Dominic Santiago

E-Day takes place fourteen years before the first Gears of War. Dom’s presence follows that earlier chronology: this campaign returns to the opening of the Locust War. It does not need to undo a later game to bring him back.[2]

Carlos Ferro returns to the role. Dom is selectable in campaign co-op from the start, alongside Marcus, Mags and Lucas. His place in the story is not restricted to an optional multiplayer skin.[3]

Dom’s older brother Carlos and Marcus were best friends. Carlos died before the Pendulum Wars ended, and his absence affects both survivors. At the start of E-Day, Dom and Marcus share a history, but they have not yet reached the closeness players associate with their later partnership.[3]

This distinction matters when a scene feels strained rather than warmly familiar. Their grief is part of the premise. E-Day has room to show them building trust instead of assuming their later bond was always the same.[3][4]

Dom has a wife, Maria, and two children. In the August campaign preview, he names Maria as his next of kin and asks about Ephyra, where his family lives. His responsibilities reach beyond Bravo Squad: he is fighting in Kalona while trying to learn whether the people he loves are safe elsewhere.[1][3]

Before E-Day, Dom served as a Special Tactics Group commando trained by Sergeant Bernadette Mataki. His Exfil multiplayer outfit draws on that earlier military background.[5]

The confirmed campaign roster lets a co-op player choose Dom. Campaign supports up to four online players, with two-player local split-screen on console. The co-op platform table separates those options; a four-person roster does not mean four-player couch co-op.[2][3]