How do the characters from gta v appear in gta online?

Within the GTA Online universe the protagonists of the single‑player story—Michael, Franklin, and Trevor—do not become playable characters. Instead, their likenesses and personalities surface in the form of non‑player characters or in cut‑scene sequences that accompany specific missions. Some updates have allowed players to experience the original story missions within Online, but the player controls a separate character while the original protagonists function solely as NPCs. Thus, while the visual and audio design of the GTA V characters is reused, they never appear as playable avatars or as separate player options in the multiplayer environment.