Are ghouls the Goombas of Fallout? Or something more?

Since the debut of the Fallout TV show on Amazon Prime Video, everyone wants to know a little bit more about Bethesda’s beloved action RPG series – including, what are ghouls?

Debuting all episodes in the middle of April 2024, fans of the post-apocalyptic wasteland have been diving into the games in their droves.

In fact, Fallout 4’s player base surged by a humongous 7,500 per cent across Europe for the week after launch (via GamesIndustry.biz). That’s the power of television for you.

With one of the main protagonists of the TV show being a ghoul, naturally people have questions about their roles in the games. So, that’s where we come in.

Fallout ghouls explained: What actually is a ghoul?

Fallout 76. Bethesda
A ghoul – or a necrotic post-human, as they’re sometimes called – is a fictional mutated human being that has been exposed to severe radiation and transformed into a feral monster.

These are a direct result of the nuclear blast in the Fallout series, with their lives greatly extended as a result, too.

They walk slowly, like a zombie, and will attack anyone who approaches them. Their skin is severely burnt, turning either a dark green or reddish colour.

There are types of ghouls that have not become feral and live with humans in settlements or other areas across the wastelands.

Ghouls have appeared in every Fallout game since the original’s launch way back in 1997. They serve as one of the most recognisable elements of the video game series.

So who is The Ghoul in the Fallout TV Show?

Walton Goggins (The Ghoul) in Fallout. Prime Video
In the Amazon Fallout TV show, The Ghoul is played by Alabama-born actor Walton Goggins, who you may recognise from the likes of Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Righteous Gemstones and Tomb Raider.

Goggins portrays Cooper Howard, a down-on-his-luck Hollywood actor who was affected by the nuclear blast, turning him into a ghoul. He now makes a living as a gunslinger and bounty hunter.

Fallout 4 is available across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. The game can also be played via backwards compatibility on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S via a new Fallout 4 next-gen update.

Meanwhile, the Fallout TV show is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. A second season is already in the works, so expect to hear a lot more about the wastelands in the future.