Mark Drake

"They ain't payin' us enough for this, man."

―Pvt. Drake (from Aliens)

Mark Drake
Biographical Information
Rank	Private
Serial number	A23/TQ2.0.47619E7
Affiliation	USCM
Status	K.I.A. as of June, 2179.
Physical Description
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Hair color	Blonde
Eye color	Blue
Other Information
Portrayed by	Mark Rolston

Private First Class Mark Drake was a Smartgun operator with the United States Colonial Marine Corps, part of 2nd Battalion Bravo Team. He was a member of the combat unit deployed to LV-426 aboard the USS Sulaco in 2179, to investigate the sudden loss of contact with the colony of Hadley's Hope. He subsequently perished as a result of the Xenomorph infestation at the colony.

Drake was part of Second Squad's gun team, along with Corporal Hicks. He was killed during the early stages of the operation when an exploding Warrior showered him in acid. He also had a long history with fellow Smartgun operator Private Jenette Vasquez, and the two shared a close, possibly romantic relationship.

Biography

Early life

Drake was evidently a delinquent as a youth, spending time in various youth detention centers for his crimes, and it was in one of these jouvenile halls that he met Jenette Vasquez. The pair were subsequently recruited in the Colonial Marines, likely as a way to avoid more serious punishment.

Awakening and briefing

"Hey, Hicks. Man you look just like I feel."

―Drake to Hicks (from Aliens)

Upon waking from hypersleep aboard the Sulaco, Drake immediately set to complaining about his job and the current mission, before joining Private Vasquez in both physical training and mocking Private Hudson. At breakfast in the mess hall, Drake continued joking with Hudson, "volunteering" him for Bishop's knife trick, much to Hudson's terror and Drake's amusement.

Drake and Vasquez with their Smartguns.

During the mission briefing, Drake and Vasquez continued to crack jokes at everyone else's expense, displaying particular disdain towards Ellen Ripley, who's status as a civilian advisor did not impress them. After the briefing, Drake and Vasquez busied themselves with preparing their Smartguns, before boarding the section's APC for the drop to the planet's surface.

Investigating the colony

Drake (center) investigating a signal on Frost's motion tracker on LV-426.

After landing, Drake and Corporal Hicks partnered off for the initial sweep of the apparently abandoned colony complex. It was Second Squad who discovered Newt hiding within the colony's ventilation ducts, with Drake almost shooting her when she startled him; only Hicks' intervention, pushing Drake's Smartgun aside at the last second, saved the little girl's life.

The Marines later made their way to the Atmosphere Processor in search of the other colonists. After discovering the Xenomorph Hive, orders came down that the unit's Pulse Rifle ammunition was to be confiscated and the two Smartguns deactivated, to prevent stray gunfire damaging the station's volatile reactor cooling systems. While Drake and Vasquez promptly removed the batteries from their weapons, rendering them inoperable, Vasquez subsequently produced two backups from her battle harness when Sergeant Apone turned his back on them, allowing them to discretely reactivate the machine guns. It proved to be a fortuitous decision — when the team was disastrously ambushed by a horde of Warriors, Drake and Vasquez were the only Marines able to provide the section with effective cover, although the gunfire badly damaged the Atmosphere Processor's reactor, as had been feared, and the station later went into meltdown.

Death

"Drake! WE ARE LEAVING!"

―Hicks, to Drake (from Aliens)

Despite the heavy fire being laid down by Drake and Vasquez, more than half of the team was killed in the initial assault, including Apone, leaving Hicks to organize a hasty retreat. Drake held the rear, using his Smartgun to slaughter incoming Xenomorphs while the others made for the APC. While successful, he soon exhausted his ammunition and was forced to discard the cumbersome weapon, switching instead to the M240 Incinerator Unit he had acquired as a backup.

Drake right after acid was sprayed on his face, killing him.

As he neared the APC, Drake failed to notice a Warrior emerge from the Hive's wall nearby to ambush him. It was spotted by Vasquez, who blasted it with her Smartgun, but the creature exploded and fatally showered Drake with its acid blood. As he died, flailing in agony, he inadvertently sprayed the APC with his flamethrower, creating a fire the survivors had to deal with before they could close the door and escape.

Personality and Traits

"They ain't payin' us enough for this, man."

―Drake, regarding his job (from Aliens)

Drake "volunteering" Hudson (right) for Bishop's knife trick.

As with several of the other Marines, Drake seemed to have a degree of contempt for his job, often complaining that he was underpaid; when told by Lieutenant Gorman that his head camera was malfunctioning, he decided to "fix" the problem by nonchalantly smashing the device against the nearest support beam (fortunately, it worked). Similarly, Drake had issues with following orders that he felt compromised the team, such as when disobeyed instructions to deactivate his Smartgun inside the Hive, despite knowing that using the weapon could cause significant damage to the Atmosphere Processor.

Despite his gruff attitude, Drake was a chronic prankster who was always engaging in light-hearted joking with his squadmates or playing tricks on other members of the team, particularly Hudson. He was very close to fellow Smartgunner Vasquez; the two could often be found training together and encouraging each other in their disruptive behavior, and may or may not have been involved in a romantic relationship.

Equipment

Drake investigating Hadley's Hope with his Smartgun.

Drake was outfitted with an M56 Smartgun, customised with the words "My Bitch" painted on the right side forward of the charging handle, as well as the associated battle harness and targeting eyepiece; on the rear armor plate of his battle harness, he had succinctly summarized his work ethic by stencilling the phrase, "Eat the apple and fuck the Corps". Drake was also proficient with the M240 Incinerator Unit.

Trivia

• Drake had a figurine based off his appearance in the Kenner line of Alien toys.
• Drake appears as a bonus multiplayer skin in the video game Aliens: Colonial Marines.
• In Aliens: Book One, Drake appears, along with Vasquez, in Hicks' nightmare. He is seen dead in the generator room having had a Chestbursters rip out of him.
• Several lines of Drake's dialogue later inspired the titles of trophies/achievements in Aliens: Colonial Marines, including "You Look Just Like I Feel".

Appearances

• Aliens/novel (First appearance)
• Aliens: Book One (appears in dream)
• Aliens: Newt's Tale
• Aliens: Nightmare Asylum (indirect mention)
• Aliens: Colonial Marines Technical Manual (indirect mention)
• Aliens: Colonial Marines (video game, multiplayer only)

Gallery

Drake (center,right) during the mission briefing on Hadley's Hope.

05011.jpg

Drake in a Kenner comic

Drake's uniform.

Set photo of Drake's acid burned body make-up and prosthetic.

Promotional image of Drake's multiplayer model skin in Aliens: Colonial Marines.

The Drake skin in Aliens: Colonial Marines

The Drake Kenner figure

The Drake Hot Toys figure

Aliensop128032.jpg

Appearance in the Kenner Comics.

Appearance in the Kenner Comics.

Drake's acrylic dog tags made for Aliens.