| Skip Tyler | |
|---|---|
| |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Age: | 39 |
| Date of birth: | November 1975 |
| Birthplace: | Norwalk, Connecticut |
| Date of death: | October 4, 2014 |
| Cause of death: | Accidentally killed by one of his own bombs. |
| Nationality: |  American
|
| Education: | St. Paul's School Berkley University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Rhode Island School of Naval Architecture |
| Affiliation: | National Security Agency Other: Eli Raphelson |
| Father: | Alfred Tyler |
| Mother: | Karen Tyler |
| Played by: | Jimmi Simpson |
| Appears in: | 1 film |
- "That sounds official. Please hold, your call is very important to us."
- ―Skip Tyler to Carol Finnerty.
Skip Tyler was a computer hacker who was part of a paramilitary extremist group led by Emil Stenz and Martin Walker. He was also the most flamboyant mercenary.
History[]
Early Life[]
Skip Tyler was born on November 1975 in Norwalk, Connecticut, to Alfred and Karen Tyler (née Gold). He was arrested on October 16, 2004 for credit card fraud, but soon, Tyler's charges were dropped upon recruitment to the NSA, then was fired for rewriting missile launch coordinates for Apple headquarters after growing disgruntled at their music sharing policies.
White House Down[]
Skip was flamboyant and flashy, and spent most of his time in the film at the computer room underneath the White House after his arrival.
He was able to easily hack into the computer network and sardonically answered a call from NORAD, before putting them on hold.
He also got two mercenaries to set up a bomb (dubbed his "party favor") on the secret exit tunnel out of the basement, and he himself installed a security camera there; both of which prevented President James Sawyer and John Cale fleeing the building. He seemed proud of his explosives, telling the mercenaries not to "mess it up" as they set up the bomb, before going off to the computer room. Those words would later prove to be ironic. When he saw Sawyer and Cale examining them, he nervously exclaimed: "Please don't touch my toys..."
He was also instrumental in alerting Walker and the mercenaries to the incoming Black Hawk helicopters, resulting in all the helicopters being shot down in the battle on and around the roof, and the deaths of all the soldiers aboard (presumably) and four mercenaries in the melee.
Death[]
Once he had finished the hacking of the computer network, Tyler donned a United States National Guard uniform, part of his plan to escape. He then warned Walker that Cale was attempting to burn down many rooms of the White House (due to alerts appearing on the computer, and the security camera footage). Stenz thus told Carl Killick to dispatch his men to the second floor (as Cale had hoped) resulting in the deaths of both men at Cale's hands, and the killing of Killick by Donnie Donaldson.
An enraged Walker also ordered Tyler to turn off the sprinklers. He struggled to do so due to the finicky technology, remarking: "Who makes this shit?"
Approximately five minutes prior to the airstrike, Tyler went back to the tunnel where his bomb had been set up by fellow mercenaries. He tried to swipe a card across it to disable it; the attempt was unsuccessful. He then tried again, resulting in the bomb being activated. His lollipop dropped from his mouth, and his last (sardonic) words were, "Uh-oh..." before the blast obliterated him.
Trivia[]
- Skip Tyler might have been inspired by Theo from Die Hard.
Skip Tyler killed sixteen people in White House Down.
| White House Down Characters | |
|---|---|
| Heroes | John Cale - James Sawyer - Emily Cale |
| Villains | Eli Raphelson - Martin Walker - Emil Stenz |
| Allies | Carol Finnerty - Donnie Donaldson - Caulfield |
| Henchmen | Skip Tyler - Carl Killick - Conrad Cern - Motts - Vadim - Chen - Ritter - Bobby - Mulcahy |
| Other characters | Melanie Cale - Muriel Walker - Alison Sawyer - Amber Sawyer |