- "We got this man. We got this by the ASS!"
- —Roger to Peter
Roger DeMarco, otherwise known as the Trooper, is a fictional character and survivor, featured in George A. Romero's classic 1978 film Dawn of the Dead, portrayed by Scott Reiniger.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)[]
Roger was apart of a raid on a low-income housing project in Philadelphia, as apart of a S.W.A.T. team. Prior to this however, he had plans of deserting, meeting with Stephen Andrews and Fran Parker, to get out of the city via a news helicopter. He and his comrades found themselves dealing with heavy resistance by gunman within the projects, as well as the rising of deceased corpses that were in the building with them. He would soon meet with fellow S.W.A.T. member Peter Washington, forming a partnership with him and deciding to take him with him when they deserted. They escaped the madness of the raid in a squad car, finding themselves meeting with Stephen and Fran before venturing off in the helicopter.
They stop several times for fuel and possible supplies, dealing with several straggling zombies as they continued. They eventually came across an abandoned shopping mall, which is crawling with zombies, both in and outside. Both Roger and Peter strategize on methods to get rid of the zombies inside, as well as outside and as a way to gain access to the various stores in the mall. During their excursion outside the mall to barricade the doors with trucks however, Roger got reckless and ended up being bitten on the leg and arm by a zombie. Once the trucks were in place, Peter brought Roger back into the mall, where they locked up, as well as bandaged Roger's leg. They also successfully dealt with the zombies inside, however Roger's leg suffered a reopening by another zombie, but despite this, managed to finish aiding the others in clean up. Once the mall was thoroughly secured, they remain there for sometime, having fun, at least until Roger continued to progressively get worse. He would eventually die in his bed, despite trying not to come back. This leads Peter to not only shoot Roger's zombified corpse, but also bury him within the mall.
Characteristics[]
Physical Appearance[]
Roger is a Caucasian male, standing at 5'7" tall, in his late 20s-early 30s, with short dirty blond hair and blue eyes. He wears a blue S.W.A.T. jumpsuit, which came with a cap, utility belt and black boots, however after being infected, he wore various other forms of clothing, prior to his death.
Personality & Traits[]
Roger was pretty level-headed when it came to his job, however when the apocalypse reared its ugly head however, even he was hell-bent on deserting his post and surviving at any cost. As serious and level-headed as he was however, he also had a playful side about him, which typically showed when he joked and strategized with Peter. He also had a cocky nature about him as well, which is what led him to become reckless outside and eventually, got him bitten.
Skills & Abilities[]
- Peek Physical Condition: Prior to his infection and eventual reanimation, Roger was as physically fit as possible for a human being of his age.
- Marksmanship: As a cop, Roger had a very sharp eye when it came to taking out zombies from a distance.
- Weapons Expert: As a cop, Roger possessed a knowledge in the use of various firearms, which included rifles, shotguns, pistols, etc.
- First-Aid: Roger had some knowledge in terms of first aid, which allowed him to see to his initial wounds following being bitten by a zombie.