| Wolf O'Donnell | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Series |
Star Fox |
|
Debut |
Star Fox 64 (1997) |
|
Console of origin |
Nintendo 64 |
|
Species |
Wolf |
|
Gender |
Male |
Wolf O'Donnell is the leader of the Star Wolf team and rival of Fox McCloud. He was initially hired by Andross during the Lylat Wars to take down the Star Fox team but ultimately failed. During the years between the end of the war and the beginning of the Aparoid Invasion he hid in an illegal hideout called the Sargasso Space Zone, recruiting various criminals from all corners of the Lylat system. His motives changed when the Aparoids invaded Corneria as he rescued Fox and aided Star Fox in their retaliation. After the defeat of the Aparoid Queen and the ultimate destruction of the Aparoid Homeworld, Wolf returned to his old ways and became a wanted fugitive by the Cornerian Army, placing a heavy bounty on his team's head, with his own being the highest. It was also revealed during the Anglar Blitz that Wolf felt a grudging respect towards Fox.
History[]
Early Life[]
Before the Lylat Wars, Team Star Fox and Team Star Wolf shared a long and bitter history with one another, despite mutual respect. It was believed that Wolf had somehow been involved in the apparent death of James McCloud, who was Fox’s father. When Wolf's team was hired by Andross to take down Star Fox, Wolf wanted nothing more than to fulfill these orders and kill Fox McCloud.
Lylat Wars[]
- During the bomb incident on the planet Fichina, Wolf was ordered by Andross to take down any form of rebellion by any means necessary – including the presence of Star Fox. Fox McCloud and his team arrived not too long after receiving orders from General Pepper to take care of the situation, disposing of Andross's forces without delay. Before being able to diffuse the bomb, Wolf and his team approached from the planet’s skies to defend the base in which the bomb had been planted. A long dogfight ensued to create a diversion from Fox in accomplishing his mission. The Star Wolf Team either failed or won depending on if the player shot down all the members, leading Wolf to seek revenge against Star Fox for his own personal reasons or laughing victoriously and shouting, "Looks like we win today, Star Fox!" as he and his team flew off into space and got payed a huge sum of money from Andross.
- If the Star Wolf team was victorious or the previous encounter was skipped, the remaining Star Wolf members will be ordered to defend the satellite base Bolse should Fox reach its destination, but failed again in another dogfight, this time suffering great injuries. Fox can opt to shoot down Star Wolf or simply go for the enemy core and ignore Star Wolf.
- Star Wolf appeared to have severe injuries after the battle. Wolf's injuries were relatively minor, simply necessitating a few bandages. With one last chance, he was gifted with the Wolfen II along with his other teammates to defend Venom from the Star Fox Team’s advancement into Andross's base. Wolf’s ship and the rest of his teammate's ships were destroyed and sabotaged in a final fight with Fox and his friends. He had been defeated, thus failing Andross in his mission to destroy the Star Fox Team.
Wolf then went to hiding in the Sargasso Space Zone during the events of Star Fox Adventures.
Aparoid Invasion[]
Years after the death of Andross, Wolf’s hideout, known as the Sargasso Space Zone, was infiltrated by the Star Fox Team in their search for Pigma Dengar. The hideout was inhabited mostly by criminals, bounty hunters, and former members or traitors of the Venomian Army. In addition, he had earlier kicked Pigma out of his team for his greedy and distrustful nature, as well as ordered his soldiers to shoot Pigma on sight should he dare come close to his hideout.
The invasion of the Aparoid Race ruined Wolf’s plans in taking down Fox by forcing him to put his personal vendetta aside and teaming with his nemesis in order to survive. When the Aparoids ambushed Fox on top of the Persimmon’s Building in Corneria City, Wolf rescued him, but denied doing so by claiming Fox jumped onto his ship’s wing at the right time. Fox did jump, but to escape danger. Admitting later that he did save Fox, he proclaimed that the real reason he did so was so that he could finish him off himself later. Wolf also advised Fox after a battle against an Aparoidized General Pepper that, should the time come where he has to come to a tough decision, quote, "Let me give you one piece of advice. Don't hesitate, when the time comes, just act."
In the final battle against the Aparoid Queen, Wolf and his team sacrificed themselves as a distraction towards several Aparoids for a long enough time for Fox to stop the invasion for good. His earlier advice also proved to be a great turning point for Fox, as he acted upon that advice to succeed in the mission when they were plagued with telepathic thoughts of the Aparoid Queen composing of Pigma, Pepper, Peppy, ROB 64 and even James McCloud. After the Aparoid Queen and her bretheren's defeat, Fox tells his team that he thinks Star Wolf probably survived as well.
Anglar Blitz[]
It was believed that Wolf was killed in the destruction of the Aparoid Homeworld. During the Anglar Blitz, his team was revealed to have survived the incident and helped the Star Fox Team. Wolf showed a grudging respect towards Fox and even expressed guilt after cheating Star Fox out of victory in one final mission. Despite this, he maintained his rivalry with both Fox and his team, however remaining neutral during their fight against the Anglar Empire.
When the Anglar Emperor was defeated, Wolf and his team returned to the site of their rival’s victory. Wolf angrily scolded Fox for stealing his prey, claiming that his chances of clearing the bounty on his head had been spoiled. Fox then revealed that he intended to take the bounty off himself after much pleading from Krystal.
In one storyline, Fox seeks out Wolf's piloting skills and intends to ally with him against the Anglars. Wolf agrees but only on monetary conditions and makes it clear to Fox that "We're not friends, and we never will be". ROB 64 is unsure about the chances of Wolf's total loyalty, while Falco is infuriated at the thought of siding with him. Fox, Falco and Wolf eventually cooperate and defeat the Solar Satellite, whilst gaining the terraforming device created by Andross. Wolf later takes the device and make off with it for his own in attempts to clear the bounty off his team.
But in one similar ending, the Star Wolf Team assaulted and defeated the Anglar forces and the Emperor himself, leaving Star Fox in the dust. People all over Lylat talked about Wolf and his courageous crew and the Cornerian Army threw a huge celebration for the team. Then General Peppy rewarded them by taking the bounties off Star Wolf's heads and even paying them a bit for destroying the Anglars. This points to the idea that Star Wolf may have wanted to instead do the thing that would give them fame, not money.