The Gman thread.

[Ketran]

I didn't see one of these threads on here so I thought I might as well get the ball rolling.

ITT, we speculate who the Gman is, what he is, and what his motives and intentions are in the Half-Life universe. We also pull apart several speculations that have proven to be false; one such example is Gman is Gordon Freeman.

If this has been posted before then I apologise but don't rip me apart for it, I'm not an idiot.

The most likely explanation for Gman I think, is that he is a member of an alien race who either openly or secretly oppose the Combine. I think that he has found a way to destroy the Combine empire in Gordon Freeman and that explains his huge interest in our hero. Another reason he could be an alien is his unusual method of pronunciation and his abilities to warp space and time.

In Half-Life 1 he explains to Gordon that he had managed to draw the attention of Gman and forces a contract upon him blah blah we know this. That means that when Gman delivered the sample to Black Mesa he did so with no interest in Gordon Freeman at all. I think that he deliberately delivered the faulty sample so that the Xen creatures could flee from the encroaching Combine (another reason why he could be against the Combine empire).

What do you think?

 

[Vegeta897]

I didn't see one of these threads on here

Well...

ITT, we speculate who the Gman is

Ermm.

If this has been posted before then I apologise but don't rip me apart for it, I'm not an idiot.

Hmmm...

Well you may not be an idiot but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that a Half-Life forum that has been around for 9 years has already speculated the gman (and every other half-life and half-life 2 topic) to death.

 

[Maestro]

Maybe this is the mega-thread we've been waiting for. Pin it and funnel every single G-Man theory made into this one place where we can all ignore it.

 

[Lobster]

Its been done to death and no one cares.. but god damn it I am bored! So heres my dull view on the subject!

<RANT>

That moment in Episode 2 when the Gman begins talking to you directly, referencing specific characters and events before ultimately giving you a direction, left me with really mixed feelings. On the one hand, it was really exciting and dramatic to hear Eli acknowledge his existence, but on the other hand it made me wonder: If they choose to give us an actual physical explanation or back story to the Gman, can it possibly have the same effect and value as the mystery itself?

Playing Half-Life 1 for the first time, the Gman never struck me as anything more than the agent he seemed to be, confiscating "government" property and ultimately recruiting Gordon into some kind of organisation. However, when Half-Life 2 came along, I began seeing the Gman more as a metaphor. Not for some specific race, but for the game itself.

When HL2 begins, the Gman welcomes you back after your long absence, and (without giving any specifics) sets up the short but effectual journey you will have. Everything he says in HL2 can be directed personally towards the player as much as it can towards Gordon. The player has been waiting a long time to return to the story, and is excited to get started again, just as Gordon has been in stasis and is finally free again. When HL2 ends, the Gman bookends the sentiment by simply referring to the time spent, both by the player and Gordon directly on the journey.

I know this may seem fairly simplistic, but I always felt, in those moments, like the Gman was the voice of the developer as much as it was an entity in Gordon's world. When HL2 ended, it was fairly natural to think "WHAT!? No! You can't leave it there!" so when the Gman strolls in with his condescending tone, to once again pull you out of the story, it is as if Valve themselves are smirking at you as the screen fades to black.

So when we get to the episodes, we begin to learn specific details about the Gman's limits. We learn that the Vorts have some kind of resistance to his abilities. We learn he has made deals with other people; deals which can be broken. The walls of Gordon’s fishbowl existence begin to collapse, and as we learn more and more, the Gman becomes less of a plot device and more of a character.

Back in ‘98 when HL1 was new, an obvious comparison for the Gman was the Cigarette Smoking Man on the Xfiles. Early in that show, the character’s silent lurking presence was a huge talking point amongst fans. But as time went on, the character became less and less interesting for me, because the more we knew, the more it clashed with our own imagined theories. Problems like that pop up all the time when it comes to long running mysteries in fiction, LOST being a good recent example. Whatever ending they chose, it was only ever going to satisfy so many people.

Whenever I see a wishlist for Half-Life 3, "Answers to the Gman" always ranks pretty high. But all I can say is that I, for one, never want those answers, and I would be completely happy if the entire series closed out someday with another fade-to-black monologue.

</RANT>

 

[Ketran]

I've noticed in my short time of lurking these forums, that a few people, (not mentioning any names) are... for want of a better word acting rather rude. I know it's the Internet and trolling is everywhere, and we should look out for the 1337 super badasses ¬¬. But there are much nicer ways to call somebody up on their mistakes.

Anyway, back on topic. I know there have been millions and millions of these threads. But it's 2012, it is very unlikely Episode 3 is going to be announced at E3 this year, so what else are we to do? I like hearing people's opinions and yes there are different ones in each thread.

You raise an interesting point Lobster, I'd never really looked at Gman like that before, and I agree that I wouldn't want his character explained in black and white for me. I'd like a little more information, but not so much that it would totally ruin the mystique of his character.

 

[Vegeta897]

But there are much nicer ways to call somebody up on their mistakes.

There are also much less nicer ways. I gave you a sincere response, that was not meant to offend. I don't think a sincere response is such a bad thing to give.

 

[Maestro]

I've noticed in my short time of lurking these forums, that a few people, (not mentioning any names) are... for want of a better word acting rather rude. I know it's the Internet and trolling is everywhere, and we should look out for the 1337 super badasses ¬¬. But there are much nicer ways to call somebody up on their mistakes.

Anyway, back on topic. I know there have been millions and millions of these threads. But it's 2012, it is very unlikely Episode 3 is going to be announced at E3 this year, so what else are we to do? I like hearing people's opinions and yes there are different ones in each thread.

You raise an interesting point Lobster, I'd never really looked at Gman like that before, and I agree that I wouldn't want his character explained in black and white for me. I'd like a little more information, but not so much that it would totally ruin the mystique of his character.

If you had any idea how many of have been posted, you'd be hard-pressed to not express at least some level of annoyance. "The Gman thread" has been rehashed ad infinitum, there is not a single variant we have not heard. If the forum groups are still around, I'd like to see if I can't find the No One Likes GMan Theories Association that I started. There are over 30 members, all of whom are frequent posters and prominent members. These discussions lost their luster five years ago, shortly after Ep2 came out and the initial discussions were made.

 

[ríomhaire]

There was a theory posted here recently enough (as in, in the last few months) that I had never though of before or seen posted. That the motivation behind the g-man's actions in both Half-Life 1 and 2 is to disrupt humanity and the Combine from achieving advanced portal technology and thus threatening his base of power.

 

[SpotEnemyBoats]

I thought of two theories, both very different but lets explore them:

1) The G-man is part of an alien race that is also oppressed by the Combine, but orchestrates HL1 and HL2 in order for the Combine be under mass confusion around the universe. The Combine's struggles on Earth could be seen as an uprising around the universe against the Combine masters themselves.

2) The G-man is the leader of an alien organization that is rivals of the Combine in terms of power, earth is the best chance of teleportation and wants use against them. In the end however, a bigger threat than the Combine themselves may emerge and the Vortigaunts know this. Eli says at "not another Black Mesa" and not the 7 hours war, he knows who the G-man is.

 

[Ketran]

There are also much less nicer ways. I gave you a sincere response, that was not meant to offend. I don't think a sincere response is such a bad thing to give.

Like I said I'm not mentioning any names.

If you had any idea how many of have been posted, you'd be hard-pressed to not express at least some level of annoyance. "The Gman thread" has been rehashed ad infinitum, there is not a single variant we have not heard. If the forum groups are still around, I'd like to see if I can't find the No One Likes GMan Theories Association that I started. There are over 30 members, all of whom are frequent posters and prominent members. These discussions lost their luster five years ago, shortly after Ep2 came out and the initial discussions were made.

I know how many threads have been posted, hell just search Gman in the steam forums and you'll be met with a cluster of babble and pointless crap. However in all honesty what else are we to do? Pretty much all topics have been drained, apart from the minor easter eggs and positively faked e-mails that have sprung up recently.

 

[sixteenth]

what else are we to do? Pretty much all topics have been drained, apart from the minor easter eggs and positively faked e-mails that have sprung up recently.

We move on to other games. Or current events. Anything that gets a discussion going. I mean, this site just changed it's name to "Valvetime.net" for exactly this reason. There is no Half-Life news anymore and just about nothing further to discuss about the series. It's a been a fairly long time since the "Off-topic Forums" hasn't stood out as the most popular part of the boards.

 

[Vegeta897]

Like I said I'm not mentioning any names.

How cryptic!

 

[Maestro]

We move on to other games. Or current events. Anything that gets a discussion going. I mean, this site just changed it's name to "Valvetime.net" for exactly this reason. There is no Half-Life news anymore and just about nothing further to discuss about the series. It's a been a fairly long time since the "Off-topic Forums" hasn't stood out as the most popular part of the boards.

Yes. I would rather Cave Johnson/Sniper slashfic to Gman theories.

 

[Tunnelsnake]

Ok so this is most likely total BS, but here's something I came across.

"I know a valve employee who has told me the main idea that they’ve been playing with.
Quite simply everyone overlooks the title Half-life, it has two meanings, not only the scientific meaning, but the fact that Gordon’s life is guided and his actions are decided by Gman…. He merely performs these acts.
Gordon manages to go back in time using the portal found at the borealis where he confronts Gman at the black mesa facility. At the end of the game you will be inside the train seen at the end of half-life 1-2 as Gordon and somehow you have overpowered Gman (they don’t know yet hashing it out for the release in 2013). Gman pleads with Gordon explaining he really had no choice in the affair and he agrees it was rather unfortunate that things occured the way they did. Gman explains that he was merely provided with the job of preparing Gordan for the “business” and that this was a test that he succeeded in completing.
Gordon for a moment questions shooting gman, but ultimately does in fact shoot him. Gman screams inside gordan’s head and the view switches from Gordon to Gman. Gordan talks (for the first time!) and explains to Gman that all of his life he felt like he had no choice and that he was merely walking and letting someone else (the player) control him, but this time he would control his life and live it fully.
G-man is utterly shocked at this decision and gasps out for Mr. Freeman… Mr. Freeman… something like that my friend doesn’t really know what he will say yet because this will be the full circle of the half-life series and they’ve been working on this since the beginnng.
Gordon turns to the G-man as he steps to the door to enter the time period he began in half-life 1 and brushes off his suit. He throws the crowbar to G-man and says, “The right man… In the wrong place… Can make all the difference in the world.” Gman screams to Gordan as he exits the door, and only the blackness of the closed train answers him.
So in fact my friend was telling me that the entire game G-man was really the player and was the reason Gordon never spoke. G-man controlled Gordan’s life, and in doing so meant that the player was controlling Gordan’s life….. Complicated, but he said this was the sort of idea they aimed for.
You may ask why Gordan decided that the blackmesa time period was the best idea? Alyx dies in Half-life 3 getting Gordan through the portal in the borealis, Gordan realizes that he has to stop G-man from giving the crystal in the first game, and that is why he goes and (possibly?) kills gman. He does this to save alyx’s life as well as Eli’s wife. Gordan sacrifices his chance of ever being with alyx to know that she is safe and well.
Half-life 3 ending in a nutshell. Looking forward to it’s announcement."

 

[kineaesth]

That's pretty emotional

 

[Danny_ZQ]

That's pretty emotional

You can say that again.

 

[sharkyshu]

Okey, so I know this is going to sound stupid but ..... here I go.

I have been playing through Ep2 again and I came to the part with the G-Man monologue. Of course I knew what will happen, but it kinda hit me when G-Man said that he saved Alyx from Black Mesa in an "act of objections that she was a mere child and of no practical use to anyone". He then proceeds with "... I have learned to ignore such naysayers..." . Then we all know that G-Man tells Alyx to tell her father to prepare for "unforseen consequnces"

So did Eli (the naysayer) asked G-Man to save her? In return for some form of favour that Eli never did? Is his death result of that promise to G-Man?

But then again, didn't Eli said in HL2 that both he and Alyx escaped Black Mesa?
I couldn't find comments in G-Man threads about this very specific topic ... so no hate please

 

[MFL]

There was a theory posted here recently enough (as in, in the last few months) that I had never though of before or seen posted. That the motivation behind the g-man's actions in both Half-Life 1 and 2 is to disrupt humanity and the Combine from achieving advanced portal technology and thus threatening his base of power.

Nah, man, I think we covered that one back in 2007.

And hey, just sayin, just sayin y'all. No one has proven that G-Man ISN'T Gordon, yo. It's just whaleshit stupid.

 

[King Ouzer]

Lot of questions remain unanswered, such as how he found his way on Earth and at Black Mesa if he is an alien or other type of life form. Who are his employers? Clearly it isn't the Combine, and he isn't trying to protect Xen. We know that very few people are aware of his existence, so he has the ability to enter/manipulate the subconscious. He seems to be a puppet master, pulling the strings (sorry I had to throw in an Ed Wood reference), but who or what is it that he answers to and what is his interest and stake in Gordon Freeman?

He is protecting Gordon from something or someone, and the Vortigaunts were doing the same with Alyx and were also assisting Gordon as well. I guess only the writers know, or hell, maybe they don't, which is why the story remains ambiguous and there doesn't appear to be an end in sight (which could also explain the delays and the explanation offered by Gabe Newell on the twists and turns that the development of the series has taken).

I don't believe there is an answer and that was Valve's intention. What makes the character so appealing is the mystery behind him.

 

[ríomhaire]

Who are his employers? Clearly it isn't the Combine.

How so? He might be a free agent. His employers could vary over time. He may have been working for the Combine during the events of Half-Life (the fallout from the Black Mesa Incident certainly benefited them) and since then has moved on to a different contract or is working for his own benefit.

He is protecting Gordon from something or someone

I don't see how you can really say this. He uses Gordon as a tool. Sure he might arrange things to help Gordon, but so that he can serve his purpose. I don't think he is doing anything for Gordon's benefit.

 

[King Ouzer]

How so? He might be a free agent. His employers could vary over time. He may have been working for the Combine during the events of Half-Life (the fallout from the Black Mesa Incident certainly benefited them) and since then has moved on to a different contract or is working for his own benefit.

That may be true, but to reiterate what I stated earlier, his intentions remain ambiguous. We could theorize and hypothesize till the end of time, but given the information that we have, there doesn't appear to be a concrete or accurate analysis that could paint a clearer picture of who the G-Man's employers are or what his intentions (or "best interests") are. Something that I'm sure Marc Laidlaw intended to do to help elongate the mystery and to leave an open-ended storyline with the possibility for multiple twists and turns.

I don't see how you can really say this. He uses Gordon as a tool. Sure he might arrange things to help Gordon, but so that he can serve his purpose. I don't think he is doing anything for Gordon's benefit.

Gordon is most certainly used as a pawn, but the G-Man saving Gordon (and Alyx) from possible doom at the end of Half Life 2 leads me to believe that there is a need for Gordon. You may be right and I may have chosen a poor selection of words when I said he is protecting Gordon from another entity, it very well could be for the G-Man's own self interests and benefit.

Perhaps it was his intention to have the Combine occupy Earth where they could be more vulnerable to defeat at the hands of Gordon Freeman and the Resistance? It's one theory, but again, we don't know if that is what Valve intends to do or if that is the direction they're headed towards. Guess we'll have to wait and see how the story unfolds.

 

[nofreeman]

I imagine the G-man is a manifestation of an extra-universal force: In the HL universe, we have three fourth dimensional forces at work, that we know of. The Combine, the Vortigaunts, and whomever the G-man represents.
Now the Combine is clearly capable of bending space, but clumsily. As is suggested in the Half-Life 2, they can broadly skip through dimensions, but not acutely place mass in a designated place. This suggests that for all of their re-purposing of life and matter, they are relatively new to commanding concepts relegated to the fourth dimension, but are quite adept at manipulating and exploiting living matter. A trait that may be of some threat to the G-man's interest.
The Vortigaunts on the other hand, appear to be capable of at least perceiving the fourth dimension and interacting with it, but not changing course. We observe this at the beginning of Half-Life 2: Episode 1 when the Vortigaunts quite literally steal Mr. Freeman from the G-man. This ability to step out of time, may allow the Vortigaunts to remain unobserved by extra-dimensional forces, like the G-man. Their relatively weak corporeal nature may have also allowed them to be enslaved by the combine, hence the chains around them in the first game. These traits made the Combine tragically aware of such a threat/power like the G-man's group in the first place, creating the scenario that unfolded at Black Mesa and the seven hours war; Ultimately making humanity a desirable prize. First, I want to suggest that there is, in all likelihood more than one G-man. We view glimpses of G-men, or at least a singular G-man perceiving all of the events of the Half-Life series at his leisure and will. He wanders, he looks into things, he's caught staring back at you from television screens that erupt in feedback loops and disintegrate. He is, by all observations, extra-dimensional, and capable of being in multiple places at once. He also appears to be semi-omniscient. After all, the ability to shift and observe time, which he alludes to -"rather than give you the illusion of free will, I have taken the liberty of choosing for you..."- Means that he could endlessly review and analyze situations until one is reached that is to his liking.
The G-man obviously makes himself apparent when it suits his needs. He's made himself apparent to Vance, and Gordon specifically. To Vance, because he has specific skills and qualities to first build a matter teleporter, then to build a resistance, or enduring force of humanity against the combine. To Freeman, because his tenacity and skill-set made him a valuable asset as a human for tasks to come. He could have easily averted the Black Mesa incident with a few well-placed words, but he didn't. He wanted it to happen. He, in all liklihood, made it happen. Just as he wanted Freeman to eventually lead the revolt against the Combine.
The most fascinating part of this? All the nasty traps and puzzles in Half-Life 2 were the G-man waiting and manipulating events. The G-man crafted the perfect moment to send Gordon back. That only, horrible, anomalous moment in time when Gordon could have possibly succeeded. It's why one sees the G-man from time-to-time checking in. To make sure, at those crucible moments when the quantum nature of the universe is in the most flux, someone is there to observe and oversee events unfolding correctly. For how can those events unfold, without someone capable of observing them? The events of Half-Life 2 were a game to the G-man. A puzzle to be constructed, with every piece serving a greater goal. Even a small beak-less headcrab, has a role in a world where it inevitably shifts the function of a teleportation device, causing alarm and alerting the world to the return of the last free man. An act the G-man set in motion with a pure sense of time and timing.
This makes Humanity rebelling against the Combine a sincere interest of the G-man. Maybe because the Combine, through enslaving the Vortigaunts, prior to humanity, became a threat to whatever multi-dimensional powers exist. Maybe a fourth force sees the combine as a threat and enlisted the help of the G-man to resolve it through "contracts". That remains to be seen in future games the G-man plays with Dr. Freeman.
For my money, the Vortigaunts were probably a blind spot to the G-man. Enslaving them meant that the Combine could perceive the G-man and his organization. Once perceived, such a race or individual would be the ultimate prize for a group who seeks absolute dominance over all life everywhere. That makes the Combine a threat, but how does a being with no army but indefinite time fight a war? Through the illusion of fate. The G-man wove a timeline through the manipulation of humanity -through Vance and Freeman- to cause turmoil and strife inside the combine, eventually imploding the Combine. Freeman was the instrument of that turmoil, a scalpel to open a mortal wound. Vance, the means to begin that turmoil, and a force to forge an elegant weapon. Evidence of such turmoil is at the end of Half-Life 2: Episode 2, when free Vortigaunts begin actively hunting members of one of the Combine's master races, the Advisors. Note that, by the time the Advisors are being hunted, things have gone awry, hence the cryptic “Unforeseen Consequences” reference in Episode 2, resulting in Vance’s death. The suggestion is the G-man's prescient use of Freeman was so effective, even the Combine soon recognized it as their possible undoing, as was evident at the end of Half-Life 2, when Wallace Breen said to Gordon that his contract was "... open to the highest bidder." Such a contract would have to be negotiated on the premise of non-aggression or co-habitation, with the payment from the Combine being an exchange of leverage. That exchange probably being the removal of the Vortigaunts (genocide), and the surrender of Freeman as the leader of the resistance (repurposed to finish integrating humanity).
If there was a devil, a being who could definitively manipulate and change others with few words or a simple action, co-opting freewill and choice for nefarious and manipulative means, it would be the G-man; as he has demonstrated countless times. Both the Combine and the G-man have corrupted the fate of mankind for their own ends. Neither of these organizations care about the end result of humanity, and the G-man's outcome for humankind may still be worse than anything the Combine has carried out. Once our usefulness runs out, because we are now aware of his presence, we will become a liability to his goals, on a long enough timeline.

No more, every time I see a thread like this, it just makes me want the next instalment ever so more, so use the search button and go crazy over the 10.000 theories that have been posted over the years.

 

[Eejit]

Their relatively weak corporeal nature may have also allowed them to be enslaved by the combine, hence the chains around them in the first game.

The Vortigaunts in the first game weren't enslaved by the Combine they were controlled by the Nihilanth - another party.