Gears of War 4 stars the son of Marcus Fenix (and two other people)

Did you notice a familiar twinkle in JD's eye when you first saw him in that Gears of War 4 trailer? Maybe a certain thickness about the neck and shoulders? Speculate no longer: Game Informer has revealed that the youthful soldier is the son of the great Marcus Fenix himself, while spilling more details about his companion Kait Diaz and unseen accomplice Delmont Walker.

Both JD and Del are longtime friends and former COG soldiers who went AWOL after a "classified incident", while Kait is a literal "Outsider", born and raised beyond the city state walls that protect most of the Locust War's human survivors. JD is voiced by Liam McIntyre, best known for his lead role in Starz's Spartacus series, Kait is portrayed by seasoned voice actress Laura Bailey, and Del Walker is played by Eugene Byrd, who you may remember as Andy Diggle in Arrow.

"It's kind of terrifying, because I get to be the lead in a new era of Gears, which is unbelievable, amazing, and exciting," McIntyre said. "I'm the legacy, because my dad is Marcus Fenix. JD's a soldier and a bit of a freedom fighter, and in his heart he's a bit of a renegade. He's different from Marcus, but he's still that heroic archetype."

The Gears of War 4 multiplayer beta is still scheduled to go live sometime this spring which, judging by the melting snow pile outside of my window, is coming right up. You'll probably see more of the dynamic trio then, even if most of the exposition will be limited to kill quotes and death gurgles.

Seen something newsworthy? Tell us!