Chris Williams[1], better known as the Colonel, is a major background character in Dying Light 2 Stay Human. Initially portrayed as the secondary antagonist of the game due to him being responsible for the chemicals still covering parts of Villedor 15 years ago and for his faction, the Renegades harassing and attacking the survivors of the city, it's revealed if Aiden chooses to believe the Colonel that he wasn't responsible for the attack on Frank Marwey that Jack Matt had actually done it to frame the Colonel, revealing Jack Matt as the real secondary antagonist of the game rather than the Colonel.
He wears a rugged trench coat plated with medals used in German and French military, alongside multiple layers of other clothing.
Biography[]
Colonel Chris Williams was one of the most important people in the military hierarchy of the city. As an experienced army officer, he was the "right-hand man" of General Pratt, one of the members of the Council of Humanity. General Pratt served as the "defender of the city" as commander-in-chief of the combined forces of the armies of the 6 surviving European states, he was supposed to ensure the security of the city, and Williams was supposed to help him. However, this was the official version, the truth was much worse... Pratt was the nominal leader of the army, with Chris Williams doing all the security work. The general was a poor leader, he was not respected by both the command staff and the soldiers, because he was chosen more because of his high rank and connections, rather than his own skills. Seeing this, Colonel Williams increasingly took responsibility for himself, which gave him authority among the military. After the start of riots in the city due to the influx of migrants, as well as the shortage of ammunition for the army, Williams was one of those who suppressed the civil riots caused by Pratt's decree on the seizure of firearms from civilians in order to prevent armed rebellion and replenish army supplies. It is not known for sure whether it was Pratt's direct order or Chris Williams' personal initiative, but on March 6, 2024, as a result of a protest, soldiers under the command of Colonel Williams opened fire on civilians, killing 64 people. That's when he got his nickname, "The Butcher". After the military coup by General Pratt and Dmitry Klopovsky, Vice President of Russia, Williams was one of the first to see that the situation in the city had become critical. The number of migrants was growing too fast, as Greece's largest refugee camp fell and refugees were arriving at Villedor. Chris Williams constantly suppressed the foci of THV infection in the city, while Pratt, perhaps due to depression or awareness of the end of the city, began to drink a lot of whiskey. Realizing that the city needed a leader here and now, he put General Pratt under arrest as the one who allowed the March massacre and as the man who could not restore control in the city. The army supported Williams, as did the majority of the population, blaming Pratt for all the troubles, as the official head of the military committee. Judging by the newspaper notes, Williams officially assumed his new position on November 11, 2024, but it was already the end of the city.… The influx of refugees, the lack of ammunition, provisions and clean water, as well as the appearance of THV outbreaks in the city and the preparation of Major Jack Matt's mutiny, prompted him to do a terrible thing. Using the GEN MOD strain, the colonel planned to neutralize the foci of infection, thinking that GEN MOD would kill only infected people, leaving healthy ones. The exact plans of the military are unknown, but it is possible that the army planned to leave Villedor, as there are references to the evacuation of the military, which is indirectly confirmed by the evacuation of children who were taken by the GRE for experiments. On January 6, 2025, Colonel Chris Williams ordered all available military units to apply GEN MOD, which marked the beginning of Black Monday. The army used everything it had, from aircraft to missiles, to suppress the infection once and for all. However, it ended in disaster. GEN MOD did kill some infected people, causing the thermal stage, but mutated others and infected healthy people. Moreover, the evacuation order for both military and civilian personnel was not given properly, which caused terrible losses among both military and civilian personnel. Colonel Jack Matt and his squad came under fire, but he was informed of the strike, but sabotaged the order to get hit and become a victim in order to further rebel against the army. After the first strikes, Williams turned off the rocket attack to save the city, but it was too late. Most of the army betrayed the military oath and joined the ranks of Jack Matt with his army of "Peacekeepers", who were personally loyal to Matt and Juan Reiner with his "Revolutionary Committee" consisting of civilians and supported by "Night Runners" commandos infected with THV using inhibitors to gain increased immunity to the disease. A civil war broke out that engulfed the entire city, the districts of Central Loop, Old Villedor and apparently Elyseum. The military, loyal to the oath and to Williams personally, suffered heavy losses. The last military stronghold in Old Villedor, St. Joseph's Hospital, fell in 2025, and the army abandoned the Central Loop, retreating to the dam, suffering heavy losses from peacekeepers. What happened in Elysium is unknown, but in the audio diary of Captain Posner 6, dated June 11, 2025, it says that the army lost the Arc de Triomphe, the location of Elyseum, cut from the final game, but preserved on the art and the first promotional materials of the game. Apparently, the army had fought a pitched battle there, as Elyseum was the administrative quarter. It is not known whether the army or the peacekeepers won, but at the time of the events of the game there is no access to the Ellisium, as well as information about what is happening in other parts of the year. After these events, the military loyal to Williams was called "Renegades", and their numbers, as well as their training, are significantly lower than those of the peacekeepers. The renegades recruited all those who were loyal to the military, as well as criminals, to fill their ranks. Chris Williams himself was focused on protecting the dam, not wanting to go to war anymore. Perhaps he realized that he had killed many people on Black Monday, so he did not dare to attack the city. Everything changed after the arrival of Dr. Waltz. Williams was impressed by Waltz's stories about the possibilities of making his soldiers strong, so he placed almost all of his soldiers under his command, not realizing that Waltz had his own plans. After the departure of a significant number of his men, Colonel Chris Williams remained with a small group of his men and civilians (possibly military families) at the dam, until Aiden appeared.
It is unknown why, having such a high position, Chris Williams did not go to Elyseum or did not leave the city when some of the military disappeared from the city with their children (Aiden Caldwell and others). Perhaps he decided to punish himself for his guilt in front of the city. In the case of the ending of "Peacekeepers", Chris Williams commits suicide by shooting himself with his service weapon. It is noteworthy that Chris Williams, regardless of the dialogues, does not attack Aiden, which emphasizes that he does not want to fight anymore and went to the dam to go into self-imposed exile.
At the end of the Renegades, he and Juan Rainer will lead the city, but rather as a figurehead. Juan will conduct an agitation campaign in favor of the colonel, so that the memory of Jack Matt will be erased. The colonel himself will most likely act as a military adviser, while Juan will rule over the city, not wanting to do anything but live in his own contentment.
At the end of "Night Runners", the colonel can survive, moreover, he will help transport to X13. This underlines the steadfastness of his beliefs and the desire to resolve the conflict peacefully. After the end of the story (if the peacekeeper branch is not selected or he is not dead), he will disappear from the world, and the Renegade fortress will be empty, indicating the departure of the colonel and his men to a safer place.
02 February 2022
12 February 2016
30 January 2015
Interesting facts[]
- The colonel's service weapon is an "American pistol".
- The colonel is currently the only person with access to firearms.
- Judging by Captain Posner's dialogues, Chris Williams saw Jack Matt's ambitions, but did not want to enter into an open confrontation with him, preventing his promotion. Perhaps Williams had already seen Jack Matt's desire to become the head of the army, that the rank of major would not allow his influence on soldiers to increase.
- Chris Williams may have had information about the ammunition dump Jai found. The colonel was a confidant of General Pratt, so he could have known about the transportation and confiscation of ammunition. Perhaps he did not dare to use his knowledge to prevent more bloodshed, because after the bombing, the city's population was too small, and after gaining access to ammunition, the peacekeepers began the war with the renegades anew.
- According to the original script, Williams played a big role in the plot. In the course of the story, Aiden could find out the truth about the renegades, that they are not cannibals and murderers, but the remnants of the army loyal to the oath and personally to Williams. As the story progressed, Aiden could join the colonel in his battle against the Peacekeepers.
Gallery[]
References[]
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1GItg53nDDhBNhmvlDjvjHqJX6rgiMd6S6Pr4F6Thg0k/mobilebasic