Fallout's Walton Goggins teases 'mind-bending' Ghoul origins in season 2

Devotees of Fallout are poised to uncover further secrets surrounding Cooper Howard/the Ghoul's (portrayed by Walton Goggins) enigmatic backstory in the forthcoming second series.

The acclaimed Prime Video science fiction drama, adapted from the blockbuster video game series, arrives this Wednesday, 17th December, following the phenomenal success of its debut run.

The opening series tracked Vault Dweller Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) as she traversed the desolate wasteland searching for her father, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan).

Brave yet naive, Lucy confronts scavengers, creatures and the fearsome Brotherhood of Steel for the first time upon departing Vault 33.

She also forms an uneasy partnership with an enigmatic, disfigured bounty hunter called the Ghoul, later exposed as a celebrated pre-war actor who has been transformed and granted extended life through severe radiation exposure, reports the Mirror.

During the initial series, Cooper learns his spouse, Barb Howard (Frances Turner), a senior Vault-Tec executive, was pivotal in the catastrophic decision to launch the nuclear strikes.

Hinting at future developments following these bombshells, Goggins previewed: "Season one, he realizes his wife is the principle architect for the ending of the world. What a place to start a conversation.

"Then there's the introduction of Robert House (Justin Theroux), what he has to say about those events unfolding in real time, and how I may factor into that. It was mind-bending."

Given the main storyline unfolds more than two centuries following the Great War, numerous aspects of the Ghoul's backstory remain shrouded in mystery for viewers.

Questions persist about the precise circumstances of his mutation and his motivation for becoming a gunslinger roaming the brutal wasteland.

Director Jonathan Nolan has hinted that audiences might gain insights into what transpired during those missing centuries throughout the second season.

"Seeing our three main characters paired off in different ways is half the fun for me," he revealed.

"Lucy is slowly learning what it takes to survive in The Wasteland. How much of her pluck will survive another season of this show, while traveling with The Ghoul, which deepens our understanding of exactly how ruthless he is.

"Where does that come from and what happened to Cooper Howard in the past that led him in this state?

"And then with Max (Aaron Moten), you learn more about where he came from and what his journey has been to get him to a place that tests how ruthless and uncompromising he's willing to be to survive in the wasteland and the Brotherhood."

Cooper's backstory appears set to receive comprehensive exploration in the forthcoming season, so keep watching to uncover what the next eight episodes of Fallout will reveal.

Fallout season 2 premieres Wednesday, 17th December on Prime Video.