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
October Revolution of 1917 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
Tsarist autocracy that preceded it. 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. Throughout Rapture's history, Ryan had frequent dealings with a conning businessman and smuggler named Frank Fontaine, who later became a prominent figure in Rapture's genetic arms race. While Ryan defended Fontaine's exploits in the genetics industry at first, his growing power led Ryan to take measures to control him. Eventually, Fontaine faked his own death and reemerged as
Atlas,
rallying the people against Ryan in a civil war that plunged the city into chaos. Ryan emerged victorious, using genetic pheromones to control the populace, but the city had become a
dystopia. Descending into paranoia, he ruled with increasing ruthlessness, alienating former allies who eventually betrayed him. Ryan impaled their bodies outside his office as a warning to others. Despite the devastation, he held onto hope that his city would rise again.
BioShock When
Jack arrives in
Rapture in 1960, Andrew Ryan perceives him as a threat, initially believing him to be a government agent, possibly from the
Soviet KGB or the
American CIA. Ryan attempts to eliminate Jack, who is guided through Rapture by Fontaine disguised as Atlas. As the game progresses, it is gradually revealed to the player that Jack is actually Andrew Ryan's illegitimate son. Years before, in 1956, Ryan had an affair with a young stripper named Jasmine Jolene, resulting in her pregnancy, unbeknownst to Ryan. Fontaine capitalized on this situation and paid his employee,
Brigid Tenenbaum, to obtain the embryo from Jolene. When Ryan discovered this, he brutally murdered Jolene. The child, named Jack, was then genetically accelerated by Dr. Yi Suchong under Fontaine's orders, making him vulnerable to mental techniques, such as obeying any command upon hearing the phrase "Would you kindly?". Jack, aged 2 but physically an adult due to the genetic manipulation, was sent to live on the surface. He was Fontaine's "ace in the hole", a
sleeper agent to be activated if Fontaine needed him to return to Rapture. With the same genes as Ryan, Jack could bypass much of Rapture's genetic-based security. The package received by Jack at the beginning of the game contains a gun and a note from Fontaine, using the "Would you kindly?" phrase to instruct Jack to hijack and crash the plane near Rapture.
BioShock 2 In
BioShock 2 and its DLC ''
Minerva's Den'' Andrew Ryan appears through audio diaries, providing the player with further insight into his history and character. The player also visits 'Ryan Amusements', a theme park originally created to instill Ryan's ideology in the youth of Rapture and to warn them of the dangers of the surface world.
Multiplayer Ryan also makes an appearance via television in the
multiplayer mode of
BioShock 2, which is set shortly before the events of the original
BioShock. In this part of the game, he delivers a 1958 New Year's Eve speech to the citizens of Rapture. As the player progresses, the multiplayer story culminates with a public broadcast from Andrew Ryan, announcing Jack's arrival in Rapture and ordering Rapture's populace to hunt him down.
BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea In
Episode One of
Burial at Sea, Andrew Ryan is frequently mentioned, particularly for his recent actions of sinking Frank Fontaine's department store to the bottom of a trench with many of the mobster's followers imprisoned within. In
Episode Two, Ryan contacts
Elizabeth, who has been forced to work for Atlas and lift the sunken department store back up to Rapture so his army can attack the city, and offers her a job working for him instead, impressed by Elizabeth's abilities and tenacity. When Elizabeth refuses, Ryan sics his private police after her, which he has sent to the department store to kill Atlas' forces. After being fatally struck by Atlas with a wrench, a dying Elizabeth has a glimpse into the future, showing Jack's arrival to Rapture and the downfall of both Ryan and Atlas. ==Characteristics==