially considering he is one of the most moralistic characters in the game. Not only this, but he tries to negotiate peacefully with Skizzo in order to save the camp, but dies as a sacrifice. 

You may be wondering, “What am I getting at here?” Well, Skizzo and Iron Mike are total opposites, that much is made clear through the narrative of Days Gone. But it dawned on me that they may be (and likely are) two major symbols.

The Devil, and Jesus.

Now this may sound a bit crazy to some of you, but keep in mind I said *symbols*, not the actual real deal. The symbolical evidence just seemed so clear to me, personally, especially around the point in which Skizzo joins the militia under Colonel Garret. The irony behind Iron Mike’s peaceful will and being uneasy in God’s presence makes him a more humble and believable character, but at the same time it ties him closely to God himself. The opposite goes for Skizzo and Garret. Colonel Garret ignited a “holy war”, wearing his “religious” philosophy on his sleeve proudly, yet he didn’t even quite remember what order his camp’s commandments were in. He made up his own rule of law instead of following real religious philosophy. In the process, he accepts the most corrupt and twisted character into his camp in place of Deacon, simply because of the tattoo on Deacon’s back. 

The double irony here is unmissable. Days Gone makes a solid point about how religion can be used as a shield to make people feel higher than others. Sometimes it is those who are not yet fully committed to God that end up closer to his side than those who feign religious philosophy and hide behind flames.

Iron Mike is a character that seems to test the wills and intentions of every character surrounding him, almost as if his existence was created for this sole purpose. His existence would root out evil and help shine the light on the good parts of society, precisely the goal of Jesus himself. His sacrifice for his camp’s people is a parallel to the sacrifice Jesus made for humanity’s sins. (Considering he prayed in front of a cross, that also adds some validity to my claims.) 

On the other hand, the Devil’s goal is to lead the vulnerable astray with unclear but fundamentally dark intentions, which matches up with Skizzo perfectly. Not to mention, the Devil was cast out of Heaven for wanting to rise above God, which is strikingly similar to Skizzo’s situation with Lost Lake Camp. While Iron Mike himself did not cast Skizzo away, Skizzo always remained distant from the camp due to his desire to be in charge of Lost Lake’s operations. In the end, Skizzo didn’t care for the Rippers or Iron Mike, he only cared about his own goals and beliefs.