Cole Phelps

Detective Cole Phelps is a former officer in the United States Marine Corps, he returned from World War 2 as a hero, joining the Los Angeles Police Department in late 1946. Phelps swiftly rose through the ranks and eventually became a Detective.

As a U.S. Marine Lieutenant in the Pacific during World War II, Cole did not feel much pride in himself in retrospect. He was reckless and overconfident, which caused and ensured his long time rivalry with Jack Kelso. During the war, he was very strict about following and obeying military rules and regulations, unlike some of his fellow marines.

Cole’s actions were also ruinous. As a result, he saw a lot of death and destruction during the war, from his act of cowardice on Sugar Loaf Hill to the atrocity in the cave, all of which impacted him emotionally and mentally. These events continued to haunt him through his life, and seemed to act as a catalyst for Cole to seek personal redemption in his career as a police officer. This also explained why Cole refused to discuss his war experiences with his partners.

As a police officer and later detective, Phelps demonstrated himself as highly intelligent, methodical and adaptable to a range of situations. Cole is driven to keeping the streets of Los Angeles clean and safe from murder, drugs and corruption. He has a strong sense of justice and dedication to protecting the people of Los Angeles, and lacks any political agenda. Whilst interviewing both suspects and witnesses, Phelps doesn't hesitate to use coercion if he isn't provided with an adequate amount of information. For example, when Howard Parnell remained tight-lipped regarding marijuana appearing in factory sealed soup cans, Phelps threatened to have half of the LAPD tear his factory apart to get the information he required.

Cole shows himself to be well educated and intelligent throughout the game, particularly through his knowledge of literature. He recognizes a poem left by a killer as Prometheus Unbound, stating his fondness for Percy Shelley. In addition to his knowledge of Percy Shelley, Phelps seems to admire Shakespeare, as he quotes lines from Shakespeare's play, Hamlet when holding a fake shrunken head in "The Fallen Idol". Furthermore, Phelps was able to learn and speak some Japanese during his time in the Okinawa campaign.

One of Cole’s most defining personal traits are that he is very open-minded and accepting, evident by his lack of sexist or racist views. During WWII, Cole saw both sides as equals and viewed the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor as justified, openly stating that he "respects the Japanese." He earned the disapproval of some, however, by expressing his respectful, almost sympathetic, view towards the enemy.

Cole’s humility mostly derives from experience on Sugar Loaf. Having been praised and awarded for an act of cowardice, Cole held a personal disdain for his glorified image. As a result, he is modest and strongly respects his peers and colleagues, despite their flaws, though Roy Earle is probably the only exception.

It is possible that Cole, like many returning soldiers, found it difficult to relate to his wife after he got back from the war. The stress and trauma of his experiences had changed Cole, causing a strain on his marriage with Marie while making him emotionally distant, causing him to seek comfort in the romance with Elsa. Despite his adultery, he still cared for Marie and their daughters and regrets the pain that he has caused his family.