Nicole Brennan is the Senior Medical Office working onboard the USG Ishimura in the Dead Space Remake (2023). Read on to learn more about Nicole Brennan, the character's voice actor, background, and story role!
List of Contents
- Character Profile
- Backstory
- Role
- Related Guides
 Heads Up! | This page contain major spoilers for the story and ending of the Dead Space Remake (2023). |
|---|
Nicole Brennan's Character Profile
Character Overview
 Nicole | Full Name | Nicole Brennan |
|---|---|---|
| Occupation | Medical Officer | |
| Voice Actor | Tanya Clarke | |
| Role | Supporting Character | |
| Afflitiation | ・USG Ishimura ・Concordance Extraction Corporation | |
Official Background
“Dr. Nicole Brennan is an accomplished doctor with a degree in neuropsychiatry. After encouragement from Isaac, Nicole joined the USG Ishimura’s medical team six months ago. Though she is compassionate and fiercely protective of her patients, Nicole has clashed with the Unitologists on board the Ishimura, knowing from grim experience how dangerous the Church’s beliefs can be.”
Source: Dead Space official website
Nicole Brennan's Backstory
Before the Ishimura
Based on the Background Request Text Log, Nicole Brennan worked as a neuropsychiatrist before her service on the Ishimura. One of the patients on her roster was Octavia Clarke, Isaac Clarke's mother, and it was through her psychiatric treatments that Nicole and Isaac met each other.
After starting a relationship, Nicole and Isaac lived together until she moved out to serve on the USG Ishimura following a promotion, which Isaac pushed her to take.
Strained Relationship
In the Remake, Isaac's recollection in the Guest Consultant Suites in Chapter 10 reveals that he and Nicole fought prior to the outbreak on the Ishimura.
In the cutscene, Isaac informs Nicole that his mother, Octavia Clarke, died, taking his father's life before her own. He starts blaming Nicole for the tragic event, as she mentioned that Octavia "was herself again" and "would be better at home."
Despite Nicole showing compassion and offering condolences, Isaac brushes her sentiments off and states that she "might as well have killed them [herself]." Not wanting to deal with him any longer, Nicole tells Isaac to go to hell before ending the call, leaving him alone to regret what he said.
Nicole Brennan's Role
Working on the USG Ishimura
During her time at the USG Ishimura, Nicole Brennan acted as the ship's Senior Medical Officer. She was known to clash with Dr. Challus Mercer, who interfered with her treatment of patient Brant Harris with his Unitologist beliefs.
She also dealt with the ship's growing Necromorph outbreak as best as she could, doing everything to save injured crewmates despite mostly being in the dark about the situation.
Getting Answers
During the Scientific Methods side mission, several holograms and audio logs reveal that Nicole started connecting her patients' strange mutations and the growing Necromorph creep on the ship to the Marker and the events on Aegis VII.
She tried to develop a cure while investigating each case, trying to learn more from Dr. Terrence Kyne, a close co-worker who was researching the Marker on the ship. Her journey for answers would eventually lead her to Dr. Mercer's room, where she learned about his cruel experiments regarding the Marker and the search for immortality.
Scientific Methods Side Mission Guide
Unfortunate Death
With the Necromorph outbreak becoming uncontrollable, Nicole took one last video log to send to his boyfriend, Isaac Clarke, before taking her own life with a syringe. This video log is the same one Isaac watches at the beginning of the game and which partially motivated Isaac to join the mission to find and repair the USG Ishimura.
Chapter 1: New Arrivals Walkthrough
Appearance in the Mining Deck
During Isaac's mission to repair and leave the USG Ishimura, he often heard Nicole's voice through strange audio calls, which likely motivated him to push forward and search for his missing loved one.
The two would eventually see each other again inside the Ishimura's Mining Deck, where Nicole assisted Isaac in getting into the Equipment Workshop to reach the SOS Beacon. However, she left as quickly as she arrived, telling Isaac that she'll catch up later.
Chapter 7: Into the Void Walkthrough
Nicole Returns
When Kendra Daniels betrayed Isaac by flying off with the shuttle at the Flight Hangar, Nicole appeared once again to lend him assistance.
Contacting Isaac with a video call, they met up in the ship's Flight Control room, where they recalled Kendra's shuttle and reprogrammed it to fly to Aegis VII so they could return the Marker.
Chapter 11: Alternate Solutions Walkthrough
Nicole Is Dead
After Isaac and Nicole return the Marker to its pedestal on Aegis VII, Nicole thanks Isaac, affirming that they are now "whole" before the Marker shoots a beam of energy into the sky, causing the planet's tectonic load to release.
As Isaac tries to prevent the mass from crashing into Aegis VII, Kendra shows up to stop him by holding Nicole hostage. She then shows Isaac how delusional he is by pulling up the full version of Nicole's last video message, which reveals that Nicole had already died by the time he reached the Ishimura.
On top of this revelation, Kendra also reveals that the "Nicole" who assisted Isaac was Dr. Elizabeth Cross the entire time. The Marker used its powers to distort what the two saw.
Chapter 12: Dead Space Walkthrough
Haunting Isaac Clarke
Despite learning about Nicole's death and surviving the events on Aegis VII and the USG Ishimura, hallucinations of Nicole still haunt Isaac. During the game's epilogue, a hallucination of Nicole suddenly appears and attacks Isaac, leaving the engineer's final fate unknown.
Ending Explained
Dead Space Remake Related Guides
List of All Characters
All Dead Space Remake Characters
| Main Characters | |
|---|---|
| Isaac Clarke |  Nicole Brennan |
| Kendra Daniels | Zach Hammond |
| Other Characters | |
| Dr. Challus Mercer | Dr. Terrence Kyne |
| Cpt. Benjamin Mathius | Dr. Elizabeth Cross |
| Jacob Temple | Aiden Chen |
| Hailey Johnston | Carmack Danvers |
| Benson | |
