Phoenix was a famed mercenary pilot who served in various battlefields in Usea. He usually served as the flight lead of Scarface Squadron under the callsign Scarface 1 (alternatively Scarface One).
History[]
Phoenix had a reputation as a soldier for hire in battlefields across the world. In 1995, he was hired by the FCU Army to battle a terrorist group that toppled the government of Skully Island, a region in south Usea. Leading a group of mercenary pilots, he led the Scarface Squadron in anti-insurgency operations across the country, eventually destroying their headquarters and taking down an airship deployed in a desperate attempt to regain power.
After the operations in Skully, Scarface Squadron disbanded and Phoenix himself retired from the frontlines, and settled down in Usea. Three years later, in 1998, he returned to service after being hired by Unified Command after the outbreak of the Usean Rebellion, where he was tasked with aiding them in battling armed forces across the continent that opposed the Osean Federation.
On June 30, 2020, A ceremony was being hosted by Osea on Memorial Day commemorating 25 years since the end of the Belkan War. Phoenix's F-22 Raptor from the 1995 insurrection and XFA-27 were in a formation at Redmill Air Force Base alongside the aircraft of other nations.
In other Ace Combat titles[]
Following a common series tradition, references to Phoenix are made in subsequent Ace Combat games. However, such allusions are minor in number compared to other protagonists, such as Mobius 1.
In Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception, Phoenix appears in the special mission "Operation X" as one of the Ace Combat 2 legacy aces in an XFA-27, along with the "Z.O.E." ADF-01. Phoenix's livery also appears as the Special 2 color of the Typhoon.
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation had multiple aircraft skins available for purchase that featured Scarface 1's emblem or livery. These included variants for the F/A-18F Super Hornet, Mirage 2000-5, F-16C Fighting Falcon and Su-33 Flanker-D. The former three sported just his emblem and aircraft number while the latter sported his Ace Combat 2 livery.
He also makes an appearance in the mission "Ace of Aces" in Ace Combat: Joint Assault as the 100th and final enemy aircraft, flying a Typhoon. Phoenix is highly aggressive and adopts Milosz Sulejmani's flight patterns. As with the previous game, the Air Combat color is also available for the Typhoon, alongside the Ace Combat 2 colors for the A-6E Intruder and the MiG-21-93 Fishbed.
In Ace Combat Infinity, the Phoenix paint scheme was included for selected aircraft as part of the 20th anniversary celebration of the series. These paint schemes, alongside their inverse versions, can be unlocked via Challenge Event.
In Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, the Scarface paint scheme was included alongside the XFA-27. A later update also adds the Air Combat paint scheme labelled "Phoenix" for the F-22A Raptor and the Ace Combat 2 one labelled "Scarface" for the SU-37 Terminator as part of the game's 2nd Anniversary Update.
Trivia[]
- Contrary to popular belief, Phoenix is the first playable character to speak. However, he only speaks during a landing.
- Chronologically in Strangereal, Phoenix is the first player character to canonically use an original aircraft, namely the XFA-27.
- Phoenix is one of two playable characters (the other being Mobius 1) to appear in multiple games, namely Air Combat, Ace Combat 2 and its remake Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy.
- Phoenix is the second player character in Strangereal to be seen outside of gameplay, the first being Blaze. He is briefly seen in the intro of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy walking towards his F-22A Raptor with his helmet.
Gallery[]
Scarface One using a Mirage 2000-5
Scarface One's F/A-18F Super Hornet DLC
Scarface One's F-16C Fighting Falcon DLC
Scarface One's F-16C Fighting Falcon DLC
Phoenix's emblem during the Skully Islands insurrection
Phoenix's emblem during the Usean coup d'état
Phoenix engaging an Su-37 Terminator