Connor’s such a cool character. I know, I know; he’s the fandom fave cause he’s cute and his actor’s cute and whatever. But I genuinely just love the concept of his character and story??
He’s an android designed to hunt other androids, his own people. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s the only one of his kind.
He’s specifically designed to hunt deviants, but we discover later that he himself was also designed to deviate, which creates a fascinating internal conflict.
He’s programmed with more free will than the other androids. Until they deviate, Kara and Markus must obey their masters’ commands, but Connor can choose to ignore and disobey orders. He can even choose to put things before his mission, like saving people’s lives.
His toxic relationship with Amanda, who’s like his boss and mother figure rolled into one. She offers him praise and reassurance, and he wants to make her proud, but she doesn’t approve of him developing close relationships with other people, and disobedience is punishable by death/shut down, a fear Connor shouldn’t have if he’s truly a machine.
His complicated relationship with Hank, who’s also supposed to be his boss/superior and (who I see as) his father figure. Hank’s no angel, but he encourages Connor’s humanity and freedom and genuinely cares about Connor as a person if you choose to build a relationship with him. Hank’s like the opposite of Amanda, the better parent to Amanda’s bad, who introduces Connor to true loyalty and care.
His breaking through his programming happens more gradually and subtly than it does for Kara and Markus. It’s a process instead of one hard and fast decision, and it’s really cool to watch.
Despite being incredibly intelligent, he’s kind of naive. He trusts Amanda blindly and is hurt when he realizes she–and by extension Cyberlife–were manipulating him and planning to replace him whether he obeyed them or not.
He’s the only playable protagonist that can go hero or villain. Markus can be violent instead of pacifist, but his cause, android liberation, is still good. Connor can either aid the cause or destroy it and everyone he’d otherwise care about.
I love like every trope used regarding his internal conflict: the Kamski test; Lucy telling him he’s lost; Markus reaching out to him; the evil clone symbolizing his machine half; Connor holding Hank over the side of the building or vise-versa with the “It’s time to decide who you are” theme; Amanda trying to regain control of him at the end; I’m a sucker for all of it.
Connor’s happy ending is the only one that’s bittersweet. Because he’s carrying a lot of guilt about his past actions and the destruction of Jericho. He probably isn’t 100% accepted by the other androids or feels comfortable around them. Though Markus accepts him and Kara seems to forgive him, so things will get better.
It’s also uncertain whether he’s truly free from Amanda/Cyberlife. He escapes the program, but it’s still there. It’s still inside him, (which is pretty symbolic if you consider Amanda an abuser like I do. I almost wonder if he’d experience symptoms of PTSD and psychological abuse.)
His cute appearance and unassuming nature is meant to mask the fact that he is in fact a lethal weapon and terrifying, and it works so well that even fans of the game are taken in.
Also he fights crime and solves mysteries and that’s cool Connor’s cool yeehaw
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