April 14 will mark the one-year anniversary since theCyberpunk 2077: Phantom Libertyannouncement, yet CDPR is still mum on the details about the RPG’s expansion. One of the DLC’s central characters hence remains shrouded in mystery months after it was confirmed thatIdris Elba was joining theCyberpunk 2077: Phantom Libertycastin the role of Solomon Reed, a grizzled FIA agent.
But fans may be wondering what exactly the FIA is, and how Reed fits into the overarching plot ofthe first and onlyCyberpunk 2077expansion. While the developers have yet to directly address either question, the latestPhantom Libertytrailer and some previous bits of worldbuilding revealed more than meets the eye about both.
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Solomon Reed’s Agency Has Been in Night City for a While by the Events of Phantom Liberty
Like Reed, the FIA is a new addition to theCyberpunklore, but its original mention actually predates the reveal of Elba’s character by two years. The agency was already referenced in2AM - She Calls, a digital booklet bundled with the Steam version ofCyberpunk 2077. Set in 2071, this short story contained a rumor that the FIA was in Night City looking for allies to strengthen its local political influence. The agency was allegedly doing so on the down-low, purposefully avoiding sympathizers fromCyberpunk 2077’s"patriotic" 6th Street gangnot known for subtlety.
Firstly, this suggests the FIA is a successor to the so-called Gang of Four—the CIA, DEA, FBI, and NSA—which performed a coup that led to thefoundation of the New United States of America (NUSA)in the 2025-2040 period. Not least because the lore says all those agencies bar the CIA were dissolved by the 2070s. So, while CDPR has yet to confirm what the FIA initialism stands for,Phantom Liberty’sespionage theme and Reed’s apparent propensity for subterfuge reaffirm that the agency dabbles in clandestine activity that2AM - She Callshints at.
Reed’s very name possibly alludes to a fixer or spymaster, as the Reed-Solomon error correction is an algorithm family for code interpretation. These techniques, dating back to the 1960s, are the reason why e.g. QR codes and barcodes can be read even when largely destroyed or otherwise ineligible. Whether that underlinesPhantom Liberty’s themes or hints at Reed’s character traits remains to be seen. What’s certain is that this FIA agent had the motive and opportunity to be in Night City working as a handler or spymaster for years prior to the events of the upcomingCyberpunk 2077DLC.
Solomon Reed Hints at First-Hand Experience With the NUSA’s Cyberpunk Unification War
As for when exactly he arrived, the expansion’s December 2022 trailer offers more clues to his background. At one point, Reed tells V that “peace comes at a price, someone’s always gotta pay.” This rewording of a famous Benjamin Franklin quote about how “even peace may be purchased at too high a price” can be interpreted as an indication that Reed is both idealistic and jaded. Yet its very contents also imply he’s speaking from experience.
This ostensibly means Reed was involved in the Unification War (2069-2070), the only major conflict resulting in peace talks that he could have feasibly partaken in during his lifetime. At least assuming he’s not over 70 years old, which isn’t a given in this world full of deceiving appearances andCyberpunk 2077characters who shouldn’t be trusted.
The Unification War ended with an Arvin Treaty that confirmed Night City’s status of an autonomous Free State after Arasaka’s intervention prevented a full-blown invasion from the NUSA and Militech. But the FIA was possibly setting the stage for a corporate-backed military intervention no later than 2069, when the NUSA was at Night City’s doorstep. Taking the canon hearsay from2AM - She Callsat face value, it’s possible Reed’s clandestine agency never left the area with other NUSA forces after the peace treaty.
Solomon Reed Knows What ‘Phantom Liberty’ Truly Means
The post-Unification War freedom thatCyberpunk 2077’sNight Cityenjoys is likely the titular “phantom liberty” that the DLC’s name and Benjamin Franklin-inspired quote are both alluding to; something shady went down during the peace talks and Idris Elba’s character was apparently in the center of it. As for what he could’ve been up to over the following seven years, it’s plausible he spent that time undercover.
NUSA President Rosalind Myers implies as much by sending V to find Reed after an apparent assassination attempt resulting in a crashed Air Force One, both of which arerevealed in the latestCyberpunk 2077:Phantom Libertytrailer. In another one of its scenes, Elba’s character introduces himself as “Solomon Reed, FIA,” implying he’s not retired. CDPR also described him as a veteran FIA agent, not a former one. A long-term undercover mission hence seems to be a likely explanation for why Reed isn’t in active contact with the brass by the time the expansion’s events kick off.
While not much else isknown about Idris Elba’sCyberpunk 2077: Phantom Libertycharacter, all of this seems to imply he’ll set the stage for another major conflict, either in the form of a new Unification War or the 5th Corporate War. The latter is currently a more popular theory among the fandom because it better fits the “spy thriller” narrative that CDPR promised.
Picking what appears to be another fight with Arasaka and possibly other factions will bring V to Dogtown, a Night City area that’s rumored to be adjacent to Pacifica. And though players will likely be able to choose sides in the DLC, supporting the NUSA might require “burning [Dogtown] to the ground,” as Reed put it in the December trailer. The quote implies he has little love for that war-torn district and possibly Night City, on the whole.
Such views make Elba’s character a potentially key ally or powerful foe to V, depending on player choice. And while none of this necessarily impacts the fandom’sCyberpunk 2077: Phantom Libertywish list, it does suggest that Solomon Reed is setting the stage for another massive corporate conflict; one wherein V will decide who “pays” for peace.
Cyberpunk 2077is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, while thePhantom LibertyDLC is planned to launch exclusively on current-gen consoles and PC sometime in 2023.
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