It's almost been a decade since the phenomenally popular Grand Theft Auto 5 was released. The seventh main entry in Rockstar Games' seminal Grand Theft Auto series was not just impactful for the franchise, but for the gaming industry as a whole, and received universal acclaim upon its release. Grand Theft Auto 5 has managed to maintain its relevance thanks to its active online community, but despite its continued popularity fans are still eager for the next installment. Take-Two Interactive has finally confirmed that development for Grand Theft Auto 6 is well underway, but fans haven't heard much else since.
With Take-Two's current game pipeline featuring no mention of Grand Theft Auto 6, players are a little worried that this means the game is still a long way off. Potentially, fans may have to wait for another three to four years for the next Grand Theft Auto installment, which would mean an incredibly hefty gap between entries. Despite the lack of news and a possibly long wait on their hands, fans are still busy speculating about what Grand Theft Auto 6 might have in store, including rumored locations and returning characters. While there are definitely some figures from Grand Theft Auto's past that players would love to see again, there are a few that many believe are better off not making a comeback.
Michael De Santa
Michael was a popular character in Grand Theft Auto 5 and one of the three main protagonists that helped to propel the game's action. Michael's journey from a former bank robber who faked his death to a man in the midst of a crisis who falls back into his old ways is well-told and nuanced. It also provides a distinct arc from Trevor and Franklin's own stories and shows the difficulty Michael faces in adjusting to 'normal' life after abandoning his career criminal ways.
As a family man, Michael is already set apart from a lot of the Grand Theft Auto characters, and while he still has his demons and has more than a little blood on his hands, he can reunite with his family during the game and strengthen the bond he has with them. After bidding goodbye to his life of crime, Michael even ends up working as an associate producer at Richards Majestic Studios. Bringing Michael back again in Grand Theft Auto 6 would only cheapen the ending that he managed to achieve, and drag him back into the criminal life he tried to leave behind.
Toni Cipriani
Toni Cipriani makes an appearance in Grand Theft Auto 3 as a main character and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories as a protagonist. He's a member of the Leone Crime Family and is a prominent figure in Liberty City's underworld. Toni spends a lot of time in Grand Theft Auto 3 hanging out at his family-run restaurant, bickering with his mother Ma Cipriani, and being the target of her constant berating.
While Toni's background is explored more in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, he's not a particularly interesting or even nuanced character, and ticks a lot of the boxes of a gangster stereotype. His loyalty to his bosses, his quick-to-anger personality, and his penchant for extreme violence without much remorse culminate in a character that is seen in similar games all too often.
Dwayne Forge
Dwayne Forge is a main character in Grand Theft Auto 4, as well as an optional friend. He has a troubled background and suffered abuse at the hands of his father and developed a fatalistic outlook from a young age. Despite early aspirations to be a police officer, he fell into a life of crime and ran a cocaine empire for a number of years before serving a prison sentence. Dwayne tries to put his life back on track, but his friction with Playboy causes players to decide which of them they have to kill.
While GTA 4's Dwayne is a sympathetic character and his life has been undeniably bleak, he is kind of a downer throughout the game. During friendship activities, players will have to listen to Dwayne's life and his many, many complaints. He does begin to perk up a bit if players put in the time, but his nihilistic outlook can prove to be a bit of a drag.
Trevor Phillips
While players may not know the setting or storyline of Grand Theft Auto 6 just yet, it makes sense that the characters from the previous entry are probably the most likely to appear. Trevor is a character that divided some players, but he was undoubtedly a major part of Grand Theft Auto 5's narrative. A bank robber, drug dealer, and weapons smuggler, Trevor is a criminal with a complicated past. His chaotic personality and unpredictable nature singled him out as a loose cannon, but he was loyal to his friends and even becomes a kind of mentor to Franklin.
Despite being a fairly unpredictable character, Trevor does have a large contingent of fans. The darkness at the center of his depiction could be used for both humor and drama with equally potent effects, and it set him apart from other characters. However, a few gamers found his aggression and recklessness a little hard to handle and would prefer him not to appear in a sequel. While some would love to see the main three from Grand Theft Auto 5 make a reappearance, others think they should stay where the story left them at the end of the game.
Bringing Back GTA's Old Faces
Fans can be conflicted about returning characters. On the one hand, it's fun to see beloved characters in a new setting and story, and it can be a solid way to tie entries in a series together. However, bringing favorite figures back for another Grand Theft Auto installment can reek of fan service, and might not actually be for narratively sound reasons. This can derail the game just a little, and undermine what the developers are trying to do with the new story.
But characters that feature in more than one Grand Theft Auto entry are nothing new, and while there are a fair few that could transition seamlessly into another installment and would even be a welcome addition, there are some characters that definitely belong in the past.
The next Grand Theft Auto title is currently in development.