Riddick (character)

Riddick
The Chronicles of Riddick character
Vin Diesel as Riddick
First appearance	Pitch Black (2000)
Created by	David Twohy Jim Wheat Ken Wheat
Portrayed by	Vin Diesel
Voiced by	Vin Diesel
In-universe information
Nickname	Riddick
Species	Furyan
Gender	Male
Occupation	Fugitive Former Lord Marshall Former mercenary (self-description)
Family	None surviving
Nationality	Furya

Richard B. Riddick, commonly known as Riddick, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Chronicles of Riddick series. This series includes the animated short film Dark Fury and the video games Escape from Butcher Bay and Assault on Dark Athena. Actor Vin Diesel has portrayed Riddick in all film and video game adaptations.

Within the series, Riddick is depicted as having a wide range of skills, including exceptional mobility, stealth, combat abilities, survival in harsh conditions, prison escape, and piloting. Despite his criminal background, he occasionally performs moral or heroic actions, often against his own survivalist instincts.

Originally shown as a human in Pitch Black, Riddick's race is later revealed to be Furyan in subsequent sequels. The Furyans are a warrior race nearly exterminated by a military campaign that left their home planet, Furya, desolate. Riddick is one of the last surviving members of this race. His eyes, a defining feature, allow him to see clearly in the dark, a trait associated with a specific caste of Furyans known as Alpha-Furyans. In Pitch Black, he implies that his eyes were surgically altered, but this is later attributed to his Furyan heritage. To protect his eyes from bright light, he wears tinted welding goggles.

Riddick's past includes roles as a mercenary and a member of a security force, eventually becoming a soldier. This background contributes to his complex character, blending elements of an antihero with occasional heroic actions.^[1]