Director Costa

Director Costa is a jaguar and the Director of Zootopia Security Intelligence in We Can Fix Pawbert. Introduced in Season 5, Costa commands the Crisis Coordination Center (CCC) throughout the Icener crisis. He replaced Director Ramshorn (a markhor) as ZSI Director between Seasons 4 and 5.

Background

Costa built the Crisis Coordination Center eighteen months before the events of Season 5, following the lessons learned from the Lionheart crisis. His foresight in establishing this command infrastructure proved essential when the Icener threat emerged.

Personality

Costa is pragmatic, decisive, and commands respect without demanding it. He makes difficult calls—including tacitly authorizing contact with Mr. Big—when the situation requires unconventional solutions. He respects competence and gives Luther and the pack appropriate operational latitude.

Key personality traits:

• Pragmatic — Makes necessary decisions, even uncomfortable ones
• Decisive — Does not hesitate when action is required
• Respectful of competence — Gives capable operators room to work
• Institutional — Represents ZSI's authority and responsibility

Series History

Season 5: The Icener Crisis

Costa commands ZSI operations from the CCC throughout the crisis. Key moments include:

• "Soft Target": Orders the joint ZSI-ZPD raid on the Meridian Shipping warehouse; processes the aftermath when Roskova escapes her transport convoy; connects polar bear visitors at ZCF to the infiltration network and learns Milton requested Pawbert specifically; briefs the pack by phone and approves Pawbert's involvement
• "Activation": Monitors Pawbert's visitation with Milton via live feed; confirms Icener intelligence aligns with Volkov's account; offers Pawbert a formal ZSI consultant role to review old Lynxley infrastructure; grants access to sealed Lynxley corporate archives; orders expanded surveillance and assigns operational tasks to Shaw, O'Brian, and Luther
• "Traceback": Reviews escalating attack patterns with Bauer in the CCC; orders continued CTU rotation and surveillance on Meridian Shipping properties; later acknowledges the breakthrough from the captured property list and orders surveillance on every identified location, starting with those nearest active weather wall stations
• "Fieldwork": Recognizes Shaw's Hyenahurst discovery as the first real break in weeks; orders Luther's briefing; directs the team to split when a Tundratown demonstration attack occurs mid-operation; orders Bauer to deploy CTU at every compromised station; escalates CCC to CONDITION ORANGE
• "The Network": Designates the Otterdam shipping facility as priority target after O'Brian identifies MV Frost Crown; assigns Nick and Judy to escort Keni Loggins; identifies the highway ambush as witness elimination; authorizes Nick's proposal to bring in Precinct 99 for the Otterdam infiltration
• "Misdirection": Orders harbor stand-down after the Frost Crown arrival window passes; realizes the harbor was never Icener's target when O'Brian discovers the vessel in the Polar Straights; coordinates the CCC response to the coordinated weather wall attack—the largest mass casualty event in the series to this point; recognizes the attack as a demonstration after Icener orders a stand-down: Icener is showing he can turn the system back on whenever he wants
• "Climate Control": Attends City Hall briefing with Winddancer and Bogo; receives the seventy-two-hour ultimatum; returns to the CCC and orders full tactical deployment on the relay warehouse O'Brian identified; after Dmitri's capture reveals local recruitment from Big's people, Costa weighs Nick's proposal to contact Mr. Big and states he cannot "officially authorize" contact with a crime boss—deliberate phrasing that functions as tacit permission; calls Pawbert to the CCC as a Lynxley infrastructure consultant at Luther's request
• "The Message": Reviews Mr. Big's intelligence and confirms it matches O'Brian's signal traces; authorizes the full assault on the Frostbite Processing plant with "Do it"; assigns three breach teams and coordinates the operation from the CCC; orders ZFD priority response to Sahara Square when Icener activates all stations during the assault; declares measured victory after the kill signal succeeds: "We won this round."
• "Strike": Responds to the Precinct 1 bombing from the CCC at CONDITION RED; orders immediate security sweeps of all city buildings—loading docks, delivery access points, everything; works with Shaw to trace the fake delivery requisition back to the same Meridian Shipping shell company structure; confirms the requisition was filed three days before the Frostbite raid, establishing it as a pre-planned contingency; convenes the secure briefing with the pack and orders Shaw to contact the ZSI-BAU for a psychological profile of Icener
• "Profile": Hosts the joint CCC-BAU briefing; frames the operational split between CTU (operations) and BAU (psychology); processes the Lynxley Holdings revelation; authorizes Commissioner McHerd's negotiation attempt; after Icener's refusal, orders the hard approach; arranges Volkov's transport from offsite for re-interrogation; orders Milton's complete isolation at ZCF after Volkov reveals The Root
• "Cost of Entry": Coordinates the joint ZSI-ZPD three-site raid with Precinct 7; briefs the expanded team at the CCC; designates Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie team assignments; orders simultaneous execution; processes the failed search for The Root; approves Pawbert's suggestion to pursue Agnes De'Snake's documentation as the next lead; orders Tundratown reinforcement after Viktor's intel
• "All Paws": Present in the CCC when the assault begins; orders immediate evacuation as the ceiling cracks; his arm is crushed under a fallen console until two operators pull him free. Despite the injury, he remains on his feet with his arm in a sling and continues issuing orders from the north staging area. Observes that Icener "spent his people like currency" after learning the enemy lost thirty operatives—more than a quarter of their force—in a single suicide assault
• "The Godfather": Commands ZSI operations from Mr. Big's mansion, his arm still in a sling. Authorizes Pawbert's trip to Reptile Ravine and assigns Luther to the Tundratown defense. When Shaw's interrogation of the captured wolverine fails, Costa tacitly authorizes Mr. Big's methods with "This conversation never happened"—deliberate phrasing that allows deniability. After the wolverine confirms the attack is imminent, Costa orders final defensive positions across three sectors and integrates Reacher's returning team
• "Tundratown Requiem": Coordinates the three-sector Tundratown defense from Mr. Big's command center. When Luther breaks from the east sector to reach Pawbert, Costa tries to maintain the line but cannot prevent it. Evacuates the command center when the south sector collapses, retreating to the ZSI backup facility. Later secures Mayor Winddancer's authorization to extract Milton from ZCF after Pawbert proposes using Milton's codes to locate The Root
• "Without Options": Patches Luther through to Winddancer to authorize Milton's extraction deal. After the convoy departs, orders Luther and Pawbert to the mansion to rest and assigns Shaw to protective detail. Later confirms the convoy massacre and Milton's death over radio to Judy, and orders Nick and Judy back to Mr. Big's compound to regroup
• "Final Position": Commands the largest operation in Zootopia's history from Mr. Big's mansion. Assigns final vectors: east approach (Koslov's polar bears, P1 heavy), west approach (BAU, P7), main entry (Reacher, CTU, Nick and Judy), perimeter (Nine-Nine). Gives the order to engage. Coordinates all teams through the assault on the Reptile Ravine lighthouse, the underground breach, and the tunnel pursuit of Icener
• "Complacency": Delivers Shaw's eulogy at the ZSI Memorial Cemetery with his arm still in a sling from the ZSI HQ collapse. He honors her four years of service, her refusal to become cynical, and her brilliance—saying she deserved more time. His voice breaks once during the delivery, revealing the personal cost of losing another agent he recruited and trained. His eulogy intercuts with Fru Fru's eulogy for Mr. Big, with mirrored language: both mammals gave everything to protect what they loved

Costa's leadership style is defined by trust: he delegates to the mammals he believes in and holds the institutional line when they need cover.

Key Relationships

Luther Pawthorne

Costa respects Luther's operational capabilities and gives him appropriate latitude. Their relationship is professional—built on competence and mutual respect.

The Pack

Costa's pragmatism extends to accepting the pack's unconventional methods when they produce results. He provides institutional cover for their actions throughout the crisis.

Trivia

• Costa built the CCC eighteen months before the Icener crisis, learning from the Lionheart crisis's command failures.
• He replaced Director Ramshorn (a markhor) as ZSI Director between S04 and S05.
• He continued commanding operations with his arm in a sling after the ZSI HQ collapse.