Carl Johnson

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Character

Carl Johnson
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Appearances	[[Appearance::Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]
Full Name	Carl Johnson
Aliases	CJ
Gender	Gender::Male
Place of Birth	Ganton, Los Santos
Nationality	American
Home	Johnson House, Los Santos
Family	Beverly Johnson (mother) Sean Johnson (brother) Kendl Johnson (sister) Brian Johnson (brother)
Main Affiliations	Grove Street Families Frank Tenpenny Mike Toreno Wu Zi Mu San Fierro Triads Leone Family The Truth Varrios Los Aztecas Zero
Vehicles	Low-Ride Savanna (Gift) Off Road ZR-350 (Prize) Beige Broadway (Gift) Stolen Hydra Stolen Jetpack
Businesses	Doherty Garage Four Dragons Casino Wang Cars Zero RC
Voiced by	Young Maylay
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Carl "CJ" Johnson is the protagonist in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Description

Childhood

Carl "CJ" Johnson, was born in Los Santos, San Andreas, to mother Beverly Johnson. He would have been born before 1969 (assuming he was 18 or older in 1987, able to live on his own in another city). He is Beverly's second child, the first being Sean (aka Sweet), then Carl, followed very soon after by Kendl and finally Brian. Sweet recalls that CJ was born in the Johnson House, the family's childhood and current home. Old Reece, a family friend, recalls memories of CJ's father (though Reece's sanity is in question), though CJ tells Joey Leone that he never knew his father, and Sweet was man of the house. Another one of CJ's memories is swimming off the coast of the Santa Maria, having a condom get stuck to his face, and has since then been reasonably afraid to swim. The Johnson siblings, along with Melvin (aka Big Smoke) and Lance (aka Ryder), grew up on the same cul-de-sac and were childhood friends. CJ recalls Ryder dealing drugs since he was ten.

Teenage years in gang lifestyle

Sweet became the leader of the Grove Street Families, which introduced him, CJ and even Brian into gang life. During this time frame, Grove Street Families were at the height of their power when they first became pressured by Frank Tenpenny, the corrupt police officer of C.R.A.S.H. It's likely that officer Eddie Pulaski was also serving with Tenpenny at this time. In 1987, the gang was shaken by the death of young Brian. Sweet laments that Carl "let Brian die" and did not call for help, causing Carl to leave for Liberty City in that same year. He was no longer considered a member of Grove Street, and would later have to earn his way back into the gang. Big Smoke says that CJ was more muscular in these days, and that "the east coast got you all thinned out".

Adult life in Liberty City

In Liberty City, he had the opportunity of working with Don Salvatore Leone's son, Joey Leone in the car theft business, and is once seen mugging a passer-by on the streets in Liberty City. In 1992, after five years, Sweet calls Carl on his cell phone to tell him his mother was killed in a drive-by shooting (calling only minutes after it happened). Carl returns to Los Santos for the funeral, with the partial consideration of staying there long-term.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Return to his gang in Los Santos

As soon as Carl is in Los Santos, in a taxi headed for his childhood home, he is immediately confronted by members of C.R.A.S.H., consisting of officers Tenpenny, Pulaski and Hernandez. They explain to him that either he will work for them, or they will frame him for killing officer Ralph Pendelbury, who Tenpenny and Pulaski actually killed themselves for threatening to expose their corruption (forcing Hernandez to pull the trigger as an intitiation). Interestingly, CJ's appearance at the beginning of the game is similar to Chris Tucker's character in the film "Money Talks". CJ finally meets with his siblings and friends of Grove Street Families, who explain that they lost much of their power since the last five years. This is mostly a result of the new crack cocaine trend (which Sweet refuses to partake in, even as it strengthens their rivals and their own gang members succomb to addiction), and later revealed to also be Sweet losing personal strength as a leader because of Carl's abscence (Sweet is hostile to Carl at first, while Big Smoke insists that Sweet missed him). Carl and Sweet work furiously to successfully bring the gang back to power, CJ re-earning Sweet's and Ryder's respect in the process. This process included reuniting with Seville and Temple allies, as well as Aztecas leader Cesar Vialpando (who, although a rival of Sweet's at the time, began a loving relationship with Kendl). During this time frame, CJ works on the side for C.R.A.S.H. (which, despite their mutual dislike of each other, helps the gang immensely) and for OG Loc, another neighborhood friend, albeit a highly laughable "poser", who aspires to be a rapper (ruining rap superstar Madd Dogg's career in the process, which would later radically change the music industry). The gang is at the second height of its power until Cesar reveals to CJ that Ryder and Big Smoke have betrayed the gang (Cesar personally shows the two conversing with Ballas members and C.R.A.S.H., and even reveals the green Sabre seen during his mother's death, heavily suggesting Tenpenny's involvement). Sweet led the gang to a turf war under the Mulholland Intersection, where CJ defends a heavily-wounded Sweet until both of them are arrested (by C.R.A.S.H.). CJ and Sweet's arrests also leads to the downfall of the Grove as well as Cesar's Aztecas, which results in total domination of Los Santos by the Ballas and Vagos, led by Big Smoke (Cesar later explains the loss of gang loyalty and that Ballas, Vagos and former Groves alike all work for Smoke, saying "this shit is bigger than any gang, ese").

Abandoned in the countryside

C.R.A.S.H. abandon CJ in rural Whetstone to eliminate a witness against them. It is slowly revealed that Tenpenny and Pulaski are being tried in court over their corruption (in a case that is quickly building in trouble and also media attention). CJ, later on, starts committing a series of robberies along with Catalina, Cesar's cousin. He is reunited with Tenpenny and aging hippie The Truth, who is supplying Tenpenny and CJ with an enormous amound of weed, to later frame a D.A. and enemy of Tenpenny's. Tenpenny demands that CJ pay for the shipment, which forces him to return to work with Catalina, who is mentally unstable, extremely dangerous and infatuated with him. CJ meets Triad leader Wu Zi Mu "Woozie" during a street race and through Tenpenny. Catalina finds him at the race and is extremely jealous (as if CJ were cheating on her with his car, which she strikes with a crobar out of anger), also proclaiming that she has a new boyfriend, Claude. CJ defeats Claude in a street race, gaining the deed to Claude's run down garage in Doherty, San Fierro.

Business success and vendetta in San Fierro

Carl leaves the Badlands with Truth and Tenpenny's marijuana, after helping The Truth burn down his cannabis crops because of the police discovering the farm. Upon entering San Fierro, he tells Truth that he has never been to that city before. CJ/Truth meet Cesar/Kendl at the garage, where Carl is angry and believes that the garage he won from Claude is completely useless. Kendl explains to CJ that the property is a great opportunity, and through Truth he hires Dwaine, Jethro and Zero to work in the garage. CJ meets with Woozie in San Fierro and the two quickly become strong allies - Woozie helping take down the Loco Syndicate (connected to Big Smoke), while CJ helps Woozie defeat the Da Nang Boys.

CJ infiltrates the Syndicate through, Jizzy B and assists T-Bone Mendez and Mike Toreno run their drugs in an attempt to learn about a big deal between them and the Ballas. After gaining trust from the group, Carl kills Jizzy, Mendez, former friend Ryder and (as it would seem) Toreno, and finally blows up Big Smoke's huge crack factory in Doherty (meaning the end of the Syndicate).

Garage expansion and working with Toreno

As CJ first becomes a millionaire by making his garage into a successful business and illegal car shop (with Cesar, Kendl and other friends), as well as owning rentable property, he receives an anonymous phone call to go to a mysterious ranch house. It is eventually revealed to be an alive-and-well Toreno, who is a government agent and is recruiting CJ's help in exchange for releasing Sweet from a supposedly permanent life sentence. Although the arrangement is a well-kept secret from all of his friends, Truth finds CJ at Toreno's place of operation and tells CJ that government men are not to be trusted. He continues to recruit CJ's help in stealing a jetpack from Area 69, which is needed for Truth's main goal of stealing some mysterious, all-important green goo from a government train.

Casino interests with Woozie in Las Venturas

Woozie, who agreed to call CJ about a business opportunity in Las Venturas after they departed from San Fierro, does so by inviting him to the Triad's extremely glamorous Four Dragons Casino in Las Venturas. Upon arrival, CJ is given shares in the casino by Woozie, "in exchange for some help setting it up". CJ and Woozie are faced with aggressive competition from Mafia-run Caligula's Palace (as well as both criminal organizations "feeling the squeeze" from legal hotel and gambling corporations), and as revenge, spend weeks and weeks planning an extremely elaborate heist of Caligula's. This dually involves CJ infiltrating Caligula's inner circle of management (bychance of Truth's association with music industry men Kent Paul and Maccer) to work with manager Ken "Rosie" Rosenberg and even don Salvatore Leone (CJ helps Rosie, Paul and Maccer fake their deaths to escape Salvatore's rage). During this time period, Tenpenny and C.R.A.S.H. extract the last of CJ's labor before attempting to kill him (the officers kill Hernandez, who was revealed to have snitched on them to start their legal troubles, and just as Pulaski is forcing CJ to dig a two-man grave before killing him, CJ kills Pulaski and escapes alive). CJ also, by chance, sees Madd Dogg attempting suicide and saves his life, partly because he had sabotaged the rapper's career to launch OG Loc's.

Return to Los Santos, finished vendetta and music industry success

His continued vendetta of Tenpenny and Big Smoke, finalized by disappointment in Madd Dogg for having to sell his mansion to drug lord Big Poppa, prompts CJ to return to Los Santos, taking back the rapper's mansion by force. While recording Madd Dogg's new album, Toreno gives CJ the last of his work (despite CJ's extreme frustration at first) before Sweet is released from prison. Sweet is disgusted at CJ for his new millionaire's lifestyle, and having forgotten all about helping Grove Street. Sweet immediately takes Carl to begin their task of reclaiming all of their turf, having to earn Sweet's respect for a third time. As the gang returns to power, he finds time to return to the mansion and get back Madd Dogg's rhyme book from OG Loc, repairing Madd Dogg's career as well as being another strike to Big Smoke, who had become OG Loc's manager as a means to launder his drug money. In the case against Tenpenny, it's shown on the news that he would walk free, and only minutes after there were citywide riots. During the confusion, Grove Street families take most of the city's turf, CJ personally kills Big Smoke, and Tenpenny also dies.

At a celebration at the Johnson house, Madd Dogg announces "our first gold record" to CJ and Rosenberg. Later in the night, Sweet insists on making Grove Street a priority, Kendl suggests going back to Las Venturas with Woozy, but Carl's only reply was that he is "fitting to hit the block, see what's happening".

After "San Andreas"

At the very end of the game, CJ is a young multi-millionaire. His assets and business interests include Grove Street gang and Madd Dogg's contract in Los Santos, a car garage and seveal other properties in San Fierro, and shares in Four Dragons casino in Las Venturas. He even still has the government's $60 million jetpack.

An Easter Egg in Grand Theft Auto IV suggests that CJ possibly died after 1992. However a reference of his death is never directly made. Either way, this is not considered canon for the GTA III Era.

Murders commited by Carl Johnson

• Freddy - Killed by CJ and OG Loc after a bike chase for stealing Loc's "rhymes".
• Alan "Scipio" Crawford - Killed on OG Loc's orders in order to sabotage Madd Dogg's career.
• Little Weasel - Killed for betraying the Grove Street Families and joining the Ballas.
• Kane - Killed on Sweet's orders to deal damage to the Ballas.
• Jizzy B. - Killed in order to begin disbanding the Loco Syndicate and to obtain the location of the Syndicate's next drug deal.
• T-Bone Mendez - Killed with the help of Cesar Vialpando to disband the Loco Syndicate.
• Ryder - Killed for betraying the Grove Street Families.
• The Snakehead - Killed on orders from Wu Zi Mu to weaken the Da Nang Boys.
• Johnny Sindacco - Scared to death on order of Wu Zi Mu.
• Benny - Killed in order to get access to Millie Perkins' Home.
• Eddie Pulaski - Killed for arranging the assassination of CJ's mother
• Big Poppa - Killed in order to recover Madd Dogg's mansion.
• Big Smoke - Killed for betraying the Grove Street Families.  

Optional Murders

• Millie Perkins - Can be killed to gain quicker access to her keycard to rob Caligula's Casino.

Deleted Murders

• Officer Carver - Would be killed for attempting to have Poncho arrested and make him talk.
• Marco Forelli - Was going to be the mobster who CJ kills in Saint Marks but due to deleted audio, his name is never mentioned in the final game.

Personality

CJ is markedly different from the previous playable characters in the Grand Theft Auto series. While Claude and Tommy Vercetti are both depicted as completely heartless and feeling no regret for all of the people that they kill, CJ is depicted as having a considerably less violent personality, occasionally giving his victims a chance to redeem themselves. An example is his failed attempt at convincing Eddie Pulaski to see that he was no more than Tenpenny's pawn. Furthermore, CJ displays genuine remorse for having to kill fellow Grove Street friends Ryder and Big Smoke, who he considered close friends. However, CJ still has no problem with killing members of other gangs, and willfully slaughters any that get in his way of reclaiming Grove Street Families turf or try to sabotage his businesses.

Voice

CJ was voiced by Chris Bellard, known as Young Maylay. Rumors circulated the internet for a while that either Dave Chappelle or 50 Cent were supposed to voice CJ, but these were most likely just wishful thoughts on the part of their fans.

Trivia

• Carl is the most customizable character in a GTA game to date, featuring clothes, tattoos, and hairstyles and the ability to change his physical appearence such as make him fat or strong.
• Carl Johnson is extremely anti-narcotic. He repeatedly refuses to take place in drug deals, and when a crack dealer tries to sell cocaine to him, CJ will always respond negatively. Also he dislikes Ryder because he is often under the influence of drugs. The only time CJ works for a drug deal is in the mission Outrider, when he makes sure a van reaches its destination un-damaged (the van is delivering some drugs to a crack factory in Doherty, San Fierro). Although he does this mission in order to gain the trust of the heads of the Loco Syndicate, and then kill them, because they are providing Big Smoke and the Ballas with drugs.