Owen Grady is an American animal behaviorist formerly employed by the United States Navy and the Security Division of International Genetic Technologies. He is best known for his employment at InGen Security, where he was the lead animal trainer on the I.B.R.I.S. Project between 2012 and the closure of Jurassic World on December 22, 2015. Because of his employment experiences, Grady is considered a specialist in the behavior of intelligent animals and one of the leading experts on Velociraptor antirrhopus.
Name
The name Owen is commonly the anglicized version of the Welsh patronymic Owain, related to the name Eugene (meaning “noble-born”). It may also originate from the French name Ouen. It is frequently used as a surname, and in the case of the Welsh origin, was exclusively a surname for a long period of time beginning during the reign of Henry VIII.
Grady is a surname of Irish origin, derived from the word gráda meaning “noble.”
This combination of names suggests that Owen Grady’s ancestry is strongly based in the western United Kingdom, particularly Wales and Ireland. Both his first and last names have connotations of nobility, hinting at the more serious traits Grady possesses beneath his outward presentation and personality.
Biography
Early life
According to the Jurassic World script, Grady was 34 years old as of December 22-23, 2015, placing his date of birth between December 24, 1980 and December 21, 1981. His vehicle registration sticker in 2015 was a June sticker, though in 2022 he used an August sticker; either he registered early in 2015, or was falsifying his birth date in 2022. Grady’s accent and demeanor imply that he grew up in the American South or Midwest; the mobile game Jurassic World: The Game explicitly identifies the South as his home. The game also suggests that he is close with an unnamed uncle, but makes no mention of his parents.
In 1997, when Grady would have been fifteen or sixteen, an incident occurred in San Diego, California in which, to the world’s shock, a live bull Tyrannosaurus rex appeared in the city. This revealed that de-extinction had been successfully accomplished by International Genetic Technologies, Inc., bringing back organisms that had become extinct millions of years in the past. Originally, these organisms were intended to feature in a theme park called Jurassic Park, which had failed behind closed doors in 1993; some years later, InGen would be bought out and used to rebuild the park as Jurassic World.
Navy career
Grady joined the United States Navy during the Iraq War. Most of the details about this period of his career come from L/M canon and other sources from outside the films, and therefore are subject to canon review by Universal Studios at any time. However, as they are currently the primary source of information about Grady’s career as a sailor, they are used herein.
In 2000 at the age of eighteen or nineteen, Grady joined the United States Navy, where he served continuously until 2003. He worked in the Marine Mammal Program, training animals such as bottlenose dolphins (genus Tursiops) for military use. He specifically was employed in the team MK 9, which also trained sea lions and made use of other marine animals such as whales, sharks, and seals. Over his three years in the Navy, he was stationed at harbors around the world; his personal favorite station was Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, on account of the piña coladas he enjoyed while there.
Grady attained the title of First Lieutenant. This meant that, on his ship, he was the officer in command of the deck department and was in charge of line handling while the ship was mooring.
During his career with the Navy, Grady became acquainted with Barry Sembène as they trained together. While the details of how they met are undisclosed, it is likely that Sembène was involved with the French Navy at the time. Grady and Sembène became friends and remained in touch.
A notable U.S. military operation occurred on July 20, 2001 on the southern beach of Isla Sorna in which the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps extracted five civilians from the island, including celebrity paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant. It is unknown whether Grady or any of his close companions were involved with this operation.
Slightly more information about Grady’s naval career is given in the soft-canon Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Survival Guide, which includes a brief summary of his involvement in classified animal projects: “Grady is a former naval officer. During his time in the navy, he worked in many covert animal training programs, including [REDACTED][REDACTED, and giant [REDACTED], as well as [REDACTED][REDACTED], and genetically modified [REDACTED] with razor-sharp teeth.” The redacted portions were blacked out by Grady himself, with the apology “Sorry, Claire. It’s classified.”
Persian Gulf incident and court-martialing
During the Iraq War, trained dolphins were often used to locate underwater mines in areas such as the Persian Gulf in order to clear the way for American naval operations. MK 9 was utilized in this way during an incident in 2003, during which a dolphin was mistaken for an enemy ship or torpedo on radar and nearly fired upon. Grady was present and witnessed this incident and the last-minute decision that saved their dolphin from friendly fire.
This incident brought MK 9 under scrutiny from the U.S. government, with the team being recalled to the United States immediately. An investigation was conducted, though the questioning was deliberately structured to discredit the team; Grady has stated that he suspects the upcoming U.S. presidential election, and the government’s preference of drones over military animals, played a role in this. The next day, MK 9 was ordered to cease all activities and disband. This put the team’s animals in a perilous situation; since they had been raised in captivity, they could not survive in the wild, and the U.S. Navy was no longer going to provide for them.
To make matters worse, the American television news began running stories that same day about supposedly “defective” dolphins endangering missions. Grady again suspected the government interfering to hasten the dissolution of MK 9, specifically the National Security Council leaking the relevant information to major news outlets. Grady’s captain believed that having a former MK 9 member testify on television would help their cause, though it would certainly end with that person falling out of favor with the U.S. Navy. Grady volunteered to do so, knowing that the dolphins had little hope of quality life if he did not. He appeared on television stating that the Marine Mammal Program would be phased out by 2017 in favor of drones, and personally took the dolphins into his care.
Grady’s captain connected him with Masrani Global Corporation, which funded the safe relocation of the dolphins in exchange for Grady’s promise that he could be contracted by the corporation’s subsidiary International Genetic Technologies. He likely caught the attention of the Head of Security, Vic Hoskins, who had also served in the U.S. Armed Forces and opposed the government’s favoritism of drones. The conclusion of this contract meant that Grady would no longer be a sailor in the U.S. Navy, though he has since stated that he considers his three years of service to have been a waste of time.
The U.S. Navy staged a court-martial for Grady to explain his sudden removal from the military; while he was not actually suspected or convicted of any wrongdoing, this was still put on his permanent record and he was discharged from the Navy.
Involvement in I.B.R.I.S.
Beginning in 2012, InGen’s Security Division began conducting an experimental project titled the Integrated Behavioral Raptor Intelligence Study, headed by Vic Hoskins. Grady (now thirty or thirty-one years old) was hired on to work as an animal trainer due to his background with MK 9, reporting to Hoskins directly. The program was intended to test the intelligence of deinonychosaurian theropod dinosaurs to better understand their cognition and social behaviors, the intent being to eventually integrate them into the Jurassic World theme park on Isla Nublar.
Grady moved to Isla Nublar to participate in the project, inhabiting a bungalow near a lake in the eastern part of the island. The first animals involved with I.B.R.I.S. failed or were rejected due to unpredictable aggressive behaviors; instead, InGen’s senior geneticist Dr. Henry Wu engineered a new breed of Velociraptor that was hoped to be more suitable. At least two different groups of raptors, along with other theropods, were hatched; ultimately, four survivors were selected to participate in the I.B.R.I.S. project. Grady was present for all of them when they hatched, ensuring that they would imprint on him. The eldest was named Blue, followed by Delta, Echo, and Charlie.
These four raptors were introduced to one another at a young age, allowing the bonds of sisterhood to form and for a social hierarchy to develop naturally. Grady acted as a paternal figure. Blue quickly established herself as the pride’s beta, subordinate only to Grady, due to her physical strength, intelligence, and empathy. Charlie became Blue’s favorite and most loyal sister, while Delta and Echo shared a place at the bottom of the hierarchy. Grady maintained a video log of the raptors for IBRIS, tracking their development and progress in the training program. By Day 176, Blue had begun showing signs of exceptional empathy and was considered by Grady to be the most promising of the four raptors.
The raptors grew and matured quickly, relocating from the nursery to a research paddock located on the island’s eastern coast where they were guarded by InGen Security’s Asset Containment Unit. As they grew older, training them became more of a struggle, as did caring for them in general. At one point, Echo challenged Blue for the status of beta, but lost to her elder sister in a fight that left her with permanent damage to her jaw. Likewise, Blue began to challenge Grady for the position of alpha, and often led her sisters in escape attempts. Realizing that the pack dynamic was more complicated than InGen had anticipated, Grady requested help. On May 17, 2013, close to a year after the raptors hatched, he emailed Hoskins asking that his friend Barry Sembène be brought on board. Hoskins approved, and Sembène was contacted and flown in from France to join the project as an animal caretaker. Hoskins began working on an application for the raptors that year, intending to field-test them for military purposes and breed those that possessed the desired behaviors.
With Sembène’s help, the raptors were better managed. Grady used a clicker device to communicate commands to them, teaching them increasingly complex tasks. To reinforce his alpha status over Blue, he would feed her last during mealtimes. The raptors, despite Blue’s rebellious behaviors, responded well to his training methods and became quite obedient, though there were certain exercises they continued to struggle with. Nonetheless, they understood at least forty commands and responded correctly 73% of the time. Blue was still the key to maintaining authority; so long as she respected him, the other raptors would follow suit.
At some point during his employment at Jurassic World, Grady went on a date with the park’s Senior Assets Manager and Operations Manager, Claire Dearing. Though Dearing was not Grady’s direct supervisor, she did considerably outrank him in the company hierarchy. Their date did not go well; Dearing had printed an itinerary for the evening and refused to consume alcohol for dietary reasons, while Grady showed up in casual attire and had a far more relaxed idea of how the night should go. Aside from this, Grady is not known to have pursued any romantic relationships during his career at Jurassic World, nor did he establish many close friendships. However, he remained attracted to Dearing even if he was not romantically drawn to her any longer.
Hoskins continued to push for a field test, which Grady opposed. Grady’s opposition was not just due to his baggage regarding military animals; he understood that the raptors were not domesticated by any means, and were likely too intelligent to truly domesticate at all. If released into the wild, they could revert to their natural instincts and reject his authority. Sembène agreed with Grady, as did their company’s CEO Simon Masrani. With Masrani’s opposition to a field test or militarization of the animals, Grady’s fears were mostly put to rest.
In addition to the raptors, Grady was familiarized with the park’s other animals and frequently worked with them. He was only the primary trainer in the IBRIS program, but understood the needs of the other creatures. Due to his status, he was permitted access to animals that were not yet exhibited in the park, such as the Sinoceratops; one particular female Sinoceratops became especially fond of him after he fed it a head of lettuce.
By 2015, the raptors were still not ready for exhibition, despite the public’s interest in them. Some incidents occurred; a handler was mauled at some point late in the year, leading to InGen Security having to hire a new handler to replace them. Grady was widely respected by other InGen staff for his work with the supposedly-impossible raptors, which had been a problem for the company since they were first cloned in the early 1990s.
If the Jurassic World Employee Handbook is considered canon, then Grady assisted Dearing in penning a new updated version of the employee handbook sometime between 2012 and 2015, providing suggestions to improve the handbook’s information quality and accuracy.
2015 incident
December 22, 2015 began with a routine hunting training session at the research paddock, attended by guest researchers and InGen staff. A pig was released into the paddock for the raptors to chase down, and at Grady’s signal, the raptors halted the chase and allowed the prey to escape. This was lauded as a major success by Grady, Sembène, and Hoskins; during most of these sessions, the raptors ignored Grady’s command and killed their target. Hoskins continued to press for a field test, which both Grady and Sembène rejected again.
The pig used in the training session was accidentally released into the paddock while it was being removed, and a handler named Colby Boothman-Shepard attempted to recapture the animal before the raptors moved in. He was able to snare the pig from the overhead catwalk, but Echo pounced on the pig and became entangled with the snare as well. This caused Boothman-Shepard to be pulled from the catwalk and into the training yard, where the other three raptors turned on him. Grady entered the paddock and commanded the ACU staff on the paddock walls to hold their fire, placing himself in between the raptors and the employee. Boothman-Shepard was safely removed from the paddock while the raptors closed in on Grady, held back only by Blue’s hesitance at attacking him. Grady instructed Sembène to close the paddock gate; he did so despite his reservations. The gate had closed almost completely when Grady made a rolling dive underneath it. As soon as he made a move to flee, the raptors pounced, but were blocked as the gate closed. Grady had timed his escape down to the second so that the raptors would be unable to get underneath after him. Hoskins was duly impressed by Grady’s performance during this incident.
Later that afternoon, Grady was at his bungalow when he was approached by Dearing, who relayed a request from Simon Masrani for Grady to inspect Paddock 11. This paddock contained a genetically modified hybrid animal, the Indominus rex, which was intended to be introduced into a new park attraction relatively soon; Grady had been unaware of the hybrid’s existence and was disapproving of it when he learned. Still, he agreed to inspect the paddock. During their meeting, Grady acted openly flirtatious, though this appears to mostly have been an effort to irritate the more uptight and professional Dearing.
At Paddock 11, Grady criticized the isolated upbringing of the Indominus, though he admitted that introducing it to other animals might not be a good idea. Dearing attempted to draw out the Indominus by providing a steer carcass, but it did not show. The paddock supervisor Nicholas Letting performed a thermal scan of the paddock, which failed to detect the animal. Grady observed claw marks on the paddock’s forty-foot walls, leading to the immediate conclusion that the Indominus had escaped. Dearing left immediately for the control room where she would be able to track the animal via its RFID implant.
Grady assumed control of the situation at Paddock 11, despite not having been given instructions to investigate by Dearing. A worker named Nick Kilgore was sent into the paddock to investigate, joined shortly thereafter by Grady and Letting. They debated whether the animal could actually have scaled the wall. While investigating, Letting was alerted via radio by control room employee Vivian Krill that the Indominus had never actually left the paddock and was still inside. Grady attempted to lead Kilgore and Letting back to the access door, but it was blocked by the Indominus; Letting had spotted the creature first and ran toward the larger gates on the other side of the paddock. Grady and Kilgore followed him, but Kilgore was captured and torn apart. Letting succeeded in opening the paddock gates, which were remotely closed from the control room at the order of Simon Masrani. Grady managed to get out before the gate closed, but the Indominus also reached the gate in time and blocked it using its body. It then broke the gate off, Grady hiding under a crane truck to hide himself. Letting also took shelter, but was discovered and killed; Grady was helpless to save the man, but was able to disguise his own scent using gasoline to avoid detection. Once the Indominus had left the area, Grady headed south to the control room.
At the command center’s control room, he confronted Dearing, blaming her for allowing the animal to escape (though it was Grady’s decision to enter the paddock that actually resulted in the Indominus escaping). He claimed that the Indominus had marked up the paddock walls intentionally to lead its handlers into assuming it had climbed out; however, this does credit the Indominus with a much more detailed understanding of human psychology and park operations than an animal in a cage could understandably have. Efforts to recapture the animal were already underway; Masrani had ordered a squadron of elite ACU members to track its RFID implant and subdue it with nonlethal weaponry. Grady was harshly critical of this plan, predicting that it would fail with casualties. The ACU squad located the implant, which had been torn out of the animal’s body; Grady concluded that the Indominus had removed the implant by remembering where it was put in, rather than in response to the electric shocks delivered when it approached the park’s boundaries.
Grady, along with Dearing, Masrani, and the control room staff, bore witness to the ACU squad’s skirmish with the Indominus, which left several troopers dead and at least one seriously wounded. It was Grady’s suggestion that they evacuate the island altogether, though Dearing and Masrani opposed this plan. They compromised by closing all facilities in Sectors 4, 5, and 6 in a Real World emergency scenario and bringing the tourists into Sectors 1, 2, and 3. Grady was frustrated with the park administration’s rejection of his more extreme plan, and was later seen getting into confrontations with park staff.
While he was confronting staff members at the Innovation Center over the ongoing events, he was contacted by Dearing with an urgent mission: Dearing’s nephews, Zach and Gray Mitchell, were still in the park; they had been at the Gyrosphere attraction when the Real World alert was issued and had not returned to the loading dock. With ACU and most of InGen Security busy with the emergency, no staff members had been available to help her locate the Mitchells. While Grady was still upset with her, and admonished her for not knowing her nephews’ exact ages, he readily agreed to help. He departed with her in Mercedes 05, heading north through Gallimimus Valley toward the signal identifying Gyrosphere 07 which the boys were using. Dearing attempted to reach her nephews via Zach’s cell phone, but the call went unanswered.
In the valley, they encountered victims of the Indominus: a group of six Apatosaurus, the last of which was moments away from dying of its deep, bleeding lacerations. Grady initially tried to keep Dearing in the vehicle while he tended to the mortally-wounded animal, but she joined him anyway, helping to comfort the creature in its last moments. Grady noted that, while the sauropods had been slaughtered, none showed any signs of being fed upon, suggesting that the Indominus was killing out of enjoyment rather than hunger.
They continued north into Sector 5, locating the remains of Gyrosphere 07. A dislodged Indominus tooth and Zach’s cell phone, now broken, were recovered from the damaged vehicle. Dearing assumed the worst, but Grady located fresh shoe prints in the dirt along with huge theropod tracks leading away from the attack site. The tracks led to a waterfall, where it appeared that the boys had jumped; the dinosaur tracks turned and left rather than continuing the pursuit. Grady recommended that Dearing return to the control room, criticizing her attire as not suitable for fieldwork and her experience insufficient for a tracking operation. Dearing refused to be left out, and Grady begrudgingly allowed her to accompany him. In spite of himself, he found that he could respect her commitment, and began to empathize with her. They located a pile of Indominus dung and used it to disguise their scent while tracking the creature on foot through the forest.
During the search, the sound of a vehicle engine revving to life caught their attention, and they followed the sound to the decommissioned Visitors’ Centre in a restricted area of Sector 4. At the abandoned building, they found evidence that the boys had been there, and a 1992 Jeep Wrangler had been retrofitted with a new battery and driven out of the Centre’s garage; Grady was impressed that the boys had managed to get one of the old vehicles working again. The Indominus was also drawn to the Centre by the sound of the Jeep’s engine and investigated the garage. Grady and Dearing hid behind a Jeep, but were still spotted; while the dinosaur could not reach them due to the vehicle being in the way, it was able to tear open the roof and attack them from above. Grady fled the building, moving to help Dearing descend the outer stairs, but she neglected to take his hand and sprinted past. He followed, the Indominus behind them.
They were saved as a helicopter flew overhead, and they were informed by control room technician Lowery Cruthers that it was JW001 piloted by Simon Masrani himself. Masrani had come around to Grady’s way of thinking, strapping a machine gun to his corporate helicopter in an effort to hunt down and kill the Indominus. Grady and Dearing took an all-terrain vehicle to follow and observe Masrani’s attempt. The chase led them across the central valley and northeast to the Aviary, where the Indominus rammed its way through the building walls. The helicopter hovered outside and was shortly thereafter attacked by several Pteranodons, which had been disturbed out from their home by the Indominus. The pterosaurs caused damage to JW001 which made it impossible for Masrani to regain control, and the helicopter crashed into the Aviary’s dome. The nature of the crash made it clear that Masrani could not have survived.
The explosion caused by the crash drove the Indominus out of the Aviary, retreating into Sector 5 and going into hiding. It also frightened the pterosaurs of the Aviary, both the large territorial Pteranodon and the smaller reactive Dimorphodon, which fled the building through the damaged sections and flocked westward. Grady led Dearing into the trees to avoid being targeted by the stressed animals, which had entered a frantic, frenzied state.
With the release of the pterosaurs, Jurassic World now faced a far larger problem that was much more difficult to contain. The pterosaurs originally fled to the west, but arced toward the south as they passed over the valley. Seeking an environment where they felt safe and comfortable, they headed for the Jurassic World Lagoon, which put the tourists on Main Street directly in their path. Grady and Dearing headed south to get there first, arriving to assist ACU with mobilizing and confronting the escaped animals. While Dearing sought out her nephews, Grady took up arms and helped ACU tranquilize pterosaurs as they flocked over Sector 3. During the battle, he was tackled by a Dimorphodon, which was fought off by Dearing and given a lethal dose of tranquilizer. Grady, shocked that Dearing would shed her professional demeanor to protect him, impulsively kissed her, and she returned it once she got over the initial surprise.
Recovering the Mitchell boys and retreating to safety from both the pterosaurs and the panicked crowds of tourists, Grady and Dearing learned from Cruthers that Hoskins had commandeered the control room with a force of InGen soldiers in the wake of Masrani’s death. Hoskins finally had the opportunity to field-test the IBRIS raptors, pitting them against the Indominus. Furious, Grady planned to confront Hoskins. Dearing went with him for support, refusing to leave her nephews and bringing them along.
The four of them took MVU-12 northeast from the boardwalk toward the raptor paddock, arriving there after nightfall. Joined by Sembène, Grady and Dearing confronted Hoskins about his plan to use the raptors to track down the Indominus. Ultimately, though, they were outmatched, with the InGen soldiers backing up Hoskins. Grady’s choice was between leading a mission he opposed or allowing Hoskins full control. Ultimately he chose to lead the mission with Sembène at his side, briefing the soldiers on how the mission would play out and giving the hybrid’s scent to the raptors. They would track it down as he had taught them to do within their paddock, but this time in a much more expansive environment than they had ever done before.
Grady and Sembène observed as the raptors were turned loose, instantly dashing into the jungle in pursuit of a scent to match the one they had been given. Grady followed on his motorcycle, with Sembène and the InGen soldiers not far behind. The raptors tracked the Indominus into Sector 5, slowing down once they had closed in on it. Grady had expected them to set up a kill zone, herding their target into a place where it could be easily dispatched; however, the raptors made no such effort, instead responding to its vocalizations. Grady and Sembène, along with the soldiers, watched as the two species established a form of communication with one another; Grady realized that the genetic modifications of the Indominus included Velociraptor DNA, specifically that related to the communication centers of its brain. With an aggressively independent creature able to communicate with his raptors (who themselves had often tried to escape), Grady’s worst fears were realized: the raptors had a means to liberate themselves.
Hoskins ordered his soldiers to open fire, causing the raptors and the Indominus to flee in confusion. Where the raptors had been questioning Grady’s authority, they now viewed the soldiers as enemies, and Grady quickly assumed that they would now obey the Indominus. A pitched battle took place in the forest and multiple soldiers were killed. The raptors had been trained around humans their entire lives, and their thorough understanding of human tactics and strategy now worked against InGen. Grady located Charlie in a field of elephant grass, feeding on a soldier she had killed; despite the raptors’ change of allegiance, Charlie showed signs of still being friendly toward her father figure. A projectile explosive was launched from behind, and before Grady could take any action, Charlie was struck directly and killed. Grady was knocked back, but was far enough from the explosion to avoid serious injury.
Charlie’s death drove Blue into a rage, and Grady witnessed her charge Sembène and trap him in a hollow log. To save his friend, Grady got Blue’s attention by revving his motorcycle, and the furious raptor chased after him. He drove past the raptor paddock, where MVU-12 was no longer parked; he raced down the transport road leading between the research area and Main Street to catch up. He evaded Blue, who was struck against a tree while attacking MVU-12 and regrouped with her sisters and the Indominus in the forest. Grady caught up with the MVU and drove alongside Dearing to reach Main Street, sheltering within the Hammond Creation Lab via the Innovation Center.
However, the lab had already been evacuated, with even Dr. Wu’s private laboratory left open as InGen personnel removed supplies and frozen embryos. They encountered Hoskins, who explained that Dr. Wu was working with InGen Security to design superior military animals using genetic engineering. Like the raptors, Hoskins had planned for the Indominus to be a military animal and not a park attraction, which was why Dr. Wu had designed it to be as resilient and intelligent as it was. While the Indominus had been a failure, it laid out the groundwork for future iterations that were smaller and more manageable, more suited to social behavior, and capable of being taught to respond to commands: in a word, more like the Velociraptors. While Hoskins discussed this and the InGen soldiers completed removing the lab’s contents, Delta ambushed them, killing Hoskins and herding Grady and his companions out of the Innovation Center.
Outside of the Center they were ambushed by Blue, while Delta and Echo cornered them to prevent escape to the sides. Grady, disappointed that his relationship to the raptors should end this way, appealed to Blue’s empathic side by lowering his rifle and removing her harness. Blue came to realize that, while the Indominus was far more powerful, Grady offered familial love that made him an inherently superior leader. The Indominus caught up with the raptors, now having nearly reached its ultimate goal: the hotel complex and the thousands of vulnerable tourists packed inside. Blue was given a kill order by the Indominus, but defied it; she was slapped into a concrete storefront for her act, which appeared to kill her. Delta and Echo followed suit in defying the Indominus, and at Grady’s command, they launched into battle to avenge their sister and protect their father figure. On the sidelines, Grady offered support by shooting at the hybrid’s armored flanks while the raptors bit and tore at its body.
Dearing suddenly fled from the Jurassic Traders outpost where she and the Mitchell boys had been sheltering and into a maintenance alley, but Grady had no time to puzzle why she would abandon them. Instead, he dodged attacks from the Indominus as it overpowered his raptors, leaving him helpless to watch as it killed Echo and Delta both in turn. As the last line of defense the Mitchells had, Grady entered the gift shop to protect them as the Indominus laid siege to the small building.
The struggle was interrupted by a cacophony from outside, and Grady witnessed the park’s oldest theropod, a Tyrannosaurus rex, challenge the Indominus for the territory of Main Street. The two animals brawled fiercely, but the younger and stronger Indominus ultimately overpowered its older rival. Captivated by the fight, Grady and the Mitchells were almost crushed; Dearing screamed for them to run as the Indominus slammed its rival into the gift shop. For a moment, the Indominus was poised to be victorious, but was distracted by a raptor’s bark from down Main Street. Blue, who had been stunned but not killed, aggressively launched herself at the Indominus, clawing at its face while the tyrannosaur also found a second wind. Grady and the others no longer had any control over the outcome of this fight; the best they could do was stay out of the way. The three theropods fought their way down Main Street to the edge of the Lagoon, where the fencing was damaged and the park’s Mosasaurus was also alerted to the fight. This fourth combatant ambushed the Indominus, dragging it under and drowning it.
The tyrannosaur, establishing dominance over the territory, limped off into the forest to recover while Blue made to rejoin Grady. Despite her willingness to come with him, Grady dismissed her, and she took this opportunity to leave for the wilds of Isla Nublar.
Aftermath of the Jurassic World incident
By the morning of December 23, Jurassic World was (almost) fully evacuated. Grady accompanied Dearing to mainland Costa Rica, where the injured tourists were cared for at a makeshift hospital in an airplane hangar at Juan Santamaría International Airport. Along with Dearing, he ensured that the Mitchell boys were safely reunited with their parents. He also learned that Sembène had survived the incident in the jungle of Sector 5, having avoided the raptors and Indominus despite his wounds and been evacuated; Grady and Sembène were reunited. Grady and Dearing’s romantic attraction had been reinvigorated by the adrenaline of the incident, and they were seen leaving the airport together.
Grady, along with everyone else at Jurassic World, lost his job due to the incident. The park closed down indefinitely, and InGen was placed under extreme scrutiny. Grady and Dearing officially resumed a romantic relationship, traveling in Grady’s Airstream around the western United States. However, it was not long before the conditions that had prevented their relationship in the first place became problematic again. Grady did not let Dearing drive the van, which he explained as a kind of chivalry, but Dearing viewed as an attempt to take control of the relationship (and, by extent, her). Dearing also became involved in the political fallout of the Jurassic World incident, testifying in court in late December and beginning to advocate for the protection of the dinosaurs. While unconfirmed, this may have also been an issue for the staunchly apolitical Grady.
Eventually, they parted ways. Dearing temporarily moved in with her family in Wisconsin, while Grady continued traveling the country in his camper van. He became increasingly socially isolated, no longer even caring about Blue’s status. By 2018 he had purchased land near a lake in the Cascade Range and began building a cabin by hand. In the meantime, controversy had begun to stir around Isla Nublar regarding a new issue; the island’s dormant volcano Mount Sibo was showing signs of activity, and volcanologists had discovered that its eruptive potential was far greater than had been assumed in the past. Were it to erupt, as seemed increasingly likely, the animals of Isla Nublar would face the possibility of extinction. Dearing and many animal rights activists supported the idea of rescuing the dinosaurs, while the U.S. government, numerous prominent civilians, and some non-governmental organizations opposed it. Grady, as usual, remained neutral, which meant that he took the latter position by default.
2018 incident
On June 22, 2018, Grady was performing some of the preliminary construction on his cabin when he was met by Claire Dearing. They had not spoken much, if at all, since breaking up, but she invited him to get drinks at a local bar.
Dearing informed Grady about a planned rescue mission she had with her organization, the Dinosaur Protection Group, and the former Jurassic World benefactor Benjamin Lockwood. They had a plan to reach Isla Nublar the following day and recover dinosaurs via the S.S. Arcadia, but only Grady would be able to rescue Blue. Grady declined the offer, claiming that he no longer cared about Blue’s condition. Frustrated and disappointed in him, Dearing left.
That night, Grady mulled over her offer, reminiscing on raising his raptors from eggs and the emotional bonds that he formed with them. His need for connection ultimately overpowered his desire to self-isolate, and he made for the private airstrip that Dearing had informed him about and boarded Lockwood’s airplane. At sunrise, he was joined by Dearing, as well as her associates Zia Rodriguez and Franklin Webb, and they departed for Isla Nublar.
On the flight to the island, Grady was briefed on the mission. They were to land on the island, move north through the valley to an operable radio bunker, and use Dearing’s biosignature to access the park’s RFID tracking system to locate the dinosaurs they intended to rescue. Upon arrival to the island, they were surprised to find the operation already well underway; Grady took an immediate dislike to Ken Wheatley, the operation’s lead hunter. Although they were fundamentally at odds, Grady resolved to cooperate with him in order to find and rescue Blue.
They progressed as planned, moving a truck convoy southwest into Sector 3 and making a brief observational stop at Main Street. Grady, while here, remarked to Wheatley that some of his memories of Jurassic World were good ones. From Main Street, they moved north through what was once Gallimimus Valley, reaching Radio Bunker 02-17. Webb gained them access to the building, and Dearing used her handprint ID to access the tracking beacons. Grady and his team were surprised to see a heavy concentration of dinosaurs at the Jurassic World East Dock, which Wheatley explained was the location of the S.S. Arcadia; they had already captured a number of dinosaurs. Blue was easily located using her RFID implant, and Grady departed along with Wheatley to capture her. Rodriguez insisted on coming along for Blue’s own safety, not trusting Wheatley to know the proper tranquilizer dose.
Grady planned to get close to Blue to ensure she would not bolt, and then at his signal, Wheatley would have his men tranquilize her and surround her. Having located a footprint belonging to Blue in the mud, he had Wheatley’s convoy hold back as to not alarm Blue; furthermore, the dense jungle would impede the vehicles and slow their progress. Grady instructed Wheatley to wait for his signal to surround and tranquilize Blue.
Grady progressed ahead of Wheatley’s men and Rodriguez to locate Blue at her nesting site, near a small creek and an abandoned Jurassic Park tour vehicle on Mount Sibo’s western slope. While Blue was initially aggressive and wary, she soon recognized him and their bond was reestablished. As they approached, Blue was hit in the neck with a tranquilizer dart and panicked. Wheatley and his men emerged, having already surrounded Blue. Grady was furious that Wheatley had not awaited his signal as planned, and insisted that he have his men back down. Wheatley made no such effort, and behind Grady’s back, one of the mercenaries leveled a gun at him. Blue tackled Grady aside and killed this mercenary by driving a claw through his skull, but not before he shot her in a panic; the bullet lodged in an artery in her left shoulder. Blue passed out from a combination of shock and carfentanil tranquilizer. Grady charged Wheatley, but was shot in the chest with a tranquilizer dart; this was removed by Rodriguez before a lethal quantity could be administered, but he still succumbed to the tranquilizer’s effects.
When he awoke, he was alone. This lasted only a few moments, however, as a familiar Sinoceratops found him and greeted him happily. He recovered from the tranqilizer bit by bit, managing to avoid being crushed by the affectionate ceratopsian. Suddenly the animal panicked, smelling smoke, and fled the area; with its bulk no longer blocking his view, Grady was able to see the forest beginning to burn as a lava flow overwhelmed it. The volcano’s magma chamber had breached while he was unconscious, and the island was doomed. As his body slowly recovered from the tranquilizer’s effects, he managed to stay barely ahead of the advancing lava flow by just enough to avoid being burned by its intense heat. After a minute or so, he was able to get to his feet and flee. He armed himself with a firearm obtained from the mercenary Blue had killed.
Grady rounded Mount Sibo’s southern side, retracing his steps to the radio bunker to try and find Dearing and Webb. Knowing that Wheatley had betrayed them, it was unlikely that Dearing or her friends had been evacuated safely. As he approached the bunker, he was interrupted by a fresh series of volcanic outbursts, which panicked a herd of dinosaurs. A stampede ensued and he fled for his life, spotting Dearing and Webb and screaming for them to run. The three of them sheltered behind Gyrosphere 08; once most of the stampede had passed, Dearing and Webb entered the gyrosphere, but Grady hesitated. A predatory Carnotaurus, hunting stragglers behind the stampede, appeared and threatened them. Its real target was a Sinoceratops lagging behind the other dinosaurs, but when its prey escaped, it angrily lashed out at the humans instead. During the struggle, Gyrosphere 08 was struck and its doors automatically sealed shut, trapping Grady outside.
The menacing Carnotaurus was subdued by an ambush attack from the last surviving Tyrannosaurus, which temporarily saved Grady, but his safety was short-lived. The volcano’s eastern face collapsed, unleashing a cloud of toxic gas and ash that swept over the northeastern part of Isla Nublar. The dinosaurs were driven toward the coast, as were Grady and the others; all of the victims were trapped between the hot, poisonous cloud and the two-hundred-foot cliffs of the island’s north coast. Gyrosphere 08 took the plunge, though it and Grady were briefly exposed to the volcanic gas. Grady dove off the cliffs before ash particles or poisonous gases could cause permanent damage to his lungs, and numerous dinosaurs did the same. He spotted Gyrosphere 08 sinking quickly, having sprung leaks and filled with seawater. Grady attempted to get the sphere’s door to open by shooting holes in its aluminum oxynitride hull, but before he could do real damage to the resilient glass, he was struck on the wrist by a piece of volcanic rock and dropped the gun. He surfaced for air and returned to pry the door open using his hunting knife, helping the struggling Webb reach the surface while Dearing ascended without his help.
They made their way to a beach south of the East Dock, crawling onto the shore. Dearing was emotional at having learned that the rescue mission was never real, and that she had merely been used by Lockwood’s advisor Eli Mills to capture Blue. Grady, while also upset, remained calmer and tried to assess the situation. They observed helicopters loading dinosaurs, including the tyrannosaur, onto the S.S. Arcadia and realized that it was their only way off the island. They observed the ship from a vantage point, spotting Blue in critical condition with Rodriguez protecting her and Wheatley threatening both. As the eruption shifted to the northeast, the mercenaries were forced to make a rapid evacuation, abandoning a Mercedes-Benz Unimog that stalled on the dock. Grady, knowing that Dearing was quite capable at the wheel of a Unimog, had her start up the vehicle while he helped Webb keep up and get on board. Dearing safely got them onto the Arcadia as it left the dock, leaving Isla Nublar behind. As they left, Grady and the others witnessed a Brachiosaurus follow the Arcadia in hopes of its human caretakers coming back for it; Grady was unable to save this or any other animals as the poisonous dust enveloped Isla Nublar, suffocating and burning any animals in its wake.
Though they had escaped certain death in the toxic dust cloud and searing heat, they were still in great danger. Wheatley had shown he had no qualms with having his enemies murdered in cold blood, and everyone on the ship was a potential enemy. The exception to this was Zia Rodriguez, who they reunited with as she tended to Blue’s wound. Blue was losing blood, and Rodriguez recommended a transfusion to save her life. Unfortunately, as there were no other Velociraptors, their only hope was to perform a xenotransfusion. At her instruction, Grady and Dearing tracked down the tyrannosaur to obtain a suitable blood sample.
The animal was still sedated, but could recover at any minute, so they worked quickly. Grady was pinned against the side of the crate during the procedure as the animal lethargically tracked Dearing’s movements with its head, but she succeeded in getting a large enough blood sample before the tyrannosaur recovered. While they were inside, two mercenaries noticed the shipping crate’s open door and closed it, trapping them; Grady ended up stuck in the crate as the tyrannosaur recovered from its tranquilizers and became enraged. Dearing escaped through the top of the crate and opened the door, allowing him to dodge the tyrannosaur’s teeth and claws and escape.
Back at the makeshift medical tent, Grady assisted in comforting Blue as Rodriguez and the others treated her wound and performed the xenotransfusion. Rodriguez successfully removed the bullet from Blue’s artery and treated her shock and blood loss, saving her life. Grady was relieved to learn that she would survive. His feelings for Dearing were rekindled again after they collaborated to save Blue’s life; this time, the adrenaline was not the only thing creating feelings between them.
The Arcadia steadily traveled northward throughout June 24. Around dusk, it arrived at a private harbor and unloaded. Dearing, Grady, and Webb again attempted to avoid detection, while Rodriguez remained with Blue as not to arouse suspicion. Webb was caught, but as the crew had been assembled recently, he was mistakenly believed to be a member of the deck crew and conscripted into service. Grady and Dearing took one of the convoy’s trucks to try and rescue him, as well as Rodriguez and Blue. They had learned from Rodriguez that while most of the dinosaurs were destined for the black market, Mills needed Blue for other purposes; Wheatley had been promised a bonus for capturing this specific animal. Dearing, too, recalled how Mills had wanted Blue specifically, as this was the entire reason Grady had been brought along.
While following the convoy, Grady and Dearing realized that they were approaching the Lockwood estate, and that they were near the tiny town of Orick, California. Grady suggested reporting the activity to the authorities, but before he and Dearing could leave the convoy for Orick, they were apprehended by Wheatley and his mercenaries. They were imprisoned within the mansion’s sub-basement laboratory alongside the captured dinosaurs; Wheatley brought Mills to see them, and Mills revealed what the operation was leading up to: it was an extension of Hoskins’s original plans to engineer military animals, based on Dearing’s approval of the Indominus rex and Grady’s work in the I.B.R.I.S. project with the raptors. Grady assaulted Mills, threatening to break his arm through the cage bars, but was talked down by Dearing when Wheatley threatened to shoot him. Dearing then assaulted Mills herself, which impressed Grady despite the situation. Mills left them for the time being, but appeared to be discussing with Wheatley on how best to dispose of them.
During their imprisonment, Dearing expressed feelings of guilt for participating in the operation. Grady, in a reversal of his treatment of the 2015 incident, actually took all the blame onto himself, trying to absolve Dearing of any guilt by claiming that without him, Blue would never have been captured. Rather than wallow in guilt, however, Grady took it upon himself to right what had gone wrong by breaking them out and shutting down the auction taking place above. He overheard the vocalizations of a dinosaur in the adjoining cell, recognizing them as the sounds of a Stygimoloch. Grady whistled, knowing that this dinosaur is irritated by high-pitched noises, and aggravated the dinosaur into ramming the brick wall between their cells. It was slow work, but the animal eventually destroyed the wall; Grady then got its attention and provoked it one more time, luring it into ramming the cage door and busting it open. This freed himself and Dearing, as well as the Stygimoloch.
Once outside of the cage, Grady and Dearing encountered a small girl, who immediately fled from them. Dearing identified her as Lockwood’s granddaughter Maisie. Grady and Dearing followed her as she made to flee using a dumbwaiter to the upper floors. Like Dearing and Grady, Maisie had been betrayed by Mills, but Dearing convinced her not to run away. They learned from her that Benjamin Lockwood was dead. Maisie did not initially trust these new adults, but she recognized Grady from an I.B.R.I.S. video log she had watched. He promised her that, if she came with them, he would tell her all about Blue and the other dinosaurs, and so Maisie came to trust Grady and Dearing. They planned to rescue Rodriguez and Webb, escape the mansion, and get the authorities to shut down the auction.
Maisie knew the mansion’s layout better than anyone, and was able to help them leave the basement via a service corridor leading upstairs. They witnessed the auction, which had reached its halfway point, meaning that several dinosaurs had already been sold. As they watched, an animal was brought out for display, said to be a hybrid of Indominus rex and Velociraptor: the auctioneer introduced it as the Indoraptor, a prototype not intended for sale. This was the miniaturized Indominus that Hoskins and Wu had been working on, now nearing completion. It was demonstrated to be trained to kill: a laser sight on a modified rifle would select a target, and an acoustic signal would command the animal to attack. As bidders began vying for the creature against Wu’s wishes, Grady realized that they didn’t have time to reach the authorities and instead vowed to shut it down himself.
He hotwired the elevator in the basement, luring the Stygimoloch inside and taking it up to the garage-turned-auction-hall. When the animal was released, guests began to panic, and their screams agitated it. The dinosaur charged into the hall; as it caused chaos and drove the guests out, Grady slipped through the crowd. He was noticed by Mills, who fled the scene, but the security personnel did not realize Grady was there at first due to the chaos. Grady subdued a mercenary who had aimed to shoot the Stygimoloch, then fought his way through the crowd to reach the controls for the catwalk where the Indoraptor was being loaded out to its buyer. Taking advantage of the confusion, Grady was able to fight off other security guards one at a time in hand-to-hand combat, subduing one before the next noticed he was there. Finally, he was able to stop the cage from leaving the auction hall, destroying the controls to prevent it from being moved again. He then left the hall to rejoin Dearing and Maisie.
While he used the service corridors to evacuate the mansion with them, Mills and two of his guards apprehended the trio. He established himself as Maisie’s rightful guardian (which would conveniently place the Lockwood fortune in his hands). However, Grady and Dearing refused to give up Maisie, prompting Mills to reveal the fact that Maisie was not Lockwood’s granddaughter, but a replica of his daughter created through illegal human cloning. This revelation, while shocking, did nothing to deter Grady from protecting the girl, and Mills’s mercenaries were ambushed by the Indoraptor which had somehow escaped. Mills fled one way while Grady and his companions fled the opposite direction, soon finding themselves in the mansion’s fossil diorama room. Unknown events transpiring in the building caused a power outage, darkening their surroundings except for the diorama lights.
The Indoraptor had already arrived at the diorama room, having fed upon another mercenary. Though Grady tried to keep his companions hidden, the Indoraptor noticed them and gave chase; they escaped by ascending a spiral staircase that was too narrow for the creature to navigate quickly, hiding in a closet near the library. While the animal attempted to sniff out their scent, they escaped down into the dioramas on the ground floor, shutting off the diorama lights to aid their escape. As they made their way through, though, the lights began to come back on, revealing that the Indoraptor had already spotted them. It pounced into the diorama, trying to push through the display features to attack. Dearing was trapped and wounded while Maisie fled, her screams drawing the Indoraptor away and temporarily saving Grady and Dearing. Her injury meant that she could not follow, but she kissed Grady and sent him to rescue Maisie. Grady armed himself and began following the Indoraptor‘s trail of destruction.
He located the creature in Maisie’s bedroom where it was advancing on her. He got its attention, shooting it several times, but the animal’s resilient hide protected it from lethal damage. Grady, out of ammunition, was about to be killed by the Indoraptor when Blue arrived, having tracked his scent through the mansion. She leapt into battle to protect her father figure, allowing Grady a chance to get Maisie safely out of the way. They exited the room via the balcony, Maisie leading him across the mansion’s wall toward safety; Blue and the Indoraptor fought violently inside.
Maisie and Grady were forced down from the upper floors and to the display room’s sun roof when the Indoraptor was knocked of a window by Blue. The animal cornered them on the edge of the sun roof, Maisie slipping and nearly falling; Grady caught her and saved her life. Dearing arrived, wielding the modified SIG SG 552 used to give the Indoraptor kill orders. She and Grady collaborated without needing to speak: she aimed the laser sight at Grady’s chest, commanding the hybrid to kill him. When it pounced, Grady dove directly toward it, passing underneath its leap and causing it to land heavily on the sun roof. This broke the glass, but the Indoraptor managed to save itself from falling and clambered back up to the roof. Grady appeared to have been bested, but Blue had just then caught up to her adversary and distracted it with a cry. She pounced, and their combined weight broke the roof’s metal supports. The Indoraptor landed forcefully on a fossil display and was impaled, dying of its injuries.
Grady and Dearing were reunited with Rodriguez and Webb (who Maisie would be meeting for the first time). Through them, Grady learned of another problem: the dinosaurs in the sub-basement were facing certain death from a hydrogen cyanide gas leak. The gas was leaking due to an explosion that took place during a fight in the lab, during which Dr. Wu had been evacuated; it was this battle that freed Blue and caused the power outage. The only way to save the dinosaurs’ lives would be to release them into the outdoors. Dearing considered doing this, and while Grady strongly cautioned against it, he did not make a move to stop her. She ultimately decided that, while the deaths of all the dinosaurs would be devastating, she could not risk the unpredictability of releasing them into the wild.
To the young Maisie, however, the dinosaurs’ lives were worth the risk, and she took it upon herself to free the animals when Dearing would not. The animals fled the manor. Grady and the others made it outside in time to witness the tyrannosaur stalking off into the woods, Blue lingering nearby. Grady bonded with Blue at long last, and implored her to return to captivity with him; however, she refused this offer in favor of the freedom nature offered. Grady was heartbroken, and Maisie comforted him over his loss.
Aftermath of the 2018 incidents
Following the events of June 24, Grady left the Lockwood estate with Dearing and Maisie, acting as the young girl’s guardian along with Dearing. They were seen traveling north along the coast sometime during the evening of June 25 or later. With the animals released and Dearing having violated the law (and the will of the U.S. federal government), Grady’s role as protector was to be tested in unprecedented ways.
Grady would travel with Dearing and Maisie, evading the authorities and other interested parties, until finally settling down in a cabin in the Sierra Nevadas. Realizing Maisie’s status as a clone made her very potentially vulnerable to unscrupulous people, Grady attempted to create a makeshift family unit for the three of them. He and Dearing would set rules for Maisie, that she could not leave the immediate vicinity of the cabin. While not shown directly, Dearing and Grady may have participated in homeschooling Maisie as she could not attend a traditional school. This state of affairs continued for four years.
In the meanwhile, Grady occupied himself by helping the Department of Prehistoric Wildlife recover escaped dinosaurs in order to raise extra funds. In 2022, Grady would partner with two members of the Department in order to wrangle a Parasaurolophus herd. He was ultimately successful in capturing one specimen, although his efforts were witnessed from afar by Rainn Delacourt, who was also spying on his household.
Returning to the cabin, Owen would reunite with Dearing and Maisie, later on attempting to convince her that it was for her own good that she needed to remain at the cabin. Later on, Maisie would have an encounter with Blue and Beta, in which Grady managed to de-escalate the confrontation so that the animals left of their own accord. Grady then left to try and find Beta, unaware that Maisie had already left. Grady arrived on the scene just as Rainn Delacourt and his poachers had abducted Beta.
Grady would chase after Delacourt, but was forced to flee after the poacher fired his weapon at Grady. Pursuing the poacher, Grady managed to arrive at the bridge just in time to witness Maisie’s abduction. Racing back to the cabin, he informed Dearing that Maisie and Beta had been abducted, and ran outside, to be interuptted by Blue. A tense standoff ensued, resulting in Blue giving Grady a warning slash on his hand, although Grady promised to return Beta to her safely.
The Malta Incident
Frantic, Dearing and Grady travelled to the headquarters of the CIA Dangerous Species Division, where they met with their associate, Franklin Webb, now an agent. Webb informed the pair of them that Delacourt was a dangerous smuggler, and that he was planning to make a deal in Malta. Webb informed Barry Sembene in advane of their arrival. Once on Malta, Barry and Owen greeted each other as old friends, with Barry providing a small team of French Intelligence agents to assist them in taking down Delacourt.
Barry would guide Grady and Dearing through the Amber Clave Night Market on their way to the site of the meetup between Delacourt and his Contact. Barry, Dearing, and Grady engaged in a stealth surveillance of an illegal transaction between Delacourt and fellow trafficker Soyona Santos. As the agents opened fire, Delacourt fled, and Owen gave chase, pursuing him into the Amber Clave Night Market. While attempting to pursue the trafficker, Owen crashed through several cages, fending off a swarm of Compsognathus in the process as he pursued his quarry. Owen also was forced to evade an escaped Carnotaurus and Allosaurus, as he lept into the fight pit.
Delacourt would fight dirty, attempting to stab Owen with a knife. However, Grady was able to utilize his military training to overpower Delacourt, throwing him to the ground where he was pinned by a juvenile Carnotaurus, and a Lystrosaurus. Grady demanded to know where Maisie was, and was informed that she had been handed over to Soyona Santos. Stepping back just as Delacourt was attacked and killed by a juvenile Baryonx, Grady advised Dearing to pursue Santos.
Grady would return to assist Barry,managing to unlock a vehicle roof to enable him to escape an Atrociraptor. Cornered by another Atrociraptor on the ground, the pair would utilize their IBRIS training to ward off the raptor, until they could trick it into running into an open containment crate, and sealing it closed once it had entered. Just then, Santos came back into the room, and Barry held her at gunpoint, forcing her to surrender, as he told Grady to go find Dearing. Just as Grady left on his motorcycle though, Santos pointed a laser pointer at Grady, spurring two Atrociraptors to give chase to him.
Grady was forced to manuever through the streets of Malta, cleverly avoiding the two pursuing dinosaurs, even as other escapees from the Night Market roamed through the city. Grady made his way to an airstrip at the edge of the island, speeding up as he would ride up the loading ramp of Kayla Watt‘s plane, jumping off, and holding on tight to Dearing. Together, they watched as the bike slamemd into the pursuing raptor, causing the animal to fall into the ocean.
The Biosyn Valley Incident
Grady would take a seat in the cockpit, as the pair of them got acquainted with Watts, as they headed to Biosyn Valley. As they approached the valley however, the plane was attacked by a Quetzalcoaltus, resulting in the near complete destruction of the plane, as it was sent crashing on a downward spiral. Grady told Dearing to exit the plane via a parachute, even as he went back to the cock pit with Watts to prepare for a rough landing.
The plane crashed on a frozen dam on the other end of the Valley from where Dearing landed. As Grady and Watts exited the plane, they caught the attention of a nearby Pyroraptor. Attempting to flee the predator, Grady temporarily fell into the ice water of the frozen lake, before he was pulled up by Watts. Running for the elevator as they were pursued by the Pyroraptor, they barely made it to safety , taking the elevator down into the valley.
Watts and Grady would travel through the valley until they reached the site of Dearings crash landing. Witnessing the Tyrannosaur approaching, they hid, watching her start to feed on a deer carcass. As they watched, the Valley’s resident Giganotosaurus approached, and exerted a territorial defense, biting the Rex, and forcing her to leave it’s territory. Grady and Watts waited for it to leave before pressing onwards.
It would be nightfall before they found Dearing, who was huddled behind a Biosyn viewing Outpost. Although realizing that she was being hunted by a pack of Dilophosaurs, Grady and Watts bravely stepped into the middle of the clearing to help Dearing just as a Dilophosaur was about to attack her. Grady grabbed the animal by it’s throat, preventing it from spitting its venom on Dearing, while Watts tasered it, causing the animal to collapse. Seeing this, the rest of the pack ran back into the bushes.
The trio would then ponder on how to get into the Outpost, realizing it was locked. Before they could determine the best plan of approach, a Biosyn jeep crashed down, overturned in front of them. Maisie Lockwood made her escape from the crash, embracing Grady and Dearing. The other occupants of the Jeep exited as well, revealing themselves to be Ian Malcolm, Alan Grant, and Ellie Sattler. Maisie reassured her adopted parents that these were her rescuers from the clutches of Biosyn, and introductions were made between the two groups.
However, just then, they would witness the flaming hoarde of Locusts flying through the sky, setting the forest ablaze. Before the group could do anything, the Giganotosaurus entered the clearing, agitated by the forest fire. The group hid behind the overturned jeep, before they each made their attempted escape up the ladder to the Biosyn outpost. Grady made it up successfuly, and did his best to assist others, including Maisie, even as the predator attempted to attack the ladder.
As they got up the ladder, the Giga cornered the group, with the door locked they had nowhere to run until Malcolm performed a distraction that served the dual purpose of allowing the remaining him to run up the ladder, and for Grady and the group to enter the safety of the Outpost. However, the animal broke through the glass, attacking Grady briefly, before he was able to break loose. The others rose to his rescue, attacking and tasing the animal, to encourage it to leave.
Now that the group was no longer under immediate threat, they resolved on two courses of actions, to leave, and to rescue Beta. Grady would travel down into the tunnels from the outpost to reach the main command compound, where the group eventually reached the control center without incident. Once there, Grady and the group were introduced to Ramsay Cole, who utilized his knowledge of the parks systems to assist Dearing in completeing each of the groups individual goals.
Grady was informed by Cole that Beta was wandering around Subway Floor Seven, in a Hydroelectric power room. Leaving with Grant, and Maisie, he would take a tranquilizer rifle with him from the Park’s armory, before the three head out. Grady had educated Maisie in some training from his IBRIS days, which heavily assisted the group when Beta came out, pausing for precious seconds as first Maisie, then Grant performed the all too familiar hand signals. This gave Grady the opening he needed to fire the rifle at Beta, as she lunged to attack. Grady would then carry the unconscious juvenile dinosaur over his shoulder, as he returned to the control room.
As Grady entered the control room, the group was ready to leave, but not before Henry Wu entered the room, begging to be allowed to join their departure. Grady was reluctant at first, but was convinced by Maisie to allow him to join the group. As the group readied to leave, they were forced to enter the courtyard, not realizing that the dinosaurs had been allowed in to escape the raging forest fire.
Just as Watts was about to land, the group stopped, as the Tyrannosaurus Rex approached them and roared. However turning around, they realized she was roaring at the Giganotosaurus, and decided to attempt to avoid the battle. Despite this, Grady and some others in the group were caught under a piece of rubble in the courtyard, as the Rex had been pinned down by the Giganotosaurus. Seeing that the group was pinned down with no escape, Watts distracted the large carnivore with a flare, distracting its attention long enough to allow Grady and the others to escape on the chopper.
Post Incident
Grady and the others would land and rest at the nearby Biosyn airstrip, and in the morning they were granted medical attention by the Italian authorities, as well as interrogated regarding what had happened at the facility. After this was over, the group left together, with most of them going their seperate ways.
Grady, Dearing and Maisie returned to the Sierra Nevadas, to a spot where Blue had last been sighted. There, they would release Beta, returning her to her mother. Blue and Grady shared one last look of mutual silent understanding, before the raptor returned to the wilderness. Grady returned to the cabin with his family, presumably to resume his life of seclusion.
Skills
Animal handling and training
Grady is an animal behaviorist by trade, having learned his skills through the United States Navy’s Marine Mammal Program. There, he worked not only with the intelligent and social bottlenose dolphin, but with other cetaceans such as whales, pinnipeds such as seals and sea lions, and even non-mammalian animals such as sharks. His three years of experience here gave him valuable insight into how non-human animals think and perceive their world. It was for this reason that he was selected to head InGen Security’s I.B.R.I.S. project, which sought to understand these same things about theropod dinosaurs. During this project, Grady raised multiple dinosaurs from the egg to adulthood, becoming a parental figure in their lives.
Between early 2012 and late 2015, Grady worked not only with the raptors but with most of the species present on Isla Nublar. The only known exception to this was the Indominus rex, which was restricted to all but a few employees; Grady was actually unaware of this creature, though its existence was not a secret. He worked with herbivorous animals as well as carnivores, with some of his subjects including Sinoceratops and Stygimoloch, which were not yet ready for park exhibition as of 2015. The Jurassic World Employee Handbook includes annotations from Grady which provide further examples of his knowledge of the park’s creatures. He is able to read the body language of most animals very well, using this to determine whether they are safe to be around; in the case of intelligent animals, this may change from moment to moment, making Grady’s ability to analyze their behavior a crucial factor in being safe around the animals.
His best subjects, and those about which he knows the most, are naturally the Velociraptors. Basing his studies on research performed by scientists such as Dr. Alan Grant and Billy Brennan in decades past, Grady has become one of the world’s leading experts on Velociraptor intelligence, cognition, and behavior. His success at understanding and training these animals is unrivaled. Grady has achieved this through not attempting to control the raptors, but rather seeking a relationship based on mutual respect, in which he makes efforts to empathize with his charges and understand their motivations. Having discerned the complexities in their communications and social behavior, he appeals to their nature in order to encourage the behaviors he wants to see. This is often misinterpreted by his colleagues, which frustrates him; he dislikes being referred to as a “raptor wrangler” or hearing the animals described as “trained” or “controlled.” He is the first to remind others that raptors are not domesticable and remain wild animals, no matter how close a partnership their handlers may have with them. In Jurassic World: Evolution, he acknowledges that some dinosaurs may be domesticated eventually, but that this is not a quick or easy process by any means.
When in tight situations, he has been able to use his understanding of animal cognition to help himself and his allies. Along with giving commands to I.B.R.I.S. Velociraptors (and using his knowledge of their behavior to protect against them when they rebelled), he was able to quickly learn about the cognition of the Indominus and predict its behaviors on the fly. He has also used other animals to his advantage, such as provoking a Stygimoloch into freeing himself and his companion Claire Dearing from a makeshift prison in the 2018 incident.
Tracking
Along with his other outdoor survival skills, Grady is a skilled tracker. He has used evidence left by both animals and humans to follow their trails through uneven and unfamiliar terrain, particularly in dense jungles where tracking is not easy. He is skilled at spotting tracks such as footprints and discerning what creature made them as well as the animal’s behavior at the time. Contrary to Claire Dearing’s assumption, he cannot track animals or humans by scent with any particular efficiency, though he does have the knowledge necessary to disguise his own scent from his quarry.
Weapons skill
As a former sailor with the United States Navy, Grady has experience using firearms and other weapons. During his employment at Jurassic World, his weapon of choice was a scoped Marlin Model 1895 SBL lever-action rifle, which was selected due to its potential to bring down a rogue raptor. He carries a custom hunting knife at all times, though this is more likely used as a tool than a weapon. While he typically does not carry a tranquilizer gun, he has shown that he is more than capable of using the custom semi-automatic multi-dart tranquilizer rifles that InGen’s Asset Containment Unit carried in Jurassic World. During the 2018 incidents, Grady variously armed himself with a 9mm SIG-Sauer P226R and SIG SG 552 obtained from deceased mercenaries.
In all cases, Grady is demonstrably highly skilled with firearms against even fast-moving targets, and once assisted ACU in downing several escaped Pteranodons and Dimorphodons. His preferred lever-action rifle was specifically chosen for neutralizing a rogue Velociraptor, another fast-moving animal with noted evasive abilities. He has taken up arms against the hybrids Indominus rex and Indoraptor without success, as these animals’ tough hides make them resistant to firearms.
Physical strength and tactical skill
Grady’s Navy training has led him to develop impressive physical strength and hand-to-hand combat skills. He has excellent endurance, speed, agility, and dexterity which help him out of dangerous situations. Grady is usually able to survive combat without serious injury thanks to his tactics and physical ability. He can improvise during a fight to overpower an enemy without sustaining too many serious blows himself. In addition, Grady is good at creating diversions to confuse his enemies and make them easier to overpower. This was used to great effect during the 2018 incident at Lockwood Manor, in which he released a Stygimoloch to sow chaos and slip effortlessly through a large crowd peppered with armed guards. Since the panic made him harder to spot, he was able to take multiple guards by surprise, taking each one down before the others knew he was there.
Along with giving him the edge in close combat, Grady’s strength allows him to evade large threatening animals that he may not be able to fight off. He has used this to avoid being harmed on a number of occasions during his employment at Jurassic World as well as later incidents involving de-extinct life forms, as well as artificial hybrids such as the Indoraptor. He is also a highly capable swimmer and can hold his breath for long periods of time, an essential skill for a Navy sailor. His Navy training also taught him to resist hydrothermia, a form of hypothermia caused by frigid water. This gives him better endurance in cold-water conditions than the average person.
Grady’s athletic ability helps him out in life aside from simply being useful in emergencies. As of 2018, he was constructing a small homestead by hand, and had made significant progress; he had completed this by 2019. Prior to having Claire Dearing and Maisie Lockwood move in with him, he had been cutting the wood himself and performing nearly all the construction without outside help.
Driving and boating
As of 2018, Grady possesses a valid U.S. driver’s license. While on Isla Nublar working for InGen Security, his preferred vehicle was a 2015 Triumph Scrambler motorcycle, registered in June to the state of California with license plate 9Z9982. Grady is skilled at driving through rough conditions and even offroad in forested environments. He mentioned the motorcycle in 2018, suggesting that it was removed from Isla Nublar after the incident, but it was not present at his home at the time. It is most likely currently in storage. He also owned a second bike as of 2015, a Baja Motorsports MB200; it is unknown whether he still possesses it. During the 2015 incident, he showed proficiency at driving a 2014 Mercedes Benz G 550 and a Kawasaki Brute Force 750, the latter of which he could drive with a passenger without any trouble. During the 2018 incident, he briefly drove a Mercedes Benz Unimog U 5020. Grady is able to drive vehicles with manual transmission. He is also a skilled mechanic and repairs his own vehicles.
He owned a trailer attachment in 2015 which he used for part of his living quarters on Isla Nublar, but on the mainland, he instead owned a 1985 Airstream 270 that he lived in for some years after the closure of Jurassic World. He also owned a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado as of 2018, which appeared to be his main form of transportation; after the 2018 incident he was seen driving a 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, though it is unclear if he had owned this vehicle previously or obtained it after the incident. The Wagoneer is still his primary vehicle, although he also owns a modified 1970s-era camper called “Pumpkin.”
As of 2018, he owned a small boat with outboard motor, suggesting that he has a California Boater Card and therefore license to operate a personal watercraft.
Skill with children
While Grady has professed to be a loner and not a family man, there are clear signs that he has skill with children. During the 2015 incident in Jurassic World, he was instinctively protective of seventeen-year-old Zach Mitchell and eleven-year-old Gray Mitchell; in fact, as soon as he learned from Claire Dearing that two children were potentially in danger, he dropped everything he was doing for a chance to rescue them. He quickly won the boys’ respect for his capability and amicable personality, with the older Zach Mitchell referring to him as a “badass.”
Three years later, during the 2018 incident at the Lockwood estate, Grady’s love of animals won the trust of the traumatized nine-year-old Maisie Lockwood, who reasoned that if Grady cared about animals then he must be a trustworthy person. In contrast to the tough and heroic side he presented for the Mitchells, Grady showed a more tender and caring side to Maisie, demonstrating that he can adapt his behavior to the needs of different children. Since 2018, he has acted alongside Dearing as Maisie’s guardian, a position he willingly took up less than an hour after meeting her. While he considered himself a father figure to his animals for much of his career prior to this, it is clear that Grady makes an excellent parent to children of the human variety as well, even if he does not admit it.
Language
Grady’s first language is English, but his close friend Barry Sembène’s first language is Parisian French; it appears that Grady has learned French from his friend. Grady has a thorough understanding of the French language, though he does not appear to speak any. His service in the U.S. Navy and time working on the Costa Rican island of Isla Nublar may have helped him with other languages, such as Spanish, which is commonly spoken in Central America. According to Jurassic World: The Game, Grady is fluent in Morse code, likely due to his time in the Navy.
In addition to the above, Grady has a more detailed understanding of Velociraptor communication than almost any other researcher due to his work with InGen’s IBRIS program. Some scientists, including the vertebrate paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, consider the vocalizations and body movements used by Velociraptor to constitute a legitimate language, among the most advanced of all non-human animals.
Singing
While it is not a skill he practices around other people, Grady is a good singer. In 2018, he was heard singing a blues song of his own composition.
Social skills
Grady is sometimes considered to have an antisocial personality. In reality, though, he is introverted but not antisocial by any means; he avoids large crowds when possible but actually welcomes the company of others should they need him. He works well with others, even those he does not necessarily get along with, though he has difficulty with authority. Grady compensates for his authority problems with presentation of his skills, which he uses to earn the respect of those who outrank him.
At times, Grady can become frustrated with society and withdraws into himself. He has described humans in general as “overrated,” and when he is in these moods he prefers the company of animals. Despite this, it does not take much to get him into a friendly mood again; he is quickly cheered up, for example, by someone showing appreciation for his skills and contributions.
Grady often changes his demeanor based on the people he is around, though it always retains a sense of traditional masculinity. As discussed under his skill with children, his two main presentations are the cool, unfazed hero-figure and the protective, loving father-figure, but he can present himself in whatever way is needed to best get along with present company. Conversely, he can present himself to appear dominant over a person that he does not like; this was one of the major sources of conflict between Grady and the hunter Ken Wheatley, who immediately disliked one another upon meeting. Based on the situation and the people around him, Grady’s personality shifts to bring out traits that best serve him, which probably occurs subconsciously to some degree. In any case, it helps him win friends quite quickly, as well as establish himself to his enemies.
Views
Political views
Grady is firmly apolitical, generally not choosing to take sides where he does not have to. Whether this is out of a disinterest for issues that do not concern him or a desire to be liked and not rebuked for his beliefs has yet to be seen. Regardless, it means that Grady ends up supporting the status quo more often than not; he does not refer to himself as a conservative, but his inaction in political debates leads to him defaulting to the conservative side of a controversy. However, this is not a universal condition. Sometimes, when a conservative agenda challenges the status quo (such as exploiting new animal species for military purposes), he supports the liberal side of the argument.
He opposed the creation of new types of organisms in Jurassic World, believing that dinosaurs on their own should impress people enough to support the park indefinitely. Curiously, he was simultaneously unaware of the park’s impending financial concerns and the existence of the Indominus, both of which were widely known among the park’s senior staff. Grady’s tendency to remain out of the loop may have an impact on, or be influenced by, his apolitical stance. He is not above changing his mind about an issue, though. For example, he initially supported the non-action policy regarding Mount Sibo, even if it meant letting Blue perish in a volcanic eruption; he recanted on this after reminiscing on raising Blue and instead helped the Dinosaur Protection Group rescue mission. He deflected any mention of his change of heart, however, suggesting that he prefers not to be thought of as someone who changes his mind.
Although he tends to be on the conservative side of the political spectrum through virtue of choosing an apolitical worldview, he often befriends people with more liberal views. His romantic partner Claire Dearing holds moderate-left views, while he has made friends such as Franklin Webb and Zia Rodriguez, both of whom are environmental activists. Rodriguez is by a wide margin the most liberal of his friends, but the two still have a respectful relationship. On the other hand, mercenary hunter Ken Wheatley quickly became Grady’s enemy, and holds much farther-right views than Grady. He also held a strong dislike toward his superior at Jurassic World, Vic Hoskins, who was best known for his zealous patriotic fervor for the United States, as well as the ruthless capitalist Eli Mills.
On de-extinction
Despite working directly with de-extinct animals, Grady’s views toward de-extinction tend to be neutral at best. He genuinely loved his animals and treated them with the utmost respect, and considered dinosaurs to be inherently impressive creatures, but was opposed to further integrating them into modern life. This was originally limited to his opposition to Hoskins’s militarization plans, which sought to use Velociraptor and other de-extinct species as military animals as well as genetically engineer even more suitable creatures of war. Grady dismissed this idea as dangerously myopic and foolhardy.
After the deaths of all but one of his raptors, his separation from the sole survivor Blue, and the permanent closure of Jurassic World, Grady turned impossibly neutral toward de-extinction. Not only did he show no interest in protecting the dinosaurs from an impending natural disaster, he would not even endorse other organizations doing so. Claire Dearing ultimately did change his mind and persuaded him to help them rescue Blue. They were both tricked, however, and Blue ended up in the hands of a criminal enterprise; at this point, Grady regretted his part in removing Blue from the island. He sought to stop the black market auction at the Lockwood estate, but whether his primary concern was dinosaurian or human safety was never brought up. Later, he advised Dearing to allow the remaining de-extinct animals to die of hydrogen cyanide poisoning rather than let them go free into Northern California, but also would not have stopped her from releasing them. When he was reunited with Blue, he urged her to return to captivity with him in a reversal of his actions at the end of the 2015 incident; she rejected his offer, which saddened him, but he did not pursue her.
Grady’s complicated relationship to de-extinction is probably the reason why he has a difficult time taking a stance on issues such as these. With the status quo in regards to de-extinction so rapidly changing, Grady finds it a challenge to keep his opinions up-to-date, and instead seems content to allow nature to take its course or for people he trusts to make the right decisions.
On genetic engineering
Grady’s view of genetic engineering on the whole tends to be negative, meaning that his neutral view of de-extinction is an exception rather than the norm. This may be because while de-extinction is fairly well understood by most people with basic knowledge of DNA, the more complex aspects of genetic engineering may be lost on those without higher scientific education. All of the animals at Jurassic World were genetically modified, an unavoidable aspect of their creation; Grady appeared to take no issue with raising such animals. His favorite raptor, Blue, was actually named after a feature she obtained via genetic modification: her distinctive blue stripes, which are the result of gene splicing with the black-throated monitor (Varanus albigularis microstictus). Grady has never complained about genetic engineering where it was a necessary part of de-extinction, I.B.R.I.S., or other aspects of Jurassic World where he worked.
Grady’s issues with genetic engineering originate from areas where he personally finds it unnecessary, starting with the creation of artificial genera. Thanks to advancements in genetic engineering techniques, Dr. Henry Wu discovered how to construct organisms that never would have existed in nature. Beginning with flowering plants in 1997, he eventually was permitted by Masrani Global Corporation to engineer a new animal species for Jurassic World. He accomplished this by 2012, hatching two members of a new theropod species called Indominus rex. Grady did not learn about the existence of this species until December 2015, at which point he opposed it, claiming that the naturally-occurring species of dinosaurs should be enough to continue impressing visitors indefinitely. The Indominus, however, was not actually intended to be a park attraction in the end; it was instead a proof-of-concept for military bioengineering, which further opposed Grady to the creation of such organisms. This was also a factor in this immediate fear of the Indoraptor in 2018, which was explicitly made to be a military animal and was trained to kill. Grady has yet to encounter any hybrid animals not created with military operations in mind, so his stance on those is to be determined; Dr. Wu has certainly conceptualized non-theropod hybrids before.
On nature
As an avid outdoorsman, Grady takes a more conservative, down-to-earth view of nature than some of his colleagues. He does not view it as a separate entity distinct from himself, but rather a set of relationships in which he is a participant. Unlike his former superior Vic Hoskins, he does not view nature as a state of perpetual warfare, recognizing some of the relationships as being mutually beneficial rather than violent or exploitative. His work as an animal behaviorist has led to a well-developed empathy with other species, but also a tendency to anthropomorphize. In order to better understand an animal’s motives, he aims to adjust his point of view, but in doing so he also assigns more human-like traits to an animal’s cognition. This was illustrated with his interpretations of the Indominus rex‘s behaviors, which he described in very human terms. He also assumed that this animal had a far more precise ability to predict human behavior than is reasonable, not even considering more plausible reasons for the hybrid’s actions.
Grady’s opinions on genetic engineering may be linked to his view of nature. Since genetically engineered animals are not a part of the natural ecology, they do not “belong” in the traditional sense, and so Grady opposes their integration into the world. Genetically modified versions of organisms that did once exist naturally are a more conflicting topic; he has had good relationships with de-extinct creatures in the past, even those that have been extensively modified from their original versions such as Velociraptor. He described them as worthy of protection in 2015, but then in 2018 opposed protecting them if it meant interfering with ecosystems outside Isla Nublar. He did not attempt to actively stop the Dinosaur Protection Group‘s mission, instead cautioning against it; he even assisted them when his emotional connection to the animals he had worked with overpowered his views on nature. He has consistently opposed the creation of new species through genetic engineering and actively participated in efforts to kill two such animals. He also firmly opposes the breeding of animals for specifically military purposes, considering this to be a risky endeavor and a perversion of evolution.
In general, Grady’s relationship to nature can be described as one between neighbors. He lives alongside other creatures of the world, preferring not to interfere more than necessary, but acknowledging that his life will inevitably affect them and vice versa. Grady understands that it is impossible for humans to separate themselves from the rest of the natural world and are a part of it whether they like it or not, though he discourages unneeded or excessive exploitation in the name of scientific and economic progress. Grady idealizes living in peace with nature, a goal which he personally accomplishes through simple living.
On military topics
Although he has a background in the U.S. Navy and greatly benefits from his combat training, Grady does not openly support the ongoing American foreign wars. He has not openly opposed them either, but he does strongly oppose the “state of perpetual warfare” concept that his former superior Vic Hoskins endorsed. The United States is known globally for its hesitance to end armed conflict and occupation of sovereign nations, particularly in the Middle East, out of a combination of resource control and Western supremacy politics. Grady’s politics are in general non-interventionist, so it stands to reason that he does not support an extended American military presence in other countries. He is not a cultural isolationist, having made good friends from other countries; in this manner he does support international relationships although he does not endorse warfare.
Grady explicitly opposes the expansion of military animals. While humans have made use of other species in warfare for thousands of years, and Grady himself worked in the U.S. Navy’s Marine Mammal Program, he does not support the inclusion of new animals into war. He has consistently opposed military bioengineering, a field of military science that has made significant advancements in the Genetic Age.
On gender roles and family
In line with his generally apolitical-conservative views, Grady behaves in a manner consistent with the traditional Western standards of masculinity and expects that people around him consider these standards normal. His skills are largely those considered masculine in Western society, such as construction, vehicle repair and maintenance, marksmanship, and combat. Grady’s idea of masculine behavior also encompasses empathy, a trait that some modern-day conservatives no longer consider manly. Grady’s empathic traits make him an effective leader and father figure, and he clearly takes pride in his paternal nature, even if these traits are dismissed by some.
He has a sense of chivalry which can sometimes come across as demeaning or patronizing, especially by people who themselves prefer a sense of independence. This was one of the main sources of conflict between himself and Claire Dearing. While he is undeniably attracted to Dearing, their competing dominant traits often clash, which ended their relationship once.
During the events of late 2015, Grady and Dearing cooperated to handle various crises that affected Jurassic World. This challenged Grady’s view on gender roles, since Dearing refused to be left out of the events. He was impressed at her ability to improvise and react to rapidly-changing circumstances, having assumed that she was suited only for office work and would not be useful in survival situations. These events rekindled his interest in her, and they began dating after the incident. His romantic relationship with Claire Dearing has resulted in him exploring his preferences more, and he has since discovered that he does find assertive and protective traits very attractive in women. As of such, Grady’s adherence to traditional gender roles has changed in the years following the 2015 incident. He still practices the traditionally manly behaviors that he has always favored for himself, but has become less liable to impose gender roles on other people; this has made his relationship with Dearing easier, and helped him become friends with younger and more feminist women such as Zia Rodriguez.
Dietary preferences
Grady enjoys his alcohol and has stated a preference for Sunrio tequila. He has also been seen drinking Beck’s domestic pilsner. He commonly owns fishing equipment and prefers to live near lakes, suggesting that he catches and eats his own fish; it is likely that, considering his background and skill with firearms, he hunts as well as fishing. His annotations in the Jurassic World Employee Handbook imply that he enjoys falafel and soda, while Jurassic World: The Game states that he enjoys piña coladas as well as staple breakfast items such as bagels and coffee, and is also skilled at foraging for food in the wild.
Because of his preference for an outdoor way of life, Grady is naturally skilled at preparing meals outside of a kitchen environment. He commonly cooks and grills outside.
Relationships
Barry Sembène
Owen Grady’s closest friend as an adult, who he met while in the Navy, is Barry Sembène. The two men share similar views about the military and animals’ roles in human society, as well as having a shared interest in animal training. Sembène’s personality is more level and calm, providing a good foil to Grady’s reactive behavior.
In 2013, when Grady was roughly a year into the I.B.R.I.S. project, he trusted Sembène to join him and better manage the raptors. That Sembène was his first choice for secondary animal trainer and caretaker speaks volumes about the kind of trust that Grady has for his friend; InGen could have linked him to any animal trainer in the world. Their success with the raptors prior to the 2015 incident, and their cooperation during that incident, clearly demonstrate how well these friends work together. During the incident, Grady intervened to save Sembène from the enraged Blue, and later ensured that his friend had gotten proper medical treatment once the events had concluded.
Claire Dearing
Grady first met Claire Dearing, the Senior Assets Manager and Operations Manager of Jurassic World, sometime after his introduction to the I.B.R.I.S. project in 2012. They had little in common, and Dearing considerably outranked Grady in the Masrani Global hierarchy. Nonetheless, they became attracted to one another during their employment and went on a date at some point between 2012 and 2015. Grady’s relaxed idea of a date conflicted with Dearing’s more structured one, and he dismissed her as uptight and controlling. Likewise, Dearing disliked Grady’s casual approach and unprofessional demeanor. Grady still harbored an attraction to Dearing, which he was not shy about and played up when they worked on projects together. His trouble with authority figures almost certainly played a role in their disagreements, as did his view on traditional gender roles, which typically places higher scrutiny on women in positions of power. Grady certainly did place more scrutiny on Dearing than any of his other superiors, such as Simon Masrani and Vic Hoskins, or on equally high-ranking InGen members such as Dr. Henry Wu. Grady eventually did criticize Wu and Hoskins for their roles in creating the Indominus, but was always vastly more skeptical of Dearing’s leadership qualifications, and never once criticized Masrani even though Dearing and Masrani had equal responsibility in permitting the Indominus to exist with minimal oversight.
During the 2015 incident, Dearing turned to Grady for help locating her nephews and later cooperated with him to reduce the loss of life in the park. At first, Grady blamed Dearing for the escape of the Indominus, not assuming any responsibility for the incident even though the escape was technically his own fault. He dismissed her as uncaring and cold, though over the course of the day he came to empathize with her and understand her behaviors better. Grady soon came to realize that Dearing was more caring than she appeared and had the determination to protect those she loved, and likewise Dearing quickly grew to appreciate Grady’s field skills. Their feelings for one another grew into a psychological attraction rather than just a physical one, reaching a point where Grady impulsively kissed Dearing after she protected him during the incident. They entered into an official relationship after losing their jobs, which conveniently removed the power dynamic between them.
Their first official relationship did not go well for long. The adrenaline-filled incident that brought them together was no longer ongoing, and their personalities began to clash again. Grady’s traditionally masculine behaviors had their appeal, but they conflicted with Dearing’s own dominant personality and need for control over her side of the relationship. This conflict, probably along with Dearing’s increasing political activism, drove them apart. Still, Dearing had helped him learn more about himself and what he liked in relationships; he came to realize that while he enjoyed traditional gender roles, they were not a necessity. Broadening his horizons ultimately allowed him to have more mature and fulfilling relationships by allowing both himself and his partner greater freedom to be themselves. Dearing taught Grady to appreciate strong women, and he came to realize that a capable and assertive woman would make a good partner in the rougher outdoor life he prefers.
In 2018, Dearing recruited Grady a second time. During their time apart, he had become increasingly reclusive and cut off; she saved him from isolation, both emotionally and physically, though he did not understand it at first. This second operation together played out quite differently than the first. Grady was much quicker to support Dearing this time, and returning to Isla Nublar reminded him of how their previous relationship had started. Once again they relied on one another for survival and saved each other’s lives on more than one occasion. Dearing risked her safety to save Blue’s life as well, which endeared her to Grady. Similarly, Dearing witnessed Grady show his seldom-seen emotional side while he worked to save Blue and later comforted and protected the orphaned Maisie Lockwood. Dearing, too, became protective of Maisie during the latter part of the incident. These events brought out the parental traits in both of them, which helped them develop a much deeper appreciation of one another. During the end of the incident, although Grady was wary of allowing dinosaurs to be released into Northern California, he did not take any action himself and instead trusted Dearing to make the right decision. He gave her cautionary advice, but never tried to force her hand, willing to support whichever course of action she chose.
Following the events of 2018, Grady and Dearing resumed their relationship. This time, it was fueled by neither physical attraction or adrenaline, but by a genuine emotional connection and an appreciation of one another’s value. Their relationship is now one between two fully-realized adults whose feelings for each other go deeper than sexuality and are able to help one another grow as people in the long term. As of now, their unusual relationship is as stable as it can be, and they cooperate to deal with problems rather than butting heads. The world is now changing incredibly rapidly, and with an adopted daughter to raise, the stability of their relationship is an invaluable benefit.
U.S. Navy
Grady’s first long-time employment was with the United States Navy, where he served as a sailor for several years. According to Jurassic World: The Game, he spent three years in the service of the Navy from 2000 to 2003, working in the group MK 9 of the Marine Mammal Program during the Iraq War. There, he worked alongside other sailors as well as trained animals such as bottlenose dolphins, sea lions, whales, seals, and sharks. Not much is known about his time in the Navy other than he considers it to have been a waste (other than his time at Pearl Harbor on account of the piña coladas). However, he had real love for his team’s dolphins and appeared to have a positive relationship with his ship’s captain.
After an incident in the Persian Gulf in which a dolphin was almost killed due to friendly fire, the American government made efforts to save face by disbanding MK 9. In order to protect his team’s dolphins, Grady volunteered to go on television and falsely claim that the Marine Mammal Program would ramp down in favor of drone warfare. Grady’s captain connected him with Masrani Global Corporation to safely relocate the dolphins to sanctuary, all expenses paid in exchange for Grady signing a contract to work with Masrani Global should they need his services. To cover up the existence of this contract, Grady was put through a staged court-martial, which went on his permanent record. However, the Navy did not make this publicly known; even Vic Hoskins, the Head of InGen Security and a former serviceman himself, was not aware that Grady had been court-martialed until he looked up the paperwork.
Vic Hoskins
Grady probably got the attention of the leader of InGen’s Security Division, Vic Hoskins, due to his time with the U.S. Navy. Hoskins himself had been a security contractor with an as-of-yet-unknown branch of the Armed Forces with wartime experience. Hoskins’s experience with the military had left him with intense patriotic zeal where it had left Grady disillusioned, so while Hoskins valued Grady’s skill as an animal trainer, the two men did not agree on much of anything else. Hoskins had paranoia about America’s enemies stealing or hacking drone technology, or using advanced technology to take out drones and render American troops defenseless. Instead, Hoskins favored the expansion of military animal use, up to and including using genetic engineering to manufacture intelligent biological weapons. A major aspect of I.B.R.I.S., which Hoskins supervised and personally hired Owen Grady for, was the use of theropods as military animals.
Grady considered Hoskins’s plans to be short-sighted and foolhardy. In reality, military animals are never used for attack missions because they cannot distinguish a human’s political allegiance on sight alone. Grady, having worked with MK 9’s animals, would have known this; Hoskins, who had primarily worked with human soldiers, did not. This, and Grady’s general disregard for authority, put strain on their working relationship. Hoskins frequently pushed the I.B.R.I.S. raptors for field tests to determine their combat potential, ignoring Grady’s insistence that this was inadvisable.
During the 2015 incident, Hoskins commandeered Jurassic World following the death of CEO Simon Masrani, taking charge of all the park’s resources including I.B.R.I.S. He forced his field test to occur despite Grady’s warnings, which angered Grady to the point of physically assaulting Hoskins. To protect the raptors, Grady went along with the mission, but it failed spectacularly when the raptors discovered that they could turn on their owners and be free. Despite this failure, Hoskins remained confident that military bioengineering would be a success one day, telling Grady as much during the park’s evacuation. He was never able to put his plans into action due to being ambushed and killed by a Velociraptor during the incident. Even so, his plans were furthered by his co-conspirators, including Eli Mills and Dr. Henry Wu, causing further problems for Grady down the line.
Other Masrani Global employees
Grady had fairly few close friendships at Jurassic World aside from his friend Barry Sembène. He was greatly appreciated by other InGen Security employees, and even his CEO Simon Masrani considered Grady to be one of InGen’s best assets. When Masrani became concerned about the security of Paddock 11, Grady was his first choice to inspect it. Masrani tolerated Grady’s problems with authority because of his value to the company. Grady’s work into theropod intelligence and dinosaur behavior was immensely helpful to other aspects of park operations, such as the neurotechnology developed by Dr. Martin Riley which was used in Dr. Kate Walker’s research into the emotional intelligence of dinosaurs. I.B.R.I.S. in general was a boon to Dr. Henry Wu‘s work in genetic engineering, though it is unknown how well Grady and Wu knew one another. Grady was known to and respected by many of the park’s employees, even short-term employees such as animal handler intern Chad, who worked in the park in 2015 under Dr. Walker. He probably worked closely with Jurassic World’s paleoveterinarians, who were as of 2015 led by Dr. Suzanne de Lange.
Since he was an employee of InGen Security, Grady worked along with the park rangers and Asset Containment Unit with frequency. His concern for the safety of ACU troopers during the 2015 incident may have been more than customary; it is likely that he personally knew some of them, and was seen working alongside park security during the incident on Main Street. The ACU staff working at the raptor paddock trusted Grady’s judgment with the raptors, holding their fire when instructed even though an employee was in immediate danger. That said, at least one major incident had occurred at the raptor paddock before in which another employee was severely mauled.
Grady’s tendency to take matters into his own hands was not appreciated by some of the park’s management, however. This was a matter of concern for Claire Dearing, but other control room staff such as Lowery Cruthers and Vivian Krill were also affected by his actions. Krill, as the primary communications operator at the park, was likely in touch with Grady with some frequency to provide him with security updates, and would also have had to try and keep track of his unpredictable behavior when he was on assignment. Cruthers, who was in charge of the park’s technical systems, often appeared frustrated with Grady’s temper and unpredictability; he was sometimes the unintended victim of Grady’s outbursts. However, Cruthers hesitated to close the Paddock 11 gates during the incident when doing so would condemn Grady to a violent death; Cruthers’s hesitation saved Grady’s life, but also gave the Indominus just enough time to reach the gates before they closed.
According to the Jurassic World Employee Handbook, Grady was friends with a falafel cart vendor named Bobby who would slip him free sodas. The mobile game Jurassic World: The Game details Grady’s working relationships with the other employees further. Unlike the game’s details on Grady’s backstory, the present-day plot of the game does not occur in S/F canon and instead presents an alternate story; therefore, its take on character relationships is not discussed here.
I.B.R.I.S. animals
InGen Security hired Owen Grady for the I.B.R.I.S. project, which began in 2012. Four of the project’s theropods, Velociraptors named Blue, Delta, Echo, and Charlie, became Grady’s personal charges; he was there for them to imprint on when they hatched, becoming a surrogate father. During their early development, Grady provided them with stimulation and care while maintaining a video log of their growth and progress.
As the raptors matured, their pack dynamic became increasingly complex. Blue, owing to her size, strength, intelligence, and empathy, became dominant over the others. Fortunately, she showed the most loyalty to Grady, keeping Delta, Echo, and Charlie in line. The raptors’ increasingly intelligent behavior was what prompted Grady to bring Barry Sembène into I.B.R.I.S. in 2013.
Blue eventually began challenging Grady’s authority, and often led her sisters in escape attempts. While the raptors’ training continued with numerous successes, they became an increasing security threat which Grady was pressed to contain. Despite their struggles, Grady managed to keep a respectful view of the animals and reinforced his qualifications as their alpha. He seldom entered their paddock when they were mature, knowing that they could easily turn on him if they realized he was vulnerable. Only Blue’s hesitance to strike him held back the others. Grady also dealt with issues from the other side of the paddock walls, protecting the raptors from Hoskins’s efforts to weaponize their predatory adaptations.
The 2015 incident was a major test of their relationship. When presented with a far larger and more powerful animal, the raptors rejected Grady’s leadership in favor of the alluring Indominus rex. The ensuing firefight with InGen Security resulted in Charlie’s death, which drove Blue into a rage; she began attacking her former caretakers. This culminated in a confrontation at Main Street, where Grady showed compassion toward Blue which the Indominus did not. Blue concluded that Grady’s paternal traits made him a better leader than the Indominus, and led her sisters in rebelling against the larger dinosaur. As a result, Delta and Echo were killed and Blue was wounded. As the sole survivor, Blue tried to return to Grady’s side, but he granted her freedom instead.
Grady suffered without Blue, becoming withdrawn and rejecting human contact. He initially refused the chance to rescue her from an impending volcanic eruption, but changed his mind after reminiscing on the bond they had once had. Upon their reunion, Blue was at first wary, but quickly recognized her father figure and calmed down. She was summarily captured by mercenaries led by Ken Wheatley and was separated from Grady. He found her again on the S.S. Arcadia, cooperating with Claire Dearing and her allies to save Blue from a gunshot wound. They were separated again as the dinosaurs were loaded out to the Lockwood estate; after being freed, Blue tracked Grady down through the manor and found him facing down the threatening Indoraptor. She sprung into battle to protect him, but after defeating her foe, she did not take Grady’s offer to return to captivity, instead choosing a life in the wild.
Other Isla Nublar animals
Though he was chiefly in charge of caring for and training the I.B.R.I.S. raptors, Grady was also involved with the other animals in the park. He developed a thorough understanding of their needs and potential risks, allowing him to assist ACU and the park rangers in handling the other creatures across the island. Grady considered all of the animals his charges and was known to have befriended some, such as a particular female Sinoceratops, which became enamored with him after he fed it a head of lettuce. He likely worked with other theropods that were of interest to I.B.R.I.S., and may have been familiar with the Troodon Jeanie since she was involved with a related project.
Grady was actually unaware of the existence of the Indominus rex, despite this creature being heavily advertised since the beginning of 2015. He was brought to Paddock 11 to inspect it for security purposes, mistakenly believing that the animal within had escaped; this led to a series of mishandled events that caused the Indominus to actually escape. Throughout the ensuing incident, Grady helped to comfort a dying Apatosaurus that the hybrid had slaughtered, and was threatened by a flock of Pteranodon and Dimorphodon that had been accidentally freed from the Aviary. He assisted ACU and the park rangers in tranquilizing several of the escaped pterosaurs; some of them may have died due to collision injuries or drowning during this incident. During this battle he was attacked by a frenzied Dimorphodon, which was killed by Claire Dearing.
During the night of the incident, Grady spearheaded a mission to capture and kill the Indominus, though he did not approve of the mission’s methods and was stronghanded into participating. He competed with the Indominus for alpha status over his raptors, ultimately using his paternal love to prove himself superior to his animal rival’s brutish cunning and strength. The Indominus still slaughtered two of his remaining three raptors before turning on him. It was attacked by the eldest Tyrannosaurus, and ultimately killed after being forced to the edge of the Jurassic World Lagoon during the fight and ambushed by the Mosasaurus.
Grady readily accepted the possibility, and soon the inevitability, of a permanent closure of Jurassic World resulting from the incident. The dinosaurs were left to roam freely, the invisible fences being shut down. Masrani Global Corporation distanced itself from the park, and scientific research of the island ceased in early 2018 following concerns about volcanic activity on the island. During this time, Grady worked hard to convince himself that he no longer cared about the fates of the animals he had once protected. Separation from Blue, as well as the end of his relationship with Claire Dearing, had caused him to withdraw from the world. Dearing was able to spark his love for the animals again, though the 2015 incident had tainted his view of them.
While on the island for a few hours during the 2018 incident, Grady encountered many of the animals he had known before, including the Sinoceratops that had grown attached to him and the surviving Tyrannosaurus. He was menaced by a Carnotaurus at one point, along with the various dinosaurs involved with a stampede during the eruption. He failed to save any dinosaurs other than Blue, who had been his only real objective. On the mainland, he used his knowledge of dinosaur behavior to provoke a Stygimoloch into destroying a cage he and Dearing were imprisoned in, then later used the dinosaur as a distraction so he could halt a black-market auction.
While his actions caused the Stygimoloch to escape into the forests of Northern California, he cautioned against freeing the other animals. Due to complicated circumstances, the animals held within the Lockwood estate were in immediate danger of dying due to hydrogen cyanide poisoning, with the only means to save them being to release them out of the building. Because letting them free would cause unpredictable results, Grady opposed saving their lives, though not so strongly that he would have stopped anyone else from making the call. Ultimately he left this decision up to his companions, respecting their choice regardless of whether he would have done the same.
Jurassic World visitors
Grady generally did not interact with park visitors during his time at Jurassic World, since he was preoccupied with IBRIS. Supplementary media suggests that he did sometimes assist in educating visitors about certain dinosaur species, or that he would spend time in visitor areas during his off hours. However, Grady is introverted and avoids large crowds, so this was probably never a regular occurrence. He does work very well with children, but would probably not be regularly employed to take care of the park’s younger guests because of his difficulty taking orders from his superiors.
During the 2015 incident, Grady did spend several hours searching for and protecting two special guests, Claire Dearing’s nephews Zach and Gray Mitchell. During the incident, he presented himself as a brave and heroic paternal figure, likely because this was the kind of person that the boys would most quickly come to respect. It probably also helped Grady find more confidence to be treated as a hero, which undoubtedly was beneficial during the crisis. The Mitchell boys were awed at Grady’s ability to handle the dangerous Velociraptors, with seventeen-year-old Zach referring to Grady as a “badass.” Grady repeatedly protected the boys from the Indominus as well as his own raptors after they rebelled, working with Dearing to ensure they survived and were safely reunited with their parents on the mainland.
Dinosaur Protection Group
True to his apolitical nature, Grady stayed out of the Mount Sibo controversy between 2017 and 2018; he did not get involved with the Dinosaur Protection Group, though he also did not support its opposition. The organization was founded in 2017 by his ex-girlfriend Claire Dearing, whom he had parted with on bad terms. Dearing convinced Grady to join the DPG mission to Isla Nublar funded by Benjamin Lockwood; Grady took time to accept the offer, but ultimately his parental feelings toward his Velociraptor Blue prompted him to go. He did not participate in efforts to rescue dinosaurs other than Blue, having gone solely to protect her.
Grady and Dearing were accompanied on the mission by two of Dearing’s associates and leaders of the DPG: a paleoveterinarian named Zia Rodriguez and a former Jurassic World IT worker named Franklin Webb. Grady befriended both of them, though he was closer with Rodriguez. She took a quick liking to him for his confidence and handsome figure, while Webb described himself and Grady as “not compatible.” Webb suffers from numerous phobias, including one of dinosaurs, making Grady’s status as an animal trainer with dinosaur experience entirely alien to Webb’s preferences.
Rodriguez accompanied Grady on a mission to recover Blue due to her distrust for the operation’s leader Ken Wheatley. Her distrust proved accurate when Wheatley betrayed the DPG and Grady, capturing Blue and leaving Grady to die. Rodriguez saved his life by removing a tranquilizer dart from his chest before a lethal quantity of carfentanil could be administered. She found herself in a standoff with Wheatley and his mercenaries while protecting Grady, but as she was outnumbered, the best she could do was provide her services as a paleoveterinarian to ensure that Blue survived a gunshot wound she had sustained.
Grady recovered from the attack and reunited with Dearing and Webb, helping the less athletic Webb escape danger on a few occasions. The three of them were able to escape Isla Nublar and reunite with Rodriguez on the S.S. Arcadia, working as a team to save Blue from death due to blood loss and shock. This experience helped Grady bond with and trust Rodriguez and Webb, cementing their status as his friends.
On the American mainland, Webb was accidentally conscripted into service on the decks of the Arcadia and was separated from the others. Rodriguez continued to be Wheatley’s prisoner as not to arouse suspicion, leaving Grady and Dearing separated from both of their companions for a time. They would not be reunited until after the entire incident with the Indoraptor, when Rodriguez and Webb alerted Grady, Dearing, and their new ally Maisie Lockwood to a situation developing in the sub-basement. A laboratory explosion had caused a hydrogen cyanide leak, which was minutes away from killing the dinosaurs still imprisoned there. Grady cautioned against saving the animals, as the only way to do so would be to release them into the open. Rodriguez and Webb, like Grady, allowed Dearing to make the final call on this, and all four of them mourned the unavoidable truth that the dinosaurs would not survive. This decision was overridden by Maisie, who Rodriguez had been comforting. With the dinosaurs’ lives saved, they fled into the surrounding forest.
After the incident, Rodriguez and Webb did not accompany Grady, Dearing, and Maisie on their northbound journey. However, as the only other people who knew the truth about what had happened on the night of the Lockwood Manor incident, Grady would have had to trust them sincerely to protect his newfound family’s secrets. Dearing stayed in touch with the two of them after they parted ways in 2018, so Grady did sometimes hear from them. Although they considered his and Dearing’s relationship surprising and odd, they were still willing to provide help when needed, and Grady trusts both of them to do what is best.
Ken Wheatley, Eli Mills, mercenaries and black-market buyers
The DPG mission to Isla Nublar was funded by Benjamin Lockwood, but its mastermind was his estate manager Eli Mills, who knew of Grady but had not personally met him. Upon arrival to the island, Grady was first introduced to Ken Wheatley, an egotistical trophy hunter who Grady took an instantaneous dislike to. Wheatley enjoyed the sport and spoils of the hunt, rather than viewing it as a time-honored aspect of ecology as Grady does. Having a clear lack of respect for animals and viewing them as nothing more than targets or prizes, Wheatley’s involvement in the operation was for money and glory rather than a concern for the animals’ well-being. He was also deeply conservative and sexist, a more extreme version of the kind of man Grady might have become had he never met Dearing. Despite the obvious enmity brewing between the two men, Grady agreed to cooperate with Wheatley in order to save Blue, and by extent agreed to work with Wheatley’s mercenary team.
Unbeknownst to Grady or the DPG, or even Lockwood, Mills and Wheatley had no plans to relocate the dinosaurs to Sanctuary Island as promised. Instead, they were to be taken back to the Lockwood estate and sold on the black market to finance Henry Wu’s continued research. Wheatley had plans to kill Grady, Dearing, Rodriguez, and Webb as soon as they were no longer needed, which in the case of Grady meant as soon as Blue was secured.
Grady assumed that Wheatley was merely boastful and disrespectful, never suspecting that he would be capable of murder. He trusted Wheatley to heed his judgment when hunting Blue, and instructed Wheatley and his men to stay back while he closed in on the raptor. Grady planned to signal them when it was safe to move in and tranquilize Blue, but Wheatley did not wait for the signal and had his men move in as soon as Blue was within range. One of the mercenaries aimed to shoot Grady, but Blue spotted this threat and killed the man; she was shot in the shoulder for her troubles, causing Grady to attack Wheatley. Grady was shot in the chest with a tranquilizer dart; at that dosage, it would have been lethal for a human, and Grady would have died of cardiac arrest had Rodriguez not removed the dart in time. Rodriguez bargained her way into being taken along with Blue, but was helpless to save Grady from the island as Wheatley intended to leave him to die and had Rodriguez outnumbered.
Grady recovered a firearm from the killed mercenary, which he later used to rescue Dearing and Webb; the three of them escaped the island and hid among the mercenaries using simple disguises to go unnoticed in the bustle of the S.S. Arcadia. He and his companions managed to avoid detection for the course of the trip, but were apprehended at the Lockwood estate when a mercenary recognized them from the island at a checkpoint. Wheatley imprisoned them, bringing Mills to discuss their fate. This was the first time that Grady and Mills met in person, though Mills had a detailed knowledge of Grady’s IBRIS research and credited him with their mission’s success (along with Dearing’s authorization of the Indominus rex). Somewhat like Wheatley, Mills was a more extreme version of Grady’s own negative traits, in particular his isolationism and misanthropy. Grady threatened to break Mills’s arm, but Dearing talked him down when Wheatley threatened to shoot him. Dearing then assaulted Mills instead, much to Grady’s amusement. This action cost them any chance of Mills letting them live, but he left with Wheatley to manage the auction. He left Grady and Dearing’s fates up in the air until he figured out how best to dispose of them.
After escaping confinement, Grady and Dearing were led by Maisie Lockwood up to the garage, which was being used as an auction hall to sell the dinosaurs. After witnessing auctioneer Gunnar Eversoll introduce Henry Wu‘s latest creation, the Indoraptor, Grady became determined to stop the auction before the weaponized creature could leave the estate.
Grady disrupted the auction by luring a Stygimoloch into an elevator and bringing it up to the garage. As the animal caused chaos in the room, a mercenary aimed to fatally shoot it, and Grady assaulted the man to stop him. The misaimed gunfire peppered the roof of the auction hall and terrified the guests even further, causing chaos. Mills spotted Grady and fled to evacuate the lab, failing to alert his guards to Grady’s presence as he panicked. The mercenaries were too busy trying to control the situation to notice Grady as he assaulted one unsuspecting guard after another, ambushing them and using the element of surprise to overpower them. Some of the guards put up a fight, and a few managed to spot Grady before he reached them, but they all failed to stop him as he shut down the transport catwalk to prevent the hybrid Indoraptor from leaving with its buyer, the Russian mobster Anton Orlov.
Grady fled the auction hall, but he, Dearing, and Maisie were caught by Eli Mills with two armed guards. Mills attempted to convince them to let Maisie go by revealing that she was the product of illegal human cloning, but this did not change Grady or Dearing’s minds. Before Mills could try more forceful tactics, his guards were attacked by the Indoraptor, which had escaped.
Grady did not see Mills or Wheatley again. Wheatley was already dead, having actually been the one responsible for the Indoraptor‘s escape, while Mills attempted to evacuate the lab and was killed by dinosaurs that Maisie released later in the night. The escaped Indoraptor made short work of many of the other mercenaries at the Lockwood estate, who probably did not know that the animal had been released into the building. As of such, Grady’s troubles with Mills and his hired hands were effectively over, though he was able to arm himself using firearms that the Indoraptor‘s victims left behind.
Indoraptor prototype
While spying on the auction at Lockwood Manor, Grady watched as a prototype of the hybrid Indoraptor was introduced to buyers. The animal was an advancement of the Indominus rex that Grady had faced three years prior, enhanced with more Velociraptor traits to make it smaller, sleeker, and more intelligent. The hybrid was not for sale, but buyers began bidding on it anyway; Grady became determined to stop it from leaving the estate alive.
He fought his way through the auction hall and destroyed the mechanism controlling the catwalk, which prevented the cage from loading onto the transport trucks. This stopped the Indoraptor from falling into the hands of notorious Russian mobster Anton Orlov. Grady left the auction hall to avoid being caught by Mills’s guards. The trapped Indoraptor tricked mercenary hunter Ken Wheatley into releasing it from the cage, killing Wheatley in the process and emerging to prey on various attendees and security guards. It eventually targeted Grady and his companions when their paths crossed again, though its real target was the young Maisie Lockwood, with whom it had developed a sinister fascination. Grady helped his friends evade the Indoraptor, but its superb hunting abilities quickly found them again; Dearing was wounded and Grady was forced to pursue the animal alone to protect Maisie. He confronted and shot the creature, but was unable to kill it. Blue intervened, and the fight was taken to the outside roof.
Dearing rejoined the fight and commanded the Indoraptor to pounce at Grady, hoping that its attack would break through the sun roof and save them. Grady voluntarily risked his life in this move, diving under the pouncing creature to dodge its deadly claws and teeth. The pounce did break the sun roof, but the animal clambered back up, Dearing and Grady’s plan having failed. Blue reentered the fight at this point, leaping on the Indoraptor to save her father figure; their combined weight broke the metal supports in the sun roof and both animals fell into the fossil display room below. The Indoraptor landed directly on an Ajugaceratops skull and was fatally wounded, dying in seconds as its vital organs were punctured.
Maisie Lockwood
While investigating the Lockwood estate’s sub-basement laboratory for evidence that Mills intended to sell the Isla Nublar dinosaurs on the black market, Benjamin Lockwood’s granddaughter Maisie discovered a video log on Henry Wu’s computer. Wu had been observing the Day 176 log of InGen Security’s Integrated Raptor Behavioral Intelligence Study, the day on which Owen Grady first observed Blue’s empathic tendencies and how they secured her authority over her sisters.
After escaping from Mills and discovering that her grandfather had died, Maisie fled to the sub-basement and ran into Claire Dearing and Owen Grady. She distrusted them at first, attempting to run away. She had seen Dearing and Mills working together before, and had no way of knowing which side Dearing was really on. Grady was able to win Maisie’s trust; she recognized him from the IBRIS video log, and reasoned that if he really loved dinosaurs that much, then he could not be working with Mills. That meant that Dearing was also Mills’s enemy, and both of these adults could be trusted to help her. She provided them with navigation through Lockwood Manor’s maintenance corridors, allowing them to get their bearings and spy on the auction taking place above. Maisie informed them that the hybrid Indoraptor was created at Mills’s orders, and pointed out another familiar face at the auction: Henry Wu, the disgraced geneticist who had made Jurassic World possible.
Grady became protective of Maisie from the start, disrupting the auction while she was safely hidden and then coming to help Dearing get her out of the building. During their escape, the Indoraptor was accidentally released and attacked them; Grady risked his life repeatedly to ensure that Maisie survived the night. With his protection, she was able to think clearly enough to formulate an escape plan that led them outside of the mansion; Grady continued to protect her from the animal’s attacks with the help of Blue and Dearing. Ultimately, the animal was killed.
In the sub-basement again, Maisie and the others learned that the remaining dinosaurs were under threat of death due to a hydrogen cyanide gas leak. Everyone deferred to Dearing’s judgment on whether to release the dinosaurs into the forest outside or allow them to perish in the toxic gas. Dearing weighed her options, but ultimately decided that the unpredictability of letting the dinosaurs out of her control was not worth the risk. Grady had partially advised her toward this course of action, which Maisie could not bear to allow. She chose to open the sub-basement doors to the ground floor outside, saving the animals’ lives.
Following the incident, Grady briefly introduced Maisie to the now-grown-up Blue. He attempted to bring the raptor back into captivity, but Blue refused and left for the open wild. Maisie, recognizing that Grady was heartbroken without his beloved animal, comforted him. Since that point, Grady has acted as father figure toward Maisie, with Dearing becoming an adoptive mother figure. Grady’s paternal traits have now been brought out in full force with the chance to care for a human child, instead of animals. Unlike the first time he was separated from Blue, which caused him to lose his sense of purpose, Grady’s role as a paternal figure was not brought to an end this time.
Portrayal
Owen Grady is portrayed by Chris Pratt. Josh Brolin was also considered for the role. For his performance in Jurassic World, Pratt was awarded MTV’s Best Action Performance award in 2016. He won two awards for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the Teen Choice Awards’ Choice Summer Movie Actor award in 2018 and the Kids’ Choice Awards’ Favorite Butt-Kicker award in 2019. Over time, Chris Pratt’s declining popularity has impacted audience opinions of Owen Grady. Even in 2015, he was criticized due to Pratt mainly being known for comedy and action films; his character being ex-military disappointed many scientists in the audience, since none of Jurassic World‘s leading roles were scientist characters. Many audiences mistakenly believe that his character is a former Navy SEAL, but this is not said in any of the films, only that he is ex-Navy. According to the mobile games, he worked in the Marine Mammal Program, and held the position of first lieutenant.
The character of Owen Grady is not based on any character in Michael Crichton‘s novels. Instead, he is an original character intended to illustrate the relationship between humans and animals in the context of animal training for both military and entertainment purposes.
According to Colin Trevorrow and Steven Spielberg, Owen Grady’s first name was originally planned to be Vance.
