R.J. MacReady



"Why don't we just wait here awhile ... see what happens ..." MacReady

.Real Name: R.J. MacReady a.k.a. Mac.

 Early life 

Education/Rank: In addtion to Military wisdom gained during his tours of Vietnam, I think MacReady had some college before shipping off. His ability to access situations quickly clearly comes from his wartime experiences. If he was an officer, then college is expected. Since the Lieutenant rank is only mentioned in the Dark Horse comics stories, and is solely Naval rank, it's not canon. To speculate further about what type of chopper pilot Mac could have been, Medic isn't out of the realm of possibility, but his familiarity with weapons and the enemy makes me think he was a pilot in a Assault unit.

History: An army chopper pilot during Vietnam, something during the Lieutenant's tour caused him to inwardly snap. From the Tet Offensive to Mai Lai or worse, MacReady came home changed. From his anti-social attitude one can surmise he wasn't given a heroe's welcome either. It's possible he fought against unknowledgable peers, family and community. Now brooding behind alcohol and solitude, who knows how many opportunities fled once MacReady returned home from the war

Winter of 1982

R.J. MacReady is a helicopter pilot for U.S. Outpost 31 in the Antarctic. Part of a twelve man crew, MacReady is the groups outsider. Seldom participating in social activities he takes to playing games of chess quietly in his cabin whilst also developing the starts of an alcoholic addiction due to his love of J & B whisky. He also enjoys the company of an inflatable rubber girl doll from time to time (seen in deleted scenes).

MacReady takes control when the intruder organism infiltrates Outpost 31 but not for glory or for the good of the others simply because he is a survivor and is doing what he thinks best for himself to survive, which means he needs the others so he must also help them to survive. It is only towards the end of the film that MacReady truly understands what the intruder organism is capable of and realises that it may be in the best interests of mankind if no-one survives from Outpost 31. (something that the far gone Blair discovered from the very beginning.)

If anyone was likely to survive the intruder organism it would be MacReady as he never trusted anyone from the very beginning and so never had to learn the hard way...

 personality traits 

Introverted. Slow-burner, somewhat anti-social. He doesn't appreciate humor. A realist, MacReady is quick to react, he remains calm under most circumstances. A side effect of the War is an unease about the uknown (see his journies into the Norweigan camp). While amicable with most of the men at Outpost 31 he still butts heads with authority (Capt. Garry). While Mac prefers to go it alone, but he will do otherwise. When he gets pissed, forget it. A sore loser thanks to his tenure in Vietham, MacReady reluctantly leads because he refuses to lose at the hands of the enemy. He will win at any cost.