Henry Fleming

Henry Fleming
Series	Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
First Appearance	Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. (2015)
Species	Human
Created by	Intelligent Systems
Designed by	Takako Sakai
Voiced by	Adam Baldwin

Captain Henry Fleming is the main protagonist of Intelligent Systems' 2015 strategy title Code Name: S.T.E.A.M..

Henry is an agent of S.T.E.A.M. and the de facto leader whenever Abraham Lincoln is not present. As with all of S.T.E.A.M.'s playable agents, Henry has his roots in classic literature. He originally hails from Stephen Crane's classic novel, The Red Badge of Courage.

Appearance

Henry Fleming has a muscular, athletic build typically seen in soldiers. He generally wears a dark red or maroon colored uniform adorned with gold and blue, and wears brown gloves and combat boots. A star motif is apparent throughout his design, noting his patriotic nature. Henry is fair skinned and has blond hair and a well-kept beard. On his head he wears a pair of goggles, accentuating the game's steampunk aesthetic. On his back he carries a boiler to power his Eagle Rifle and other weaponry.

Background

The Red Badge of Courage

Henry Fleming first appeared in Stephen Crane's war novel The Red Badge of Courage. In this novel, Henry was a young man who wanted to fight in the Civil War. However, he was a coward, and ran from his first battle. Not wanting to be branded a coward, he sought to get a "red badge of courage," that is, a war injury, to prove that he was brave. The novel made waves after its release, becoming Crane's most successful work, and is considered by many to be an American classic.

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.

Spoiler warning: The following information contains spoilers. Please read at your own risk.

Before the events of the game, Henry Fleming returned home from the Civil War and was hailed as a hero. His heroics in the face of danger were noticed, and as such, Henry was promoted to the head of security at the United States Embassy in London, England. During the war, he became close friends with folk hero John Henry, who also went with Henry to work at the Embassy.

Henry and John during one of the first maps of the game.

At the start of the game, Henry is preparing for the day, when suddenly aliens start invading London. Having narrowly survived the attack on the Embassy, Henry meets up with John and the two fight their way through the alien horde. The two receive an urgent call from a mysterious voice on their wireless communications devices telling them to head for the smoke signal, and upon arrival, discover the source of the call was none other than thought-to-be-dead President Abraham Lincoln. He commends the two for their bravery and immediately drafts them into S.T.E.A.M., marking the start of Henry's time as a S.T.E.A.M. agent.

Henry, in this game, is far-removed from the cowardly young private seen in his novel of origin. Here, he has grown to be a much more courageous man. As well, Henry has a deep respect for his fellow soldiers that goes beyond friendship. This is noted throughout the game, such as when Henry apologizes to a soldier killed by the Devastator before taking his rifle.

Additionally, presumably due to his time in the US Army, Henry is dutiful and quick to follow direct orders without question. However, while he generally gives off the vibe of a professional and stoic soldier, Henry is not without humor. He occasionally makes jokes, usually at John Henry's expense, such as when he questions when John and Tom Sawyer became such good friends while the two were in the midst of an argument.

Henry Fleming and John Henry being launched into battle to rescue the Queen.

Henry does, however, have a habit of making assumptions, only to apologize for it afterward. This happens at several points throughout the story, such as when he mistakenly assumes that Tiger Lily and Tom Sawyer are too young to be S.T.E.A.M. agents, or when he comments that Queequeg's name is odd (only for him to tell Henry that, where he's from, Henry is an odd name as well). In all instances, he is corrected, and then apologizes.

Henry's single most defining characteristic is his leadership proficiency. When Abraham Lincoln is knocked unconscious for several missions, Henry is appointed the leader of S.T.E.A.M. by the unanimous vote of his fellow agents. Randolph Carter goes so far as to say that Henry is the only "sane choice" for a leader. Though he doubts his capability at first, his skills shine through when he issues his first command: to save the Land of Oz and Queen Ozma from the aliens upon Dorothy's request. After the final battle against the Great Shugguth, this comes into play once more. When Abraham Lincoln destabilizes A.B.E.'s pressure systems in a last-ditch effort to take out the Great Shugguth, he leaves Henry in charge of S.T.E.A.M., but this time, it's permanent, as Lincoln performs a heroic sacrifice and appears to blow himself up with the Shugguth. Henry, though reluctant to lose Lincoln, realizes that there would be no stopping him from sacrificing himself, and joins the rest of the team in mourning his loss in the game's final cutscene.

Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.

Abilities

Henry, being the first agent that the player recruits, is an all-around unit that's highly versatile. His primary weapon, the Eagle Rifle, fires three shots that do roughly 25 damage each for three steam. It has good range, as well, and can be used for Overwatch.

Henry's main weapon, the Eagle Rifle.

Henry also has an overworld ability, Push, which is shared with Ike. With this, Henry can use one steam to shove an ally or enemy a few spaces in the direction he's facing. This can be used for a variety of purposes, but the main usage would be to save your ally's steam, since they won't need to walk as far after a push. Additionally, it can be used to get allies out of danger, or to push certain enemies into range for an ambush of traps or Overwatch attacks.

Finally, Henry's special move, the Eagle Strike, has him launch an explosive eagle-shaped projectile that causes 200 damage, a massive amount. This can be used once per map.

Descriptions

Official Description

Henry Fleming is a career soldier and hero of the Civil War. His valor serving as a member of the Union's 304th Regiment earned him a promotion to the head of security in the U.S. embassy in London.

Milton on Henry

"Henry is surprisingly serious for one so young. I wonder what happened to him during the war that matured him so. John sometimes gives him a hard time about it, but Henry just laughs along with him."

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Henry Fleming appeared as a Support Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

No.	Image	Name	Class	Slot Cost	Ability	Acquisition
1,279		Henry Fleming	★	1	Fire & Explosion Attack ↑	Purchase at Anna's Emporium for 500SP Battle via Spirit Board

Trivia

• Henry shares a few similarities with Wonder-Red from The Wonderful 101. In particular, both characters are the main protagonist of their games, wear mainly red, have blond hair, and are new recruits on their respective teams before becoming the leader.
• Even though characters can change their sub-weapons, Henry equips the Medi-Carbine as his initial sub-weapon once these are unlocked.