Adam Smasher

"They call this war a meat-grinder. Well, you're the meat, and I'm the grinder baby!"

- Adam Smasher

Adam Smasher is a full-borg Solo and rival of Morgan Blackhand. Adam is employed by Arasaka. He is the secondary antagonist and final boss of Cyberpunk 2077.

Biography
Adam Smasher is a towering cyborg, with little humanity left to be seen - not that he ever had much to begin with. He is the rival of Morgan Blackhand and dealt the killing blow to Johnny Silverhand. Adam was given a choice by Arasaka after being reduced to mush by RPG blast - either pull the plug or become a full body cyborg. With little to no options and a lack of care for his human side, he agreed and became more machine than man. Adam has no empathy for people or even his fellow employees, but Arasaka kept him alive, so he lives to repay their kind deeds to him by killing the enemies of the corporation.

2000s
Adam Smasher was a fairly typical punk, a worthless New York mook who moved into the Army when they wiped out his gang. After several years in uniform, he was discharged for bad conduct and took up being a contract gun-boy in New York.

It was a good life for Adam: His lack of squeamishness and sadistic thoroughness brought in enough jobs to keep him in guns, gear, drugs, and brutal one-night stands. But he finally went on that one job where everything fell apart. A couple of rockets turned him into meatloaf. His buddies backpacked what was left of him out of the zone and back to the Big Apple. A mysterious corporate benefactor took note and made him the classic offer he couldn't refuse: corporate service in a metal body, or death. As if thoughts of lost humanity would bother Adam.

2010s
Seven years later since then, the new Adam Smasher, cyborg, had made quite a name for himself along the eastern seaboard. He hired out for almost any mission presented to him, as long as it wasn't an obvious suicide or double-cross. He does have one stipulation: Collateral damage and civilian casualties are a must. During this he had developed a quiet rivalry with Morgan Blackhand along the way, seeing the classic Solo as a threat to his metal-is-better-than-meat worldview. Adam had repeatedly tried to challenge him to a face-off, but Morgan only ignored him at every possible confrontation. Naturally, this snubbing had simply stoked the cyborg's psychopathic rage higher.

Meanwhile, his secret benefactors had allowed him time for freelancing. That had changed with the war; now, Adam is somewhat fully employed by his patrons, who turn out to be a branch of Arasaka security. All this was fine with him, especially since he knew that Morgan was currently working for Militech.

2020s
Sometime in the 2020s, Smasher was involved in a "wild fling" with Michiko Arasaka, topping off the culmination of a night out on her 18th birthday.

Fourth Corporate War
In 2022, Adam Smasher was recruited by Arasaka to fight in the Fourth Corporate War. During this time, on August 23rd, Smasher was present at what would become The Night City Holocaust at the top of Arasaka Towers. That night, as remarked by a former SpecOps operative who was present at the mission, Smasher and the rest of the Arasaka troops ambushed Johnny Silverhand and Morgan Blackhand's team. However, Silverhand distracted him, shouting and firing at him with his gun, getting injured by Smasher in the process, yet giving Shaitan an opportunity to hold Smasher back. Smasher later appeared at the top of the towers, preparing to fight Blackhand as the rest of the extraction team left on their aerodyne, with Blackhand remarking about testing Smasher's philosophy for itself shortly before the nuclear bomb detonated.

Firestorm
Adam was more than happy to fight for Arasaka because he knew Morgan Blackhand had been hired by Militech. Arasaka supplied him with everything he could ever want, including the DaiOni power armor conversion gear that turned Adam into a nearly unstoppable machine.

During the assault on the Arasaka Towers, Adam gravely injured Shaitan and killed Johnny Silverhand. Adam was left to an ambiguous fate as he was last seen fighting a fierce battle against Morgan Blackhand in the crumbling Night City Arasaka tower.

2077
Smasher went missing during the attack on Arasaka Tower, though he was alive. During this time, he was assigned as Yorinobu Arasaka's bodyguard and had been placed in charge of carrying out Arasaka's dirtiest work, gaining a reputation for expert management of loose ends. He came into possession of several of Johnny Silverhand's effects, such as his gun and car. He also knew where Johnny was buried. Smasher resurfaced a few years before 2077 while doing some jobs for Arasaka.

Smasher is seen in the Konpeki Plaza penthouse, leaving as Evelyn Parker enters. He makes a very crude remark towards her and scares her. Later, on the night that V and Jackie conduct the heist for the Relic, Smasher accompanies Yorinobu as his father Saburo arrives. Smasher and Saburo's bodyguard, Goro Takemura, leave shortly before Yorinobu snaps and strangles his father. Smasher attempts to stop the witnesses, V and Jackie Welles, but they manage to escape before he can pursue them.

Yorinobu then became CEO of Arasaka, promoting Smasher to Head of Security. Sandayu Oda later warns Smasher that the memorial parade for Saburo will be sabotaged in an effort to harm his sister, Hanako Arasaka. Smasher brushes off Oda's warnings, accusing Oda of disobeying Yorinobu as Oda persists in questioning Smasher's actions. Oda is ultimately correct - with V's help, Takemura gains access to Hanako's float in order to kidnap her. Smasher then leads an Arasaka strike team, personally rescues Hanako and orders for her kidnappers to be killed.

V is asked by the engram of Johnny Silverhand to kill Adam Smasher as revenge for Smasher's various transgressions. To do so, V enlists the help of Rogue. Though the job ultimately proves to be in vain - the two are informed by one of Smasher's associates that, as Arasaka's Head of Security, he is untouchable - they manage to uncover Johnny's pistol, car and the location of Johnny's remains.

Smasher's fate is left up to the player at the conclusion of the main storyline of Cyberpunk 2077. After a grueling battle in which Smasher is left a flaming, incapacitated wreck, V can choose to finish him off or spare his life.

Trivia

 * If V and Jackie do not leave after Yorinobu Arasaka, Goro Takemura, and Smasher evacuate the suite in The Heist, Smasher will return and compliment V for their bravery but insult them for their stupidity. He then severely wounds V with the bullets from his arm gun and finishes them off by stomping on V's head while Jackie panics.