Andrew Ryan is a fictional character in the BioShock video game series developed by Irrational Games. He serves as the primary antagonist in the first half of BioShock and appears as a minor character in its sequel, BioShock 2, and its prequel, BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea. Ryan is portrayed as an idealistic business magnate in the 1940s and 1950s, aiming to create an underwater city called Rapture to avoid government oversight and scrutiny. As civil war erupts in Rapture, Ryan's utopian vision collapses into a dystopia, leading him to become reclusive and paranoid. After winning the war, he becomes increasingly ruthless in his control over the city's remaining inhabitants.
The character of Ryan was created by Ken Levine of Irrational Games, drawing inspiration from real-life figures like Ayn Rand, Howard Hughes, and Walt Disney. Critics have praised Ryan, with Electronic Gaming Monthly ranking him ninth on their list of top ten video game politicians.<ref name="Scott Sharkey 2008">Scott Sharkey, "EGMs Top Ten Videogame Politicians: Election time puts us in a voting mood,” Electronic Gaming Monthly 234 (November 2008): 97.</ref> He is voiced by Armin Shimerman, whose voice acting contributed to BioShock's success and earned the game "Best Use of Sound" from IGN. Ryan has been compared to various real-life and fictional figures, and the world of Rapture has been likened to the setting of Galt's Gulch in Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged.
Concept and creation
BioShock director Ken Levine described Andrew Ryan, whose appearance is based on Vincent Price, as a character driven by ideals, in contrast to the game's other antagonist, Frank Fontaine, who lacks such ideals. Designing the encounter between the player and Ryan was a contentious decision for the developers, as it raised questions about the player's motives at that point in the game. Ryan's act of taking his own life to prevent the protagonist, Jack, from achieving his goal was considered the "ultimate insult" by Levine and took considerable time to develop.
Though saner than the adversaries encountered before him, including a plastic surgeon with an extreme view of beauty, Ryan is depicted as steadfast and unwilling to compromise his ideals. Levine explained that Ryan's philosophies were inspired by the Art Deco movement, representing a belief in human dominance over the universe. Ryan's character draws influences from historical figures like Howard Hughes and Ayn Rand, but he is also portrayed with human flaws and fears, making him more realistic. The character's name was deliberately chosen as a semi-anagram of Ayn Rand's name to establish a connection.
Levine acknowledged that video games often have linear plots, making it challenging to provide multiple plot options, like sparing Ryan's life. He did not anticipate the strong emotional impact of the Andrew Ryan scene near the end of the game and acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining consistent highs throughout the entire gaming experience.
Role in BioShock
In the entire BioShock franchise, the player encounters Ryan only once in person, while most of his appearances are through radio transmissions and audio diaries. Ryan first appears in BioShock, the first installment of the series.
Character history
Andrew Ryan's early history draws inspiration from the early life of Ayn Rand. Like Rand, he was born in the Russian Empire to a middle-class Russo-Jewish family. In BioShock 2, it is revealed that he was originally named Andrei, and the novel BioShock: Rapture provides his birth name as Andrei Rianofski''', hailing from a village near Minsk in modern-day Belarus. The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, that saw the extermination and execution of part of his family and other innocent people, compelled Ryan to flee Russia and immigrate to the United States, similar to Rand's own experiences. His time in Russia fueled his deep disdain for communism and the previous Tsarist regime.
Upon arriving in the United States, Ryan became an immensely wealthy business magnate, initially content with the capitalist society the country offered. However, governmental and religious interference in his affairs eventually left him disillusioned. In response, he used his entire fortune to secretly construct Rapture, a city where he could shape society according to his ideals.