Every leading man worth his salt needs a wise-cracking sidekick to accompany him on his travels, and in Nathan Drake’s case, Victor “Sully” Sullivan certainly fits the bill. Renowned for his womanizing ways and penchant for wearing ostentatious Havana shirts, Sully has a long standing relationship with Uncharted’s resident cheeky chap, having mentored Drake for many years prior to in-game events. Little is known about his previous exploits, though he’s been in the treasure hunting game for many years, and over that time has got tangled up in the company of many unscrupulous competitors. In fact, Sully once let slip he managed to successfully rip off the notorious drug baron, Pablo Escobar, though kept the details close to his chest.
The subject of money follows Sully round like a bad smell. Whether it’s making a quick buck from some undiscovered treasure or lumbering himself in debt, the old chap can never seem to reach a state of financial equilibrium. Indeed, Sully’s relentless pursuit of riches has gotten both him and Drake into a bit of a pickle on numerous occasions, as evidence in the events of Drake’s Fortune, where the aging adventurer got tangled up in something way bigger than he could have conceived. Ironically, despite his seemingly perennial cash flow issues, Sully managed to plonk down the dough for a posh yacht and Grumann Goose, the latter of which has the misfortune of getting shot down during one of Drake’s adventures.
Outside his swindling-based shenanigans, Sully harbors great respect for the equally brash Drake (a feeling which is likewise reciprocated) and the pair maintains a solid friendship. And, while Drake handles the majority of the donkey work when scuffle breaks out with the bad guys, Sully is always on hand with his trusty Magnum to lend a hand, demonstrating his competency in handling firearms. Unsurprisingly for a bloke his age, Sully isn’t as dexterous as his wise-cracking mate, and typically hangs back whenever Drake goes off on another precarious platform-hopping adventure. In fact, Sully even freely admitted he’s “getting too old” for accompanying Drake on some of his more arduous antics, opting to stay behind during much of the events of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
We’re first introduced to Sully and his epic ‘tache during the events of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Up to his eyeballs in debt at the time, Sully extricates Drake and journalist Elena Fisher from a rather sticky situation as the pair is embroiled in a gun fight aboard Sully’s yacht, which ends up taking a battering in the ensuring scrap. After hearing of Nate’s discovery of Sir Francis Drake’s journal, which gives mention to the whereabouts of the lost treasure of El Dorado, the duo head off for a remote Island (leaving a flustered Fisher behind), only to find the site picked dry. It’s here that Sullivan divulges the extent of his financial blunders, telling Drake he was “counting on this one” to clear his debts. The pair later discovers the remains of a German U-Boat in the jungle, which Drake investigates.
Upon returning, he finds Sully alongside dodgy geezer Gabriel Roman, who just so happens to be the chap Sullivan owes money to. As such, Sully let Roman in on the whole affair in order to offer assurance that his debt would be paid. Roman, however, has other ideas, and takes Drake’s map before blasting Sully in the chest, seemingly killing him. Forced to flee the scene, Drake later continues his search for El Dorado and discovers his long-time friend is actually alive and well, thanks to some footage scooped by Elena – and what’s more, he’s apparently working alongside Roman and sidekick Nevarro. Being the sly dog he is however, Sully is in fact duping the dastardly duo in an effort to throw them off the treasure’s scent. Ironically, it was Sir Francis Drake’s diary that spared his life, taking the slug that Roman fired at him. Sully continues to lead the Mercenaries astray while Drake and Elena uncover the terrible secrets behind El Dorado, and dispatch Nevarro after a heated fistfight. Unbeknownst to his pal however, Sully at some point amassed a boatload – both literally and figuratively – of treasure from the pirate goons who were pursuing El Dorado, unveiling the loot to an elated Drake and Elena just as the pair were about to indulge in a cheeky snog.
Sullivan later shows up in a diminished role in Among Thieves, where he bails Drake’s mucky arse out of prison after the fortune seeker was stitched up like a kipper by old pal Harry Flynn. This time around Drake is on the trail of Marco Polo, who is believed to have been in possession of the mythic Cintamani Stone. Sully later accompanies Drake Borneo, where the pair attempt to track down the artifact by infiltrating the camp of warlord Zoran Lazarveric. With some help from Drake’s old flame Chloe Fraser, Sully and his partner discover the stone is in fact not in Borneo, and, after Sully aids his partner in a battle against Lazarverics flunkies, discover the remains of Marco Polo’s crew in a decrepit mountain tomb. While there, they discover a new lead, though are betrayed by Fraser who turns them over to Flynn and co, who instructs the sultry gunslinger to take them to Lazarveric. However, Fraser does a 180, killing the armed goons escorting Drake and Sully, and the pair manages to escape. It’s here, though, that Sully feels he may have bitten off more than he can chew for a bloke of his age, and decides to retire from the quest, instead opting to take a vacation “somewhere hot.”
Inevitably, the old boy rocks up again at the climax of Uncharted 2, just as Drake and Elena finally seal their mutual affection with each other via a passionate snog. Sully looks set to play an integral role in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, and has already been confirmed to appear in the PlayStation Vita game Uncharted: Golden Abyss, which takes place before the events of Drake’s Fortune. What adventures lie in wait for Sully and his epic tache? Only time will tell.