"Listen, raising a kid is the toughest job in the world. Trust me, combat was easier..." — David in "Wolves"
David N. Madsen is a supporting character in Life is Strange 2's fifth episode, Wolves, returning three years after the events of the first Life is Strange.
Appearance[]
David's appearance has changed drastically since 2013. His neatly-cut moustache has grown into a full beard, and his crew cut has grown into a much longer head of hair tied back into a ponytail.
Personality[]
With time and a tragic loss, David's previously paranoid, stern military mindset has meagered considerably. He's fully aware of his previous poor behavior and has worked hard to grow out of it.
Background[]
Some time after 2013, David met a person named Steve, who lives in a house behind Arthur's and Stanley's. How he managed to live in Away and have a fresh start depends on the final choice in Life is Strange.
If Arcadia Bay was sacrificed
David mentioned that Arcadia Bay would have been his grave had he not went to Away through Steve's suggestion. He mentioned that Steve lost relatives as well during the storm.If Chloe was sacrificed
When Chloe was killed by Nathan, he became devastated, more than he was willing to acknowledge at the time. For a year, he was dealing with the grief until he decided to go AA to get cleaned up.Episode Five - "Wolves"[]
David is revealed to have washed up at the Away camp regardless of the first game's ending. He and Karen went to go buy groceries and return to the camp. David greets Sean and passes a baseball to Daniel as a gift. He talks with Sean about Daniel’s growth and power and says how he has never met anyone with a superpower before. David says goodbye to Sean as he goes to deliver the groceries to the rest of the camp.
The next day, David helps out Sean and Daniel to escape to the border by swapping the license plates on Karen’s truck and giving an old police scanner to Sean so that they can keep track on police activity near the border. Sean is able to go through David’s trailer where many pictures, letters of his past are found, as well as supplies. David seems to also still be a little paranoid as he still has a large supply of canned food just like the first game. When the scanner is found and adjusted to the police frequency, Sean exits David’s trailer to talk with him.
David points Sean the routes on a map to the border and warns him to be careful. He then talks to Sean and understands what he is going through and relates to his issue.
If Arcadia Bay was sacrificed
David talks to Sean about how devastated he was when his wife and everyone else he knew was killed by the great Arcadia Bay hurricane. He only knew that Chloe and Max lived but hated them for immediately leaving the town. Eventually he acknowledged the past was the past and got over it.If Chloe was sacrificed
David will talk about how he made mistakes on not listening to Chloe and was too late to make amends for it as Chloe was shot and killed by Nathan Prescott.David vows to help Sean to get him and Daniel out of the country after speaking with him and also encourages him to do the right thing and surrender. After they talk, Sean and Daniel prepare their journey and say goodbye to everyone as they head off to the border. Later, the police raid the Away camp and David was not arrested.
During the epilogue pictures of the “Redemption” ending, David is seen drinking at the campfire along with Chris Eriksen, Daniel, and another friend.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Joyce Price (ex-wife, determinant) - If Chloe Price died, then David's marriage to Joyce falls apart, leading to them getting divorced and haven't seen each other in a long time. Despite this they remain in touch by phone and Joyce has sent David at least one postcard from her travels, David deeply misses Joyce and hopes they can meet again one day.
- Chloe Price (former stepdaughter, determinant) - If Arcadia Bay perished in the storm, David will mention that Chloe left town with her "friend". While initially, he was disappointed, he got back in touch with her and mended their relationship. Notably, as evidenced by his phone call with her, he now refers to her as "sweetie" and she has visited him sometime ago.
Friends[]
- Max Caulfield (determinant) - David used to hate Max for running away from Arcadia Bay with Chloe after the storm if Arcadia bay was destroyed, but as time passed by, he warmed up to her as well as his step-daughter even wishing Max luck in his phone call.
- Sean Diaz - During the brothers’ stay in Arizona, David and Sean befriend each other. He gives advice on whether Sean should surrender to the police or cross the border going to Mexico. They then have warm talks about their past as well as their relationships with others.
- Daniel Diaz - David gives Daniel a baseball after bringing the groceries. Sean remarks on how he and some others have been a good influence on Daniel, with David also commenting that he has not met someone with superpowers before.
- Karen Reynolds - Both he and Karen have met in the town of Away some time before the events of the Seattle Incident.
- Victoria Chase (determinant) - If Arcadia Bay was destroyed, David has a letter in his trailer sent from Victoria thanking him for rescuing her from Mark Jefferson in the Dark Room. She tells him to keep in touch and that she’s available to help him with anything.
- Steve - After leaving Arcadia Bay, David met Steve. If Arcadia Bay was destroyed, David reveals that Steve's relatives had died in the storm. The two immediately became friends and moved to Away. He lives behind Arthur and Stanley's house.
Enemies[]
- Nathan Prescott - If Nathan killed Chloe, David keeps a photo of him hidden in his trailer, which Sean finds confusing and creepy.
Memorable Quotes[]
- "Hate these trips. People look at us as if we're aliens. "Here come the Sand People...""
- — David in "Wolves"
- "Never met someone with a superpower before..."
- — David in "Wolves"
- "Don't mean to order you around... bad habits die hard. And yes, I was suspicious when Karen showed up with you two... But after watching you and your little brother for awhile... I think I get what you're going through..."
- — David in "Wolves"
- "Took me a while to acknowledge the past was the past and move on, like they did. Once I realized that, I reached out to them, and we made peace with each other. They stayed here for a while. It felt good to connect with my daughter, at last. You guys remind me of them, in a way. And I don't want to fuck things up, this time."
- — David in "Wolves" (determinant)
- "Me and her hated each other on sight. But once I lost her, everything became clear. How selfish and stupid I had been... I should have listened to Chloe instead of being a bully... All my fuck-ups are crystal clear now. But I'm not going to fuck this up."
- — David in "Wolves" (determinant)
Trivia[]
- David is the only character in the franchise to physically appear in all the mainline games (except Life is Strange: True Colors).
- Within David's trailer, Sean can find a photograph of him, Joyce, and Chloe pinned to the fridge. This picture is a recreation of a similar photograph from Life is Strange.
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
Photos[]
.png "LiS2E5 - David's Caravan - Polaroids (Sacrifice Bay).png (1.45 MB)")