Most of the characters in Upload are complex and varied. Some are evil, some are good and some experience huge character development. With different opinions, desires and aspirations, they are all trying to navigate life (and the afterlife) in a complicated, dynamic and unjust world.
While fans enjoy the personalities of all the characters in the series to some extent, they like some characters because they are comically evil or have exciting story lines. Other characters fans like because they are kind to others, trying to become better people or because they are just plain hilarious. Nonetheless, some of the characters are significantly more likable than others.
David Choak
Successful billionaire David Choak is clearly the least likable character in the series. With an outrageous amount of money to his name, he seems not to care about those with less than himself. This character does some awful things throughout the series; he derives joy from eating endangered animals and it transpires that he is behind Nathan’s premature demise.
Whilst Choak does have rare redeeming moments, like when he expresses his admiration for Freeyond, most of the time he is abhorrent.
Lucy
A manager at Horizon and a thorn in Nora’s side, Lucy is forever rubbing her employees the wrong way. She has little decency. She tries to send back a pair of boots that she wore all winter and jokes with her employees about giving them all a pay increase, only afterwards making it clear that she is joking having already raised their hopes.
Worst of all, Lucy refuses to give Nora an employee discount so Nora can provide an afterlife for her adoring, sick father. Lucy is a complete nightmare.
Matteo
Leader of the LUDS and one of the best characters introduced in Upload series 2, Matteo initially comes across as funny, charismatic and kind. When he first meets Nora, he helps her to feel settled in her new home and the pair quickly form a relationship. However, it soon becomes clear that he is not as nice as he first seemed. He is happy to sacrifice the afterlives of those at Lakeview, condemning them for being rich.
While he does eventually help Nora and Nathan and shows some positive character development, he is still one of the least likable characters in the series.
Ingrid Cannerman
Ingrid is one of the best and most complex characters in the series. She is entitled, dishonest, vain and ignorant to the struggles of others. She plays a part in Nathan’s death, although it turns out that she changed the settings on Nathan’s car to ‘prioritize occupant’ in a last minute bid to save him.
Furthermore, sometimes she shows kindness. She cares about Nathan so much (too much) and spends time trying to connect with his niece, Nevaeh. Additionally, her own family treat her so badly that fans frequently feel sorry for her.
Nathan Brown
Protagonist of the series, Nathan, experiences the most character development in the series. Before his death, he is selfish, vain and immature. Although he values his family and loved ones above anything else, he betrays his long-term best friend and business partner. However, when he dies and uploads, he embarks on a journey of becoming a better person. He feels guilty about exploiting Ingrid’s obsession with him and funding his afterlife, makes it his mission to help the 2Gigs and makes frequent attempts to help Nora and make her happy.
Nora Anthony
Nora experiences her fair share of adversity: her mother has died, her father is sick, she is struggling to make ends meet and her boss is a complete nightmare. Although sometimes her adverse experiences make her grumpy and short with others, she never stops trying to make a difference to the lives of others.
She sees her work at Lakeview as valuable and an opportunity to help her uploads, she take responsibility for her sick father and she believes in equality whole-heartedly.
A.I. Guy
As the virtual assistant of Lakeview, A.I. Guy’s whole purpose is helping the residents. He is not human and he does not always know the right thing to say or how to adhere to social norms. However, he is always smiling and helping (albeit coming across as quite creepy in the process) and even has moments of kindness and sympathy. In one of the best episodes of Upload, the A.I. Guy consoles an upset Ingrid, offering some words of kindness and a hug, showing an extremely (uncharacteristically) human side of himself.
David “Dave” Antony
Nora’s father, Dave, cares about his daughter above all else. He worries that she spends too much of her time and resources trying to take care of him and he wants to make sure that she is being taken care of herself. Although he does not believe the virtual afterlife is natural, when Nora asks him to visit Lakeview, he does so and makes an effort with Nathan, knowing that it is important to Nora. He treats other people with kindness and respect and fans feel sympathy for him because he is still grieving for his beloved wife.
Luke
Former Army Veteran and resident of Lakeview, Luke, is one of the best characters in Upload. Luke is forever cracking jokes and winding up his angel, Aleesha. He comes across as somewhat innocent and naive, struggling to make friends in the afterlife and craving a romantic partner. He certainly does not always know the right thing to say but he tries to treat other people with kindness.
Despite his humorous and light-hearted personality, he turns out out to be noble and brave. Overall, fans find Luke endearing and can find few negative things to say about him.
Aleesha
Horizons employee and best friend of Nora, Aleesha has personality in bucketloads. Although she is by no means the perfect employee (losing an upload’s file, consistently having poor statistics and having an ongoing rivalry with Luke), she is funny and tends to look on the bright side. She is always there for her best friend and helps Nora navigate difficult and complicated situations.
Despite seemingly bullying Luke most of the time, the pair actually have a warm friendship and she does care about him, which she shows when she tries to help him win Lakeview Bucks in a competition.
