Tanya Adams
Actress: Lynne Litteer – Kari Wuhrer – Jenny McCarthy
Name: Tanya Adams*Affiliation:* Allied Forces*Role:* Commando / special agent*Specialities:* Infiltration, elimination, sabotage and explosives*Signature weapons:* Two pistols and C4 charges*Known incarnations:* Three*Status:* Varies depending on the timeline Tanya Adams is one of the Allied Forces’ most famous commandos and one of the few characters to appear, in different incarnations, in all three main instalments of the Red Alert saga.
Despite their physical and behavioural differences, the three Tanyas share the same characteristics: a provocative personality, a strong independence from the chain of command and, above all, an almost legendary ability to carry out operations on her own that are normally reserved for entire units.
First incarnation - Red Alert
The first Tanya Adams is a civilian mercenary working for the Allies during the Second World War of the original timeline. She enjoys the trust of General Gunter von Esling, despite Nikos Stavros’s initial reservations regarding her civilian status.
Armed with two Colt M1911s and charges of C4, Tanya specialises in eliminating infantry and destroying enemy buildings.
She takes part in several crucial operations during the war, notably the rescue of Albert Einstein, and goes on to destroy bridges to slow the Soviet advance in Eastern Europe.
Later captured by the Soviets whilst gathering intelligence, she narrowly escaped execution thanks to the intervention of an Allied spy. The information she brought back enabled the Allies to discover the existence of the Iron Curtain.
She also played a part in neutralising Soviet Nuclear Missile Silos before taking part in the final offensive against Moscow.
This first Tanya already stood out for her extremely independent nature and her disregard for military conventions. Her exceptional effectiveness largely explains why her superiors tolerated her behaviour.
Second incarnation - Red Alert 2
Several decades later, a new Tanya appears during the Soviet invasion of the United States in Red Alert 2.
This incarnation is officially a special agent and Commando with the Allied Forces, working closely with American forces.
Like her predecessor, she uses two pistols and C4 explosives, but her abilities have been enhanced: in particular, she can swim long distances and plant her explosives directly onto enemy ships.
Tanya takes part in the defence of the United States from the very start of the war and quickly becomes one of the Allied Commander’s key agents.
Initially sceptical of him, she eventually comes to place considerable trust in him and even refuses, during certain operations, to serve under the command of any other commander.
In particular, she takes part in operations against the Soviets in Europe and contributes to the campaign that ultimately leads the Allies to Moscow.
In Yuri's Revenge, Tanya returns to active duty when Yuri attempts to subjugate the planet using his Psychic Dominators.
Following the Allies’ journey through time, she helps destroy the Alcatraz Psychic Dominator and then takes part in several operations against Yuri's Army.
She even cooperates with Soviet forces against their common enemy and finds herself working alongside the Soviet Commando Boris, with whom she has a particularly mocking rivalry.
After the first war against Yuri, Tanya also receives training enabling her to resist mind control and use her C4 charges against ground vehicles.
Third incarnation - Red Alert 3
The erasure of Albert Einstein in 1927 creates a new timeline and a third incarnation of Tanya.
This Tanya is portrayed as one of the Allied Forces’ finest Commandos. She retains the arrogance, humour and taste for destruction of her predecessors, to the extent that the Allies are particularly keen to deploy her on missions considered almost suicidal.
In particular, she takes part in the liberation of Cannes, the fighting against the Soviets in Heidelberg and several major operations during the Third World War.
Her arsenal still consists of two pistols and C4 charges, but now benefits from FutureTech technologies.
In particular, she possesses a Temporal Belt, derived from research into the Chronosphere. This allows her to travel back a few seconds into her own past, thereby restoring her physical condition and previous position when she is wounded.
This ability makes Tanya one of the most dangerous soldiers in the Allied army: she can penetrate deep into an enemy position, inflict considerable damage, and then use time manipulation to escape the consequences of her assault.
She remains active after the war in Red Alert 3: Uprising. When the Imperial commander Kenji Tenzai uses a technological inhibitor to neutralise Allied vehicles, Tanya is parachuted in with infantry reinforcements and ultimately manages to capture him despite his defences.
A woman or a codename?
Tanya’s true identity ultimately remains one of the saga’s mysteries.
The three women share the same name or designation, fulfil virtually the same role and appear to be roughly the same age, even though several decades separate Red Alert and Red Alert 2.
Time-related plot devices may explain certain differences between Red Alert 2 and Red Alert 3, but they do a much poorer job of accounting for the presence of a Tanya who appears to be just as young during both the Second and Third World Wars.
An interesting hypothesis: ‘ ‘Tanya’ could be a military codename assigned to various Allied Commandos, which would explain their different appearances, personalities and time periods.
The three incarnations nevertheless represent the same archetype within the Allied Forces: an undisciplined, provocative and extraordinarily effective agent, sent in when the mission is too dangerous or too important to be entrusted to ordinary Soldiers.