Fallout Wiki
Advertisement
Fallout Wiki

As long as one person in this world still enjoys Nuka-Cola, my legacy remains intact, no matter what I've been reduced to!— John-Caleb Bradberton

John-Caleb Bradberton was a chemist and business magnate before the Great War, best known as the inventor of the Nuka-Cola soft drink and CEO of the Nuka-Cola Corporation.

Background[]

Inventing Nuka-Cola[]

Main article: Nuka-Cola

Bradberton was only an amateur chemist when he began developing what would become the nation's most popular soft drink in 2042.[1] It took him nearly two years, and the help of multiple other organic chemists he would later call his "Beverageers," but in late 2042, Nuka-Cola became a reality. Within merely a year, Nuka-Cola was the top-selling soft drink in the United States.[1][2][3] According to Ruth Leavitt, by 2077, Bradberton was so influential that he owned half of Massachusetts.[4]

Nuka-World[]

Main article: Nuka-World

On Memorial Day weekend of 2049, Bradberton watched on as hundreds of people enjoyed his soft drink at a fairgrounds; he remarked that "A day like this should be every day!", inspiring the idea of his theme park, Nuka-World. The success of Nuka-Cola was so immense that Bradberton was able to fund and build the entire theme park in less than a year, with doors opening to Nuka-Town USA and Kiddie Kingdom on May 1, 2050.[5]

With over 40,000 visitors admitted into the park at its grand opening, the park was an instant success and more attractions were planned to be added to Bradberton's park in the coming years. This included Dry Rock Gulch in 2058 and Safari Adventure in 2067, both of which essentially doubled the number of visitors to the park immediately. The Galactic Zone was the last ambitious park to be added in 2072.[5]

LEAP-X project[]

Main article: LEAP-X program

With the overwhelming success surrounding his professional life, Bradberton garnered the attention of the United States military. Bradberton's Beverageers were some of the top organic chemists in the nation, prompting General Braxton of the Army Research Laboratory's Weapon and Material division to propose a contract with Bradberton in March of 2076:[6] should Bradberton sign away his employees to work on chemical and biological weapons for Project Cobalt, he would be greatly compensated.[7]

With his influence in Washington, D.C., Bradberton was able to uncover information about a top-secret project: the LEAP-X program (Life Extension And Prolongation). This project was dedicated to keeping humans alive indefinitely via a specialized machine; Bradberton knew that the world as he knew it was coming to an end soon, and with this project, Bradberton could live forever.[6][7]

General Braxton accepted the offer, and Bradberton put his Beverageers to work on Project Cobalt immediately. Other than Bradberton and the Project LEAP-X team, Bradberton's executive assistant Peyton Huxley was the only one who knew about Bradberton's plans, and was trusted to handle his employer's affairs once he stepped out of the world's spotlight. Bradberton placed so much trust in Huxley that he was one of the only people to whom Bradberton revealed the non-serious, lighthearted side of his personality.[8][9][10]

Bradberton had originally thought the project involved the creation of a living bio-suit that would preserve the human body long after it would normally expire; however, much to Bradberton's frustration, the LEAP-X team informed him that because of how much power and how many special components the project required, no more than 15 pounds of organic material could be accommodated. This left him no choice but to have his head surgically removed to be preserved by the machines.[11] On April 2, 2077, Bradberton underwent the procedure to extend his life indefinitely, leaving the management of his affairs in the hands of his executive assistant. [7][12][13]

When the Great War struck, Bradberton was left as a head in a jar in the secret vault under his office, alive but isolated for the next two centuries.[14] Trapped in solitude, he eventually grew to see his fate as worse than death, hoping for the day to come when he would finally die.[15] As he was trapped within his own vault, his plans to keep his park alive after the nuclear blasts fell apart. Most of the surviving employees would devolve into feral ghouls taking shelter in Kiddy Kingdom. However, despite his own dismal fate, he still remains proud of the legacy he has left behind in his soft drinks.[16]

Interactions with the player character[]

Quests[]

  • Cappy in a Haystack: John-Caleb Bradberton wishes to be put out of his misery, by having the power to his cryogenic preservation shut off, while Sierra Petrovita wishes to keep him alive.

Effects of player's actions[]

  • If his life support machine is switched off, his eyes will remain open and periodically move as if he's still alive.
  • If he is left alive, initially against his will, he will later respond thankfully, grateful to have human contact for the first time in two centuries.
  • If the player character accepts Sierra's offer and then shuts down Bradberton's life support machine, Sierra will condemn the Sole Survivor for their actions, furious for taking advantage of her, and then turns hostile. Should this happen, there are only two ways to proceed: kill Sierra or escape the bunker.

Notes[]

  • An additional character render for Bradberton is found within the game's files, with the form id xx044D61. If spawned using the console, a silent NPC wearing wildman rags will appear. This render matches the one found in the game's files for General Braxton.
  • "Mr. Bradberton" appears as a character in Tales from Nuka-World, a pre-War radio play heard on Pirate Radio in Fallout 76. He does not have the same voice as he does in his in-game appearance in the Fallout 4 add-on Nuka-World; in Nuka-World, he is voiced by Keith Szarabajka, while in the radio play, he is voiced by George Ackles.

Appearances[]

John-Caleb Bradberton appears in the Fallout 4 add-on Nuka-World. He is mentioned in Fallout 3 and the Fallout 76 updates Wild Appalachia[17] and Nuka-World on Tour.[18]

Behind the scenes[]

  • Bradberton's appearance as a frozen head in a Vault underneath Nuka World is a reference to an urban legend telling that the frozen head of Walt Disney is located somewhere below Walt Disney World, Florida.
  • His name is a portmanteau of the names of the inventors of Coca-Cola (John Pemberton) and Pepsi-Cola (Caleb Bradham).

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 World of Refreshment tour: "Nuka-Cola began its journey in the year 2042 when our founder, John-Caleb Bradberton, was a budding chemist. He dreamt of a delicious soft drink that would provide energy, focus and 120% of the recommended daily value of sugar!
    It took almost two years to perfect the formula, but in late 2044, Mr. Bradberton was finally successful and Nuka-Cola was born! It quickly surpassed other, lesser beverages to become America's number-one favorite soft drink. Not one to rest on his laurels, Mr. Bradberton and his team of talented "Beverageers" continued to create new and exciting formulas."
    (World of Refreshment announcer's dialogue)
  2. Nuka-World loading screens: "Amateur chemist John-Caleb Bradberton discovered the formula for Nuka-Cola in 2044. Within a year, Nuka-Cola could be purchased across the entire United States."
  3. Sierra Petrovita: "When Nuka-Cola was invented by John-Caleb Bradberton in 2044, it quickly became the world's most popular soft drink. The wonder drink soon drew a dedicated following which prompted the Nuka-Cola Corporation to release many promotional items like these. By 2067, a Nuka-Cola machine such as this rare pristine model could be found on almost every street in America. Even in today's crazy world, Nuka-Cola is still the number one choice of refreshment among Armageddon's survivors."
    (Sierra Petrovita's dialogue)
  4. Meacham recording AB35
  5. 5.0 5.1 Nuka-Town USA terminal entries; Nuka-World information terminal, History
  6. 6.0 6.1 Bradberton's office terminal entries; Bradberton's project terminal, 03-17-2076 JCB
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 General Braxton's visit
  8. Bradberton's office terminal entries; Bradberton's project terminal, 04-02-2077 JCB
  9. Nuka-World loading screens: "John-Caleb Bradberton, the inventor of Nuka-Cola, was the driving force behind the design of Nuka-World. In late 2077, he abruptly disappeared from the spotlight and his whereabouts became unknown."
  10. Bradberton's office terminal entries; Nuka-World Mail System, Outgoing Mail JCB871NWC
  11. Bradberton's office terminal entries; Bradberton's project terminal, 01-19-2077
  12. Bradberton's project terminal, Project Cobalt
  13. Bradberton's office terminal entries; Bradberton's project terminal, 01-09-2077
  14. The Sole Survivor: "We solved your Hidden Cappy contest."
    John-Caleb Bradberton: "The Hidden Cappy contest... it all seems so long ago. Another lifetime. That was before I became this monster. Before I was trapped here for centuries to suffer in solitude. This was General Braxton's plan all along. Damn the man! He called it Project Cobalt. In exchange for my weapon design, he would give me access to life-extending technology. I'm such a fool for taking him at his word. He never told me that this would be the price!"
    (John-Caleb Bradberton's dialogue)
  15. The Sole Survivor: "What about Sierra's offer to keep you company? Wouldn't that help?"
    John-Caleb Bradberton: "I admit I'm flattered by her admiration, but I'm so tired, in ways that words could not explain. I've lived far too long already, and I'm prepared to move on. I await your decision."
    (John-Caleb Bradberton's dialogue)
  16. The Sole Survivor: "Smart enough to invent Nuka-Cola, but you still fell for that?"
    John-Caleb Bradberton: "Yes, make your jokes, but I've still accomplished ten times more in a single lifetime than anyone I've met, including you! As long as one person in this world still enjoys Nuka-Cola, my legacy remains intact, no matter what I've been reduced to!"
    Sierra Petrovita: "A... a weapon? I don't believe it. Why would the genius who brought so much joy to the world want to make something destructive?"
    John-Caleb Bradberton: "Genius is restless, madam! It must expand, seek new challenges, and explore new frontiers. So yes, a weapon. It was going to be a quantum-enhanced variant of the standard portable tactical warhead. In fact, the prototypes are stored in this very chamber. You can have them, on one condition. I want you to shut off the power to this machine that's keeping me alive. I want to die."
    (Sierra Petrovita's and John-Caleb Bradberton's dialogue)
  17. NCX13-GP01 Feedback Form
  18. Del's journal
Advertisement