"I think it's time we gave something back."[src]
The "Old Man" was the chairman and chief executive officer of Omni Consumer Products before the company was acquired by the Kanemitsu Corporation. He dreamed of revitalizing Old Detroit into a utopia called Delta City: a shining, modern, new city, one that would replace Detroit.
Biography[]
Paving the way for Delta City[]
Before construction could begin, order had to be established in Detroit, which was running rampant with crime. In order to combat this issue, the Old Man called for his right-hand man, Dick Jones, to bring a new powerful tool to law enforcement: ED-209. Before its initial demonstration, he discussed with Jones the reactions of the police unions and their complaints about OCP's takeover of Detroit's police department.[1]
The demonstration did not go as planned, however, and Mr. Kinney was killed by ED-209 when the robot failed to see that Kinney was unarmed. The Old Man was horrified by Jones' ED-209 and angered that fixing the "glitch" – as Dick called it – could cause heavy setbacks. Bob Morton approached the Old Man about his RoboCop program, stating that they were ready to go with their project. The Old Man was interested in the project - mainly because it would help make up for any delays - and told Morton to have a presentation ready in twenty minutes. RoboCop was soon constructed from the remains of Officer Alex Murphy.[1]
Later, a battle-damaged RoboCop arrived in the OCP boardroom to confront Dick Jones. RoboCop informed the Old Man about the limitations placed on him by Directive 4, which prevented him from arresting senior members of OCP, and stated that Dick Jones was under arrest for murder. When The Old Man asked for evidence, RoboCop shows a recording where Dick Jones confessed to trying to destroy RoboCop and murdering Bob Morton. Dick attempted to take the Old Man hostage with a loaded gun and tried to escape. The Old Man, however, terminated Dick Jones' employment which removed RoboCop's Directive 4 limitation and enabled him to kill Dick Jones. The Old Man straightened his tie and complimented RoboCop on his shooting, then asked his name. RoboCop smiled and answered, "Murphy."[1]
Nuke plague[]
"Fuck you, you old senile bastard! This is bullshit! Fuck you!"
A year later, he became interested in coming up with a new version of RoboCop with the start of the RoboCop 2 program. After viewing recordings of two failed prototypes, he expresses immense disappointment with project leaders Donald Johnson and Dr. Schenk. Shortly after, OCP Psychologist Dr. Juliette Faxx presented an informal proposal to take over leadership of the RoboCop 2 program. Charmed by the directness of her offer, he immediately agreed, stating, "You could learn a thing or two from that girl, Johnson." Dr. Faxx later initiated an intimate relationship with the Old Man to protect her job, as Johnson and Dr. Schenk desperately sought to get her fired because of her "screening psychotics" for the RoboCop 2 program and bringing illegal drugs into the lab. The Old Man dismissed their concerns, claiming "we aren't trying to build a toy." When RoboCop 2 went on a bloody rampage, Johnson suggested to the Old Man that blame be placed on solely Dr. Faxx.[2]
Project Afterlife[]
- WARNING: This article/section contains spoilers from RoboCop: Rogue City. Continue reading at your own discretion.
In his final years and in a desperate bid to prolong his life, the Old Man signed off on a secret project called Project Afterlife, which after gathering evaluation data from RoboCop via Dr. Olivia Blanche and successful tests with human brains, the Old Man would be resurrected. He believed that RoboCop's experience was evidence that he would be able to not only retain his humanity from within RoboCop 2, but still be considered a human being and be able to continue his plans for Delta City.[3]
Shortly after being hospitalized from a heart attack, the Old Man died. However, when he did finally undergo the Afterlife procedure and implanted within the RoboCop 2 cyborg body, the Old Man went on a rampage in the OCP Headquarters. The police arrived to find almost everyone killed with RoboCop witnessing the Old Man killing Becker. The Old Man fought RoboCop and he died at the scene.[3]
Legacy[]
The Old Man was replaced by a new CEO and OCP continued to move forward plans to construct Delta City. Johnson recalled the Old Man: "Remember the Old Man, Jeff? Everyone's expendable."[4]
Behind the scenes[]
The Old Man was portrayed by Dan O'Herlihy. He was approached to reprise his role in RoboCop 3, but declined after reading the script. The character was written out and replaced with a new CEO played by Rip Torn.
Mark Holden voices the character in the video game RoboCop: Rogue City.[5]
Trivia[]
- His phrase. "Nice shooting, son" it is the name of the achievement/trophy in Rogue City that is awarded for completing the game on any difficulty.
Appearances[]
- RoboCop (1987)
- RoboCop 2
- RoboCop: Rogue City
- RoboCop 3 (mentioned only)