Doctor Madison Li is a scientist residing in the science lab of Rivet City in the Capital Wasteland, serving as a major character in the main questline in Fallout 3.
She makes a reappearance residing in the Institute as the head of the Advanced Systems division (Institute username Li.M)[1] in the Commonwealth, serving as a supporting character in the Institute and Brotherhood of Steel questlines in Fallout 4.
Background[]
Early life[]
Madison Li was a young, idealistic scientist when she met James and Catherine. Upon learning of their plan, she fully devoted herself to the eventual success of Project Purity like the rest of the scientists who joined them, working tirelessly to see it through.[2][3][4][Non-game 1] Her admiration for James later developed into romantic feelings over the course of their work, but she kept them hidden out of respect for James' marriage to Catherine. Though it strained her personal relationship with them, her professional relationship never changed.[5]
The progress of the project faced numerous complications, not the least of which were the frequent super mutant attacks, but the martial support of Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel allowed them to continue in relative safety, though Madison personally did not trust the organization's motives for lending their aid. Even with the Brotherhood's help, however, the researchers' efforts soon took a downturn, with super mutant attacks intensifying and work to adapt the water purification technology for large-scale deployment hitting snags. Catherine's pregnancy, which had previously inspired the team to work harder, became the breaking point. When Catherine went into labor, Madison personally was able to deliver her child safely, but Catherine suffered cardiac arrest and died shortly after the birth. Afterwards, James chose to abandon Project Purity in favor of his child's safety. Madison's grief for Catherine's death turned into a feeling of betrayal by James, whom she still loved, and things quickly splintered apart amongst the remaining members, not least because of Madison's dislike for the Brotherhood. Eventually, the Brotherhood also left, taking their protective support with them. The team soon fully dissolved, leaving Project Purity unfinished, and went their separate ways.[Non-game 1][3][6][7][8]
Rivet City[]
After leaving Project Purity around 2259, Madison headed to Rivet City, having heard about the thriving scientific community set up there by Horace Pinkerton. Despite leaving the project behind unfulfilled, she had not given up on its mission, and continued her research into water purification, though on a smaller scale. It soon became clear that Pinkerton did not share her vision, seeing it as a waste of time. After numerous arguments and disagreements with Madison, he left Rivet City to take up residence in the bow of the aircraft carrier, with the city at large believing he had disappeared.[9] With his departure, Madison took his place on the Rivet City Council and became the settlement's lead scientist,[10] organizing the remaining scientists and directing them to work on projects involving hydroponics, water purification, and portable fusion power.[11] Through their work, Rivet City was able to grow healthy, radiation-free produce like fresh apples and pears. Madison remained in her position for the next 18 years, over which time she grew "older, wiser, and much more cynical."[Non-game 1]
It was in her position serving the prosperity of Rivet City that Madison had her first exposure to the Institute when Dr. Zimmer, the then-director of the Synth Retention Bureau, came to the city in 2277 requesting help from Madison's team to track down an escaped android. However, his refusal to elaborate any further, coupled with a condescending attitude towards their work, earned him no favors. Madison herself refused to acknowledge his requests, seeing him as a distraction.[12]
Return to Project Purity[]
Later in 2277, Madison's life took a drastic turn once more. She received an unexpected visit from James, who had escaped from Vault 101 and traveled to Rivet City hoping to enlist Madison's support in reviving Project Purity. However, this caused old emotions to resurface, and Madison angrily refused to help him, claiming that she had moved on and too much time had passed.[3][13][14] Secretly, she later regretted her outburst and hoped to see James again. She saw a chance when soon after their confrontation and James' departure to find Vault 112 and Stanislaus Braun, she met the grown-up Lone Wanderer and eventually agreed to help them find James, pointing them in the direction of their old laboratory at the Jefferson Memorial.
Following James' rescue from the Tranquility Lane simulation by the Lone Wanderer, father and child returned to Rivet City, where Madison was very happy to see James again (even though she wouldn't admit it).[15] She agreed to help him restart their work on Project Purity, substituting her team from Rivet City as additional manpower.
Shortly into the revived work on the project, the facility under the Memorial was invaded by the Enclave under Colonel Augustus Autumn. He demanded for the scientists to hand over control of Project Purity in order to cement the Enclave's dominance in the Capital Wasteland. James, still caring for Madison, pretended to comply with Autumn's demand, though not before making sure that she would be out of harm's way.[16] In the ensuing events, Madison's assistant Janice Kaplinski was killed while James flooded the control chamber with deadly amounts of radiation, sacrificing his life to avert the Enclave's takeover (though Autumn ultimately survived), though not before he was able to say goodbye to his child.[17] Madison, despite her shock, managed to take charge and escaped with the Lone Wanderer and the surviving scientists. They fled to the Citadel, taking refuge with the Brotherhood of Steel. Despite their past enmity, her continued distrust,[18] and her displeasure in working on weapons of mass destruction, Madison helped the Brotherhood prepare for war against the Enclave, applying her knowledge of portable fusion power to assist Scribe Rothchild in restoring the military robot Liberty Prime.[19][20]
Madison accompanied the Brotherhood, coming in behind Liberty Prime and the Lone Wanderer as they broke through the Enclave blockade around the Jefferson Memorial during the Battle of Project Purity. After the Enclave's defeat, she arrived to monitor the status of the purifier, finding it to be badly damaged. She informed the Lone Wanderer and Sarah Lyons via intercom that the purifier would need to be manually activated from the heavily irradiated control room or else the entire facility would explode.[21]
Heading north[]
Some time after helping the Brotherhood to restart operations at Project Purity but before the Lone Wanderer awoke from the coma they were in as a result of activating the purifier and being hit with radiation, Madison ended up leaving the Capital Wasteland. She still distrusted the Brotherhood, and she further disagreed with their military occupation of the Capital Wasteland and exclusive control of the purifier as well as their attempts to control and weaponize her research.[20][22] Though Elder Lyons permitted her departure, Madison realized that other voices in the Brotherhood saw her as a security risk due to her status as an outsider with access to Brotherhood secrets, and she feared they would attempt to silence her.[23] Her destination was the Commonwealth to the north, where she hoped to take refuge with the Institute, believing that their rumored technological advancement would keep her safe from the Brotherhood's exploitation and retribution.[24][25]
The Institute[]
Madison's expedition was successful in reaching the Commonwealth, where she later made contact with the Institute. When Father extended an offer for her to join them, she was only too happy to accept, wanting nothing more than peace from the Brotherhood and room to pursue her research. The Institute's scientific resources and intellectual community were above anything Madison had ever seen before, and she quickly dedicated herself to expanding her research and scientific expertise under the Institute's wing.[26] Though she has faced distrust for being an outsider,[27] Madison persevered, rising through the ranks and becoming privy to some of the Institute's most sensitive projects. Sometime before 2287, she was selected to become the head of the Advanced Systems division.
Madison came to genuinely believe that the Institute wants the best for all humanity.[26] Her cynicism over her past with the Brotherhood meant she was initially willing to overlook the organization's selfishness, isolation, and lack of transparency,[28] as well as Father's irrational behavior; she was privately disgusted by the director's pet project to create a child synth but offered her assistance with it anyway.[29][30] She also began suspecting that Father was keeping secrets from her, but doesn't see that as enough of an issue to turn her back on the group she had devoted the rest of her life to.[28][31] Eventually, though, one incident managed to rattle her and shake her allegiance to the Institute: Madison was friends with Doctor Brian Virgil, the lead researcher of the Institute's FEV lab, when he was declared to have been killed in an accident that shut down the FEV lab. The lab was sealed off despite Madison's insistence on a thorough investigation, with Father deflecting all of her concerns on the topic. This time, she couldn't ignore the lack of transparency. She refused to believe what occurred was an accident, though the suspicious circumstances did not afford her any solid proof to back it up. However, the truth is out of her expectation: Virgil had grown disillusioned and fled the Institute, and is still alive and in hiding somewhere in the Commonwealth.[32][33]
Despite her misgivings over the Institute's policies and Virgil's "death," Madison continued working towards the organization's goals. Though she generally avoids socializing,[34] she has good relationships with many colleagues and even has a protégé, Rosalind Orman, whom she considers the best physicist (and overall one of the greatest talents) in the entire Institute. Her opinion of Evan Watson, another of her subordinates, is more neutral.[35][36]
Interactions with the player character[]
Fallout 3[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
  |
This character is essential. Essential characters cannot be killed. | |
  |
This character is a temporary companion. | |
  |
This character starts quests. | |
  |
This character is involved in quests. | |
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This character drops an ear upon death (Contract Killer). | |
Quests[]
- Scientific Pursuits: Madison points the Lone Wanderer in the direction of the Jefferson Memorial to further the search for James.
- The Waters of Life: Shaken by the death of James at the Jefferson Memorial, Madison enlists the Lone Wanderer to escort the remaining scientists to the Citadel and the Brotherhood of Steel.
Effects of player's actions[]
- If the Lone Wanderer has killed Three Dog before completing Galaxy News Radio, the player character will need to talk to Madison to resume the main questline.
Other interactions[]
- If the Lone Wanderer passes a Speech check before going to Project Purity, Madison rewards them with five stimpaks.
- After escaping to the Citadel, Madison will be unavailable for conversation as she asks the Lone Wanderer to leave her alone. Entering Vault 87 and starting Finding the Garden of Eden will make her available for conversation again.
Fallout 4[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
| |
This character is involved in quests. | |
Quests[]
Institute[]
- Institutionalized: Father sends the Sole Survivor to speak to the Division Heads, including Madison. She upgrades their Pip-Boy to allow them to use the Institute's Molecular Relay to enter and leave, which completes the quest.
- Mankind - Redefined: Madison is present at the Directorate meeting when Father reveals he is dying and names the Sole Survivor as his successor.
- Powering Up: Madison is present at the Directorate meeting when the decision is made to destroy the Brotherhood of Steel.
- Airship Down: Madison will inform the Sole Survivor about the mission to destroy the Prydwen and direct them to Rosalind Orman for further details.
Brotherhood[]
- From Within: Elder Maxson knows Madison is working for the Institute and wants her to work alongside the Brotherhood once again. One can pass a successive series of persuasion checks or give her Virgil's log in order to convince her to leave the Institute.
- If Madison is convinced to leave, Evan Watson will take her place in any further Institute quests that she would have appeared in (see the list above for reference).
- Liberty Reprimed: The Sole Survivor will assist Madison and Proctor Ingram in their mission to reconstruct Liberty Prime by gathering the materials necessary for the robot's reactivation.
Effects of player's actions[]
- After destroying the Institute during The Nuclear Option with the Brotherhood, talking to Madison will cause her to angrily confront the Sole Survivor, condemning them and the Brotherhood for betraying her again and refusing to speak with them further.
- Madison can be informed about Virgil's fate dependent on the outcomes of A Loose End and Virgil's Cure. If he was cured, she will express gratitude for letting her know. If killed, she will ask what happened, and will condemn the Sole Survivor unless told that he committed suicide.
Other interactions[]
- After completing Mankind - Redefined, Madison will have ambient dialogue commenting sternly on Father's decision to appoint the Sole Survivor his successor.
- After completing Powering Up, Madison will have ambient dialogue regarding the Institute reactor and her (preliminary) approval of the Sole Survivor as director.
- After completing Nuclear Family, Madison will have ambient dialogue expressing sympathy for Father's death and her expectations for a stable change of leadership.
Inventory[]
- Fallout 3
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Li's outfit | Knife | Doctor Li's key misc items |
- Fallout 4
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Institute division head coat Science scribe's armor (if From Within is completed) |
Institute laser pistol |
- Fallout Shelter
Notes[]
Fallout 3[]
- Madison has a unique hairstyle that is unused by any other NPC, in the same vein as Cherry. Unlike Cherry, however, her hairstyle, "The Sophisticate," is one that can be selected for a female Lone Wanderer during character creation.
- The door to her quarters is always locked and must be picked to gain entry.
- Unlike most beds in the personal quarters of Rivet City residents, Madison's bed is classified as unowned. This sometimes results in NPCs appearing at her door fruitlessly attempting to gain access to the open bed, or spawning in her room during their assigned sleeping hours (trapping them inside).
Fallout 4[]
- It is possible to kill Madison. However, killing her will turn the Brotherhood hostile towards the player character even if they sided with the Brotherhood at the end.
- Madison will not become hostile when Institute personnel are attacked, as long as she is not attacked herself.
- Madison Li is one of the few characters that previously appeared in Fallout 3 to make a reappearance in Fallout 4, along with Arthur Maxson and Robert MacCready.
Notable quotes[]
Fallout 3[]
- "I... It's you. My heavens, you look so much like him..."
- "The plan was to build a facility that could purify all the water in the Tidal Basin at once. No radiation, no muck, just clear water."
- "Damn you, James. When this is all over, you owe me a drink. I'll get the team together."
- "Lyons! I know you're in there! I know you can hear me! You open this goddamn door right now!" – Madison at the Citadel's door
- "The Enclave. They've attacked Project Purity. James is dead... there may be more. I don't know. You have to do something!"
Fallout 4[]
- "You know, I never understood why the Institute was so damn selfish. All those innocent people up there...dying. And here I am surrounded by technology that could make their lives better. Yet we hide down here and insulate ourselves from everything and everyone. It's not right."
- "I knew it was just a matter of time before your people would track me down. I've been looking over my shoulder for almost a decade, waiting for them to send someone like you to kill me."
- "You'd think being surrounded by cutting edge laboratory equipment and some of the greatest minds the world's ever known would be enough. Only problem is the lack of transparency. I don't think we get the full story on everything that occurs down here."
Appearances[]
Madison Li appears in Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout Shelter, Fallout Shelter Online, and Fallout: Wasteland Warfare. Li is also mentioned in the Fallout 3 add-on Broken Steel.
Behind the scenes[]
- Madison Li is voiced by Jennifer Massey in the English versions of Fallout 3 and Fallout 4.
- In the Japanese versions of both games, her voice is dubbed by Yuko Kaida, who also voiced Veronica Santangelo in the Japanese version of Fallout: New Vegas.
- In the Spanish version of Fallout 3, her voice is dubbed by Yolanda Mateos, who also voiced Christine Royce in the Spanish version of Dead Money. Mateos did not reprise the role for Fallout 4, in which the Spanish dub for Madison is uncredited.
Bugs[]
If the player convinces her to join the Brotherhood but then destroys both the Institute and the Brotherhood, along with the Prydwen and the airport, she can be found standing in the Prydwen's burnt-out carcass, wearing her BoS attire and acting like she never left the Institute and the Sole Survivor was made its director.[verified]
Gallery[]
Fallout 3[]
Fallout 4[]
Fallout Shelter series[]
Fallout: Wasteland Warfare[]
Magic: The Gathering[]
.jpg "Fallout Magic Dr. Madison Li (Etched Foil).jpg (111 KB)")
.png "Fallout Magic Dr. Madison Li (Showcase Pip-Boy).png (322 KB)")
References[]
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- Non-game
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.69-70: "Doctor Madison Li
Doctor Madison Li, 48, was a young, idealistic scientist who fully bought into the notion of Project Purity. She worked tirelessly with your father, and hid her growing romantic feelings while respecting his marriage to another scientist. When your mother was killed, Doctor Li was filled with remorse, but when the player's father decided to abandon Project Purity to keep his child safe, her sadness was replaced with a powerful sense of betrayal. Eighteen years later, she is older, wiser, and much more cynical."
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