Mercedes Cortez

Background

Mercedes Cortez is the daughter of Colonel Juan Cortez. Raised in privilege, she is a party-loving, provocative young woman who works as an escort despite her father's wealth. She moves easily among Vice City's criminals, celebrities and politicians.

As the Colonel's only child, Mercedes has grown up among diplomats, arms dealers and politicians. She moves comfortably in Vice City's nightlife and seems to enjoy shocking her father with her choice of company. Her flirtations with Tommy Vercetti run through the whole story, but she never becomes a central part of his life.

Events of GTA Vice City

• In The Party, Tommy Vercetti meets Mercedes aboard her father's yacht. She points out the guests to him, then asks for a ride to the Pole Position Club when Ricardo Diaz arrives.
• In Love Juice, after Tommy buys drugs for the band Love Fist, Kent Paul calls to say the band wants company. Tommy picks up Mercedes from her apartment and takes her to the recording studio.
• In Recruitment Drive, Tommy recruits Mercedes and Candy Suxxx for the adult film being shot at his studio, InterGlobal Films.
• During the Kaufman Cabs mission Cabmaggedon, a fare request comes in from "Miss Cortez", which turns out to be a trap set by a rival cab company.
• Her film with Candy is advertised across the city in Dildo Dodo and G-Spotlight, the final InterGlobal Films missions.

Personality

Mercedes is confident, flirtatious and impulsive. She enjoys teasing Tommy and seems drawn to danger and fame. The game hints at a romance between them, but it never develops beyond flirting.

She treats danger as a game, accepting rides from gangsters and joining a rock band's party without hesitation. Mercedes is also self-interested: she is quick to seize the chance of fame when InterGlobal Films offers her a starring role. Her playful manner masks a sharp sense of her own value.

Relationships

• Juan Cortez: her father, who leaves Vice City during the story.
• Tommy Vercetti: an acquaintance and occasional flirt.
• Candy Suxxx: her co-star at InterGlobal Films.
• Love Fist: the band she spends a night with.
• Kent Paul: the fixer who asks Tommy to bring her to Love Fist.

Trivia

• Mercedes is voiced by Fairuza Balk.
• She also appears in GTA Vice City Stories, set two years earlier.
• Steve Scott's film starring Mercedes and Candy is promoted with the giant spotlight in G-Spotlight.
• Mercedes has the distinction of linking several of Tommy's business threads, from Cortez's yacht to Love Fist and the film studio.
• She has no missions of her own, but appears in cutscenes across several storylines.