Kurt Hansen[3] is the Colonel of BARGHEST and one of the antagonists in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.
Overview[]
Hansen is the leader of the BARGHEST faction, operating in Dogtown. His military background doesn't mean he just acts in violence, as Hansen's keen intellect and strategic prowess make him a formidable rival to his enemies.[4] To some, Hansen is simply a gangster or a terrorist, while others seem him as a charismatic leader that was able to create a paradise safe from corporate and police influence.[5]
Biography[]
Born in the New United States of America (blood type A+),[6] Hansen was a member of a juvenile gang before enlisting in the Militech Armed Forces after reaching the age of majority (ID 47 32 688 215[2]), forwarded to the military academy later. He rose through the ranks at a rapid pace, demonstrating exceptional leadership and improvisation skills, reaching the rank of colonel at a very young age. He was deployed across the world in covert operations, setting up a broad network of contacts and assets with or without NUSA's sanction.[7]
In 2067, he was granted command of the Barghest urban combat and pacification unit. When the Unification War broke out, Hansen was given orders to secure a beachhead for further operations in Night City. Operation Midnight Storm came at the tall end of the Unification War. After Barghest managed to establish a forward operating base at the EBM Petrochem Stadium in Pacifica, the impending assault on the city was called off and Hansen was ordered to retreat on June 9, 2070. Hansen and the entire Barghest unit refused to obey these new orders.[2]
Dogtown[]
Ignoring the Arvin Accord, Hansen had his own plans. Using his extensive experience in complex operations, organizational and leadership skills, and interrogation tactics, Hansen established his own, private realm, backed by his loyal soldiers and vast amounts of military ordnance. A profitable black market operating outside corporate rule emerged, buttressing his rule, while the district became a haven for those wanting to disappear or live outside corporate rule - but at the price of teetering on the brink of poverty.[2][4][8] Controlled by Hansen's Barghest militia, the worst areas of the Pacifica district became a Combat Zone, and at some point were walled off from the rest of the city.[9] Not much later Hansen would rename this area to Dogtown.[10]
After establishing the district's Black Market, gun trade and other unsavory dealings turned the former subdistrict of Pacifica into a very profitable business. As such, the powers-that-be decided to leave it alone, allowing Hansen to continue as its ruler[8] and keep the district going with the money from his large-scale smuggling operation.[5]
2077[]
By 2077, Colonel Hansen and his BARGHEST still ruled Dogtown with an iron fist.[4] At some point, he takes possession of a neural matrix and Blackwall AI found in an abandoned Militech bunker. At some point prior to mid-June,[11] Hansen was contacted by Songbird, who offered to give him Myers in return for accessing the matrix. They arranged for her to crash Space Force One in Dogtown and for the BARGHEST to kill Myers.[12] However, Hansen intended to capture Songbird and use her for his own plans.[13]
If V ignores Songbird's instructions to find Myers during Dog Eat Dog:
- If Songbird's directions are ignored long enough, the quest will fail with Songbird angrily telling V that they "just killed President Myers and fucked the NUSA". Hansen's status remains unchanged.
If V walks away from the mission in Lucretia My Reflection:
- Songbird will inform V that the bodies of Myers and Reed were delivered to Hansen, thus implying Barghest eventually found out their hideout location and eliminated them. The quest will fail and any further progress in the Phantom Liberty story will be forfeited. The game indicates no further changes in Hansen's status.
If V helps agrees to help retrieve Songbird in Lucretia My Reflection:
- Hansen made contact with Netrunners Aurore and Aymeric Cassel, requesting them to help Songbird activate the Neural Matrix. Hansen hosted a party at the Black Sapphire after the crash, attended by many celebrities and important figures around the world. Hansen encountered V and Solomon Reed as they made contact with Songbird. Recognizing them as FIA operatives, he later confronted V and threatened to release details about Myers' activities with the Blackwall if they attempted to interfere with his plans.[12]
- Hansen arranged for the Cassel twins to retrieve the Matrix. He later met with V and Alena Xenakis, both of whom had eliminated the twins and disguised themselves as them through Behavioral Imprint-synced Faceplates. Upon arrival, Hansen socialized with them and tested them to determine whether they really were the Cassels. Apparently satisfied, he watched over V and Songbird as they extracted the matrix alongside Alex.[14]
- If V betrays Reed in Firestarter:
- Disguised as one of the Cassel twins, Alena Xenakis takes Hansen by surprise and successfully eliminates him, while Songbird and V prepare to escape the stadium.[15]
- If V betrays Songbird in Firestarter:
- Songbird, sensing betrayal on V's side, warns Hansen about V and Alex, prompting him to kill the latter immediately, while engaging in a fight with V further into the quest. If Hansen is spared, Mr. Hands will soon inform V that an unknown party assassinated him while in the hospital.[16] If you manage to slip away from the stadium unnoticed, thus skipping the boss fight, Mr. Hands will later notify you that Hansen "caught the proverbial stray bullet" and died.[17]
Database Entry[]
KURT HANSEN
Most of the files on Kurt Hansen's military past were classifed as top secret following the end of the Unification War. Only top Militech execs and certain members of Congress in Washington have clearance to learn just who this former Colonel truly is. He's the man who secured a foothold for the NUSA in Night City as part of Operation "Midnight Storm". The same man who then, after being abanonded by the NUS government at war's end, built from that foothold a new homeland for himself, all financed by smuggling and arms deals on a global scale. To some, he's a glorified gangster and war profiteer, to others – a deserter and terrorist. To others still, he's the charismatic leader of BARGHEST, the liberating force that keeps Dogtown free from NCPD jurisdiction and corporate influence and that has turned the derelict district into a new home for so many without one. Kurt Hansen is a man of many faces. But if you ask Dogtown residents, most will say it's safer to keep your head down than to see any of them for yourself.
Equipment[]
| Type | Items |
|---|---|
| Cyberware | EMP Threading, Cyberarms |
| Abilities | |
| Weaponry | Bald Eagle, Fang, Wild Dog |
| Clothing |
Notes[]
- Hansen's first ever reference was in the base game of Cyberpunk 2077, where he is mentioned in a shard and is described as a "general" leading a group of people in the Combat Zone.
- Hansen is the third playable character in the game after V and Johnny Silverhand, and he can be played during Balls to the Wall.
- Hansen's surname during early development was "Krausser" instead.
Trivia[]
- The main influence for BARGHEST and its leader Kurt Hansen were South American drug lords.[10]
- Hansen shares many similarities with Colonel Kurtz from the film Apocalypse Now. His voicelines are tagged as "Kurtz" in the game's files.
Gallery[]
Miscellaneous[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Birds with Broken Wings
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Kurt's profile, part 1 and part 2 (note: the abort order is listed as September 9, which is assumed to be a simple typo, as the war ended in June)
- ↑ Phantom Liberty Q&A - wccftech.com, accessed 06-11-2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Dossier: Hansen - cyberpunk.net
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 CyberpunkGame on Twitter: "To some a gangster or a terrorist, to others a charismatic leader creating a corpo and cop-free safe haven. Kurt Hansen wrested Dogtown out of Night City's control during the Unification War and keeps the district going with the money from his large-scale smuggling operation."
- ↑ Kurt Hansen's Dog Tags
- ↑ Dossier contents
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 CyberpunkGame on Twitter: "Beyond The Wall Dogtown. A city within Night City. Former Pacifica subdistrict, now a fortress ruled by our favorite renegade colonel — Kurt Hansen. He ignored his exit orders post-Unification War, thumbed his nose at the Arvin Accord, carved out his a private patch of land, and opened up the Black Market. But the powers-that-be don't bat an eye — too much profit in gun trades and fat-cat deals. Kurt's kingdom thrives behind the wall with no laws to curb him, while most dwellers teeter on the brink of poverty. But hey, they're unshackled from corporate reign, right?"
- ↑ CD Projekt RED. Cyberpunk 2077. Video Game, Multi-Platform. Poland, CD Projekt S.A., 2020.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty — Official Trailer | Developer Breakdown (3:04)
- ↑ Campaign Staff Meeting - Minutes
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 You Know My Name
- ↑ Somewhat Damaged
- ↑ Firestarter
- ↑ Firestarter: Betray Reed
- ↑ Mr. Hands phone message after Firestarter
- ↑ Firestarter: Betray Songbird