Since the release of Deus Ex in 2000, it’s been a long held fan theory that JC Denton’s initials stood for ‘Jesus Christ’ and that this symbolized his role as a ‘savior’ in the story. Well, 17 years later, developer Warren Spector unveiled the truth behind this lingering mystery. Years later, prequel Deus Ex: Human Revolution named the protagonist Adam which kept the theme alive.
At post-mortem panel at GDC, a fan stood up and asked flat-out what the ‘JC’ stood for. And the answer? It really was Jesus Christ.
“But there’s more to the story than that. One of my best friends is a wonderful writer named Bradley Denton, who you should all go read – Anyway, he is one of the nicest humans on the planet. If you ever need help with anything, he’s always there for you. He’s so helpful it gets annoying sometimes, so back then I would often find myself saying ‘Jesus Christ, Denton. Jesus Christ, Denton, don’t be so helpful. So when it came time to name the character, it was JC Denton.’ explained Spector.
That line was actually hinted at in the game on a handful of occasions, when characters react to your actions with “Jesus Christ, Denton!” and “Jesus Christ, JC!”
So it wasn’t religious symbolism after all. It was just an anecdote poking fun at a developers friend.
