Larson (Original Timeline)

For Larson in other continuities, see Larson disambiguation page.

Larson is a character from the Tomb Raider series. He first appeared in the original game as one of the mercenaries hired by Jacqueline Natla to retrieve the Scion from Lara Croft. He returned in Tomb Raider: Chronicles along with Pierre Dupont.

Biography[]

Larson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, US, in 1967. While in the US Army, his direct approach and enthusiasm won him respect from his fellow soldiers. But due to low intelligence, was not considered officer material. Resenting this, he left to pursue a career as a gun-for-hire in Nicaragua, where was once more working for the US Army, but this time in a less official role. It was whilst on the mission that me met Pierre Dupont who was at the time engaged in unofficial dig himself.

In 1989^[2], he is working with Pierre in an attempt to acquire the Philosopher's Stone in Rome. He meets with Lara Croft during an opera performance to exchange the Mercury Stone for money. As Lara prepares to hand over a suitcase full of cash, Pierre shows up with a pistol aimed at Lara's head - planning on taking the money and keeping the stone. As Larson and Pierre prepare to leave, Lara kicks the stone out of Pierre's hand and jumps off the balcony onto the stage. Escaping the opera house, Lara rides off on a scooter with Larson and Pierre trailing behind. Sliding beneath a half-closed gate, Larson and Pierre continue after her only to crash their car. Larson and Pierre continue to stalk Lara throughout Rome as she collects three more stones to open a gateway that will lead her to the Philosopher's Stone. After finding the final stone, Lara is confronted by Larson and the two fight outside the stone gateway. Wounding Larson, Lara notices three gargoyles emerge from the stone building. Despite her warnings, Larson refuses to believe her until it is too late, and is tossed across the park. He is portrayed as being something of a halfwit, which Pierre attributes to the fact that Larson was "kicked in the head by a horse" at some point in his life.

In 1996, Larson meets with Lara in India on behalf of Jacqueline Natla, CEO of Natla Technologies. While Lara was hired to retrieve a portion of the Scion artifact in Peru, Larson was hired to ambush her and take the artifact. Lara defeats him and is told that Natla has sent Pierre on the trail for the second piece. Larson shows up again later in Egypt right before Lara was going to obtain the last piece, and she kills him after a brief gunfight.

Development[]

In some earlier screenshots of Tomb Raider, Larson appears in the City of Vilcabamba level with an untextured gun.

In-Game Appearances[]

Tomb Raider[]

Tomb of Qualopec
Sanctuary of the Scion (death)

Tomb Raider: Chronicles[]

Quotes[]

Tomb Raider (1996)[]

FMV 01 - Café[]

What's a man gotta do to get that kinda attention from ya?
Well, great! Though truth is it ain't me that wants ya.
No, Miss Jacqueline Natla does, of Natla Technologies. Y'know, creator of all things bright a beautiful! Hahahaha!
Ma'am.

Cutscene 01[]

I'll heel 'n hide ya to a barn door yet!
You and that drivelin' piece of the Scion! You want to keep it so bad? I'll harness it right up yer-
Damn straight we are! Right up-
Miss Natla put Pierre Dupont on that trail.
Ha! You ain't fast enough for him.
I don't know where his little jack-rabbit-frog-legs are runnin' him to. You'll have to ask Miss Natla.

Sanctuary of the Scion[]

I still gotta pain in my brain from you and it's tellin' me funny ideas now like to shoot you to hell!

Tomb Raider: Chronicles[]

FMV 02[]

Well g'all darn! Ain't she just a picture?
Oh, he's around. You got the cash?
Well that ain't polite for a lady, even if the monkey has the Mercury Stone?
It ain't over till the fat lady sings!
Bucking bronco, baby!
We ain't gonna make that gap, boss.
Ain't gonna.
What did I tell you?

Cutscene 01[]

What!?
Ain't mindless. Or ain't we trying to kill her anymore then?
How'd you know about that?
You is one clever cookie, boss!

Cutscene 02[]

Begging your pardon, ma'am, but if you'd like to put them peashooters away.
Well g'all darn if I don't get all the best jobs!
I'll put it in then.

Cutscene 03[]

Heck, this ambushin' ain't what it used to be.
Practice makes perfect I'm reckonin'.
If you's talkin' 'bout Frenchy, he's kind of... indisposed.
Well, you know I was always pleased to see a little belle like you, Lara. Be more pleased to see that last stone though if you'll be wantin' to hand it over.
That ain't supposed to happen!

Cutscene 04[]

I may be a dumb ass but I ain't fallin' for that again!
Behind you! Behind you!

Tomb Raider Collectible Card Game[]

Maybe my reputation precedes me. Well, don't believe everything you hear about me, shooting guys in the back and taking their gear. Nasty rumors, that's all.
The way I see it, it doesn't matter who finds the treasure. It's who leaves with it that counts.

Trivia[]

Larson grew out of Lars Kruger, a henchman of Willard Stirling and rival to Lara Cruz.^[3]
In March 1995 design document his name is Karl Larsen^[4]
The original spelling of "Larsen" in the game's design documents, carried over into such things as the Tomb Raider collectible card game^[5] (although his name is "Larson" in the game level WADs). It's uncertain which spelling is the correct one at this point. But with the advent of Tomb Raider: Chronicles' biographies however, the "Larson" spelling was the one that was officially established.
The name Larson is a surname^[3], reinforced in Tomb Raider: Chronicles Rome intro video where Lara calls him Mr. Larson.^[6]
Larson's first name was never mentioned by an officially available source, but following Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Larson was though to be the first name and Conway was though to be the surname. In Tomb Raider Reloaded, his name officially took the form of Larson Conway.
In the Tomb of Qualopec level, Larson's gun is brown, but in the following cutscene it is grey.
In the Sanctuary of the Scion, Larson wields a grey lasersight gun and is not wearing his waistcoat.
Larson has an unused death sound effect intended for use in Sanctuary of the Scion. He coughs and says "Damn!" before coughing once again.
In Editions Atlas' The Official Fact Files, Larson was given a birth date, height, and other information.