MacReady Revised Biography

• Real Name: R.J. MacReady a.k.a. Mac. (I dubbed him Rory James MacReady).
• Occupation: Chopper pilot for hire, former soldier. Last seen in Antarctica at Outpost 31.
• Height: 5'9"
• Eyes: Blue.
• Nationality: American.
• Age: early to mid-30s.
• Hair: Shoulder dark brown hair. Full beard.
• Appearance: Rugged, individualistic type. His hair and beard a necessity in the frigid climate, but also might indicate a man who is hiding from the world and himself. Mac refuses to wear the standard parka and many other winter necessities at Outpost 31. Over his long johns, army issue flightsuit, plain gray t, light blue sweatshirt, and bomber jacket, he wears a brown tropical print shirt. Caps it all off with an o.t.t. sombrero.
• Personality: 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.
• Weapons: Brain, fists, knife, mouth, flamethrower, dynamite.
• Skills: Stealth, strategy, pilot, good leader, excellent during brawl-type fight.
• 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.

*****

An interesting piece of information about helicopter pilots and why they are different, reported by Harry Reasoner in 1971. The thing is, helicopters are different from planes. An airplane by it's nature wants to fly, and if not interfered with too strongly by unusual events or by a deliberately incompetent pilot, it will fly. A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each other, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying immediately and disastrously. There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter. This is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot, and why, in general, airplane pilots are open, clear-eyed, buoyant extroverts, and helicopter pilots are brooders, introspective anticipators of trouble. They know that if something bad has not happened, it is about to.

This commentary by Reasoner clearly describes some of the inner-turmoil and defenses MacReady reveals throughout the film. For more on the character please see my Kurt on MacReady page over at The Meaning of MacReady.

Work(s) Cited:

Reasoner, Harry. "Why Helicopter Pilots are Different." ABC News Commentary 2/16/71. Quoted all over the internet. <http://www.searchk9.net/helitac/harryreasoner.htm>

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