Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell)

Lore & Background

Sam Fisher was created for the video game Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. His design was created by lead character artist Martin Caya, who sought to create a 'dark silhouette hiding in the shadows, and the only thing visible would be the reflection of some lights bouncing off the lenses of some night vision goggles.' This became the visual foundation for the character. Other ideas from staff included making him older with greying hair. Writer J. T. Petty gave Fisher 'wry, detached humor' and dialogue conveying 'the confidence of a man comfortably past his prime but none the worse for wear.' In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, Fisher was designed with a more civilian appearance, and players could use a 'panther' play style that allowed him to swiftly go from kill to kill. In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, he leads the Fourth Echelon and is designed with his goggles and wet suit, with designers ensuring players could use their preferred play style.

Fisher was originally voiced by Michael Ironside in the first five installments of the series. Fabien Noel, a member of the sound team, directed Ironside's performance and noted that Ironside became more invested in the character over time. In 2013, Eric Johnson provided the voice and motion capture for the character in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Ironside later returned to the role in 2018 for a crossover downloadable content update for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands and again in 2020 for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. Fisher was also added as a playable character in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, voiced by Jeff Teravainen, and appears as a supporting character in Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, voiced by Nigel Barber. He serves as the protagonist of Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, voiced by Liev Schreiber.

Reader's Guide

Sam Fisher has been generally well received since his appearance in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, being hailed as one of the biggest characters on Xbox and one of the console's synonyms in 2002, with praise going to the characterization used by Microsoft Game Studios and Ubisoft. In 2008, PC Zone staff felt that Fisher started as an iconic character, but the 'genuine lack of imagination' let him down. Although Fisher ultimately did not make the cut, Game Informer staff considered his inclusion in their '30 characters that defined a decade' collection, with writer Bryan Vore stating that while he may seem like 'a poor man's Solid Snake,' his 'quiet and deadly efficiency, gruff yet sarcastic demeanor, and the willingness to disobey orders he doesn't believe in' set him apart. Fellow Game Informer writer Nolan Good felt that Michael Ironside's portrayal of Sam Fisher was as iconic as Fisher himself, stating that Ironside's performance was enhanced by Fisher's 'quintessential design.' Writer Scott Beattie discussed how Fisher's actions were essentially terrorism, that if he did what he did while working for Al-Qaeda, it would be indistinguishable. While discussing Fisher's mindset, that regular guards are not his enemy, Beattie invoked writer Kurt Vonnegut's view on the 'expendability of bit characters in American literature,' talking about how players are given ethical dilemmas while controlling Fisher.

Did You Know?

• Sam Fisher was created by writer J. T. Petty and designed by artist Martin Caya.
• Michael Ironside voiced Fisher in the first five Splinter Cell games; Eric Johnson took over for Blacklist in 2013.
• An alternate version of Fisher appears in the 2023 animated series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix as an amputee revolutionary.