The original Fallout protagonist has been unrecognized over the years, but some new art that's being implemented into some advertisements has brought him back with a modern polish. Albert Cole acted as the main character of the first Fallout title and has largely disappeared over the years until some recent promotional artwork for the Fallout series.Ahead of its launch, Fallout 76 used concept and promotional art that was similar to earlier titles like Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, but placed far less emphasis on the original titles or the Tactics spin-off. Eagle-eyed Reddit user SignalFire_Plae has shared a cropped image from the Fallout 25-year anniversary art being used for Fallout 76 in social media ads that emphasized Albert Cole's role in the scene. The original Fallout protagonist is flanked in the screenshot by other notable franchise mainstays like one of the powerful mutants, a villain of Fallout 1, and a robot that has appeared over the generations of titles.Albert is flipping different types of meat on a barbecue in the screenshot shared by SignalFire_Plae, donning his signature Vault 13 jumpsuit and a white Vault-Tec cooking apron that keeps the blue and yellow clean. Perhaps referencing another fan-favorite Fallout character named Dogmeat, two German Shepherd dogs are waiting in front of the barbeque Albert is standing at, while a Super Mutant and The Master lurk in the background. Another Vault survivor poses with their glasses to the side of the Fallout 76 image containing Albert, with Fallout 4 companion Piper Wright to his side, and an Eye Bot floats around in the distance.
The recent Fallout titles followed survivors of the nuclear war like Courier 6, the Lone Wanderer, and the Sole Survivor, with each offering their own unique takes on the apocalyptic setting. The original Fallout games are significantly different from the genre revamp initiated with Fallout 3 and as a result, a lot of the characters in the initial titles have fallen by the wayside since 2008. Because of this, Bethesda Softworks hasn't referenced Albert Cole many times, and the Fallout promotional art breaks this long-standing tradition by putting him front and center.
Lamenting that the Albert Cole being used in the Fallout 25-year anniversary artwork still has all of his limbs, the top response to SignalFire_Plae's Reddit post suggested that an arm should be swapped for a chainsaw like with Ash Williams from Evil Dead. Pointing out the absurdity in Fallout heroes and villains mingling with each other in the promotional art, one fan was shocked to see The Master among the likes of Wright and Cole.