Why Didn't Kurtis Trent Ever Catch On?

[Winter]

You all know me, I'm a hardcore Titanium Reinforced with Diamond Coding Fan of Sam Nishimura. And it's clear that I'm not alone in my love for this character given how many writers like talking about her and how many fans she has. It's safe to say that Sam is perhaps the most popular character in the series outside of Lara herself which is impressive when you remember that she's only appeared in one game and the comics.

But one thing I found out recently is that in the cancelled sequel to the 2018 film Sam was suppose to appear in said film. This would have made Sam one of 7 characters to have appeared in both the games and the movies (the others being Lara, Richard, Amelia, Ana, Dominguez and Rourke). And that's just with a film, Sam has also appeared in 27 comics, one novel and the Netflix series The Legend of Lara Croft.

What I find so interesting here is that the same treatment isn't shared with a character the series clearly thought was going to be a massive hit, that being Kurtis Trent.

Over the years Lara has had about 6 love interests sorta. Chase Carver, Kurtis Trent, Tsang, Terry Sheridan, Alex West and Sam. The reason I say sorta is that Lara never actually hooked up with Kurtis, the other guys are all exclusive to either the comics or the movies and Sam was suppose to hook up with Lara but that scene got cut from the series.

This means that Lara has never officially had a love interest in any of the main canon games which makes Kurtis and Sam all the more special as they're the closest thing Lara has to love interests. Yet between the two Sam is clearly more popular based on the number of appearances after she first showed up or was going show up but was cut due to executive meddling.

With Kurtis, I can count the number of times he has appeared on one hand. Angel of Darkness, 3 issues and the mobile game Tomb Raider: Reloaded. I think he will be showing up in a yet to be released Board game but that's it. And what's so interesting is that most of these seem to be contractual obligation to have him appear rather then any sort of passion by anyone working in the series. The comics, that to tie into and help better promote Angel of Darkness which had just been released. Reloaded, needed more character. Upcoming Board game, needs more characters.

As far as I know there was no plans to include him in the Legend Games, the Survivor Games or the 2018 movie and its sequel. And in terms of fan fics or fan art, he does have a fanbase but it's rather small all things considered. Admittedly he does have a larger following then most of Lara's other Love interests, Chase barely has any presences, Tsang is only known the to REALLY hardcore fans, Terry is forgotten and Alex is only remembered because he's being played by James Bond.

The fact that Sam has Kurtis beat in popularity by both creators and fans is interesting. He's not hated but he's not really loved either.

[CharlesPhipps]

I dunno, probably because Emo Goth boy was tied to Angel of Darkness and they didn't much care for that game.

Chase from the comics remains classic Lara's love interest and the one Daniel Craig's character's Alex West was clearly based on.

Sam and Lara have also only been a thing with Gail Simone who really should have been allowed to do it.

[Winter]

I dunno, probably because Emo Goth boy was tied to Angel of Darkness and they didn't much care for that game.

Chase from the comics remains classic Lara's love interest and the one Daniel Craig's character's Alex West was clearly based on.

Sam and Lara have also only been a thing with Gail Simone who really should have been allowed to do it.

I don't think that has much of an impact as Zip is a fan favorite but Chronicles is seen as one of the worst entries in the series. Zip is now a mainstay and one of only 6 characters to have appeared in all mainline continuities so I think it's less about the quality of the game and more the quality of the character.

I can't agree that Chase is classic Lara's love interest as comic Lara and Classic Lara aren't the same character and don't share a continuity. And while I will agree that the comics played a big role in the series' lore (it is where Lara's parents died) I honestly don't see any similarities between Chase and Alex other then both being blonde and maybe some similar character traits like... they're both hot? I think? It's kinda like with Lara's butler and hacker friend in that film, they share a role with Winston and Zip but they're clearly not Winston and Zip. At least that's how I see it.

The bit with only Simone being interested in Lara and Sam is not true, Mariko Tamaki and Jackson Lanzing have both stated that they either implied or pushed for Lara and Sam to become officially gay but got told no by Square. And it's entirely possible that Tasha Huo is planning to make Lara and Sam canon given how much she's teasing it on Bluesky and Twitter. And Rhianna Pratchett has hinted at that she wanted to explore that relationship more in future games.