The Ghoul Could’ve Killed Maximus In Fallout Episode 2, So Why Didn’t He?

Summary The Ghoul could have defeated Maximus in Fallout during their fight in Filly by taking advantage of the weakpoint in power armor, but he didn't.

The Ghoul may have spared Maximus because he took pity on him, which hinted at the redemption he would later achieve at the end of the first season.

There were several hints that the Ghoul was more like Cooper Howard than he let on, and his redemption could continue in Fallout season 2.

Despite the fact he wildly outmatched Maximus during their fight in Fallout, the Ghoul didn't kill him in Filly, and there's a hidden reason for his restraint. The Ghoul was shown to be one of the best fighters in Fallout, and it helped him quickly become a fan-favorite character of the show. The Ghoul's backstory as Cooper Howard also made him an extremely complex, three-dimensional character who experienced quite a bit of growth over the course of Fallout season 1. Part of his complexity was established very early in the show, when he fought Maximus.

In Fallout season 1, episode 2, several of the show's main characters, including the Ghoul, Maximus, and Lucy, all converged on the town of Filly. They were all after Siggi Wilzig because, though they didn't know it yet, he was the key to Fallout's cold fusion technology. One of the main firefights in that larger conflict was between Maximus and the Ghoul, and there was an important detail in that fight: the Ghoul didn't kill Maximus. The Ghoul was extremely capable, and he could have killed Maximus if he wanted to, which raises questions about why he didn't.

Related The World Of Fallout Explained In celebration of Fallout's release on Prime Video, here's Screen Rant's complete guide to the franchise's characters, locations, lore, and changes.

The Ghoul Should've Been Able To Defeat Maximus Quickly In Fallout Episode 2

The Ghoul Had Maximus Trapped, & He Knew About A Power Armor Weak Point

Close

When they fought in Filly, the Ghoul had several opportunities to kill Maximus. Near the end of the fight, Maximus got his foot stuck in one of the town's boards, and the Ghoul could have easily taken his fusion core and removed him from his power armor. He also could have killed Maximus almost immediately, as the season finale of Fallout showed the Ghoul knew of a weak point in power armor that he could have exploited. With a single well-placed shot, the Ghoul could have killed Maximus and continued to hunt down Lucy and Siggi Wilzig, but he didn't.

Did The Ghoul Purposely Go Easy On Maximus?

There Are Signs The Ghoul Showed Mercy To Maximus

The Ghoul put himself in danger by not killing Maximus outright, and he also nearly lost the bounty on Siggi Wilzig because their fight took so long. While he may have been toying with Maximus and trying to entertain himself, he could have also gone easy on him for another reason. The Ghoul may have been able to tell Maximus wasn't a fully-trained Knight of the Brotherhood of Steel and taken pity on him because of his lack of experience. It's also possible that the Ghoul simply wasn't as interested in killing as he seemed to be at the beginning of Fallout.

Related Fallout’s Brotherhood Of Steel Explained: Origin, Beliefs & Power Armor Amazon Prime's Fallout has already shown audiences glimpses of the Brotherhood of Steel. However, there's a lot of crucial information on the faction.

The Ghoul's Filly Scene Hinted At His True Character In Fallout

The Ghoul Began To Earn Redemption By The End Of Fallout Season 1

He may have seemed like a violent bounty hunter, but the Ghoul still had some of the more idealistic, good-natured parts of Cooper Howard buried deep within him.

At the beginning of the series, the Ghoul was portrayed as a ruthless, cold-blooded killer who delighted in violence. However, he showed remarkable restraint in Filly. By not killing Maximus, Fallout hinted at a central part of the Ghoul's character and foreshadowed some of the growth he would experience later in the show. He may have seemed like a violent bounty hunter, but the Ghoul still had some of the more idealistic, good-natured parts of Cooper Howard buried deep within him. It was likely those parts of his personality that kept him from killing Maximus.

There was also another major hint at the Ghoul's redemption in the same scene in Filly. After Maximus and Lucy had both left the town, the Ghoul found Dogmeat with a bullet wound in his side. Instead of immediately pursuing Lucy and Siggi, the Ghoul stopped and took the time to care for Dogmeat. That also hinted that the Ghoul was more like Cooper than he seemed, as Dogmeat likely reminded him of his dog from before the war. That, combined with how he treated Maximus, showed that the Ghoul never fully lost the person he once was.

By the end of Fallout season 1, the Ghoul had become much more kind and compassionate, like Cooper was before the war. His fight with Maximus foreshadowed the beginning of his redemption, and it also hints at how the Ghoul could be even further developed in Fallout season 2. The Ghoul is now closer to the way he was as Cooper than he had been in over 200 years, and season 2 will likely take his redemption even further. Whatever happens to the Ghoul in the future of Fallout, it's interesting how much of his journey was foreshadowed early on in the show.