20 Things You Didn't Know About Gears Of War
18. Marcus' Fiery Surname
Marcus Fenix is the main protagonist of the first three games. A gruff disgraced soldier, he’s brought back into the battle from prison to hack his way through The Locust Horde in the name of the COG. And like his teammate Dom, there’s a story behind his surname too, albeit more troubled.
During development, Cliff Bleszinski was going through a rough spot. Losing everything from the divorce of his first marriage, he dubbed Marcus’ surname as “Fenix” in reference to the mythological creature, the phoenix. In a deleted 2015 tweet, he claimed he was "rising from my own ashes" with Gears of War.
In addition, the song that he listened to most while getting over the divorce was Gary Jules’ Mad World, that Epic Games used in the gorgeously chilling Xbox 360 trailer. According to Bleszinski, much of Gears of War’s inspiration was due to his marriage’s failure and a trip to London.
The weather must have been pretty dire.