Redmond Boyle
Actor: Billy Dee Williams
Name: Redmond Boyle*Affiliation:* Global Defence Initiative (GDI)*Role:* Treasurer, then Acting Director-General of the GDI*Political rival:* General Jack Granger*Enemies:* Brotherhood of Nod, Scrin*Conflict:* Third Tiberian Dawn War*Appearances:* Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, Kane’s Wrath
Status: Subject to the final decision of the GDI Commander.Redmond Boyle is the acting leader of the GDI for much of the Third Tiberium War. A former head of the Treasury, he is abruptly thrust into the organisation’s top position following the destruction of the GDSS Philadelphia, which wipes out a large part of the GDI’s leadership. Charismatic and highly attuned to public opinion, Boyle is determined to secure a spectacular victory over Nod, even if it means taking extremely dangerous military decisions.
From finance to the leadership of the GDI
Before the war of 2047, Boyle held the post of GDI Treasurer. He was therefore not a career military officer and had little experience of battlefield command.
When Nod destroyed the Philadelphia with a Nuclear Missile Silo, a large part of the GDI government was wiped out. Boyle was one of the most senior officials still alive and became Acting Director-General.
He thus became the GDI’s political representative to the public and set himself a clear objective: to destroy the Brotherhood and restore public confidence following the humiliation of the Philadelphia.
Conflict with Jack Granger
Boyle soon came into conflict with General Jack Granger.
Granger thinks first and foremost as a soldier and seeks to minimise unnecessary casualties. Boyle, on the other hand, places greater emphasis on the political and media impact of operations. He therefore encourages certain risky offensives when they can provide the GDI with a symbolic victory over Nod.
This conflict reached its peak when GDI forces discovered Temple Prime, Kane’s headquarters in Sarajevo.
The destruction of Temple Prime
After an initial unsuccessful offensive, the GDI eventually neutralised Temple Prime’s defences. The building itself, however, remains extremely difficult to penetrate.
Granger recommends laying siege to the complex.
Boyle, on the other hand, demands an immediate solution: to use the Ion Cannon to obliterate Temple Prime and Kane along with it.
Granger warns him, however, that Nod is conducting research into liquid Tiberium in the region and that an Orbital Strike could cause a catastrophe.
Boyle stands by his order.
The Ion Cannon strikes Temple Prime and triggers the detonation of a large quantity of liquid Tiberium hidden beneath the complex. The chain reaction devastates much of Eastern Europe, causing millions of deaths and transforming vast swathes of land into the Red Zone.
The Arrival of the Scrin
The Sarajevo disaster has an even more serious consequence.
The explosion of liquid Tiberium is the signal the Scrin have been waiting for to intervene on Earth. Kane had deliberately orchestrated events to force the GDI to trigger this explosion.
As the alien fleet approaches, Boyle reacts immediately by ordering the Ion Cannons available in the southern hemisphere to fire on the ships.
The attack does not destroy the fleet as intended: rather, it serves mainly to scatter the alien craft, whose forces begin to deploy into the Red Zones before attacking population centres.
The GDI must now fight both the Scrin and the survivors of Nod simultaneously.
The Liquid Tiberium Bomb
Boyle does not, however, give up on using Tiberium as a weapon.
During the Scrin invasion, he secretly authorises GDI scientists to develop a liquid Tiberium bomb using research and technology recovered from Nod.
This decision leads to a fresh confrontation with Granger. For the General, using Tiberium as a weapon amounts to abandoning the GDI’s fundamental principles and risks causing massive civilian casualties.
Boyle, on the other hand, believes that any means are justified to secure a swift victory.
During the final battle against the Scrin Control Node, he therefore authorises the GDI Commander to use the bomb.
Two possible outcomes
Boyle’s fate depends directly on the decision taken by the Commander.
If the bomb is not used, the Scrin are defeated by conventional means. Boyle’s authorisation then becomes politically indefensible and he is forced to resign to avoid prosecution for war crimes.
If the bomb is used, the explosion destroys the Control Node but also results in approximately 25 million Civilian casualties. Boyle nevertheless turns the operation into a political victory and portrays the Commander as a hero. Granger subsequently steps down from his post and Boyle promotes the Commander to head of the GDI’s armed forces.
His future therefore depends entirely on this final choice.
Personality
Boyle is charismatic, ambitious, opportunistic and extremely sensitive to public opinion. Unlike Granger, he does not judge a battle solely on its military consequences: its media and political impact is just as important.
This obsession explains several of his most controversial decisions.
Boyle wants to be seen as the man who avenged the Philadelphia, destroyed Kane and saved the GDI. However, this quest for spectacular results leads him to take catastrophic risks, the destruction of Temple Prime being the prime example.
He is therefore not portrayed as a traitor to the GDI: Boyle genuinely wants to secure victory, but he believes that the losses and consequences may be acceptable if they help achieve that objective.