Big Daddy

"...he, a lumbering palooka in a foul-smelling diving suit..."

- Andrew Ryan

Big Daddies (originally named Protectors, and occasionally referred to as Mister Bubbles by Little Sisters) are genetically enhanced human beings who have had their skin and organs grafted into an enormous diving suit, with Alpha Series being an apparent exception to the grafting process, but still heavily spliced. Their primary purpose is to protect Little Sisters while they escort them around Rapture.

Aside from the Alpha Series, Big Daddies communicate by uttering haunting sounds similar to that of whale calls. Alpha Series communicate with low, inhuman grunts and roars. For easier interpretation (as stated in the Deco Devolution art book), production model Big Daddies have a bio-luminescent chemical substance which filled the helmet, displaying its state of emotion or mind. Big Daddy helmets have three light colors: green indicates the Big Daddy is hypnotized and friendly, yellow indicates awareness but indifference to his environment, and red indicates rage towards assailants. If the first few attempts to drive away potential threats prove futile, Big Daddies will become enraged, unlike Alpha Series who always begin enraged.

History
Big Daddies were originally created by Dr. Yi Suchong to serve as Rapture's maintenance workers and to help in later construction projects; Rosies riveted panels and windows and Bouncers drilled deep sea rocks for expansion of the city.

As the demand for ADAM increased and could not be met from the method used with the available Little Sisters, Suchong proposed the idea of recycling the raw genetic material directly from the corpses of dead Splicers, instead of exclusively producing it with Little Sisters in their laboratories. With the genetically-modified girls at great risk when out on the streets gathering ADAM on their own, the "Protector Program" was initiated to bond them to the hulking Big Daddies, turning the latter into Protectors who would response aggressively to any threat encountered by the Gatherers. Suchong suggested this idea to Andrew Ryan, knowing that becoming a Big Daddy was a "one-way street", but he fretted about being able to find suitable candidates. Ryan gave assurances that it would not be a problem. Although the true identities of the candidates were unknown, many were exiled criminals, the criminally insane, and political dissidents imprisoned in Persephone, which was under the management of Sinclair Solutions. Augustus Sinclair had already been contracting these prisoners out to Fontaine, and later to Ryan Industries, as test subjects in the research labs of Point Prometheus and at Fontaine Futuristics.

The first experimentations were conducted by Dr. Gilbert Alexander in the research laboratories of Fontaine Futuristics. The first protector prototypes to be bonded to Little Sisters were called the Alpha Series. Alexander took inspiration from the common nickname for the Protector Program candidates, "Big Daddies", and engineered a conditioned physical bond between the Protectors and their charges which would mimic the emotional bond between a father and his daughter, the "Pair Bond." This bond not only ensured that the Protectors would guard their charges at all times, but they would also not wander away from the girls or otherwise would slip into a coma. After many unsuccessful attempts, the first candidate from the "Protector Program" to be successfully Pair Bonded was Subject Delta, a deep sea diver formerly known as "Johnny Topside" who discovered and entered the city by accident. In short time, the Alpha Series failed to be practical as Protectors. They only protected a single specific Little Sister,  who if lost to Splicers, or otherwise, rendered that Protectors useless, either entered a coma or by becoming suicidally aggressive. With these unsuccessful results, the Alpha Series was ended.

Regardless of his colleague's progress, Suchong was also working on a bond of his own creation. Using the Tears to Columbia's reality, which had been opened by Jeremiah Fink to copy Rapture's technological advancements. Suchong tried to reproduce the successful bonding to a single girl of Fink's Songbird, a creature based on Rapture's Big Daddies. Suchong sought to find the solution in genetic compatibility. He used the Trans-Dimensional Device, which he had reproduced to maintain the Tear at his laboratory in the Silver Fin Restaurant in Fontaine's Department Store, intending to steal a DNA sample of Fink's bonded test subject. His research was put on hold when the Rapture Central Council[City Council closed the department store to turn it into a prison for Fontaine's criminal gang. His device was eventually damaged by vandals, but he had its remote control at his clinic at Artemis Suites, Apollo Square. On December 31st Suchong finally acquired the DNA sample from Elizabeth (ironically and unknown to him the same test subject who once bonded to Songbird) who had repaired the Trans-Dimensional-Device and had gone to Columbia to recover a Lutece Particle.

Two weeks later, the Civil War initiated by the bombing of the Kashmir Restaurant's New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball led to an ADAM shortage. This led to the solution of recycling ADAM from the many Splicer corpses now littering the streets of Rapture.

Suchong's genetic bonding method proved a failure, frustrationing his struggle to complete his Protection Bond. The Big Daddies kept ignoring the girls. A solution became evident where the hulking creatures would start caring if the girls were to willingly provide the raw ADAM for them to survive. A Bouncer model bonded this way to two Little Sisters in Suchong's own laboratory. He failed to notice the change of behavior in the Protector, and carelessly slapped one of the two Little Sister out of frustration during a recording of his failed results. This triggered the aggressive response of the Bouncer, who then impaled Suchong with his drill to the scientists own desk. The bond had worked at the cost of Suchong's life.

This breakthrough led to the bonding of Bouncer and Rosie Big Daddies to Little Sisters, and their official deployment into the public spaces of Rapture. The Memorial Museum at Point Prometehus was changed to the Proving Grounds, and used for their training. As the Big Daddies an dLIttle Sisters were sent out onto the streets of Rapture, citizens responded to them in different ways, many were met with disgust. The Big Daddy's  intimidating appearance and aggressive conditioning caused fear among the populace and resulted in several unfortunate accidents. Confrontations with Splicers and well-meaning citizens prompted Andrew Ryan to broadcast public address announcements to warn against approaching the Big Daddies and Little Sisters. Ryan tried to combat public dislike of the Protector Program by spinning the Big Daddies as "Knights In Shining Armor", created to protect Rapture against the "Parasites". The Lancer, a third model of Protector and considered to be the most advanced so far, was also created to hold Ion Lasers developed by Rapture Central Computing, but never left Minerva's Den where the company's headquarters were established.

By the end of the war in 1960, many Big Daddies had fallen to the attacks of Splicers and Atlas' rebels, and littered the corridors of Rapture. However more remained active, still roaming from a vent to another to call on Little Sisters, and start another row of gathering. Years after the death of Andrew Ryan and after Sofia Lamb took control over Rapture, ADAM gathering continued until the remaining Little Sisters in Rapture were too old to be able to process the raw genetic material, while the Big Daddies still active continued to maintain the city in a viable state as per their original design. The older Sisters were then turned into into Big Sisters by Dr. Alexander, one of the few remaining scientists of Fontaine Futuristics, who provided them with diving suit gears not far from those of Big Daddies, and replaced the image of fear the Protectors once among Splicers. In 1967, Lamb set them upon the shores of the Atlantic ocean to kidnap girls from the surface in order to create a new generation of Little Sisters, bringing back ADAM into Rapture. However, the evolution of Splicers over the years made them more effective in ambushing Big Daddies forced Alexander to create a last model of Protector designed to effectively dispatch larger group of enemies, the Rumbler.

In 1968, Brigid Tenenbaum returned to Rapture to free the new Little Sisters, foil Lamb's plan of perfecting her own Utopia, and find a cure for ADAM. With the help of Lamb's daughter and former Little Sister, Eleanor, and the artificial intelligence still monitoring the city's automatism, The Thinker, she reactivated two Alpha Series: Subject Delta, Eleanor's former pair-bonded Protector, and Subject Sigma being Charles Milton Porter, the initial creator of The Thinker and founder of Rapture Central Computing sent to Persephone by his former colleague Reed Wahl. Both Alpha Series regained part of their humanity and free will, which helped them complete their own objectives, guided for the former by Sinclair and the later by The Thinker, impersonating Porter himself. However their opponents, a genetically atrophied Alexander, Lamb and Wahl, reactivated other, broken, Alpha Series and used them as soldiers to stop the rogue Protectors. As part of Lamb's escape plan, the last manufactured Big Daddy and Alpha Series was Sinclair, who became Subject Omega until Delta put an end to his agony.

Induction and Conditioning Process
From the time of its founding, maintenance of Rapture required trained divers in reinforced suits to walk outside along the sea floor to repair leaks and reinforce the city's structure. By the time of the Protector Program's tests, certain former citizens of Rapture had been genetically altered with ADAM and permanently sealed inside the special diving suits to become what were eventually called Big Daddies. They were genetically modified and conditioned in the research labs and facilities of Point Prometheus. Protector training was eventually done in the Proving Grounds.

The candidates for induction into the Protector Program went through voice box modification and pheromone application, which attracted the Little Sisters to the Big Daddies. After voice box modification, the candidates' skin and organs were grafted and integrated into the suit to become one functional unit. The subjects were then placed in large vats of some substance which reduced them to will-less servitors.

Through Gene splicing, the humans inside the heavy suits were given enhanced strength and agility. Their suit exoskeletons contained the life support machinery needed to keep them alive during their duties, to allow a Big Daddy to lift heavy weights and do other strenuous tasks, and to help resist the cold deep ocean pressure. In BioShock, Big Daddies have been seen doing maintenance repairs both inside and outside in the ocean. Big Daddies were also programmed to periodically return to facilities like Hephaestus for routine maintenance check-ups.

Big Daddy Types
So far, there are five main types of Big Daddy protectors, including two elite versions for only the Bouncer and Rosie. Of the five protectors, only four are functional and protect the Little Sisters, with only the original Alpha Series as non-functional protectors, with the exception of Subject Delta and Subject Sigma.

Bouncer


Bouncers are clad in a very distinct heavy diving suit, the entire torso of which is covered by a thick metal carapace. The head protrudes directly forward from the upper chest area, and is encased in a hemispherical helmet studded with eight lit portholes. A large, fully-functional conical drill is attached to the right arm just forward of the elbow, and is used for powerful melee attacks. The Bouncers get their name from an attack they use, in which they strike the ground with their drills, resulting in a tremor that gives close-proximity enemies unstable footing.

Both a regular and a red striped Elite version with a harpoon-like drill appear in BioShock and BioShock 2.

In the BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea DLC, the Bouncer could use the drill as a grappling hook to get around easier and also to get closer to those that threaten a Little Sister. It is a new feature for that tool/weapon not seen in previous games. This is explained with a noted in Suchong's clinic stating that the the gases that project the drill make the subject unstable and to discontinue this idea.

Rosie


Rosies are clad in a basic heavy flexible fabric diving suit, the upper torso of which is covered by a high-gauge metal carapace. The head is guarded by a thick metal diving helmet welded to the torso carapace, and has three large lit portholes. They wield large Rivet Guns and Proximity Mines at long range, and use the Rivet Gun for powerful melee attacks as well.

A red striped Elite version is present in the original BioShock.

Introduced in BioShock 2
"Big Daddies represent BioShock: They are iconic fixtures in Rapture. In BioShock 2, you step into the shoes of the first Big Daddy and assume the role of one of the most feared beings within the city walls. Designing new Big Daddies posed a significant challenge: Not only did the team have to design a playable Big Daddy, but they also had to create other Big Daddies that would still present a significant threat to you, despite the fact that you now also wield a drill."

- Deco Devolution Artbook - Introduction to Big Daddy chapter

Eight years after the events of BioShock, Sofia Lamb is in control of Rapture and she and her followers have produced new Big Daddies to help protect the Little Sisters. Bouncers and Rosies return to the sequel, along with three new types.

Rumbler


The Rumbler is the newest type of Big Daddy, and debuts in BioShock 2. Designed by Gilbert Alexander, his arsenal includes deployable Miniature Turrets and a shoulder mounted RPG that shoots non guided rockets. This Big Daddy type seems to be more mobile than the other two types, although less armored. Its combat style gives it an advantage in open spaces, unlike its two counterparts, and it seems to fare well in long to mid-range combat. Its attacks are designed to keep the player on the move, and it can quickly turn the environment to its advantage and give the player as little cover as possible. A very formidable foe to say the least.

Alpha Series


Like Subject Delta, other failed prototypes of the Alpha Series of Big Daddies survived. They have long since lost their Sisters, and have evolved into something vaguely like a Splicer. These are barely sentient monsters that attack anything near them. Like Delta, they can use Plasmids and regularly emit bursts of Electro Bolt, Incinerate!, and Winter Blast from their malfunctioning suits. They tend to use Launchers, Machine Guns, and sometimes Shotguns in addition to their Plasmids. Their armor is similar to Delta's, but more decayed with part of the arm exposed.

Their bonds were to be to a single Little Sister, with Delta being the first success. Because of this, they are believed to not have undergone some of the modifications later Big Daddies have, such as the application of pheromones. There was no need due to their physiologically enforced bond to a single Little Sister. They were not fused into their suits (as Subject Delta could remove his helmet when he was ordered to by Sofia Lamb). Many of the Alpha Series subjects appear to have had incomplete or otherwise faulty bonds so that instead of slipping into a coma after losing their Little Sisters, they simply went mad.

Lancer
Minerva's Den, BioShock 2's final DLC, features a new type of Big Daddy. The Lancer is much slimmer, slightly taller, and more decorated than his counterparts. He holds an Ion Laser, and appears to be a finished version of the Deco-Rosie, as seen in concept art and as a statue in the main Single-Player campaign. This is the only type of Big Daddy the player encounters in the Minerva's Den campaign aside from the Alpha Series.

BioShock 2 Multiplayer
In the multiplayer segment of BioShock 2, the player is able to become a Rosie by picking up a Big Daddy Suit. As a Big Daddy, the player has access to the Rosie's Rivet Gun and Proximity Mines, as well as the ability to perform a stomp which stuns nearby enemies. In the multiplayer, Rosies have three different "moods," indicated by the light emanating from their portholes:


 * Blue Light: Indicates that the Rosie is on the player's team, and as such is friendly to them.
 * Yellow Light: Indicates the Rosie is unallied yet hostile. Yellow Lights only appear in free for all games.
 * Red Light: Indicates that the Rosie is a member of the opposite team, and thus hostile to the player.

Significant Big Daddies
There are six "named" Big Daddies so far in the BioShock series:
 * Jack, the main protagonist of BioShock, partially turned himself into a Rosie in order to follow Atlas.
 * Knuckles, a friend of Louie McGraff, was apparently turned into a Rosie.
 * Mark Meltzer, who was turned into a Rumbler after being captured by Sofia Lamb in BioShock 2.
 * Subject Delta, the Alpha Series protagonist of BioShock 2.
 * Augustus Sinclair, who was turned into the last Alpha Series, Subject Omega, after being captured by Sofia Lamb in BioShock 2.
 * Subject Sigma, the Alpha Series protagonist of the Minerva's Den.