Editing Jim Raynor (section)

==Appearances==

===In video games===

====''StarCraft''====
Raynor's first appearance is in the 1998 title ''[[StarCraft (video game)|StarCraft]]''. Raynor is a marshall on the [[Templar caste|Confederate]] fringe colony of Mar Sara, where he is attempting to defend the population from an expanding [[Zerg]] infestation. As the Confederacy abandons Mar Sara to its fate, [[Arcturus Mengsk]] and his rebel Sons of Korhal arrive to evacuate the colony. Thoroughly disillusioned with the Confederacy, Raynor and his colonial militia join the Sons of Korhal.<ref>'''Raynor:''' Arcturus' boys sprung me from the prison ship. Apparently, they're as frustrated with the Confederates as we are! I know their reputation, but they seem to be on the level.—{{cite video game|title=StarCraft|developer=Blizzard Entertainment|year=1998|level=The Jacobs Installation}}</ref> During his time with the rebels, Raynor falls in love with Mengsk's second-in-command, psychic assassin [[Sarah Kerrigan]]. However, when Mengsk uses Zerg-attracting Confederate technology to destroy the Confederate capital Tarsonis and abandons Kerrigan on Tarsonis to the Zerg, Raynor and his militia desert, hijacking Mengsk's flagship ''Hyperion'' in the process.<ref>'''Raynor:''' I can't believe he actually left her down there! I'm gone, and you'd better come with me. There's no tellin' who Arcturus'll screw over next. / [...] / '''Mengsk:''' Gentlemen, you've done very well, but remember that we've still got a job to do. The seeds of a new Empire have been sewn, and if we hope to reap– / '''Raynor:''' Aw, to hell with you! / '''Mengsk:''' You're making a terrible mistake. Don't even think to cross me! I've sacrificed too much to let this fall apart. / '''Raynor:''' You mean like you sacrificed Kerrigan? / '''Mengsk:''' You'll regret that. You don't seem to realize my situation here. I will not be stopped. Not by you, or the Confederates, or the Protoss or anyone! I will rule this sector or see it burnt to ashes around me. If you try to get in my– / [...] / '''Raynor:''' The hell with him. We're gone.—{{cite video game|title=StarCraft|developer=Blizzard Entertainment|year=1998|level=The Hammer Falls}}</ref> Raynor's men, labelling themselves "Raynor's Raiders", take it upon themselves to strike at Mengsk, who has crowned himself emperor of the new Terran Dominion. Soon after, Raynor is lured to the planet Char by psychic dreams. He discovers the source is Kerrigan, who has been captured and infested by the Zerg. Raynor tries to save her, but to no avail;<ref>'''Raynor:''' Sarah... Is that really you? / '''Kerrigan:''' To an extent... I'm far more than I once was, Jim. You shouldn't have come here. / '''Raynor:''' But the dreams... I dreamed you were still alive, that somehow... you were calling to me. / '''Kerrigan:''' I was. While I was in the chrysalis, I instinctively reached out to you and Arcturus telepathically. Apparently, Arcturus sent Duke here to reclaim me. But that was then, Jim. I'm one of the Zerg, now. And I like what I am. You can't imagine how this feels... / '''Raynor:''' So... what? Are you goin' to kill me now, darlin'? / '''Kerrigan:''' It is certainly within my power. But you're not a threat to me, Jim. Be smart. Leave here now, and never seek to confront the Zerg again. / '''Raynor:''' Doesn't look like I have much choice.—{{cite video game|title=StarCraft|developer=Blizzard Entertainment|year=1998|level=Agent of the Swarm}}</ref> he and his men end up stranded on Char for months. Raynor discovers a Protoss force led by high templar [[Tassadar]] and the [[dark templar]] [[Zeratul]] is also on Char, likewise attracted by Kerrigan's psychic emanations and subsequently stranded. The two groups ally and hold out against Kerrigan and the Zerg until rescue arrives with forces from the Protoss homeworld of Aiur. Raynor and his remaining Raiders accompany Tassadar back to Aiur, which has fallen prey to Zerg invasion, and help the Protoss destroy the gargantuan [[Zerg Overmind]].<ref>'''Raynor:''' Well, I guess all I have left is to see this through. The Zerg have taken everything from me: my home, my family, my friends. I know that nothing I do can bring those things back, but I'll be damned if I just sit on my hands and wait for the end. I want a piece of 'em, all right. I'm in.—{{cite video game|title=StarCraft|developer=Blizzard Entertainment|year=1998|level=Eye of the Storm}}</ref>

====''StarCraft: Brood War''====
[[Image:Easy Rider (StarCraft).jpg|thumb|upright|Metzen's "Easy Rider" concept art from which Clotworthy based the personality of Raynor]]

Raynor returns in ''[[StarCraft: Brood War|Brood War]]'', having earned the trust of the Protoss and befriended the templar warrior [[Praetor Fenix|Fenix]]. The Raiders and Fenix's forces remain on Aiur as a rearguard while the surviving Protoss evacuate their homeworld, now devastated and overrun by the Zerg, for the dark templar world of Shakuras.<ref>'''Raynor:''' Executor, my crew and I will remain here on Aiur and shut the gate down on this side. It's the only way to make sure that the Zerg won't send more reinforcements to Shakuras. / '''Artanis:''' You will be hopelessly outnumbered, and once the gate is shut down there will be no one to save you should you be overrun. / '''Raynor:''' Yeah, well... I'm a man of action. What can I say? / '''Fenix:''' I shall remain with Raynor as well, Executor. My duty is to Aiur, after all. / '''Artanis:''' Farewell then, brave warriors. We will send through all the troops we can spare. / '''Raynor:''' Thanks. You kids just remember to play nice from now on, okay? Wish us luck.—{{cite video game|title=StarCraft: Brood War|developer=Blizzard Entertainment|year=1998|level=Dunes of Shakuras}}</ref> Raynor is later contacted by Kerrigan, who convinces them to join with her against the [[United Earth Directorate]] (UED), which has arrived to pacify the sector by any means necessary. Raynor and Fenix reluctantly prevent Mengsk's capture by the UED,<ref>'''DuGalle:''' You have far outlived your reputation 'citizen' Mengsk. Captain, prepare to take the Emperor into custody. / '''Raynor:''' You'll have to postpone those plans, gentlemen. / '''Adjutant:''' Sir, the rebel command ship ''Hyperion'' has just entered our sensor range. It is accompanied by a small Protoss fleet. / '''DuGalle:''' What?! Who are these intruders? / '''Mengsk:''' Jim Raynor... What the hell are you doing here? / '''Raynor:''' I'm pullin' your ass out've the fire, Arcturus. So shut up and sit tight. Make no mistake about it: we've got us a serious score to settle, but right now a mutual acquaintance of ours wants you alive. Prepare your ships for dimensional recall.—{{cite video game|title=StarCraft: Brood War|developer=Blizzard Entertainment|year=1998|level=Emperor's Fall}}</ref> and with Kerrigan's Zerg rout the UED from the Dominion throne world of Korhal. However, Kerrigan turns on her allies, launching a surprise attack against both the Dominion and the Raiders. Although the ''Hyperion'' escapes the planet, Fenix is killed in the attack; an outraged Raynor vows that Kerrigan will die by his hands.<ref>'''Raynor:''' Fenix! No! / '''Kerrigan:''' What are you worried about, Jim? He died the way all Protoss hope to: in combat! / '''Raynor:''' He died because you betrayed him! How many noble souls do you need to consume before you're satisfied? How many more people need to die before you realize what you've become? / '''Kerrigan:''' You don't even know what you're talking about, Jim! / '''Raynor:''' Don't I? I'll see you dead for this, Kerrigan. For Fenix and all the others who got caught between you and your mad quest for power! / '''Kerrigan:''' Tough talk, Jimmy. But I don't think you have what it takes to be a killer. / '''Raynor:''' It may not be tomorrow, darlin'. It may not even happen with an army at my back. But rest assured: I'm the man who's going to kill you some day.—{{cite video game|title=StarCraft: Brood War|developer=Blizzard Entertainment|year=1998|level=True Colors}}</ref>

====''StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty''====
The 2010 sequel ''[[StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty|Wings of Liberty]]'' takes place four years later, where the Raiders are still resisting the renewed Dominion, but are low on morale and resources, while their efforts are marginalised by Dominion media. Raynor, blaming himself for Kerrigan's transformation and Fenix's death, has started drinking. He returns to Mar Sara, where he is approached by a former associate, [[Tychus Findlay]], with a business proposition to acquire [[Xel'Naga]] artifacts for a research group, the Moebius Foundation. The artifacts, guarded by an extremist faction of Protoss, are also sought by Kerrigan, who launches a vast invasion of the Dominion to find them. Between missions Zeratul appears and tells Raynor that Kerrigan must survive the coming battles "or all is lost", as she will be pivotal to every species surviving a coming enemy worse than even the Zerg. To prove his point he leaves a Protoss memory device, through which Raynor sees Zeratul's journey following an ancient prophecy and the vision of an alternate timeline's future. In this vision Kerrigan had died and the swarm (under control of an unknown entity) is wiping out the last remaining Protoss - with the Humans having already fallen and the Zerg being wiped out after their victory.

Eventually accumulating all the artifacts, the Raiders discover that the Moebius Foundation is a front for the heir apparent of the Dominion, [[Valerian Mengsk]]; though the ''Hyperion'' crew is concerned about having been working for their enemy, Valerian coaxes Raynor to accompany him in invading Char as the combined artifact may reverse Kerrigan's infestation. Although the Dominion takes heavy losses to the Zerg, the Raiders defend the artifact from Kerrigan until it can be activated; upon detonating, it destroys all nearby Zerg and leaves Kerrigan human again. However, Findlay, acting on orders from Arcturus Mengsk, attempts to kill the weakened Kerrigan, forcing Raynor to kill Findlay before tending to Kerrigan.

====''StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm''====
Following the battle of Char, in ''[[StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm|Heart of the Swarm]]'', Raynor and Kerrigan are taken to a secret lab by Valerian to evaluate the extension of Kerrigan's current power to control the Zergs, until it is attacked by Dominion forces. Raynor is captured by Nova and Mengsk declares that he was executed, much to Kerrigan's grief. However, Mengsk later contacts Kerrigan and reveals that Raynor is still alive and under his custody, using him as a leverage to have her keep the Zerg swarm, now reunited under her command, away from Dominion Territory. Kerrigan then manages to rescue Raynor with the Raiders' help and despite his rejection of Kerrigan at first for choosing to abandon her humanity in order to save him, he and his forces join the swarm for a final battle on Korhal to overthrow Mengsk, saving Kerrigan once more when the Emperor tries to destroy her with the artifact, ultimately leading to Mengsk's death at her hands. Reconciled with Kerrigan, Raynor bids farewell to her as she leaves with the Zerg swarm to confront Amon, the fallen Xel'Naga which intends to return and exterminate both the Zerg and Protoss races.

====''StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void''====
During the events of ''[[StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void|Legacy of the Void]]'', Raynor participates in the defense of Korhal from Amon's forces alongside Artanis. He is later given a psionic call by Kerrigan to aid her and Artanis in a joint Terran Dominion/Zerg Swarm/Protoss invasion of the Void, a realm accessed from the Xel'Naga homeworld of Ulnar, to permanently kill Amon. In the aftermath of the war, Raynor disappears from public view with Kerrigan.

==== ''Heroes of the Storm'' ====
Raynor appears as a [[Player character|playable character]] in the [[Crossover (fiction)|crossover]] video game ''[[Heroes of the Storm]]'', which features various characters from Blizzard's franchises as playable heroes. He is one of many ''StarCraft'' heroes that are available in the game, and features a unique skillset including a heroic ability to summon the Hyperion to fire upon the battleground he is on.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://us.battle.net/heroes/en/heroes/raynor/|title=Raynor - Heroes of the Storm|website=us.battle.net|language=en-us|access-date=2019-12-21}}</ref> Raynor is a ranged assassin that can keep enemies away with his basic abilities. He relies on his hard-hitting physical attacks and long range to fight his enemies from a safe distance. Since he lacks any form of innate escape mechanism, like teleports or dashes, knowing when to take a fight and when to retreat is crucial to achieve good results when playing this hero. Jim Raynor is also the leading character in the game's tutorial, and one of the six Blizzard characters who appear in the ''Heroes of the Storm'' cinematic trailer.<ref>{{Citation|title=Heroes of the Storm™ Cinematic Trailer| date=8 November 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ecv0bT9DEo| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/0ecv0bT9DEo| archive-date=2021-11-17 | url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2019-12-21}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==== ''Hearthstone'' ====
Raynor is set to appear as a card  in the ''Warcraft'' spinoff game ''[[Hearthstone]]'', in which he is a playable hero card for the Terran faction of cards in the expansion mini-set "Heroes of Starcraft". He will release in the set alongside fellow Starcraft characters ''[[Artanis (StarCraft)|Artanis]]'' and ''[[Sarah Kerrigan]]''. <ref>https://x.com/PlayHearthstone/status/1879227043931357287</ref>

===In novels===
Several ''StarCraft'' novels also feature Raynor; he is a prominent character in ''[[Liberty's Crusade]]'', which reveals that Raynor had a wife and son.<ref name="Libertyfamily"/> His son exhibited psychic potential and consequently is conscripted for the Confederate [[Ghost agent|ghost program]], where the intense training ultimately kills him.<ref>{{cite book|author=Grubb, Jeff|title=StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|chapter=Belly of the Beast|date=March 2001|page=181|title-link=StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade}}</ref> Afterward, Raynor's wife Liddy dies after a period of depression and illness.<ref name="Libertyfamily">{{cite book|author=Grubb, Jeff|title=StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|chapter=The Wreck of the ''Norad II''|date=March 2001|page=147|title-link=StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade}}</ref> As a result, Raynor immerses himself in his work and develops a penchant for operating alone. He is also the primary protagonist in ''[[StarCraft Uprising|Queen of Blades]]'', a novelization of the events of ''StarCraft''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Episode II in which Raynor attempts to rescue [[Sarah Kerrigan]] from the [[Zerg]] on Char<ref>{{cite book|title=StarCraft: Queen of Blades|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|chapter=Chapter 4|pages=56–72|date=June 2006|title-link=StarCraft: Queen of Blades}}</ref> and eventually allies with the high templar [[Tassadar]] and renegade dark templar [[Zeratul]], facilitating the reconciliation between the two estranged Protoss.<ref>{{cite book|title=StarCraft: Queen of Blades|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|chapter=Chapter 17|pages=279–295|date=June 2006|title-link=StarCraft: Queen of Blades}}</ref>
More recently, his early military and criminal history, including his association with Tychus Findlay, were explored in the novels Heaven's Devils and Devil's Due. Also in Devil's Due, Raynor's father died by machine error. Raynor's mother died at day when Raynor visited her.