Apex Legends’ cast of fascinating characters is always expanding, and with the masterfully-woven plot threading its way through each and every one of them, it can be easy to get things mixed up. But there’s no better way to keep your Apex Legends lore straight than by exploring the past events that made each character Legendary to begin with. Here are ten facts you should know about Fuse, the “bombastic explosives expert” introduced in Apex Legends Season 8: Mayem.
1. Fuse: The Basics
Name: Walter “Fuse” Fitzroy
Age: 58
Homeworld: Salvo
Season Debut: 8
Walter “Wally” Fitzroy is best described by breaking him down into his main components: 25% musical talent, 25% metal body parts, and at least 50% stuff that goes “boom!” An explosive personality with a surprisingly soft side, Fuse has been drawn to the glory and limelight of the Apex Games since long before Salvo entered Syndicate Space, and his journey to the Games was far from smooth sailing.
2. He’s From a War-Torn Planet
Walter Fitzroy was born on Salvo, a former “fringe world” that joined Synciate Space somewhat recently, when Fuse debuted as a Legend in Season 8.
Prior to that, Salvo was run by various groups, each group only managing to stay in control until their leader was eliminated, after which a new warlord would rise up to fill the power vacuum left by the previous one. Skirmishes often broke out among members of smaller outfits, and the planet is described as dusty, barren, and filled with ruthless individuals willing to do whatever they must to get what they want.
3. He Was a Teenage Warlord
One of those many warring factions was the Cracked Talon, a mercenary outfit led by a teenage Walter and his best friend, Margaret Kōhere.
Despite being the oldest Legend to ever join the Apex Games, Fuse was quite the early bloomer when it comes to combat itself, and made quite a name for himself in Salvo’s underground fighting circuit. Over the years, however, it became abundantly clear that Fuse preferred fighting for fame and glory over Salvo’s freedom, causing a rift to form between him and his childhood friend.
4. A Grenade is His (un)Lucky Charm
Growing up in an arid, barren landscape littered with the rubble of wars past doesn’t have a lot of perks, but there are a few – like calling first dibs on any gold-plated frag grenades you might happen upon while exploring bombed-out buildings, as Fuse did during his youth.
After falling through a hole in the floor of a dilapidated house as a young boy, Walter and Margaret stumbled across the ancient corpse of a Savlonian freedom fighter with a gold-plated frag grenade still clutched in its skeletal fist. While Margarent reminded Fuse to show respect for the fallen Salvonians who gave their lives for the cause, it’s clear that all Walter could see was a very shiny toy with a lot of explosive potential, as he swiftly snatched the gilded ordnance out of his friend’s palm and ran off giggling into the sunlight, with Margaret hot on his heels.
From their childhood into their fifties, Walter and Margaret shared the grenade, tossing it back and forth – but never actually detonating it – as they pulled off the series of wild feats that made their names known planet-wide. Why the pair continued to use the grenade as a sort of relay race baton during the subsequent years of madness and mayhem is anyone’s guess, but it’s probably safe to assume that matching sets of BFF necklaces aren’t easy to come by on Salvo.
5. Apex Isn’t His Only Game
Long before Skull Town was blown off the map in Season 5, Walter Fitzroy was cracking noggins in another skeletal bloodsport arena: The Bonecage.
Bonecage matches are Salvo’s bloodsport of choice, and it’s certainly easy to see the entertainment value, given the fact that competitors are all bloodthirsty, ruthless, have nothing to lose, and lack the safety net of a Respawn Beacon nearby to resurrect them. In the Bonecage, the stakes are high, and once you go down, you’re not getting back up.
While Fuse was busy making a name for himself in the Bonecage, Margaret and the rest of the Cracked Talon focused their efforts on the fight for Salvo’s freedom. Unfortunately, Fuse’s exploits in the local bloodsport arena attracted some attention.
After seeing his performance in hand-to-hand combat, the Mercenary Syndicate running the Apex Games presented Fuse with an invitation to join the other Legends and leave Salvo behind forever. Though Walter was thrilled, his best friend and fellow Cracked Talon leader, Margaret, was furious.
6. His Best Friend Blew off His Arm
Margaret – better known as Mad Maggie – is his best friend. Or she was, until Walter “betrayed” her by joining the Apex games just weeks after a rival Salvonian warlord, Sandringham Kelly, signed a treaty with the Mercenary Syndicate. The signing of the treaty made Salvo the eighth planet to officially join the Syndicate Alliance of Free Words (informally referred to as “Syndicate Space”), effectively putting an end to any and all attempts by warriors like Maggie to truly secure Salvo’s independence. The treaty also gave Kelly and his gang, the Black Rattlers, a legitimate claim to power on Salvo, further stoking Mad Maggie’s rage.
Moments after it was announced via live television broadcast that Salvo had joined the Syndicate, Fuse paid Maggie a visit and announced his plans to join the Apex Games. Finally giving in to her feelings of heartbreak, betrayal, and rage, Mad Maggie snatched the golden grenade away from Fuse, then handed it back – without the pin.
A brief struggle ensued, but the end result was a bombed-out apartment, a broken friendship, and amputation-by-explosion. Walter’s arm was replaced with a mechanical prosthetic, while Maggie had the severed organic one preserved in her office as a keepsake of sorts. Similar to best friend bracelets, decent paperweights are apparently also in short supply on Salvo.
7. A Terrorist Sabotaged His Apex Games Induction Ceremony
Even after escaping his homeworld barely-intact, Walter wasn’t out of the woods yet.
Maggie, who was still furious at Fuse for selling out, used his love for the limelight against him. Walter’s Apex Games debut celebration – which also served as a celebration of Salvo’s official integration into Syndicate Space – was sabotaged by his former friend, who hacked the ship that was serving as a soundstage for the event.
The attack caused the ship to fire missiles on the crowd of bystanders who had come to see the fireworks show, and eventually downed the vessel entirely. Seconds later, an intricate network of homemade explosives were detonated across Kings Canyon, doing almost as much damage as Loba’s grand entrance did in Season 5.
Later, Season 8’s comic arc depicted Fuse, Bloodhound, and Lifeline chasing Maggie down, but despite her aggressive posturing, Maggie ultimately chose to let Fuse go, and faked her death to escape the army of Syndicate personnel attempting to hunt her down. Things ended on a bittersweet note, and that was the last time Fuse saw her until she joined the games herself in Season 12. After being captured by the Syndicate, Maggie was sentenced to death by combat in the Apex Games, with Walter as one of her 19 assigned executioners.
8. He’s Pansexual
While plenty is known about Fuse’s past as a combatant, less is known about his romantic history. In Season 8’s comics, he denies any romantic connection to Maggie, but doesn’t go into detail. Devs, however, have confirmed that Fuse identifies as pansexual – that is, gender doesn’t play a part in whether he finds someone attractive.
Given the relatively small amount of non-gay queer male representation in media, many fans see Walter’s presence on the squad as a win whether he makes it into the Top 3 or not.
9. He’s Known Bloodhound for Years
Most fans count Maggie among Fuse’s friends, despite the fact that they’re currently at odds. But many players are unaware that another longtime friend of Fuse is on the Legend squad, and has been since day one. Season 8’s comics made it clear that Fuse and Bloodhound are close and have known each other since before Walter joined the games.
As Fuse, Bloodhound, and Lifeline look for Maggie, Bloodhound repeatedly vouches for the bomb-blasting Legend, even though the other Legends make it clear they’re suspicious of him due to his associations with Maggie. Later, Bloodhound references Boone, their only known romantic link, who was mauled to death right in front of them, an event that haunts them to this day. Bloodhound came to Walter’s aid again in Season 9, accompanying him on a dangerous hunt for Carthage spiders while reliving some shared fond memories.
10. He’s Learning a New Language for an Old Friend
In one of the comics posted to Twitter at the end of Season 9, the Legends are gathered for a post-match drink at Mirage’s bar. In it, Fuse can be seen attempting to give Bloodhound a speech in their own native language. It appears that ol’ Fusey is in the process of teaching himself Icelandic to better facilitate communication with Bloodhound, even though Bloodhound speaks fluent English. Bloodhound is clearly touched, and attempts to respond in kind, which is both adorable and utterly hilarious. The infamous butt-smack is referenced, and laughs are had all around.
In recent seasons, Fuse can be heard complimenting Bloodhound – often on their appearance, despite the fact that they keep every inch of their frostbite-scarred flesh fully covered at all times. Mad Maggie may have stolen the show at Wally’s debut ceremony, but based on Bloodhound’s clearly-flustered responses to Fuse’s friendly overtures, the fireworks are just getting started.
Apex Legends is free to play on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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