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The G-Man, voiced by Michael Shapiro , is a recurring character in the '' Half-Life '' series of First-person Shooter Computer Game s. Always seen in a blue business suit with tie and clutching a briefcase in one hand, he was first seen in ''Half-Life'' (henceforth referred to as ''HL1''). He is known to display peculiar behaviour and capabilities beyond that of a normal human, although his identity and motives have yet to be completely explained. He plays the role of an overseer and employer, watching over the player as the games progress.


OVERVIEW

Physically, the G-Man appears to be a somewhat middle-aged Caucasian human in an immaculate grey/blue suit, with a tall and remarkably thin physique. He has very pale and somewhat emaciated skin, black hair shaped in a military-style crew cut, and vivid green eyes. But despite his (albeit odd) human appearance, the G-Man exhibits unusual behaviour, the most notable being his peculiar voice. He speaks in a slow, raspy manner, sometimes placing unusual stress on syllables, stressing the wrong parts of words, making unneeded pauses, and awkwardly changing the pitch of his voice, sometimes in the middle of a word. These symptoms are similar to ones displayed by people suffering from certain Speech Impediment s. It is common for the G-Man to elongate "S" Sounds ("Limitlesssss potential"). Some gamers believe this is because he is allowed to say little more than his barely-understood "job" requires him to, whilst many others speculate that his awkward characteristics may result from the G-Man being extra-terrestrial, and has not yet managed to accurately copy human speech or behaviour. This odd speech pattern is a common characteristic of typical Men In Black accounts.

The G-Man seems to exhibit remarkably calm behaviour, particularly in the ruined and alien-infested Black Mesa Research Facility - in situations in which other humans panic and flee, the G-Man can be seen calmly straightening his tie or brushing his suit lapels with his hand. Throughout the entire ''Half-Life'' series, he is always seen carrying a briefcase, which in the original ''Half-Life'' and its expansions, sports the logo of the Black Mesa Research Facility . He bears some resemblance (physically, dramaturgically, and in terms of personality) to the Cigarette Smoking Man from '' The X-Files '' series.

It should be noted that "G-Man" is almost certainly not his actual title or name. He is never identified, referred to, or even acknowledged to exist by other characters in any of the games to the player, despite interacting with other characters in the games. "Gman" is simply the name of the character's model in the original ''Half-Life'', and ''Half-Life 2'' (possibly a reference to the Slang term G-Man , referring to an agent of the United States Government ), as well as in documentaries featuring employees at Valve Software . The character is also referred to as "Gman" in the voice actor list in the credits of ''Half-Life 2''. Furthermore, in the manual for ''Opposing Force'', Shephard makes mention of him as a "g-man." Most players use the Nickname "G-Man," or "Government man," since his actual name is still unknown. Prior to the release of '' Half-Life 2 '', many players thought he was the Administrator of the Black Mesa Research Facility , but the sequel makes it clear that this is actually a separate character, Doctor Breen .

Valve writes the character's "name" as GMan, but an overwhelming number of ''Half-Life''-related communities type "G-Man." Most likely, this is because the term G-Man previously existed. Arguably, the only reason Valve "named" the character "GMan" was because "npc_g-man" is longer than "npc_gman."

However, they seem to have changed their minds about the name, as the official '''' website refers to him as the "G-Man."


IN-GAME APPEARANCES



''Half-Life''


The G-Man is first seen travelling in the opposite direction on the tram ride that serves as ''HL1'''s introduction sequence, but he somehow manages to arrive at Sector C before Freeman. Before the experiment begins, the G-Man can be seen arguing heatedly with a scientist in a locked room of Sector C. Following the catastrophic resonance cascade which commences the game's action through Black Mesa, the G-Man can be seen quietly observing the player in several out-of-reach areas as the game progresses. In several cases, the player arrives in rooms or locations where the G-Man was previously seen, even though the areas are often inaccessible to other characters, and personnel in the location do not seem to have noticed him.

After Gordon defeats Nihilanth , the ruler of Xen and the final Boss in ''Half-Life'', the G-Man brings the player to "safety" in an inexplicable, abstract sequence, appearing beside Gordon, having stripped him of his armaments and showing him various areas of Xen. Interestingly, the G-Man reminds Freeman that most of his weapons are government property (although government of ''what'' remains unsaid), lending credence to the possibility that the G-Man is or has been employed by an Earth government. Eventually the scene changes into a what appears to be a tram (like the one from the beginning of the game) travelling through space at an incredible speed. The G-Man tells Gordon that he has been observing him very carefully and praises him on his actions on Xen , which, following an invasion by the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit , is now in his employers' control. The G-Man's words seem to indicate that the entire ordeal Gordon has just endured was meant as a test, and he offers Freeman a job. Canon states that Gordon takes the job, although the player is given a "choice"; declining the offer results in an unarmed Freeman facing a horde of hostile aliens (which somehow have survived the invasion of Xen) as the screen fades to black with the G-Man's final words; "No regrets, Mr. Freeman?". However, in ''HL2'' the G-Man talks about the "illusion of free choice," perhaps in a Deterministic nod, or suggesting that the "wrong" choice in the first game would have eventually led to Gordon being employed anyway. For instance, he may have been teleported away from the Xen forces at the last moment, the G-Man having made his point.

Note that the official ''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' website states that "In ''Half-Life'', the G-Man made you."


''Opposing Force''

from escaping from the Black Mesa Research Facility . The soldiers behind the G-Man appear oblivious to his presence.]]
In the '', the G-Man observes and sometimes interferes in the actions of the main character, Corporal Adrian Shephard .

During the boot camp training sequence, the G-Man can be spotted at a window speaking to an officer, and occasionally glancing at the player. Since the drill instructor mentions that Shephard's training has been mysteriously accelerated, it appears the G-Man had an interest in Shephard before the Black Mesa incident, for reasons unknown. At one point he opens a door for the trapped Shephard (saving his life), and one level later, G-Man closes the hangar door on Shephard, preventing him from evacuating Black Mesa with the other Marines. If the player remains in the hangar and views the Marines through a window climbing into a helicopter and taking off, one can see the craft they are in blows up. This suggests that perhaps G-Man wanted Shephard to be the one-and-only marine left to take on Black Mesa, as a test similar to that of Gordon Freeman's. Alternatively, he may have known that other forces were preparing to take off in the transport chopper and therefore saved Shephard's life by blocking his passage. Either way, he forced Shephard to remain on the base. Later on, G-Man is seen rearming the Nuclear bomb that destroys Black Mesa, which Shephard deactivated moments prior.

It should be noted that Shephard was detained after the G-Man persuaded his employers to do so. The G-Man informs Shephard that, having impressed him by fighting through Black Mesa, he had convinced his employers to save Shephard's life and would be keeping him in an unknown place, where he would be safe from any harm. The G-Man also makes a cryptic reference to a report which he has been compiling for his employers, and that a "great many" circumstances in Black Mesa required his attention before he could complete his evaluation. Exactly what the report contains, who it was written for, or why the G-Man was sent to write it, remain unclear. The G-Man makes a further cryptic comment when he informs Shephard that he was impressed by Shephard's ability to "adapt and survive against all odds" in the Black Mesa facility; traits which, the G-Man claims, remind him of himself. Further questions are raised when the G-Man informs Shephard that he was sparing him the "irresistible human temptation" of talking about the Black Mesa incident, leading to some players suggesting that the G-Man was eager to cover up the Black Mesa incident, and that the events at Black Mesa were not merely a precursor to those of ''Half-Life 2'', but were unrelated. In addition, when Barney Calhoun and three members of the Black Mesa Science Team escape by road, the G-Man seems unconcerned, prompting speculation that the G-Man is not concerned with "witnesses" but is using this as an excuse to put Shephard into stasis. It is also suggested that Shephard saw something the other witnesses did not, namely the Race X aliens, which could explain why he was put into stasis while other witnesses were not. This remains, though, one of many unanswered questions regarding the G-Man.

At the end of ''Opposing Force'', the G-Man appears to Adrian Shephard a final time. In this instance, Shephard finds himself facing the G-Man on board one of the HECU 's Osprey aircraft which carries them away from Black Mesa, shortly before a nuclear blast flashes outside. The aircraft's location then suddenly switches to the skies of Xen, then finally to a similar emptiness to the Black Mesa tram at the end of ''Half-Life''. No less bizarre is how the G-Man leaves, via a teleporter in the cockpit. Due to this similarity (the location of the Osprey ), and the G-Man's reference to placing Shephard somewhere where no harm can come to him, it is possible that Shephard was put into stasis, as was Gordon Freeman.


''Half-Life: Blue Shift'' and ''Half-Life: Decay''

In both ''Half-Life: Blue Shift'' and ''Half-Life: Decay'', the main characters of each game, Barney Calhoun and Doctors Gina Cross and Colette Green , see the G-Man on one occasion near the beginning of each game, but he doesn't seem to notice any of them, and is quickly forgotten during the chaos of the Black Mesa Incident. It can be surmised that the G-Man isn't interested in the fates of these "minor characters," especially since the fates of Gina and Colette are unknown. However, given the fact that Barney goes on to become one of the leaders of the resistance against the Combine , it seems odd that the G-Man appears uninterested with his fate.


''Half-Life 2''


The sequel, '' Half-Life 2 '' (henceforth referred to as ''HL2''), assumes that Gordon Freeman took up the job offer. In the introduction sequence, Gordon is greeted at some point in the future by the G-Man in a strange, dream-like environment, showing the Black Mesa test chamber where the resonance cascade occurred and a part of the Citadel. Following a short speech by the G-Man, Gordon wakes up on a train headed for an Eastern European city known simply as City 17 , one of the few remaining habitable cities after the events of ''HL1'' led to an invasion by the Combine Empire. In his speech, the G-Man hints that he put Gordon into stasis for safety, and assures Gordon that he is not disappointed with his services, but was obliged to keep him somewhere safe as there was no way of defending the planet against the Combine, and no way of guaranteeing Gordon's safety during the resulting turmoil. The G-Man hints that an opportunity has now arisen, which will allow Freeman to begin his campaign against the Combine forces on Earth. Conveniently, the G-Man places Freeman in City 17 's train station while Barney Calhoun is on duty, allowing Calhoun to direct Freeman to safety.

logo in the top right hand of the screen and the similarity to the location where Dr. Breen makes his "Breencasts."]]
The G-Man, while still observable in-game, is easily missed owing to the vast size of outdoor maps which makes attempting to single out any character at a distance a chore. However, none of the other characters carry his telltale briefcase, which makes him easier to identify. He also appears on television and other video screens.

After an uphill battle in the cloud-penetrating Citadel skyscraper, Gordon causes critical damage to the building's Dark Energy reactor, resulting in what may have been his death — if the G-Man had not seemingly stopped time in order to extract Gordon to safety to await further "employment offers." The game ends with travel through the same emptiness that was ''HL1'''s ending, and with the G-Man stepping through some sort of doorway portal, but not before fixing his tie.

The G-Man, at this point, makes it clear that either he or his unknown, mysterious employers have godlike powers, incredible technology, or both. The G-Man makes no mention of his "employers," in either of his lengthy speeches in ''HL2''. Indeed, he stresses "I have received some interesting offers," not "My employers have received some interesting offers" or even "My employers and I have received some interesting offers." This could be construed as evidence he no longer works for his aforementioned employers. However, a character as enigmatic as the G-Man is open to so much conjecture that almost anything is possible. Either ''Half-Life 3'' or future expansion packs to ''HL2'' will be expected to continue and/or expand the story.

Notably, before their final showdown, Doctor Breen asks Gordon, "Did you realize your contract was open to the highest bidder?" This may imply that the G-Man and his employers hire out the "services" of Gordon Freeman to those requesting them; however, it may have also been a simple ruse on Doctor Breen's part to confuse and demoralize Freeman. A third possibility is that Dr. Breen and whoever his associates were may have originally (back in the time of ''Half-Life'' or before) been competing with those the G-Man represents for Gordon's services. In this case, Dr. Breen seems to be ridiculing Gordon for his lack of control over his destiny and alluding to his plans to use Gordon to get the resistance to surrender.

During "Highway 17" (chapter 7) in the game, the player can use a Spotting Scope -type device to see the G-Man talking to Colonel Odessa Cubbage . When Freeman meets Cubbage soon after, the Colonel gives a briefing on how to use an RPG launcher to destroy Combine Gunships, which attack moments later. Players may surmise that the G-Man informed Cubbage of the impending attack and possibly even supplied the RPG launcher (although this is not actually seen).


''Half-Life 2: Episode One''

Although the G-Man is never seen in the trailers for '''', he can be heard saying in an irritated tone: "We'll see... about ''that''.", with the ending portion of the sentences, stressed in a way suggesting that the G-Man doesn't feel something should occur. It is currently unverified whether the character will appear in the expansion pack, though the inclusion of a new voice clip strongly implies he will. Also, given the G-Man's appearance in all the other ''Half-Life'' games, it would be unusual if he failed to appear in the expansion.

It has been reported in ''PC Gamer'' magazine and is referenced on the game's website that in the ''Episode One'' expansion pack the G-Man "has lost control" of Gordon. How this will infuence the storyline has yet to be seen.


LIST OF INGAME APPEARANCES

The G-Man appears several times in each game, though often in out-of-the-way locations so it may be difficult for a first-time player to see him. It is almost universally impossible to go directly to where he is standing - before he has an opportunity to disappear from that place, at any rate. If fired upon in the few areas in which he could be, he is unharmed, and a ricocheting sound effect is heard. This list does not include intro and ending sequences in which he speaks to the player character directly.


'' Half-Life ''

  • Black Mesa Inbound (map: c0a0d): When the tram Gordon is riding pauses briefly, the G-Man can be seen standing with a scientist in another tram heading in the opposite direction.

  • Anomalous Materials (map: c1a0): The G-Man can be seen standing in an inaccessible room arguing with a scientist.

  • Unforseen Consequences (map: c1a1b): In his first appearance following the resonance cascade, he can be seen watching Gordon from a catwalk. When Gordon arrives at the same spot, it is revealed that the G-Man disappeared from an apparent dead end. A hiding scientist does not seem to have seen him.

  • Office Complex (map: c1a2b): As Gordon battles his way out of the administrative suite, the G-Man can be seen behind a locked door watching Gordon. He straightens his tie, brushes his suit with his hand, and walks off along a balcony over a corpse-filled cafeteria.

  • We've Got Hostiles (map: c1a3d): Immediately before Gordon's first encounter with the marines, the G-Man is seen on a high catwalk. He apparently leaves in a direction heading towards the marines. However, when Gordon arrives in the same spot, the marines have only just arrived, whilst a nearby scientist does not mention having seen him.

  • Power Up (map: c2a1): When Gordon arrives at the terminus of the rail network, he sees the G-Man watching him from a control room. When Gordon arrives, though, the control room is boarded up from the outside, and a wounded Security Guard there indicates no sign of having seen him.

  • Apprehension (map: c2a3b): In a large room filled with industrial pistons, the G-Man can be seen at the far end of the room. He leaves in a direction which leads to several hostile aliens and soldiers. It is in fact possible to catch up with him here as seen in the "Half-Life done quick" video. He disappears before he turns the next corner.

  • Lambda Core (map: c3a2c): In the deserted Lambda Complex, Gordon watches through a window into a deserted room filled with Headcrab s. The G-Man, standing on a raised floor, briefly looks at Gordon before stepping into a glowing portal. This is the first time the player sees the G-Man using the glowing portals; it explains how the G-Man has been able to so quickly get around the complex and disappear (especially into the aforementioned dead ends) before the player was ever able to reach him.



''''

  • Uplink (map: hldemo1): At the very end of the demo, Gordon arrives in a large room filled with computers. A Gargantua breaks in and begins killing the hiding personnel. As the monster wreaks havoc, the G-Man calmly watches from a corridor, straightens his tie, and as the Gargantua approaches Gordon, slowly strolls away.



''''

  • Boot Camp (map: ofboot1): As Shephard walks through the camp towards his training area, he sees the G-Man and an officer watching him through a window.

  • Welcome to Black Mesa (map: of1a1): In a relatively undamaged area of Black Mesa, Shephard sees the G-Man talking to a security guard before walking away.

  • Welcome to Black Mesa (map: of1a3): In a puzzling scene, Shephard finds himself trapped in a room which is rapidly filling up with toxic waste. The G-Man can be seen through a window, opening a door which allows Shephard to escape. Even though Shephard is only meters behind him, the G-Man is nowhere to be found in the next room - which is filled with toxic waste and aliens.

  • We're Pulling Out (map: of1a6): Shephard races towards a transport aircraft as the marines evacuate Black Mesa. As he is sprinting down a corridor towards the plane, the G-Man calmly appears at the end of the corridor and closes a heavy door, trapping Shephard. He brushes his suit and strolls away as the evacuation plane takes off.

  • Pit Worm's Nest (map: of4a4): Shephard is deposited into a garbage compactor resembling the one from . The G-Man can be seen quietly observing him from an observation window.

  • Foxtrot Uniform (map: of5a4): After a battle with Race X aliens, Shephard arrives at the damaged Black Mesa hydroelectric dam. Standing on the inaccessible (except through use of the Barnacle Gun , this may be considered a glitch) control tower is the G-Man, who finishes a conversation on a cell phone and steps into a portal.

  • The Package (map: of6a4): Shephard arrives in an underground car park and deactivates a nuclear bomb. After a security guard lets him through a locked door, Shephard sees the G-Man re-arming the bomb. He glances briefly at Shephard and walks away. The player will also discover that the previously open chainlink fence leading there is now locked, making it impossible to deactivate the bomb again.



''''

  • Insecurity (map: ba_maint): Travelling through a maintenance area before the resonance cascade, Barney Calhoun sees the G-Man riding a tram. He does not seem to notice Barney, and is not seen later in the game.



''''

  • Dual Access (Mission 1): Riding up in a glass-walled elevator after participating in a security registration scan, Gina Cross and Colette Green can see the G-Man pass, riding downward in an adjacent elevator. As with Barney's encounter, the G-Man is not seen for the remainder of the game.



'' Half-Life 2 ''

  • A Red Letter Day (map: d1_trainstation_05): If Gordon flips through the main monitor in Kleiner's Lab a few times, eventually it will come across the G-Man staring at the other side of a fence.

  • Route Kanal (map: d1_canals_01): In a resistance member's boxcar, a TV temporarily shows the G-Man, with a Vortigaunt watching and supplying television power. Curiously, the G-Man appears to be in the same "studio" where Dr. Breen delivers his televised messages to City 17 , complete with the Combine's logo. This hints that G-Man may be under the employ of the Combine, or might just be a way for the HL2 developers to save making a whole new location which is only seen briefly.

  • Water Hazard (map: d1_canals_06): He is seen standing on a pier in front of the headcrab infested Station 7. As Gordon approaches, he disappears inside.

  • Water Hazard (map: d1_canals_06): Vaguely seen in a large rectangular monitor that flickers his image along with other broadcasts.

  • Water Hazard (map: d1_canals_12): Seen overlooking a ledge as Gordon's airboat passes under.

  • Water Hazard (map: d1_canals_13): Before Black Mesa East, the G-Man can be spotted on a concrete ledge near the gate controls.

  • We Don't Go to Ravenholm (map: d1_town_05): After leaving Ravenholm, he can barely be seen walking off into a tunnel behind a few train cars.

  • Highway 17 (map: d2_coast_03): Looking through the Combine binoculars at the second house the player comes to on Highway 17, Gordon can spot the G-Man conversing with Colonel Odessa Cubbage at New Little Odessa.

  • Nova Prospekt (map: d2_prison_02): Seen peering through a door window as Gordon flips through the monitors near the beginning of the prison.

  • Anticitizen One (map: d3_c17_02): In a ruined tenement building in City 17, an image of the G-Man standing in a wooden boat with a crow on his shoulder is seen briefly on a television along with some very discordant music. Strangely, the TV is unplugged.

  • Anticitizen One (map: d3_c17_03): Similar to the giant rectangular monitor seen in the canals, the G-Man's image flickers on and off with Doctor Breen's, before the monitor is toppled by resistance members.



CONJECTURAL BACKGROUND

Fans of the game have come up with a number of theories to explain the G-Man's origin. These include G-Man being God or Satan , or even Gordon Freeman himself traveling through time.

Proponents of this last theory point out that "G-Man" could come from Gordon Free'''man''', and that both characters have almost unnaturally bright green eyes. Opponents of this hypothesis ask that if the G-Man is Gordon from the future, then why would Gordon need to help himself if he ended up surviving without any help the original time? This, of course, assumes that he ''did'' initially reach his position without his own anachronistic assistance; otherwise, the G-Man's story may be like that of the main character in Robert A. Heinlein 's short story '' By His Bootstraps ''.

Another argument against this theory is that in the end of '' Half-Life '', the G-Man seemingly sends Gordon Freeman to his death if he does not work for him. On the same note, it has been conjectured that the G-Man might be a future version of Barney Calhoun who has travelled back in time. This comes mainly from the fact that Barney and the G-Man share the same voice actor in HL2, but the characters do share facial similarities as well, and it would explain why the G-Man is almost a non-factor in ''Blue Shift''. However, ''Half-Life'', ''Blue Shift'', and ''Opposing Force'' are all happening at roughly the same time and there is only one G-Man. Seeing that Barney wasn't really linked to the experiment in any way, the G-Man might have seen him as just another Black Mesa employee.

There has also been some discussion that G-Man may be an agent of a yet-unknown '' website, he is called "a sinister interdimensional bureaucrat." An alternate theory is that the G-Man is a double agent for the Combine: he arranges the Black Mesa incident to allow the Combine to conquer Earth, in order to allow Freeman to deal a humiliating blow to their Empire.

His cryptic comment from ''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' could reveal that he is in fact loyal to the Combine, having arranged the Black Mesa incident to allow the Combine to invade and conquer Xen and Earth, and is displeased that Gordon has crippled the Combine presence on Earth. However, the most plausible possibility is that his comment refers to the fact that he supposedly lost control of Gordon Freeman. Also, the theory above mentioned, on the other hand, is contradicted by the obvious question of why he would allow Freeman and the human resistance to overthrow the Combine presence in City 17 , were it not to serve his interests; not to mention the fact that he sounded very approving of Gordon's actions at the end of ''HL2''. His various references to his "employers" offer even more theories - that he works as a Freelancer or Agent who simply hires his talent or Gordon's out to the highest bidder, a theory supported by certain interpretations of Doctor Breen's comments towards the end of ''HL2''.

The curious Prologue s and Epilogue s, especially with the "status reports" that appear in the first games' respective ends have lead some to speculate that Virtual Reality could be involved. That is, the Black Mesa incident might have been an elaborate VR construct, modelled to evaluate the contained people. Perhaps to unleash Gordon Freeman's full potential, which his education would not do. One could connect this theory to the game nature of the first ''Half-Life''; a non-real virtual reality would offer the subject as many tries as is required to get him trained in combat and to successfully complete the simulation.

One last possible theory is that he is in fact simply an employee of an Earth government, or possibly in the employment of the company behind the Black Mesa Facility. One puzzling fact is that in the original ''Half-Life'' and its expansions, his briefcase bears the logo of the Black Mesa Research Facility . It is likely either that the G-Man's character evolved as new games were released, or that Valve added clashing characteristics so that all possible theories could be attacked or supported using evidence from the games. Supporting the theory that he works for the US government, he confiscates Gordon Freeman's weapons, stating that they are government property, and in '' Half-Life 2 '' no longer refers to his employers; presumably, with the Combine having near-total control of Earth, if the US government were his employers they wouldn't exist any more, hence the lack of a mention.

In all instances, the G-Man is regarded as fairly supernatural or even godlike in nature. Many views hold him as a neutral force who does not care about the fate of the human race as long as his interests, or his "organization" do not suffer. Why such a powerful figure would place so much interest (not time, since he seems to be able to control it) in the fate of a few humans is unknown. It remains unclear whether or not the G-Man is himself a human being, and so his views on or loyalties during the Combine invasion of Earth remain unknown.

Contrary to what some may think, the G-Man is ''not'' in a picture of the Black Mesa scientists in Dr. Kleiner 's lab. The scientist who appears is merely the "Slick" scientist model from the original ''Half-Life'', who appears similar to the G-Man. However, some believe that G-Man and the "Slick" scientist model are one and the same.

However, the sheer mystery surrounding the G-Man throughout the ''Half-Life'' series makes it impossible to determine who or what G-Man is for certain, and it is unlikely Valve will reveal his nature any time soon.


Miscellaneous

Certain G-Man speech files of interest can be extracted from the data packs of ''HL1''. These selected sound files can be heard when the G-Man is speaking to a scientist in an inaccessible room at Sector C, though they are muffled and barely audible. (See above appearance list.) Note that these transcriptions are merely guesses after repeated listens, since the sound files are deliberately muffled.

  • "We should not let the system commence." The G-Man may have known that something bad would happen if the experiment proceeded, and was trying to convince the scientist not to follow through with the experiment. However, this seems to conflict with the theory that the entire resonance cascade scenario was intended as a "pre-employment test" for Freeman. One other explanation for this dialog could be that the G-Man wanted to delay the experiment until Gordon Freeman reached the experimental chamber. Possibly because the G-Man knew that anyone inside the experimental chamber at the time of the incident would be safe until they returned. This would also explain why the player misses out on the initial alien invasion.


  • "I want to give you an offer you won't regret." This implies that the G-Man may have offered the scientist something (similar in fashion to his offer to Gordon Freeman at the end of the game), but the exact meaning of any offer is mysterious. That same scientist later dies in that very same room after the accident.


  • "If I had wondered why I'd chosen him, I would certainly..." The end of this sentence fades into inaudibility. Some speculate that the G-Man is Gordon's "Administrative Sponsor" (since the Administrative Sponsor is listed as "Classified"). The G-Man might have been asked something in regard to Freeman's position on the science team.


  • "My employers don't agree!" The meaning of this is difficult to interpret. The scientist must have said something that contradicted the plans of the G-Man's "employers," whoever they are.


  • "You're a scientist, and a fraud. Back off." Presumably, the G-Man is angry because he has failed to make the scientist understand his point of view.


Also, before the release of ''Half-Life 2'', certain .wav files circulated around the Internet with quotes of the G-Man from ''Half-Life 2'' and their Russian dub. However, one of those .wav files, "us_gman03.wav," is never heard during the game and cannot be found in the game's files. The quote is:

  • "Cleverly done, Mr. Freeman, but you're not supposed to be here. As a matter of fact, you're ''not''. Get back where you belong and forget about all this. Until we meet... again." {Link without Title} The G-Man may be preparing Gordon to be sent to a place "where he belongs" (and so he's being already transported to that place when the G-Man says "you're not"), or rather it is related with the virtual-reality theory (see above). Also, considering the fact that it has been excluded from the final version of the game, it may not even be canon.


The G-Man is always seen carrying a briefcase, and fans have often debated its contents. Using the "no-clipping" cheat, or with the aid of a model viewer, it is possible to see inside his case {Link without Title} {Link without Title} . Note that this only applies in ''HL1'', as the inside of his case in ''HL2'' is blank. The contents of the case appear to be as follows:

  • 3 pencils

  • 2 scribbled sheets of paper

  • A 9mm handgun in a holster

  • An identity card

  • A portable computer


Some fans consider this proof the G-Man is a mortal human. It should be however noted that the contents of this briefcase are impossible to see in ''HL1'' and should, in fact, be considered an Easter Egg . Also, it is unlikely G-Man would use a handgun to defend himself given the sheer strength of the aliens around Black Mesa, the Combine soldiers in City 17, and most of the enemies about in the ''Half-Life'' universe. He is never seen being attacked, as well. Additionally, in ''Half-Life'' the player is capable of attacking the G-Man without any kind of cheats, but the G-Man is invulnerable to all attacks.

Also, in the comment section of the "npc_gman.cpp" file of ''Half-Life 2'''s source code, Valve writes the following: "// Purpose: The G-Man, misunderstood servant of the people."


EXTERNAL LINK