Hancock

John Hancock (born John McDonough) is the mayor of Goodneighbor and a potential companion of the Sole Survivor in 2287.

Background
John Hancock is an unusual ghoul that resides in the town of Goodneighbor, serving as its self-appointed mayor. He was born John McDonough, son of Patrick and Martha. He grew up on the Boston waterfront, living in a little shack with his parents and only brother. The relations between them were the usual brotherly fare, with Hancock at the receiving end of his brother's pranks and scuffles.

As he grew older, Hancock started sneaking off to Goodneighbor to purchase drugs, a habit that would come in handy in subsequent years. Unaware of his brother's abduction and death at the hands of the Institute, the siblings drifted apart as the elder McDonough ran for mayor in Diamond City in the 2282 election, on a firmly anti-ghoul platform. Having lived on the Field for most of his life and knowing many of the ghoul families that would be affected, he tried to intervene and stop the pogrom after his brother's victory and subsequent proclamation of the anti-ghoul decree during his inaugural speech. However, as the mob threw the ghouls out of the city, Hancock was treated to a hideous, mile-long smile and a declaration that it was merely the will of the people.

Furious at the injustice, Hancock left Diamond City behind and headed for Goodneighbor. He managed to track down a couple of the families and lead them there, but most couldn't get used to the life in its brutal reality. He did what he could to help them, bringing them food and other aid, but after a few weeks, most of them just disappeared. The realization that Diamond City signed their death warrants further radicalized Hancock, who felt like he was the only one who saw how screwed up things truly were, who couldn't just pretend things were fine. It was made worse by the fact that Goodneighbor fell under the shadow of Vic and his crew. He treated the homeless drifters like prey, robbing and killing them whenever he or his crew needed to blow off some steam.

Hancock tried to escape from this bleak existence through drugs. However, the resulting binge proved to be a revelation: After blacking out, he woke up on the floor of the Old State House, before John Hancock's clothes. The first American hoodlum and defender of the People, in his own words. He took the clothes for his own, abandoned his old name, and started a new life as just Hancock. He cleaned up, organized a crew of his own, procured hardware from KL-E-0, and started preparing for the inevitable confrontation with Vic. They waited for him and his crew to pass out during one of their binges and gunned them down without mercy, then hanged Vic from the Old State House balcony. Hancock uttered his own inaugural speech over the warlord's twitching body, quoting from Abraham Lincoln: "Of the people, for the people!"

His rule as a mayor focused on making Goodneighbor a town where all would be welcome and wouldn't have to fear for their lives. He tolerated the Triggermen, as long as they gave his people a wide berth, and ruthlessly cracked down on any who would exploit the people of his town. To maintain order, he carefully cultivated his Hancock persona as a revolutionary hoodlum with a devil may care attitude. He even turned himself into a ghoul, using an experimental radiation-based chem that only had one dose left. Hancock informs the curious that he did it for the legendary high he achieved, with the near-immortality of ghoulification merely an added benefit. In truth, Hancock knew full well what the drug was going to do to him, and chose to take it on purpose because he had grown sick of the person he'd become: The man who let the Diamond City ghouls die, and did nothing as Vic's men gunned down wayward drifters. Once he took the drugs, that person he was would be gone forever, forgotten; in his own words, "[It] didn't seem like a choice at all.".

Citizens of Goodneighbor look to Hancock for guidance and reassurance in the face of the looming threat of Synths and The Institute. After catching wind of Bobbi's plans to rob his stock-house, Hancock reasoned he had gotten too 'comfortable' with his position of Mayor, and, after delivering a speech to his citizens to inform them of his extended leave of absence, offers to travel with the Sole Survivor, remarking that they might be 'the right kind of trouble' he needs.

Quests

 * Pickman's Gift: Hancock asks the player to investigate rumors of a serial killer (well, more serial than Goodneighbor is used to) on the loose in North End.
 * The Big Dig: Hancock's property is involved in the heist.
 * The Silver Shroud: Hancock has unique reactions to the player if they talk to him while wearing the Shroud costume.

Other interactions

 * Hancock will offer one dose of Jet at regular intervals, which he will provide automatically when the player talks with him.
 * Upon arriving in Goodneighbor for the first time, Hancock will shiv Finn for trying to shake down the Sole Survivor. If Nick is with them at the time, Hancock will further remark on 'mistreating old friends', referring to Nick.
 * Bar Room Buddy

Comments


Quotes
"Someone needs helping, we help 'em; someone needs hurting, we hurt 'em. It's not hard."

"Goodneighbor's of the people, for the people, you feel me? Everyone's welcome."

"Plenty of folks wanna make life hard for people just tryin' to survive. I'm not willing to stand for that kinda shit."

"Moments like this, I know all that karma stuff is bull, because no one like me should be this lucky.""

"I'm gonna be real mad if this turns out to be one big Jet flashback."

"So a ghoul walks into a bar. Bartenders says 'We don't serve ghouls here.' Ghoul says 'That's fine; is the Human fresh?'"

"Not sure how much of this fresh air and sunshine I can handle. Gotta be a bar around here somewhere..."

Appearances
John Hancock appears only in Fallout 4.