Sam Fisher

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Sam Fisher originally appeared in the video game Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. In this game, Fisher is an active NSA operative assigned to the division "Third Echelon", sent to investigate two missing Central Intelligence Agency operatives in Georgia. Fisher eventually discovered that they were both murdered under President Kombayn Nikoladze's orders, who Fisher discovered was leading an ethnic cleansing campaign in Tbilisi, Georgia, leading to NATO intervention that sent Nikoladze underground. Fisher was eventually sent to recover data on technology called The Ark, which turns out to be a data storage device containing launch codes for nuclear missiles. Nikoladze threatens the United States with nuclear missiles, and Fisher eventually discovers a network used by Nikoladze which he traced to Myanmar. He finds captured US soldiers and Chinese diplomats, and discovers that Nikoladze is working with rogue Chinese soldiers. Fisher interrogated their leader, discovering Nikoladze went back to Georgia to activate The Ark. Fisher is about to be executed after failing to secure The Ark, but is rescued. Nikoladze is killed by a missile strike, and Fisher disables the missile launch sequence after Nikoladze's death. In the sequel, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, Fisher is sent to gather intelligence on the militia group Darah Dan Doa, infiltrating the Indonesian embassy in East Timor (Dili) for intelligence. Their leader, Suhadi Sadono, escapes, and Fisher later discovers that Sadono is executing a plot called "Pandora Tomorrow," where he plans to unleash biological bombs containing smallpox on the United States, having a failsafe to prevent him from being killed or captured. Fisher is sent to discover the locations of the bombs, and spies are sent to deactivate them. He is sent to take Sadono alive, a decision made due to complications caused by the circumstances of Nikoladze's death. After securing him, one smallpox bomb was set to be detonated at an airport, but Fisher is able to have the bomb safely detonated.

In Their Own Story

Rain slicks the rooftop tiles as Sam crouches behind the ventilation unit. Through the green-tinted lens of his night vision goggles, the perimeter guards move like ghosts in the darkness. He holds his breath, the silence heavier than the storm overhead. A single step forward could trigger a cascade of alarms, but the target is close. He adjusts the strap on his vest, checks the magazine count, and exhales slowly into the cold night air.

Reader's Guide

Sam Fisher was originally voiced by veteran actor Michael Ironside in the first five installments of the series. In 2013, Eric Johnson provided the voice and motion capture for the character in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Ironside later returned to the role in 2018, participating in a crossover downloadable content update for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands and again in 2020 for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. Fisher was also added as a playable character in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, voiced by Jeff Teravainen, appears as a supporting character in Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, voiced by Nigel Barber, and serves as the protagonist of Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, voiced by Liev Schreiber. In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, Fisher is designed with a more "civilian" appearance. Players control Fisher using a "panther" play style, which involved letting Fisher "swiftly [go] from kill to kill" before vanishing. A big push was to allow Fisher to be more lethal. In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, he is the leader of the "Fourth Echelon", and he is designed with his goggles and wet suit. The designers made a point of ensuring players could use their preferred play style. An alternate version of Sam Fisher appears in the 2023 animated series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix. This version of Fisher is depicted as an amputee who lost his legs in battle. Following the rise of the Eden megacorporation and its takeover of the United States, he becomes a revolutionary fighting against their control, while his daughter Sarah willingly joins Eden, becoming the warden of its Supermaxx prison.

Did You Know?

• Sam Fisher was created by writer J. T. Petty and designed by artist Martin Caya.
• His visual foundation came from a sketch of a 'dark silhouette hiding in the shadows' with only the reflection of lights bouncing off night vision goggles.
• Michael Ironside voiced Fisher in the first five installments, while Eric Johnson provided voice and motion capture for Blacklist in 2013.
• An alternate version of Fisher in Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is an amputee who lost his legs in battle.
• Fisher was added as a playable character in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, voiced by Jeff Teravainen.