Andrew Ryan
The man who built a paradise beneath the sea, only to watch it drown in his own refusal to compromise.
Andrew Ryan, born Andrei Rianofski, is a fictional character in the BioShock video game series developed by Irrational Games. Portrayed as an idealistic business magnate of the 1940s and 1950s, he founded the underwater city of Rapture to escape government oversight and scrutiny. Created by Ken Levine with inspiration from figures like Ayn Rand, Howard Hughes, and Walt Disney, Ryan is depicted as a steadfast man who refuses to compromise his ideals even as civil war erupts. While initially a visionary leader, his descent into paranoia and ruthlessness after winning the conflict reveals the dystopian nature of his utopian vision. Voiced by Armin Shimerman, Ryan remains a celebrated antagonist whose philosophical depth has earned him high rankings in video game history.
- Role
- Founder and Dictator of Rapture
- Affiliation
- Ryan Industries
- First Appears
- BioShock (2007)
- Status
- Deceased
- Philosophy
- Radical Objectivism / Individualism
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Andrew Ryan's origins trace back to the Russian Empire, where he was born into a middle-class Russo-Jewish family near Minsk. The October Revolution of 1917 compelled him to flee Russia and immigrate to the United States, an experience that fueled his deep disdain for communism and Tsarist autocracy. Upon arriving in America, Ryan amassed immense wealth as a business magnate but eventually grew disillusioned with governmental and religious interference. Using his entire fortune, he secretly constructed Rapture, a city where society could be shaped according to his ideals of individualism. His history intersects with Frank Fontaine, a smuggler whose growing power led Ryan to attempt control measures. When Fontaine faked his death to reemerge as Atlas, a civil war ensued. Ryan emerged victorious through the use of genetic pheromones but descended into paranoia, ruling ruthlessly and impaling the bodies of betrayed allies outside his office as warnings.
In Their Own Story
In BioShock, set in 1960, Andrew Ryan perceives the protagonist Jack as a threat, initially suspecting him to be a government agent. It is gradually revealed that Jack is Ryan's illegitimate son, conceived during an affair with a stripper named Jasmine Jolene in 1956. Fontaine capitalized on this by paying Brigid Tenenbaum to obtain the embryo, leading to Jack being genetically accelerated and sent to the surface as a sleeper agent. When Ryan and Jack finally meet in Ryan's office, he reveals Jack's true past, denouncing him as a disappointment and emphasizing how little he differs from a slave. Ryan hands Jack his golf putter and, using the phrase "Would you kindly?" mockingly, orders Jack to kill him. Under mental compulsion, Jack is forced to obey and takes Ryan's life with the putter.
Reader's Guide
Andrew Ryan appears in person only once in BioShock, though he features prominently through radio transmissions and audio diaries across the franchise. In BioShock 2, players visit 'Ryan Amusements,' a theme park designed to instill his ideology in youth. The multiplayer mode of that game includes a 1958 New Year's Eve speech by Ryan and a later broadcast ordering citizens to hunt down Jack upon his arrival. In BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea, Episode One mentions Ryan sinking Frank Fontaine's department store, while Episode Two depicts him offering Elizabeth a job before sending private police against her after she refuses. His character is defined by his Objectivist philosophy, refusing to surrender or compromise even when facing the chaos of Rapture's collapse.
Did You Know?
- The character's name, Andrew Ryan, is a deliberate semi-anagram of Ayn Rand's name.
- Ryan's physical appearance was based on the actor Vincent Price.
- Voice actor Armin Shimerman's performance earned BioShock the 'Best Use of Sound' award from IGN.
- Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked Andrew Ryan ninth on their list of top ten video game politicians.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Andrew Ryan?
Andrew Ryan is a Russian-born industrialist who founded the underwater city of Rapture after fleeing the Soviet Union to escape government oppression. He serves as the self-proclaimed god and absolute ruler of this isolated society, which was built on his radical philosophy of Objectivism.
What are Andrew Ryan's powers or role in BioShock?
Ryan holds no supernatural abilities but wields immense power through his control of Rapture's economy, infrastructure, and security forces as the city's founder. His role is that of a dictator who enforces strict individualism while crushing any dissent against his vision.
How does Andrew Ryan's story end?
In the final confrontation of the first game, Ryan refuses to surrender even when faced with defeat, choosing suicide over submission to his enemies. He dies by shooting himself in the head within his office, leaving Rapture to crumble into chaos without its creator.
Why is Andrew Ryan important to the BioShock universe?
Ryan is the central architect of Rapture's rise and fall, representing the extreme consequences of unchecked ego and radical individualism. His decisions directly trigger the civil war that destroys his utopia, making him the primary antagonist driving the series' narrative.
What philosophy did Andrew Ryan follow?
Ryan adhered to a strict form of Objectivism that rejected charity, government intervention, and any sacrifice of one's own interests for others. He believed that human genius could only flourish in an environment free from external control or collective responsibility.
More in Lore & History
Related in BioShock
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Elsewhere in the BioShock universe
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