Viktor Marchenko

Viktor Marchenko is a heavily augmented member of the Augmented Rights Coalition, who serves as the main antagonist of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

Compared to other ARC members, Marchenko is outspoken and has radical views regarding how to resist the oppression of transhumans. He is suspected of being responsible for multiple terrorist attacks, carried out in an attempt to further ARC's cause. This is in spite of the fact that Talos Rucker, the leader of ARC, is opposed to violence.

Marchenko is both charismatic and intelligent. He is also well versed in the history of past revolutionaries.

Background
Not much is known about Marchenko's life prior to him joining ARC other than that his parents were illiterate railway workers. Even he himself did not receive proper education, leaving school after 10 years to become a shift worker on a drilling gang for shale-gas deposits in eastern Ukraine.

Marchenko ran into trouble in 2011 with a group of Pro-Russian separatists and ended up with severe injuries to his body, causing him to be hospitalized. Afterwards, Marchenko disappeared from the records for 12 years, until 2023 where he suddenly resurfaced with a wife (Alisa Maratovna - a suspected Russian Intelligence Agent, whom he married in 2021) and newborn daughter (Raisa Viktorichna) in Belgorod, Russia. By this point in time, he had still not yet been augmented. He and his family disappeared shortly prior to the Aug Incident.

After 2027, Marchenko entered Útulek using the name Viktor Melnik. It is speculated by Dr. Auzenne that the name could be a tribute to someone else, possibly Alisa Maratovna whose maiden name was Melnika. His wife and child were not with him when he arrived at the complex, and according to the State Police, Melnik was the instigator of a few incidents in which he "stood up" to them while they were performing their duties. It is unclear as to when exactly he started using the name "Marchenko" again.

Augmentations
Both of Marchenko's arms as well as his right eye have been replaced with mechanical augmentations. His bigger left arm can open up into a laser cannon which he will wield against the player during the final battle.

Damocles' Sword
As an agent of the Illuminati, Marchenko asked to have a bomb implanted inside his body that can be activated with a killswitch, known as Damocles' Sword, in case he ever stepped out of line or is compromised while on mission. Unlike other killswitches used in the series, which are spoken phrases that has to be pieced together from two parts, Damocles' Sword is a single physical object almost identical to a Multi-Tool, except white and adorned with a Skull. Booby traps are put in place so that killing him with this device will cause his body to explode, potentially maiming or killing his opponent should they try to recover his remains.