Ray Ferrier

Near Pure Good
Full Name	Raymond Ferrier
Alias	Ray
Origin	War of the Worlds
Family	Rachel Ferrier Robbie Ferrier Mary Ann
Allies	Manny Harlan Ogilvy (formerly)
Enemies	Aliens Harlan Ogilvy
Powers/Skills	Fighting skills Determination Resourcefulness
Goals	Protect his children. Survive the alien invasion.
Goodness Zone	Protecting his children from the aliens. Saving Rachel's life multiple times.
Type of Hero	Protective Survivor

“	Do you understand what I'm going to have to do? I can't let my daughter die because of you.	„
	~ Ray Ferrier

Raymond "Ray" Ferrier is the protagonist of the 2005 film War of the Worlds. He is a dock worker who has separated from his wife, and must protect his two children when an alien invasion takes place while they are visiting him.

He was portrayed by Tom Cruise.

His Good Ranking

What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Good?

• While he has a strained relationship with his children at first, and often argues with Robbie, he does love them and is committed to protecting them, always putting their safety first rather than seek revenge on the aliens. He saves Rachel's life several times, and wins back both children's respect by the end.
• He does everything he can to protect Rachel's innocence and keep her from being traumatized by what's happening.
• He is able to escape from the aliens' first attack and get his children to safety when the attack begins.
• He begs Manny to get in the car and come with them, only leaving because he has no choice.
• He keeps watch while they sleep in the basement, and again gets them to safety when a plane crashes.
• He keeps Rachel calm after the plane crash, telling her to look only at him so she won't be upset by the destruction.
• When Rachel goes out of sight to use the bathroom, Ray finds her and covers her eyes when she sees a river full of corpses, taking her to safety and telling her that she should stay in sight, but not scolding her further.
• He takes on a mob who wants to steal his car, fighting them off until he can get his children to safety, and lets them have the car, telling them he just wants his children.
• When the tripods attack a ferry, Ray begs the soldiers to let more people on before taking off, showing his regard for their lives.
• He tries to save Robbie from getting killed, telling him he loves him and that he should stay for his sister's sake, only relenting because he has to go back to save Rachel from being taken away.
• He comforts Rachel after the presumed loss of Robbie, telling her that he's okay and that they're going to make it to her parents, and sings her a lullaby to help her sleep.
• He protects Rachel from the unstable Ogilvy, telling him to keep away from her.
• He tricks the alien probe when it comes into the basement, and helps Rachel hide from the aliens when they come down, while keeping Ogilvy from alerting them to their presence.
• He begs Ogilvy not to make noise that would endanger Rachel's life, and kills him when he doesn't listen, showing how much he loves Rachel and that he'll do anything to protect her. He also keeps Rachel calm by covering her eyes and ears and having her sing, so she won't realize what he's doing.
• He destroys the alien probe when it comes back and sees Rachel.
• He gets the attention of the tripod that has abducted Rachel, getting himself captured in order to save her. When he finds Rachel in the basket, he soothes her, and is willing to sacrifice himself in order to keep her alive. He manages to destroy the tripod with a grenade, saving Rachel and everyone else who was caught.
• He is able to alert the military to the fact that the last tripod has no shield, allowing them to defeat it. As they bring it down, he hugs Rachel tenderly and reassures her that the danger is over.

What Prevents Him From Being Pure Good?

• He has a tense relationship with Robbie and often argues with him in an immature manner, and is dismissive of Rachel when she points out he shouldn't do that.
• He murders Harlan to silence him from making noise, which he feared would alert the aliens of their presence, and doesn't show much regret afterwards. While it's not too corrupting as Harlan indirectly endangered them and he tried reasoning with him peacefully before killing him, the scene is still played for horror.
  • Even the filmmakers confirmed it was meant to be morally ambiguous as they pointed out that Ray and his daughter were still found by the aliens anyway, so killing him didn’t really change anything. It also doesn't help that Ray had already shown some antagonism toward Harlan even before this, despite him giving them shelter.

External Links

• Ray Ferrier on the Heroes Wiki
• Ray Ferrier on the War of the Worlds Wiki