Adam Jensen

Personality

Jensen's personality in the game is largely shaped by the player. Even though he has some fixed characteristics, the players' choices decide Jensen's ethical and moral stance towards the use of violence and his social behavior, and his evaluation of himself.

He can generally be described as a lone wolf type and a hesitant leader. He believes that there are always multiple ways to achieve a goal and tends to look for answers by himself, only ever consulting others after his own ideas prove exhausted.

Jensen rarely shows strong emotion and has a general distrust of authority. Even after the separation from Megan Reed, he retains a strong affection for her. He also shows a superficial antipathy towards Frank Pritchard.

• Adam Jensen is voiced by Elias Toufexis.

Biography

• Male. Caucasian.
• Birth location, unknown.
• 34 years old.
• Date of birth: March 9th, 1993.
• Weight (prior to augmentation): 182 pounds / 82 kg; Height: 6' 3" / 1.92m.
• Eye Color: Blue-Gray (original) Green-yellow (augmented); Hair Color: Dark Brown.
• Blood Type: O-Negative.
• Both parents deceased: 1998.
• Foster parents are located in the Detroit area.
• College education, University of Phoenix and Ferris College.
• Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice.
• Sworn officer, DMPD, 2014.
• S.W.A.T., 2018.
• Quits DMPD in 2026.
• Hired by Sarif Industries, 6 months later.

Background

Early Life

Adam Jensen was born on March 9th, 1993. When he was still very young, he was part of a group of children who were used as test subjects. White Helix, a subsidiary of VersaLife, used these children to perform genetic therapy treatments on them.

Jensen was the only child to survive these experiments.

However, the scientists in charge of Adam (who are hinted to be his real parents) grew too attached to him to continue the research, despite the obvious success of the treatment. To stop White Helix and save Adam as well as possible future victims, they burned down the facility. But they were later killed by the Illuminati and their death was covered up.

Jensen was saved by a facility worker and given up for adoption. When he was five years old, he was eventually adopted and spent the rest of his childhood and adolescence unaware of his origins and believed his foster parents to be his birth parents.

What nobody knew was that the gene therapy had permanently altered Adams biochemistry in a way that his body would form a strong bond with PEDOT electrodes instead of rejecting them - meaning if he was ever to be augmented, he wouldn't need Neuropozyne and his DNA would be the key to universal augmentation.

Police Career

Jensen graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from Phoenix University, and at the age of 21, joined the Detroit Police Department. Just four years later he was accepted into SWAT and quickly rose through the ranks.

However, his career came to an abrupt end when he declined an order to kill a young augmented boy during the incident known as the Mexicantown Massacre. As a result, he quit the force.

During that time, Jensen was in a relationship with Megan Reed, a neurologist working for Sarif Industries. She discovered Jensen's unique genetics and procured him a job in her company as Chief of Security, presumably to gain further access to his genetic material.

Sarif Industries

Before employing Jensen, David Sarif hired an investigator to find out about Adam's past. He eventually discovered Jensen's role in the White Helix experiments, but Sarif decided to keep it a secret as he found those revelations could be harmful to Adam.

And so Jensen became very important to Sarif, not only because of his impressive skills but because of his role as Patient X of Megan Reed's research. If Jensen's unique genetics could be reproduced and implanted into other people, augmentation would become as simple as plastic surgery - a breakthrough in augmentation science and the ultimate doom to VersaLife's Neuropozyne market.

Just when Megan Reed's research was completed in 2027 and Sarif Industries announced a valid alternative to Neuropozyne, Bob Page ordered the Tyrants, an augmented Black Ops team, to attack the SI laboratories. The five key researchers, including Megan Reed, were apparently killed.

Jensen, trying to defend Sarif Industries, was heavily wounded. He was thrown through a wall that destroyed his arms, legs, and back. On the verge of death, he was shot in the head by Jaron Namir.

Augmentation

David Sarif took advantage of Jensen's unique genetics and performed augmentations on him which would have been impossible for every other individual.

His arms and legs were replaced, and nanoceramic blades were attached to his arms, as well as the ability to punch through walls and heavy weight lifting.

His torso, while still biological, has a variety of cardiovascular and muscular augmentations like an internal rebreather, a health system, an internal battery, and the Typhoon Explosive System.

His head features many augmentations like various hacking tools, a social enhancer, a cochlear implant, enhanced robotic eyes, and implanted sunglasses.

Other notable augmentations include the Icarus Landing System, the Glass-Shield Cloaking System, firing stability, and enhanced accuracy.

All of this makes Jensen the most augmented character in the game alongside Jaron Namir.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Milwaukee Attack

After being augmented, Adam Jensen is sent to Milwaukee to secure a Typhoon Explosive System prototype after the group purity first storms the Sarif Industries factory there. When Jensen secures the date on the Typhoon he spots a hacker begging him to help him. Jensen tries to help him, but an outside force makes the hacker shoot himself. After that, Jensen stops Zeke Sanders, the man who led the attack, and saves the hostages. When Jensen confronts Sanders, Zeke has a hostage Josie Thorpe. If players chose to attack Zeke or let him go she dies. If players negotiate with Zeke he lets Josie go and he gets away. Josie and her husband thank Adam in Detroit if she leaves, and Zeke gives Adam a pocket secretary with several codes on it if he lives. After the attack, Adam begins to realize that Zeke and his men were pawns in a larger scheme.

Jensen's Investigation

When Adam returns to Detroit, he conducts an illegal investigation into the Milwaukee attack on Sarif Industries. While in Detroit, Cassandra Reed, Megan's mother, asks Adam to further investigate the details of Megan's death. Players can either choose to pursue this side mission or not if they so, please. When Jensen goes to the Detroit Police Department's morgue he obtains the Neural Hub in the hacker's head and takes it to his apartment. At the police station, Jensen can confront Detective Wagner about Megan Reed's case and learn more about Megan's death to tell Cassandra. Before Jensen takes the Hub to his room he can tell Cassandra everything he learned about Megan's death. Once, Jensen has Francis Pritchard examine the hub and they learn that the hacker was acting as a proxy for an outside force to steal that information. The Neural Hub granted the controller almost total control over the hacker's body. After that Jensen learns that a transmitter is providing a back door into the Sarif Industries network. While heading to shut it down, Adam can find Jenny Alexander, a former colleague of his, who wants his help investigating Jack O'Mally, an officer who is suspected of corruption. Players can choose to have Jensen investigate O'Mally and take care of him or not. If Jensen does apprehend or kill O'Mally he can acquire a crossbow from the mission, that he can hand over or keep. When Adam shuts down the transmitter, he gets airlifted by Faridah Malik to the Highland Park warehouse.

When Adam Jensen arrives at the warehouse, he spots the Tyrants entering the warehouse. Lawrence Barret informs Jaron Namir that their operation was compromised and that they failed to obtain the Neural Hub. Jensen begins to investigate what the Tyrants are up to. This is when Jensen learns that the warehouse is just a front for a FEMA internment camp. Jensen then runs into the Tyrants and fights Barret. After defeating Barret, Jensen interrogates Barret about why FEMA is after Sarif Industries. Barret tells Jensen that their enemies are far bigger than FEMA and that he should go to Hengsha to learn more. Then Barret blows himself up in an attempt to kill Jensen.

Adam Jensen returns to Sarif Industries to inform David Sarif about his newfound information. On his way, he gets a call from Francis Pritchard. Pritchard tells Jensen about a secret SI network that Sarif installed before he hired Jensen and even his Pritchard network. Jensen meats William Tagert and Isias Sandoval at Sarif's penthouse. Then Jensen asks Sarif about his secret network. That prompts Sarif to tell Adam that he believes that Megan and her team were killed because they were on the brink of advancing the human race to the next stage of evolution, not because of the military augmentations they created like the Typhoon Explosion System. Then Sarif sends Adam to Hengsha.

In Hengsha, Malik sends Jensen to the Hengsha Court Apartment complex in the Youzhao District to find the hacker, Arie Van Bruggen. However, the private security firm Belltower placed the building on lockdown meaning Jensen couldn't waltz in. Jensen was able to bypass the lockdown only to find that Van Bruggen wasn't there. This causes Jensen to go to the nightclub known as the Hive to find Van Bruggen. Jensen can either learn of Van Bruggen's location by eve's dropping on Tong Si-Hung or by getting the location himself from Tong. At the Hive, Jensen can help a bartender settle a tap to help earn Tong's good graces. Malik will approach Jensen afterward because she wants his help solving the mysterious death of her best friend. If Jensen chooses to accept this mission he will learn that Malik's friend, Evelyn, was murdered by her boyfriend. Jensen can convince Lee into confessing or he can kill him and get scolded by Malik. When Jensen finds Van Bruggen at a motel, Arie tells Adam that he was simply a middle man working for Zhao Yun Ru trying to help Tai Yong Medical, Zhao's company, take over Sarif Industries. Then Belltower mercenaries storm the Motel looking for Van Bruggen, Jensen can either give Van Bruggen a weapon to defend himself with or just leave him with nothing. Jensen escapes and proceeds to break into the Tai Yong Medical tower in Pangu.

When Jensen makes his way through Tai Yong Medical he finds a recording of Van Bruggen's from six months ago. The recording is of Zhao talking to Namir about the attack on Sarif Industries. This is when Jensen learns that Megan and her team weren't killed but merely kidnapped. This causes Jensen to want to find the missing scientists. Jensen then confronts Zhao, where she makes a plea for her life only for it to be an act to set a trap for Jensen. Adam escapes and makes his way to Picus TV headquarters in Montreal to learn more about the abductions.

Adam's Hunt for the Scientists

When Adam Jensen arrives at Picus TV HQ in Montreal, he tells David Sarif about his discovery regarding Megan. He goes to confront Picus reporter Eliza Cassan about her involvement in the Sarif Industries attack. He notices that the building is empty and learns that the fire alarm was activated to evacuate the employees. Jensen confronts Eliza, who tells him that she was instructed to jam the G-P-L signals so the scientists would appear dead. He then tries to apprehend her only to find out that she's a hologram and is ambushed by Belltower mercenaries. Francis Pritchard tells Jensen that the source of the hologram is coming from the sub-basement. Adam goes to the sub-basement to learn that Eliza is an advanced AI with no physical form. Her purpose is to disrupt data streams and distort reality. He then fights and defeats Yelena Federova. Afterward, Eliza plays a recording of Isias Sandoval talking to Jaron Namir about the attack on Sarif Industries. That prompts Jensen to pursue Sandoval.

When Jensen arrives in Detroit, protests, and riots sparked in the streets follow the release of footage showing Sarif Industries creating augmented super-soldiers from Picus TV. Adam Jensen confronts David Sarif about the kidnappings. That when Sarif tells Jensen that Reed's team was kidnapped because they were on the brink of making augmentations safe and available to people across the world. Sarif then suggests that the Illuminati was behind the kidnappings. Then Jensen tells Sarif that Sandoval was involved in the kidnappings, that when Sarif gives Jensen an invite to Bill Taggert's speech at Detroit Convention Center. That's when Jensen makes his way to the Detroit Convention Center. At the Convention Center, Pritchard contacts Jensen with new information on Sarif's back door. If Jensen agrees to help Pritchard he'll meet Brent Redford, a private investigator Sarif hired to investigate Jensen. Radford tells Jensen to look at his storage locker and talk to Michelle Walthers about his past. Jensen learns more about himself through this journey. Then Jensen confronts Taggert about Sandoval's whereabouts. If Jensen fails the conversation, then he'll have to break into Taggert's office to find out where Sandoval is. If Jensen wins the conversation, Taggert will meet Jensen in his office to tell him where Sandoval is. After Jensen visits the convention, Officer Nicholas contacts Jensen because he wants Jensen's help in stopping a terrorist named Jacob White. If Jensen helps Nicholas he'll get a silencer from Nicholas for his guns. Jensen will then find Sandoval in the sewers. If Jensen wins the conversation with Taggert or plants the evidence against Sandoval on Taggert's computer. Sandoval will be suicidal and Jensen will have to take out Sandoval. If Jensen doesn't plant the evidence or win the conversation, Sandoval will attack Jensen. After the encounter, Jensen will meet Hugh Darrow at Sarif Industries. After a brief conversation with Darrow about the UN delegation in Panchaea, Jensen heads to Hengsha to look for Vasili Sevchenko's G-P-L signal.

When Jensen and Malik go to Hengsha they're attacked by Belltower mercenaries, and Malik is killed. Jensen escapes and then notices a glitch in his augmentations. That's when the WHO announces that there's been a malfunction with the biochips and that augmented people need to get new biochips. If Adam gets the new biochip he will be handicapped for his fight with Jaron Namir. If he doesn't then Namir and Jensen will fight on an even playing field. While in Hengsha Jensen can meet one of Hugh Darrow's contacts who tells him about a terror plot to sabotage Darrow's Panchaea project. Jensen is advised to use non-lethal methods to thwart the terrorists. Jensen also learns about an ex-Belltower mercenary named Michael Zelezney who's gone rogue against the Chinese government from Dr. Wing at the LIMB clinic. Jensen can eliminate him or let him go. Jensen will eventually locate Sevchenko's G-P-L signal in the sewers. Jensen sees Tong wearing Sevchenko's arm. Tong agrees to tell Jensen more about where he got Sevchenko's arm if Jensen rescues Tong's son. Jensen complies and saves Tong's son, who surrendered to Belltower. Jensen then goes back to Tong, Tong tells him about a Belltower shipping dock where ships are loaded and sent to an unknown location. Jensen goes with a bomb to blow up Belltower's shipping offices to disrupt their operations. Jensen notices that the bomb was already set and intended to take him out too. Jensen sneaks into a shipping container and is put on board a Belltower ship.

The Missing Link

Adam Jensen is caught sneaking around the Hei Zhen Zhu ship and it takes multiple Belltower mercenaries to capture him. Jensen is placed in an EMP chair and interrogated by Pieter Burke and Netanya Keitner about why he's there. The chair is disabled after Keitner leaves, Jensen then is contacted by a mysterious hacker who advises him to get his stuff back and head outside. Jensen meats Keitner who turns out to be working in secrecy against Belltower. Keitner wanted Jensen's help in proving that Belltower was engaging in illegal activities at Rifleman Bank Station. Keitner and an engineer named Garvin Quinn help Jensen go to the seafloor and meet a whistleblower named Tiffany Kavanaugh who is going to blow the lid off of Belltower's operations. She tells Jensen that Belltower was turning their prisoners into Organic Computational Matrix (OCM) computers. With this information, Jensen plans to help Kavanaugh expose the OCM Project. However, poison gas is unleashed in Rifleman Bank Station and Jensen has to choose who lives between Kavanaugh or the prisoners in Rifleman Bank Station. If Kavanaugh lives she blows the whistle on Belltower's operations, but Burke will commit mass murder. If Jensen saves the inmates that information will be lost, but he'll thwart Burke's plan to commit mass murder. Then Jensen will find Keitner dying who tells Jensen to stop Burke. Jensen will then stop Burke and then leave Rifleman Bank Station in a cryo-pod.

The Aug Incident

Adam Jensen wakes up and discovers that his cryo-pod is in Singapore. There Adam Jensen is able to reestablish communications with Francis Pritchard. Jensen learns that he's at the Omega Ranch which is a biotech laboratory in Singapore. Pritchard informs Jensen that he needs to disable a signal jammer on the ranch in order to be able to locate the remaining scientists. Jensen does so and Pritchard is able to see the remaining G-P-L signals. Jensen frees the remaining scientists and they help him infect the ranch's computers with a virus Sevchenko created to block them from tracking the G-P-L signals. They escape and Jensen proceeds to tack down Megan Reed. When Adam finds Zhao Yun Ru he confronts her about the biochip implants and how they were part of the Illuminati's plans. Then Zhao tries to activate the biochip on Jensen. If Jensen has it then Zhao will be successful in handicapping Jensen leaving him susceptible to attack. If he doesn't have it Zhao will be frustrated by the fact that the biochip isn't working and leaves. Jaron Namir will attack Adam Jensen allowing Zhao to escape. Jensen will eventually defeat and kill Namir. Then Adam will discover Megan, she tells him that Hugh Darrow was behind this and that he had her team design the new biochips to be killswitches. Then the UN delegation comes on TV and Darrow activates the new biochips. Then Megan realizes that Darrow reprogrammed the biochip into driving the augmented peoples mad and attacking everyone else causing the "Aug Incident."

Jensen arrives in Panchaea to end the "Aug Incident" and shut down Darrow's signal. Jensen notices that almost everyone at Panchaea was killed or driven insane by the new biochip. Eventually, Jensen finds Darrow and confronts him about the biochip. Darrow claims that humanity has abused the gift of augmentation and his actions were justified. If Jensen loses the conversation Darrow will continue to think his actions were justified. If Jensen wins the conversation Darrow encourages Jensen to expose the Illuminati and tell the world the truth. Then Jensen proceeds to the basement and shut down the signal. On his way, Jensen can find David Sarif and Bill Taggert boarded up in separate rooms. Taggert wants Jensen to use the "Aug Incident" to show the world why human augmentation is dangerous for humanity. Sarif wants Jensen to use the "Aug Incident" as a call for people to become passionate towards one and other and embrace technology. Ultimately, Jensen will go to the basement to find Zhao trying to activate the Hyron Core which was created by the OCM Project at Rifleman Bank Station. Jensen is forced to kill the women in the OCM in order to disable the Hyron Core and then kills Zhao. After that Eliza Casan gives Jensen four choices in how he wants to end the "Aug Incident." He can either choose to listen to Darrow and tell the truth, Taggert and tell the anti-augmentation side, Sarif and tell the pro-augmentation side, or Eliza. Eliza wants Jensen to blow up Panchaea and for the people not to know what happened and allow the press to tell the story.

Quotes

"I never asked for this."

"I don't even know what side I'm on anymore."

"I'll never stop looking."

"Do I trust Mankind to save itself?"

"If you want to make enemies, try to change something."

"I held on to my humanity, resisting the urge to abuse power or resources to meet my goals. And in the end, I got the job done."