An Extensive Analysis On Mike Schmidt: The Everyday Man (Warning: Tons of rambling/over-thinking in-bound + Spoilers for the Ultimate Ending)

Out of all the characters in Frickbear's 3, Mike is arguably my favorite character of the bunch, and is definitely my favorite night guard in general. But admittedly, for a bit I didn't really know why, or at the very least I didn't know how to articulate my feelings on him besides "Idk why, I just like him" (or my fixation of cool reserved dudes in hats). After doing some research however, I think I figured out why.

To get some stuff out of the way, let's breakdown his general character, beyond just being a night guard. He is your go-to guy when you wanna play Normal Mode, which also fits with his general character. He's your everyday down on his luck guy, being reserved, straightforward, and a bit of a nihilist. You may say he's a slacker of sorts if his spotty track record with his resume says anything. Although I wouldn't say he's the "straight-man" per say, as evident by his humorous side he (internally) displays every now and then (if anything, that title goes to Vannessa imo due to her being the most professional and competent of the night guards because of her experience), rather he's just indifferent to his surroundings, which is befitting since he's basically the most Normal of the bunch.

Heck, some may say he's the most boring night guard among them, which I would have probably agreed with...

However, I think what made me invested in his character more is his connection to others that, in a way, re-contextualizes his character more that makes me wanna know more.

For one, his speech to Cassidy. Most of the night guards (save for Fritz) mirrors Cassidy's anxieties and insecurities, for Mike's case it's his value and self-worth to others, which is evident to his speech to her, hence why he tells her to "Work on yourself for them. You'll find it in yourself to become a better person. For their sake.", even hinting at the fact that he has someone out there that makes him wanna keep working, which to him is all he needs.

Secondly, Michael Afton. Canonically in FNaF these two are most likely the same person (along with debatably Fritz), yet the de-composite of them does give some insight on the two with their similarities and differences, whether it's intentional or not. They're both sullen and reserved because of their experiences, and seem gung ho on doing everything they can for their relatives in spite of their hiccups. Though the difference is while Michael is clearly haunted and trying to make up the mistakes he's made for tormenting his siblings too far, and by extent all the stuff his horrible father has done as well, Mike doesn't have any of that (rather it's likely he doesn't wanna be a disappointment). Dare I say, he's basically what Michael could have been had he (and William) not caused his family pain and lived a normal life with his siblings. But I think the reason I feel confident on that angle is this: Y'know how Michael is doing all he can in the Good Ending to make up to his younger brother. You wanna know why Mike likely took the job at Frickbear's and by extent different jobs as well?

Mary Schmidt. For some reason this character makes an appearance in his Ultimate Ending card which, while Mike's ending there is probably the most mundane and vague of the bunch basically to enforce that he's content with all the craziness being over and such, her inclusion has a whole bunch of implications yet explains a lot at the same time. While his relationship with her is unclear beyond them being related most likely, if I had to guess (or more accurately, headcanon) seeing as he's based on Movie Mike, him and Michael being separate characters here, and also the fact he mentions not being good with kids in his speech with Cassidy, I think the implication here is that Mary is Mike's little sister that he's taking care of, likely due to some family problems that we can only take a guess on. But regardless, if there's one thing her appearance in the Ultimate Ending shows, it's that her existence gives a better understanding to Mike's motives and character.

(Side-Note: I think that's also why out of all the night guards, he's the one I feel bad for the most in the Evil Route, not just because he's the most normal one of the bunch or felt like he had it coming the least, but because he had someone waiting for him back at home. That's sad to think about :'[ )

So what do we know about Mike's character now? Well, in spite of his intimidating appearance, gruff demeanor, and in general slacker tendencies, he has people he cares for that he uses as motivation to keep going, dare I say, he may arguably be the most selfless among the Night Guards because of this (Jeremy worked at Frickbears since he needed to pay for his tuition, Vanessa has no interest in changing jobs, and Fritz is doing it for the love of the game). He's snarky (to himself at least), a bit awkward, but overall caring when he needs to be. Yet at the same time, there's still more I wanna know about him, which might be why he's the night guard I have the most investment in character wise (Hell, I literally made a fully-fledged comic to dive deeper into his and Michael's character a bit, and may plan on doing more with it no less).

Though I think it is also a testament to just how well-written a lot of characters are in this game, especially the night guards. Even the most normal, mundane guy can have a whole lot of depth that gets you asking for more, and that effort and love is something that makes the character really endearing to me.