Steve Haines

"You're my boy now, amigo. My career depends on this, and that's very important to me. So seeing as we're all boys now, that makes it important to you."

- Steve Haines

Steven "Steve" Haines is a highly decorated and corrupt, federal agent. He serves as one of the two main antagonists of Grand Theft Auto V.

Events of GTA V
Haines is a corrupt and morally repugnant federal agent who is also the host of a reality T.V. show that explores (and exploits) the poorer, crime ridden streets of Los Santos. He is also in a rivalry with the I.A.A (based on the real life C.I.A.).

He is the handler and boss of fellow agent Dave Norton, who is responsible for faking the death of infamous bank robber, Michael Townley, and providing him with his new identity of Michael De Santa. Haines proceeds to use Michael and his new crew, Consisting of the psychopathic Trevor Phillips, and up and coming criminal Franklin Clinton, for numerous jobs in an attempt to further his career and position of power, all unbeknownst to and unsactioned by his agency. One mission he recruits the gang for includes having Phillips brutally torture a seemingly innocent man just for the sake of doing so, as the man was willing to divulge infrmation about Haines's target from the start of the interrogation, before ordering Phillips to murder the man simply for "out living his usefullness" (Trevor however does not carry out the order, unbeknownst to Steve).

After Haines uses Michael and his gang several times in exploits against his rivals in the I.A.A. suspicion is cast on him by the I.A.A. as well as his own agency. As a result of the pressure and investigation into him, he attempts get rid of loose ends by betraying Michael and have him arrested in a sting operation. However the sting was actually a trap for Haines himself, and after a tense standoff a shootout ensues between several different agency and mercenary groups there for either Haines or Michael. Haines is wounded but manges to escape the chaos only after murdering his partner who seemingly informed on him to his superiors because of Steve's illegel activities.

Haines later resurfaces after the investigation into him goes away due to lack of evidence and witnesses. He approaches Michael and Trevor's partner, Franklin, ordering him to murder Trevor out of fear that Trevor's actions would bring further heat and attention to Haines, as Dave Norton was able to convince him that Michael could at least be controlled and kept quiet. However corrupt business tycoon, Devin Weston, also orders franklin to kill one of his partners in crime as well this time said partner is Michael, because of Michael's refusal to go along with Weston's plans. Franklin is then forced by the two villains to make a life and death decision between his two friends or fighting the odds and going after Weston and Haines.

Ending
In the end if Franklin decides to go against Haines and Weston, he calls Michael and Trevor who then set a trap for Haines's and Weston's men who are all killed by the trio or by eachother in a massive shootout. The three men then decide to act against their foes quickly to catch them off guard while they think they have won. trevor decides to track down and kill Haines because of his extreme distaste for him and the things he's had him do under his orders. With the help of the crew's operation planner and expert hacker, Lester Crest, Trevor is able to track Steve down to an amusement park on the park's ferris wheel, where he is in the process of filming an episode for his T.V. show. Trevor keeps his distance so not to alert his target, unloads his sniper rifle, and shoots Haines directly in the head in front of his own camera man, killing the corrupt agent instantly.

Trevor can also use a RPG by shooting it at where Steve and his camera man are sitting, violently killing them both in the resulting explosion.

Alternativley if the player, as Franklin, decides to kill either Michael or Trevor, his final fate is not shown and it is assumed he survives the events of the game.

Personality
Haines at first comes across as an arrogant and overly confident jerk, however this is revealed to be a mask that covers his true personality of being a dark and twisted psychopath that is willing to do anything to advance his own career. His true colors are shown when Michael begins to jokingly mock Haines and his partners over their rogue activities, at first Steve plays along and even compliments Michael on his quick wit, however his temperment quickly changes when he grabs Michael by the throat and threatens to strangle him to death if he continues to disrespect him. Haines also has no qualms with torturing and mutilating suspects or people he sees as standing in the way of his career. This is shown when he has Trevor Phillips brutally torture a, seemingly innocent, man for information on another possible terror suspect, before casually ordering Phillips to murder the man for no other purpose other than he had no more use for him. Also the man was more than willing to reveal the information to Steve without being violently coerced, implying Haines truly enjoys the suffering of others.

Trivia

 * He was voiced by American actor Robert Bogue.
 * Haines is similar to Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption antagonist Edgar Ross. Both men are corrupt federal agents that blackmail the protagonists into doing their dirty work, and both eventually betray the protagonist by setting them up to be killed. Unlike in Redemption, Haines' plot to have the protagonist he betrayed murdered can fail or succeed based on the player's choices.
 * Haines has been shot twice in the leg. First at the IAA compound when he shoots himself in the leg and second at the Kortz Center when he is shot in the leg by a FIB operative.
 * Steve is regarded as the second most evil Grand Theft Auto villain, right behind Frank Tenpenny.