Assassin's Creed Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Assassin's Creed Wiki
This article is about the Abstergo scientist. For other uses, see Alvaro.

Álvaro Gramática (1965 – 2018) was the Director of Research of the Future Technology division of Abstergo Industries and a member of the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order.

As one of Abstergo's leading scientists, Gramática was in charge of the Phoenix Project, an attempt to recreate Isu DNA and tissue, since at least 2014, and conducted extensive research into the Pieces of Eden.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Gramática was born in Mexico City in 1965 and graduated from university at the age of 17 with advanced degrees in physics and computer science, eventually developing an expertise in mechanical engineering and biology.[2]

Early years with Abstergo[]

Gramática was recruited into Abstergo in 2008 to work on the Akashic Satellite Plexus. In 2009, he created the Data Dump Scanner, a proprietary technology that would eventually lead to the creation of Helix, when combined with the Animus interface.[2] He quickly developed a rivalry with long-term Abstergo employee and fellow Templar, Dr. Warren Vidic, who he felt could always do with being "knocked down a peg".[3]

In 2011, Gramática received an offer from fellow Inner Sanctum member Isabelle Ardant. She gave Gramática the opportunity to hand Alan Rikkin a new working Piece of Eden after the DIA satellite accident by giving him an apparently broken Shroud of Eden for him to fix. Gramática accepted her offer since it would kill Vidic's Animus Project.[4]

By 2012, Gramática managed to trigger the Shroud's healing function by shooting himself while wearing it, causing a Precursor to briefly possess him.[5] Ardant later assigned Violet da Costa of Sigma Team to work with Gramática, who had her wear the Shroud and shot her, causing a Precursor named Consus to possess her. Gramática conversed with Consus but the conversation came to an end when Violet's wound was healed. With Violet's consent, Gramática shot her again.[3]

In October, details of the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order were made available to recruits of the second stage of the Animi Training Program. Kept in a dossier of Abstergo Files, the one pertaining to the Inner Sanctum was entitled "File.0.17\Ins_InnerSanctum" and included the names and positions of all its members, Gramática being one of them. Revealing his leadership of the Future Technology division.[6]

Following Vidic's death on 14 December, Gramática's desire to use all resources available to Abstergo in his Phoenix Project, even at the expense of other Abstergo operations, began to cause strife within the Inner Sanctum. Gramática was unable to keep the Templars unified towards a common goal like Vidic had done.[2]

On 21 December, during one of his usual conversations with Consus through Violet's body, he informed Gramática of Juno's release from her imprisonment in the Grand Temple. Greatly disturbed by the event, Consus claimed that all was now lost, while a confused Gramática demanded him to explain what he was talking about.[7]

In 2013, Violet and Sigma Team leader Juhani Otso Berg drugged Gramática by their own initiative to use the Shroud and speak to Consus to ask him if Juno and her followers, the Instruments of the First Will, were a serious threat without anyone noticing. To their surprise, Gramática was barely affected by the drugs and discovered the pair as they were about to use the Shroud. He then interrogated Berg, asking him the reason of why they had broken into his office. Happy with his answer, he let them proceed. Berg shot Violet, who was using the Shroud, and Consus possessed her body. Berg asked him about Juno and found out that she had induced her consciousness into "the grey area inside of systems" using Consus' former research. Gramática concluded that Berg and Violet were right to be concerned and that they needed to do more research on Juno.[8] Later that year, Gramática was credited as being part of the development team for Abstergo's Liberation video game.[9]

Head of Phoenix Project[]

By 2014, Gramática was the director of the Phoenix Project, which aimed to successfully sequence a full Isu genome. After the death of John Standish the year before, Gramática's team analyzed his body and DNA. Through their research, Gramática found that roughly five percent of Standish's genome was pure Isu DNA, [citation needed] and decided that locating other Sages would be the most practical way to achieve his goals.[10]

In his efforts, Gramática frequently contacted Melanie Lemay, head of Abstergo Entertainment, for advice, insight and leads concerning the location of Sages, specifically their remains. Under his authorization, Abstergo Entertainment's Robert Fraser began analyzing the French Assassin Arno Dorian's genetic memories.[10]

Gramática also instructed Lemay on how to deal with intruders into Abstergo Entertainment's Helix network using the company's proprietary intrusion detection system. When implemented, the system sent intruders into hippocampal shock, or even death in some cases. However, this defense was bypassed by a Helix initiate who saved their trapped comrades.[10]

On 13 October, the Paris lab was assaulted by the Assassins. Gramática was wearing the Shroud when he was confronted by Shaun Hastings and Galina Voronina, the latter of whom promptly killed him. After the Assassins left, however, the Shroud, though damaged beyond repair, was able to revive Gramática.[11]

ACS Templar Meeting 2

Gramática speaking with Ardant during their search for the Shroud.

In 2015, Gramática worked with Isabelle Ardant to recover a Shroud of Eden located beneath Buckingham Palace in London. Isabella and Violet da Costa were able to retrieve the Shroud in spite of the Assassins' efforts to also recover it, though Isabelle was killed by Shaun Hastings when he stabbed her with his Shock Blade. Ecstatic to have the Shroud of Eden, Gramática revealed his plans to use it to recreate an actual First Civilization member from scratch and planned to call Alan Rikkin to update him on this development.[12]

Following the death of Ardant and the recovery of the Shroud, Gramática retreated to a top-secret facility in Australia[13] to continue working on Project Phoenix without prying eyes. Even his fellow Templars, such as Laetitia England, were unaware of his exact location. Gramática did, however, send the coordinates to Berg, allowing him to deliver the Precursor box to his lab, which he hoped would help him better understand the Shroud.[14]

In October 2016, he was present during Simon Hathaway's induction into the Inner Sanctum. Ten days later, Gramática sided with Rikkin against Hathaway when charges of treason were brought against their fellow Templar. However, as Rikkin was only backed by Gramática, David Kilkerman, and Alfred Stearns, he had no choice but to drop the charges.[15]

In March 2017, the Inner Sanctum invited the new Black Cross to a meeting in Quebec, during which Gramática was present. Displeased that he self-proclamed himself their inquisitor, they threatened him and demanded to know his identity. The masked man responded that he came only as a courtesy, to inform them that he was investigating a hostile fifth column within the Order. After affirming his independence, the Black Cross dropped a smoke bomb and disappeared.[16]

Working with the Instruments and death[]

In August 2018, while working on the Phoenix Project at his laboratory, Gramática was surprised by the sudden arrival of Violet da Costa, accompanied by the Instruments of the First Will and Elijah. Violet simply told him that they had come for his project, which the Instruments promptly took over, as part of their plan to resurrect Juno.[17] Although annoyed by the hijacking of his research, Gramática was more than willing to help with the procedure, glad to finally be able to construct a living Isu. Using the Shroud on somatic cells containing Isu DNA extracted from Elijah, he was able to grow a new body for Juno, which thanks to the Shroud's unique properties, would reach maturity in 24 hours.[18]

Once Juno was fully reborn, she broke free of her vat and attacked Gramática, damaging the lab in the process.[19] Moments later, the Assassin Charlotte de la Cruz infiltrated the lab through a ventilation shaft (which had been installed against protocol at Gramática's request, who insisted on having fresh air access), but she was incapacitated by Juno. However, Elijah, who had betrayed the Instruments, was able to use the Koh-i-Noor to trick Juno with an illusion of Consus, before he and Charlotte used the artifact to guide Charlotte's fellow Assassins and Otso Berg (who was reluctantly helping them) to the lab. When Juno realized the deception, she fired an energy beam in anger, which hit the ceiling, causing debris to fall on Gramática and crush him to death. His body was later incinerated when Otso Berg destroyed the lab in an explosion.[1]

Personality and traits[]

"Álvaro Gramática is a brilliant mind, an arrogant pig, a raging sociopath, and a spectacular prima donna."
―Juhani Otso Berg on his colleague[src][[ [citation needed] |-[m]]]

Álvaro Gramática was noted as being a genius from the day he was born, excelling in puzzles like sudoku. His genius, coupled with his expertise in mechanical engineering and biology made him attractive as a potential employee to Abstergo.[2] Following his appointment as director of the Phoenix Project in 2014, Álvaro become completely focused on his goal of fully sequencing an Isu genome, and hoped to use every resource available to Abstergo in this mission. This caused some strife with his fellow Templars, and Álvaro was unable to keep the Inner Sanctum unified towards a common goal, like his former rival, Dr. Warren Vidic had been.[2]

Gramática was more concerned with his work than human relationships, and was noted as often abandoning his wife and three children for long periods of time while immersed in his work.[2] This also resulted in him having poor relations with many of his colleagues; Isabelle Ardant called him a prick after a video conversation with him and showed reluctance in dealing with him, while Juhani Otso Berg and Violet da Costa were dismissive and somewhat contemptuous of him. In his research, Gramática had no qualms in harming children, as seen by his eagerness to experiment on Elijah Miles, who was only ten years old at the time, much to the disgust of Isabelle Ardant.[20]

Gramática was so fascinated by his own work that he put it above his loyalty to the Templar Order, as shown when he agreed to help the Instruments of the First Will resurrect Juno with little to no hesitation, simply because it provided him with the opportunity to construct a living Isu. Even in his final moments, he did nothing but admire his "creation", completely ignoring the falling debris caused by Juno which ultimately ended his life. Despite this, Gramática held some resentment towards Violet da Costa for betraying the Templars and siding with the Instruments, calling her a "traitorous bitch".[19]

Gramática was reportedly highly resistant to drugs, as he was barely affected when Violet da Costa put "enough tranquilizers in [his] coffee to knock out a whale".[8] Despite this, he had to get his stomach pumped when he deliberately ingested a massive dose of pills while experimenting with the Shroud of Eden.

Behind the scenes[]

Álvaro Gramática is a fictitious character first mentioned in the multiplayer section of Assassin's Creed: Revelations. He later appeared in the fake credits of the 2012 video game Assassin's Creed III: Liberation. He remained a faceless figure within Abstergo until the 2016 game Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, where he made his first appearance and was voiced by the Canadian actor Marcel Jeannin.

Álvaro is a Spanish masculine name borrowed from the Germanic language. Its origins can be found in the Old Norse Alfarr from the components alfr meaning "elf" and arr meaning "army." Gramática is a Spanish colloquial meaning "to look out for oneself" and "cleverness, shrewdness."


Gallery[]

Appearances[]

References[]

Advertisement