Aahana Swrup
Brandon Beckett returns for a dangerous adventure in the thrilling crime film ‘Sniper: Assassin’s End.’ However, this time, instead of chasing a criminal, the Special Ops Marine Sniper finds himself on the wrong side of the law after a new skilled sniper on the block assassinates a foreign political dignitary, Diaz, and frames Brandon for the crime. As such, the man turns to his father, retired former Sergeant Thomas Beckett, as the father-son duo investigates Diaz’s death on the lam.
Throughout the film, the Becketts face off against numerous adversaries, from dutiful but misguided CIA Agent John Franklin, Russian hired killers, and the sniper who turns out to be a Yakuza-trained assassin. Nevertheless, as the story unfolds, Donald South, a seemingly harmless Pharma CEO, reveals himself to be a key player by introducing a new corporate threat through the feud between Novasil and Phykus Pharma Companies. For the same reason, viewers might be curious about his origins and possible ties to real life. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Donald South Is a Fictional Antagonist
No, Donald South from ‘Sniper: Assassin’s End’ is not based on a real-life businessman. Since the film’s events are fictional, so are the elements explored within the narrative. Thus, characters like Donald South, a new and likely one-off introduction into the franchise, are simple works of fiction created to move the plot along. Unlike legacy characters whose inception can be credited to Michael Frost Beckner and Crash Leyland, this film’s director, Kaare Andrews, and Oliver Thompson, the screenwriter, created the character of Donald South.
Donald initially enters the plot as a throwaway detail when Agent Zeke “Zero” Rosenburg of Homeland Security launches his own private investigation to evaluate Brandon’s involvement in Diaz’s death. As such, the agent picks up on a connection between Diaz’s political policies and Phykus Industries, the company that has just concluded a merger acquisition of Donald’s Novasil Pharmaceuticals. Therein lies the center of the film’s biggest mystery, which moves forward all the other pawns across the board.
Nevertheless, these details are all fictionalized to add a thrilling plot point to Brandon’s ever-evolving story. Interestingly, with Donald South’s character, the ‘Sniper’ franchise introduces the idea of corporate crime in a substantial manner for the first time. In the series’ previous installments, druglords, terrorists, and other similar socio-political adversaries have helmed the narrative’s antagonistic aspect.
Therefore, Donald’s character and the franchise as a whole also incorporate modern elements into its universe to retain contemporary authenticity. This specific genre of villains has been popular in media for some time now, with ‘Superman’s’ Lex Luthor remaining a timeless classic example. Other more updated examples would be Miles Bron from ‘Glass Onion’ and ‘Don’t Look Up’s’ Peter Isherwell.
Are Novasil Pharmaceuticals and Phykus Industries Real Companies?
Novasil Pharmaceuticals and Phykus Industries, similar to Donald South, the narrative center of the film’s corporate theft storyline, are also fictitious elements. While the companies present an intriguing and unforeseeable twist into the action-rich storyline within ‘Sniper: Assassin’s End,’ neither of the companies has any actual basis in real-life corporations. Yet, with their inclusion, the film gets to explore the sinister nature of greed as Donald uses the companies as pawns in his bigger scheme.
Therefore, each company exists only in service to populating the character’s narrative and building upon his motives to round out his storyline. Furthermore, not much else is known about these companies save for corporate espionage and specialization in identity theft. For the same reason, we can conclude they were created without much basis in reality, solely for the purpose of the narrative. Ultimately, Donald South, Novasil Pharmaceuticals, and Phykus Industries are fictional additions to the film’s fictional storyline.
Read More: Sniper Ultimate Kill: Is Jesus Morales Based on a Real Colombian Cartel Chief?
