The Netflix action thriller film, The Union revolves around the titular organization, where elite spies of the agency work tirelessly to protect national security. Sometimes they even put their own life in danger to serve their nation better. Indeed, it’s not an easy job, but the drive to protect one’s country against all threats and to be of some importance is what makes it all worthwhile. One of the key members of this invisible army is Nick, also known as Agent Faraday. At the beginning of the movie, we see Nick getting shot during a Union mission that went sideways. The team was trying to capture a CIA agent, but the mission was compromised, and it appeared that Nick had died. But later, we find out he’s still alive. So, where has Nick been all this time? What has he been hiding? And what are his true motives? Let’s dive into the character analysis of Nick Faraday and uncover the secrets behind this mysterious agent.
Spoilers Ahead
Why did Nick go into hiding?
In this movie, The Union had one critical mission: to stop the CIA from getting their hands on information that had leaked about the Western government’s public defense agents’ identities. This was highly sensitive information, and protecting it was crucial; otherwise, it would have put the country’s safety in jeopardy. At the start of the movie, the Union planned to abduct a CIA agent named Derek Mitchell from the Trieste Hotel in Italy, believing they could safeguard this information. But things went terribly wrong. They soon realized it was a setup—someone had leaked the Union’s plan to abduct the CIA agent. As a result, most of the Union team members were killed, including Agent Faraday, also known as Nick. For Roxanne, Nick’s ex-wife, watching him die right before her eyes was devastating. The remaining Union members were desperate to find out who was leaking their information, causing their missions to fail and their members to be killed. Roxanne suspected it was an inside job; there was no other way someone could have known their plans. But when she and her partner Mike finally tracked down Juliete Mitchell to get the intel, they were shocked to find Nick alive and well, knocking on their door. How could this have happened? Nick revealed something shocking: their own leader, Tom Brennan, was the one leaking their information to the CIA. Tom had been a CIA operative before forming The Union, and he still had special connections. Nick had been playing dead the whole time, gathering information and waiting for the right moment to act. His goal, or at least what he wanted them to believe was his goal, was to protect Roxanne and the others in The Union from getting killed. Nick had been trying to shield them all along.
Was Nick telling the truth?Â
Actually, Nick was lying all along. He wasn’t trying to protect The Union or anyone else; he was just looking out for himself, trying to gain money and power. He’d secretly joined forces with the CIA and had been leaking information about The Union while pretending to be dead, so no one would suspect him. At the same time, he played the good guy to Roxanne to make her believe he was on their side. But Nick’s true intentions came to light when he betrayed Roxanne and Mike and tried to hand them over to the CIA while keeping the intel and money for himself. He wasn’t doing it for some noble cause—he was doing it for Juliette, his new love interest. Nick had big dreams, and The Union wasn’t fulfilling them. The life of risking everything for ten dollars an hour wasn’t worth it to him. He wanted a big house, luxurious vacations, and the kind of life The Union couldn’t provide. So, he decided it was better to side with the CIA. However, Nick’s plan started to fall apart when Roxanne and Mike followed his trail, determined to get the intel back from him. To make matters worse, Juliette, the woman he thought he could trust, didn’t think Nick was worth it either. She realized that a man who could deceive his own people, betray his ex-wife, and backstab his team wasn’t someone she could trust. In the end, Juliette handed Nick over to Roxanne and walked away. Even then, Nick tried his best to hang onto the intel and the money. Nick wasn’t interested in an ordinary life. To achieve his dream of a lavish lifestyle, Nick was ready to take the risk, no matter the cost.
At the end of The Union, there’s this really intense chase scene by the seaside. Roxanne and Mike finally catch up with Nick, who’s desperately trying to escape with the intel and a ton of cash. Nick thought he could just run away and start afresh, but Roxanne, being incredibly skilled and fiercely dedicated to protecting the intel and succeeding in her mission, wasn’t about to let him slip away. You know, Roxanne wanted Nick to face justice for all the treason and murder he’d committed. Even though she didn’t want him to die, she couldn’t let him win this time. Nick tried to pull one last trick, trying to sweet-talk Roxanne by saying they could live the high life with all the money he had in his possession now. But for Roxanne, her loyalty to her country and her sense of duty came first.
In the end, Roxanne had no choice but to make the hard decision. She killed her own ex-husband Nick to put the evil to rest. It was a tough call, but given everything that had happened, it felt like it was the only way. The outcome was almost inevitable, don’t you think?
