Richard Croft (Survivor Timeline)


 * For Lara's father in other continuities, see Lord Croft disambiguation page.

Lord Richard Croft, Ph.D, is the late father of Lara Croft, and husband of her late mother.

Unlike the previous version of this character, he is portrayed as having been absent for much of Lara's childhood, and having been somewhat neglectful of her in pursuit of his research. However he gave her gifts from his finds, which though appreciative of them at the time, later saw them as bribes. Lara ended up resenting her father and dismissing his theories, much like the rest of the professional archaeological community.

Biography
Richard Croft was born into the wealthy Croft family, eventually inheriting the title of Lord. He studied archaeology at Oxford University, earning a Doctorate, and becoming quite successful in the field.

As an adult, he met Amelia DeMornay, whom he began a relationship with. Amelia was betrothed to the Earl of Farringdon, though she had no interest in pursuing the relationship, breaking it off to be with Richard. When he met Amelia's parents and brother, Atlas, they treated him with thinly veiled contempt, though Richard took their dislike calmly for the sake of Amelia.

The two were later married, with the marriage resulting in the birth of a daughter, Lara. Croft was overjoyed after the birth of his daughter, as it is implied her birth was difficult. He returned home to celebrate making himself steak and drinking whiskey, before falling asleep with the cat.

Over the next several years, Croft saw great success in his career, publishing several books. However tragedy struck the Croft family as beloved wife's plane crashed in Tibet. He ventured out with the assistance of Conrad Roth. Croft found the crash site, and with it, Amelia's body, with her were several hand written letters from her, to him and Lara.

Croft was devastated by the loss of his wife, and began researching rituals for resurrection. Roth begged him not to go through with it fearing how Croft might act if it didn't work., however he didn't listen and performed the ritual to no avail. Defeated, Croft had Amelia interred in the Croft Family Crypt, in an elaborate sarcophagus. He felt a strange sense of ease having laid her to rest.

Search for Immortality
Croft never announced that he found her body to anyone, so she was presumed missing. This led to Atlas becoming even more resentful of his brother in law. After losing Amelia, Richard began to search for the key to eternal life.

He travelled to Mexico to futher his research. In need of a guide, he was pointed to Leticia Cortez. Who supposedly knew the area better than anyone. He found her with others protesting the draining of the wetlands. Croft paid for the draining to be ceased. He asked for her assistance, which she gladly offered in return for his help. Croft told Leticia all about his work, and his daughter back home. They had a brief romantic relationship, which ended when he returned home.

He met a young woman named Ana at a conference on archaeology and anthropology. He was intrigued by her, his intrigue later turning to infatuation. The two started a romance, which was quite serious. Under advice from Winston, his butler, he introduced her to Lara, hoping she would be a positive influence on her.

Croft began to look into a myth about something called the Divine Source, and the Deathless Prophet, who had allegedly used it's power to beat death. Croft began investigating further, believing that the prophet had been laid to rest in a tomb, which he believed to be in Syria.

During this time Croft's research lead to his reputation being ruined and he became a laughing stock among his peers. He believed others simply didn't understand or were scared of what he was researching. Croft began to suspect he was being deliberately sabotaged professionally. To hide his research, he constructed a secret lab beneath his home. Roth believed he was simply paranoid, however he still helped his friend however he could. Crof continued his research, and found proof that he was being watched, by a group he eventually learned the name of, Trinity.

Croft began leaving documents and tapes for Lara, who had became increasingly frustrated with her father and his work. Lara voiced her worry to him, though he told her he was doing important work, Lara said she didn't care about his work and wanted him to be her dad again before storming off, this would be the last time he ever spoke to his daughter.

Death
Fearing that Croft may end up being able to expose them, Trinity ordered Croft's death. Which they relayed to Ana, who was secretly a Trinity spy. Ana however, couldn't bring herself to kill him. Another agent was selected, and the killed Croft staging his death to look like a suicide. His body was found by a young Lara.

Legacy
Lara began attempting to distance herself from her father's memory. She refused to use her inheritance, and never returned to the manor,

Relationships
Amelia Croft: Croft met Amelia in a Library at Oxford, while researching. The two hit it off, leading to Amelia breaking off her arranged marriage to the Earl of Farringdon. Croft was loathed by Amelia's family, however, she loved him too deeply to care, about what her family wanted. Croft even cleared out a room in his manor just so Amelia would have somewhere suitable to do her painting. Their brief marriage resulted in a daughter, Lara. Amelia's death was the catalyst that triggered his obsession with Immortality.

Leticia Cortez: While researching immortality, Croft came across an environmental group, who were protesting the draining of the wetlands. Croft met with one of their group, a young woman, Leticia, telling her he needed a guide, and that she was suggested to him. She turned him down, as she needed to help protect the wetlands. Croft paid to make arrangements for the draining to be ceased. Leticia acted as Croft's guide, taking him to ruins within the wetlands. They had a brief romance, which ended when he returned home.

Ana: After a speaking engagement at a conference on archaeology and anthropology, he was approached by a woman named Ana. She was intrigued by his work. Ana became a mother figure to Lara, who didn't have any female role models since her mother's death.

Trivia

 * In the initial run of Dark Horse Comics, he wears a fedora, similar to the character, Indiana Jones, whom Lara Croft was originally inspired by.
 * Much like his previous timeline counterpart, his face was never shown directly in game, outside of portraits or photographs, anytime Lara has a flashback of him, his face is obscured by shadow or light.