“ | Of course, it was way back, when my dad's firm was in charge of budget review and accounting for NASA. You see, the thing that he taught me was: "When it's not your war, you join the side that's going to win". | „ |
~ Dylan Gould revealing to be in league with the Decepticons - his most famous quote. |
Dylan Gould is a major antagonist in the 2011 science-fiction action film Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the third instalment of the life action Transformers film series.
He is the CEO of the car company Hotchkiss Gould Investments, serving as the boss of Carly Spencer, the girlfriend of Sam Witwicky, the main human ally of Optimus Prime and the Autobots. However, it later turns out that Dylan is the current leader of the American division of the Human Collaborators, having offered his services to Megatron and Sentinel Prime in exchange of a position of power once humanity is enslaved to rebuild Cybertron. He is also Sam's arch-nemesis.
He was portrayed by Patrick Dempsey, who also played John Carver in Thanksgiving.
Biography[]
Background[]
Dylan's father was a NASA accountant who was approached by Soundwave in the early 70s to manipulate the budget review and make further Moon landings look too expensive to make the Moon Program be shut down, thereby preventing humanity from discovering the wreck of the Ark on the lunar surface. Sometime after that, Gould passed away, and his son inherited everything. Because of what his father did to help the Decepticons, Dylan was destined to help the Decepticons in everything they needed.
Transformers: Convergence[]
In 1979, Dylan was brought to a warehouse to meet Soundwave because his father wanted him to be his successor. The Decepticon Communications Officer was impressed by his tenacity, and upon looking at his eyes, he saw the very same thing he saw when he first met Megatron: the craving for power, which were greater desires than the base riches sought by his father. By the time Soundwave returned to Earth in 2007, Dylan had already inherited everything from his father, now running the family company and continuing to maintain the veil of secrecy around the Moon. Upon meeting with Dylan at the same warehouse they met each other, Soundwave saw that his desires had blossomed: not content purely with money as his father had been, Dylan wanted power, which was something that Soundwave could ealisy work with.
Transformers: Rising Storm[]
At some point after 2009, Dylan approached Carly Spencer and hired her to work at his company's car collection. Upon meeting with Sam during a Decepticon incursion at Philadelphia, she stated that fighting robots was kids' stuff compared to work for him.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon[]
Upon learning that Sam and Carly were dating, Dylan realized he could exploit Sam's connection with the Autobots to help the Decepticons win the war. To this end, he used his position of board member of Accuretta Systems to send a recommendation letter to get Sam hired. Upon meeting Dylan at Hotchkiss Gould Investments, Sam took an immediate dislike of Dylan due to the closeness he displayed towards Carly, feeling further emasculated when he discovered Dylan had set up the interview for him. Gould even gave Carly a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and invited the young couple to a party he would throw at his family's estate, but Sam refused to go because he had just begun investigating the lunar conspiracy, unaware that Dylan was at the heart of it.
After Sentinel Prime revealed his betrayal and activated the Space Bridge Pillars in Washington D.C., Sam headed towards the Gould Estate to get Carly to safety. There, Dylan finally revealed his true colors: the "Mercedes" was revealed to be a disguised Soundwave, who held Carly hostage while Dylan attached the Watch-bot to Sam's arm, instructing him to learn all he could about the Autobots' plans to fight back. With Carly being held hostage and his nervous system tortured by the Decepticon watch, Sam was forced to comply. But before leaving, he vowed to kill Dylan. When Sam told Dylan that the Autobots have no plans of retaliation due to them being exiled the planet's governments in reponse to Sentinel's ultimatum, Dylan told him he knew this was going to happen and ordered Starscream to shoot down the Xantium, apparently killing the Autobots onboard. Dylan then declared: "We all work for the Decepticons now.".
Arriving at Chicago, Dylan received a phone call; thinking it was Sam wanting an update, Dylan answered the call an said he could see Megatron coming, though he had no idea the caller was actually Dutch who used Sam's phone to set a trap and pinpoint his location, as Sam planned to go after him. Robert Epps decided to go as well because he also had a grudge against Gould for helping the Decepticons kill the Autobots. As the Decepticons set about razing the city, Dylan explained to Carly about the Decepticons' plan to transport Cybertron to Earth. As he tried to watch Sentinel setting up the Space Bridge Pillars, Megatron ordered him to leave. Inside his penthouse at Trump Tower, Dylan was visibly disturbed by the Decepticons' massacre of the city, but when Carly called him out for not being aware of this fact, he simply said that he "never went to all meetings", and that everything was fine as long as he was alive to lead the slaves.
By the time Sam and the others arrived to rescue Carly, Chicago was turned into a fortress. However, the Autobots' seeming deaths were revealed as a deception, and they helped Sam break into Dylan's penthouse. Sam held Dylan at gunpoont, but Laserbeak attacked Sam and threw him off the building's balcony. Sam was saved by Bumblebee's commandeered Orbital Assault Carrier and rescued Carly, killing all of Dylan's bodyguards and Laserbeak in the process. However, Dylan survived the attempt at his life, and quickly notified Megatron about the Autobots' survival. As the battle grew more intense, several Autobots were captured by the Decepticons; having formely seen everything as "just business and wanting revenge for almost being killed earlier, Dylan ordered Soundwave to execute them all as a way to "teach them some respect" for making things personal, resulting in Que beingng killed by Barricade. However Wheelie and Brains' intervention saved the other Autobots, who killed most of the Decepticons, including Soundwave.
In the renewed battle that followed, the Control Pillar was knocked down from the 35 East Wacker's cupola it was housed in and went offline. Sentinel Prime ordered the Decepticons to reactivate the Control Pillar because he was busy foghting the Autobots. Noticing that the Decepticons could not carry out Sentinel's orders due to the ground forces being engaged by the Wreckers and the airborne ones firing at Optimus Prime, Dylan decided to reactivate the Control Pillar himself. Making his way towards the Control Pillar, Sam tried to interfere, but Dylan pointed Sam's own gun at him. Sam tried to plead with Dylan to rennounce Decepticon cause, but he refused, stating that now there was no turning back from the future he had helped prepare for himself for years. However a piece of newspaper was caught on his face, giving Sam an opportunity to disarm Dylan, who was forced to fight off Sam to reactivate the Control Pillar. After reactivating the Control Pillar, Dylan mocked Sam if he thought himself to be a hero compared to himself, who had saved all of Cybertron. Sam denied by stating he was "just tge messenger", and whacked him in the face with a rebar he was using as a makshift club. The force of the impact caused Dylan to topple backwards into the Control Pillar, which electrocuted him to death. Shortly after, the Control Pillar was destroyed and the Earth was saved as well as avenging the Autobot and the innocent civillians who were killed in the Battle of Chicago, meaning that everything he did until his death was in vain.
Personality[]
Similar to Megatron, Dylan Gould was a nothing more than a power-hungry man who only cared about himself. All he was capable of thinking about was his own power gain, which is why he accepted to work for the Decepticons in exchange of rulling over his own kind, without thinking on the possibility of the Decepticons only promising that to make him more willing to help them and that they would get rid of him once he outlived his usefulness like they did with their other human allies. He is also good at lying and deceiving, seeing as he joined the Decepticons because he wanted to and even mentions his late father everytime he uses his excuse of joining them against his will to be spared as if he's trying to blame him.
Once he has a goal in mind, he will do everything in his power to get what he wants and won't let anyone stand in his way; he restarted the Control Pillar despite Sentinel Prime only ordering the Decepticons to do so because they were too busy to do it and knowing full well that he'll face jail time if the Autobots win; and when Sam gave him an opportunity to renounce the Decepticons and atone for his crimes, he rejected immediately because he wanted the position of power he was promised in the aftermath. He also tried to make Carly Spencer his wife and imprisoned her as he took advantage of the Decepticons keeping the police and military occupied.
He even mocked Sam out of assumption that he would give up on fighting him. Unfortunately, this has proven to be his downfall, as it left him unprepared for when Sam hit him with his makeshift club to be electrocuted by the Control Pillar. All this proves that his hunger for power is even greater than Megatron's, to the point he can't see the bigger picture or think on alternative outcomes for his actions.
Quotes[]
“ | Dylan: You really think you're the first man ever asked to join the noble alien cause? Sam: Who are you?! Dylan: Do you know why we've not been back to the Moon since 1972? Because these two, they came to my dad and they told him to do some creative accounting. Make it way too expensive to ever go back. So, he and the others shut down the American and Russian space programs, and they've been our clients ever since. Sam: You helped them kill people? Dylan: You think they'd give you a choice? Besides, it's not like I personally participated. I am the Liaison. I liaise. It's hostile takeover time, Sam. |
„ |
~ Dylan explaining how the Moon Program got shut down to Sam. |
“ | Dylan: [slaps Sam in the face before grabbing him by his clothes] They will slaughter her, you understand me? In the time it takes you to blink, they'll do it to her and they'll do it to me. So you show a little respect! WHEN SOMEONE OFFERS YOU A JOB! Wrist. [grabs the wrist that one of his bodyguards offered so that the Watch-bot can be passed onto Sam] You are to track down Optimus Prime, because you're the one human he trusts, and you will ask one question. How does he intend to fight back? Strategies, tactics, everything! [let go of Sam so that his bodyguards can drop him on the ground in pain] Has a nasty little bite, doesn't it? It's very high-tech. It lets us see what you see, hear what you hear and it taps your nervous system. So, if you so much as try and signal- [interrupts himself upon hearing Sam grunting] Mm. I don't know what to tell you, Sam. Relationships have consequences. I am here because of my father. She is here because of you. Sam: Stop, stop! Stop! Stop! Dylan: Soundwave, would you please? [kneels down] Sam, do your job. She'll be safe. I give you my word. |
„ |
~ Dylan blackmailing Sam into becoming a double agent. |
“ | Sam: You wanted an answer. You got one. Dylan: I always get what I want, Sam. We just needed to be sure. Sam: Sure of what? Dylan: That they would go without a fight. |
„ |
~ Dylan revealing to Sam that he knew the Autobots would accept humanity demands to be exiled following Sentinel's ultimatum, before ordering Starscream to kill them. |
“ | I want you to sit down. Don't move. [makes Carly sit on the couch] Follow me. [answers a phone call he believe it's from Sam when in reality it is Dutch] I'm watching him drive up right now. | „ |
~ Dylan saying on the phone that he could see Megatron arriving out of assumption that the caller was Sam, thus falling into Dutch's trap to track him down. |
“ | Carly: They said they were here for our resources, to rebuild their planet. Dylan: Yes, but really one resource in particular. One unique to our planet. Carly: Us? Dylan: You're very smart. [exits the freigh elevator with Carly] You see, they can't rebuild without a slave labor force. How many rocks up there in the universe offer six billion workers? Carly: What are you talking about? We can't transport people. Dylan: They're not shipping people. They're shipping their planet here. [takes Carly towards Sentinel Prime and Megatron] Carly: Oh. Oh my God... what's Sentinel doing here? Dylan: Watch. They're spreading hundreds of pillars around the globe right now. In just a few hours, they're gonna launch them into orbit and bring Cybertron into our atmosphere. The red one there controls the rest. He triggers that, it starts the whole thing. |
„ |
~ Dylan explaining the Decepticons' plan to Carly. |
“ | Your Excellency... He's such a dick. | „ |
~ Dylan's response to Megatron calling him an "Insect Operative". |
“ | Carly: You want this to happen? Dylan: I want to survive. I want forty more years. You think I asked for this? I inherited a client. Carly: Yeah, and when Cybertron's here and we're all their slaves, I guess they'll still need a human leader. Dylan: Don't jinx me. You want to survive, you listen to me. |
„ |
~ Dylan trying to pull the victim card on Carly. |
“ | You've got some balls. | „ |
~ Dylan upon being held at gunpoint by Sam at his penthouse. |
“ | AUTOBOTS! THEY'RE ALIVE!! THEY'RE HERE!!! THEY'RE ALIVE!!!! | „ |
~ Dylan warning the Decepticons about the Autobots' survival. |
“ | Dylan: Prisoners? You're keeping prisoners? Soundwave: Yes. Dylan: You need to teach them about respect. This was all business, but now it's personal, do you understand me? |
„ |
~ Dylan ordering the Decepticons to execute their prisoners as revenge for almost being killed by Bumblebee at his penthouse. |
“ | Sam: You can't do this, okay? Dylan: There's only one future for me. |
„ |
~ Dylan rejecting Sam's pleading of rennouncing the Decepticons. |
“ | You chose sides? You chose wrong! | „ |
~ Dylan's villainous breakdown as he tries to knock Sam down. |
“ | Dylan: I just saved a whole other world! You think you're a hero, huh? YOU THINK YOU'RE A HERO?! Sam: No. I'm just the messenger. |
„ |
~ Dylan mocking Sam if he really thought to be a hero, also his final words his death. |
Trivia[]
- Originally, Dylan's death was going to be even more brutal, as the energy of the Control Pillar would have incinerated him to ashes (see "Gallery" above). It was changed because it was deemed too dark for younger viewers. This version of events was kept in the novelization and comic book adaptation.
- Many fans believe that Dylan joined the Decepticons against his will in the film because of his excuses of not wanting to become a slave or being killed. This misconception is further emphasized by his portrayal in the novelization and comic book adaptation. In both, he is megalomaniacal. In the novelization, he pushed Carly to fall on her butt when she called him out about the Chicago massacre and talked to her in such a way that the narration stated as "a parent demolishing a child". He also threw her on the couch when she tried to help Sam and scolded Laserbeak for not preventing him from sneaking inside his penthouse, even accusing him of sleeping during work. In the comic book adaptation, he doesn't use any of the excuses he uses in the film (see "Personality" and "Quotes" above) and his plan of rulling over his own kind is left even more obvious.
- Some fans theorize that Dylan knew it was Dutch who called him, and he wanted his location to be pinpointed because wanted Sam to get killed while trying to sneak inside Chicago or by Laserbeak once he gets inside the penthouse. If this were confirmed true, it would further emphisize the fact he doesn't care for his allies, human and Cybertronian alike.
- Dylan Gould is loosely based on several human villains from past Transformers series:
- He is a businessman like Shawn Berger, a Decepticon-allied human from the original G1 cartoon The Transformers.
- He is power-hungry like Ali, another Decepticon-allied human from The Transformers.
- He is the CEO of a car company and a board member of another company like Porter C. Powell, the CEO of Powell Motorworks and board member of Sumdac Systems from Transformers: Animated.
- He is the leader of a human organization that is in conflict with the Autobots like Silas, the founder and leader of M.E.C.H. from the Aligned Continuity cartoon Transformers: Prime.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
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