Barney Ross

Living... on the go. In lieu of a family and home, Ross has a “truck and a seaplane.” With a job that requires him to travel to all corners of the earth, Ross can often be found wherever his buddies are—be that a tattoo parlor, a plane, a metal shop, or the jungles of some foreign land. For Barney Ross, his friends are his family and his home is wherever the mission takes him.

Profession... leader of an elite group of mercenaries called the “Expendables.” Renowned for his quickness and accuracy as a sharpshooter, Ross surrounds himself with an equally talented team: weapons specialist Hale Caesar; martial artist Ying Yang; demolitions expert Toll Road; sniper Gunnar Jensen; and his best friend Lee Christmas, who is as precise with a blade as Ross is with a gun. Although Ross appears to live by a moral code that, for example, does not permit the hanging of hostage-taking pirates, he only has one code for the job: “If the money's right, we don't care where the job is.” That's how the Expendables find themselves on a dangerous mission sanctioned by “Mr. Church,” who hires them to overthrow General Garza, the dictator of an island called Vilena. However, after recon for the mission goes very wrong, Ross begins to reconsider whether or not his code could use a bit of an upgrade.

Interests... guns and friends. No, seriously, when Ross isn't competing with his best friend, Lee, about who is more accurate with a gun or knife, he is either shooting the breeze with Tool – an ex-mercenary and the current recruitment liason, armorer, and tattoo artist for the Expendables – or dispensing relationship advice to Lee. With his life and work inextricably intertwined, Ross's interests reflect his dedication to his work and his motley crew of companions.

Relationship Status... single, and not really looking. After Ross callously teases the perpetually heartbroken Lee, Lee notes that Ross is alone because he is bleak and has a black heart. However, when the two meet the beautiful Sandra, their contact in Vilena, Ross appears to be drawn to her. He warns an equally enraptured Lee to “stay focused” – but can Ross?

Challenge... completing his mission. Tempted to abort the contract after reconnaissance showed the mission to be much more complicated than Mr. Church let on, Ross must weigh the new factors (such as Sandra and her love for her broken town) against the safety of his team and the promise he made to Mr. Church. Moreover, Ross has to deal with internal strife within his team as one member who struggles with a drug problem poses a danger for the rest of them.

Personality... compassionate, brave, and commanding. Ross's leadership style is mellow in the sense that he is friends with his teammates. Nevertheless, the men are compelled to trust and follow him into dangerous situations, even when he warns them off. Despite Lee's accusations that Ross has a “black heart,” Ross demonstrates his benevolence when he constantly forgives the wayward Gunnar and listens to Lee's unending romantic woes.  And for those who think that the man is all brawn and no brains, his biting humor makes him equally equipped in a battle of wits as, well, any of his other (many) battles.