The G-Man

"Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman."

- G-Man

The G-Man or simply G-Man, is a key, yet mysterious and enigmatic character in the Half-Life series. He is known to display peculiar behavior and capabilities beyond that of a human and his identity and motives remain almost completely unexplained. He plays the role of an overseer and eventual employer, watching over Gordon Freeman and other characters as the series progresses.

Half-Life


The G-Man is first seen traveling in the opposite direction on the tram ride that serves as the Half-Life 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, sound-proof 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 Gordon Freeman in several out-of-reach areas as the game progresses.

After Gordon defeats the Half-Life final boss, Nihilanth, the ruler of Xen, G-Man brings the player to "safety" in an inexplicable, abstract sequence, appearing beside Gordon, having stripped him of his armaments, claiming that "most of them were government property" and showing him various areas of Xen. The G-Man tells Gordon that he has been observing him very carefully and praises him on his actions in Xen, which is now in his "employers'" control. As he says this, dead Marines from the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit, destroyed tanks and a downed jet fighter can be seen around this area of Xen. While the scene appears as a regular HECU encampment commonly seen around Black Mesa during the game, the sky is a Xen sky, which might imply it is not completely real. Eventually the scene changes into what appears to be a Black Mesa tram traveling through space at high speed. The G-Man then informs him that he has recommended Gordon's services to his "employers", and offers him a job. Canon states that Gordon takes the job, although the player is given a Hobson's choice, the "illusion of free choice" being reminded by the G-Man in Half-Life 2; declining the offer results in the unarmed Freeman facing a horde of hostile Alien Grunts as the screen fades to black with the G-Man's final words; "No regrets, Mr. Freeman."

Half-Life: Opposing Force


In Opposing Force, the G-Man plays a slightly more direct role in the story, alternately hindering and aiding the player, Corporal Adrian Shephard, as well as simply observing.

During the boot camp training chapter, 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, the implication is that the G-Man had an interest in Shephard before the Black Mesa incident, for unknown reasons.

During the chapter Welcome to Black Mesa, Shephard is trapped on a small walkway, with deadly radioactive liquid rising steadily towards him. The G-Man opens a door allowing him to escape, saving his life. One chapter later, We Are Pulling Out, as Shephard attempts to evacuate Black Mesa with the rest of the marines, the G-Man closes a hangar door, forcing him to remain on the base. Later on in the chapter "The Package", the G-Man is seen rearming the nuclear bomb that destroys Black Mesa, while Shephard had deactivated it moments prior.

After Shephard defeats the Gene Worm at the end of the game, G-Man appears again. On this occasion, Shephard finds himself on board one of the HECU's V-22 Ospreys, facing the G-Man. The G-Man informs Shephard that, contrary to his employer's original wishes, Shephard is to be spared, but detained. The G-Man says that he has been impressed by Shephard's ability to "adapt and survive against all odds" in the Black Mesa facility, and comments that these are traits which remind him of himself. As the G-Man delivers this closing monologue, the plane carries them away from Black Mesa, shortly before a nuclear blast flashes outside confirming its destruction. The aircraft's location then suddenly switches to the skies of Xen, then finally to an emptiness similar to that encountered by the Black Mesa tram at the end of Half-Life. The G-Man then leaves Shephard via a teleporter in the cockpit, and the screen fades to the closing titles.

Half-Life: Blue Shift and Half-Life: Decay
In both Blue Shift and 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 either doesn't seem to notice any of them, or he simply ignores them.

Half-Life 2


Half-Life 2 begins with Gordon being greeted by the G-Man around 20 years after the Black Mesa Incident, while seeing a dream-like montage of images such as the Black Mesa test chamber, and interior areas of the Citadel. In his speech, the G-Man hints that he put Gordon into stasis for his own safety, and that an opportunity has now arisen which will allow Freeman to begin his campaign against the Combine forces on Earth. He continuously refers to Gordon Freeman as "Mister Freeman" throughout the introductory sequence, forgoing Gordon's proper title of doctor. However, during the ending sequence, he refers to Gordon as "Doctor Freeman".

The G-Man is briefly visible at various other points during the events of the game, including along the different vehicle sequences, but these are only from a great distance or as seen on video terminals until the game's finale. After an uphill battle in the Citadel, Gordon causes critical damage to the structure's Dark Energy reactor, resulting in an explosion that might have caused his death, had the G-Man not seemingly stopped time in order to extract Gordon to safety to await further "employment offers" (while apparently leaving Alyx to perish in the explosion). The game ends with travel through the same emptiness that was the Half-Life ending, and with the G-Man stepping through some sort of doorway portal, though not before fixing his tie.

The G-Man, at this point, makes it clear that he will once again be placing Freeman in stasis while he entertains some "interesting offers" for Gordon's services, this time making no mention of his "employers," as he had in Half-Life. Before their final showdown, Doctor Breen also asks Gordon, "Did you realize your contract was open to the highest bidder?", probably a reference to the "contract" Gordon has with the G-Man.

Half-Life 2: Episode One


The G-Man is only seen once in Episode One. At the beginning of the game, which begins at the point when Half-Life 2 ends, he walks back into the black void that he left Gordon in and opens his mouth to say something, but then notices a purple glowing Vortigaunt to his left. He appears to be slightly amused at the sight, but then notices another on his right, and the smile drops from his face. As more and more Vortigaunts appear, he begins to look irritated, and then, as he looks toward Gordon, he realizes what is happening. Irritation changes to anger. As two more Vortigaunts stand on either side of Gordon and grab his arms, the G-Man straightens his tie more violently than before and responds to their chant with a single sentence: "We'll see... about that!". Gordon is then immediately teleported away and found by Dog in a pile of rubble just outside the Citadel.

This incident shows the Vortigaunts have the ability to enter the G-Man's realm. This is also the first time any hindrance (definitive or temporary) is seen in the G-Man's plans.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two


The G-Man first appears to Gordon while a group of Vortigaunts are occupied healing the recently injured Alyx Vance. He explains that the reason for his absence is that the Vortigaunts have been preventing him from appearing to Gordon, thus he needed to wait for the Vortigaunts to be preoccupied so that he could contact him. Just like in Half Life 2, he appears in a surreal, dream-like sequence taking place in several locations: the rocket silo from the White Forest base, the same corridor as the one seen in the message left by Judith Mossman, and what seems to be the entrance to the Black Mesa Research Facility from Half-Life. He then explains that he was the one to "pluck" Alyx Vance from Black Mesa, despite objections from unidentified naysayers that she was "a mere child" and "of no practical use to anyone" (an image of Doctor Breen flashes in the background at this comment). He then instructs Gordon to safely escort Alyx to White Forest, as repayment for the G-Man's previous insurance of his survival, stating he wished he could do more than simply monitor Gordon, but has agreed to "abide by certain restrictions." While Alyx is still unconscious, he then whispers into her ear to tell her father to "prepare for unforeseen consequences" when she sees him. During the sequence, he seems to be less rigid and more human-like, and is not seen carrying his briefcase.

Eli is noticeably disturbed by the words, to the point where he almost collapses. After making up an excuse for Alyx to leave the room, Eli reveals to Gordon that he is aware of their "mutual friend" as well. He explains that the G-Man delivered the sample which ultimately caused the Black Mesa Incident, and whispered in his ear to "prepare for unforeseen consequences" shortly before the Resonance Cascade. Eli then begins to express hope that he and Gordon will be able to take some unknown action, but is interrupted by Alyx's return. Shortly after, Eli tells Gordon he believes the message is a warning regarding the Borealis, and reiterates his belief that it should be destroyed lest the events of Black Mesa repeat themselves. Whatever Eli knew is left unsaid, as he is killed by a Combine Advisor before having the opportunity to elaborate further.

Appearance


Physically, the G-Man appears to be a middle-aged Caucasian male with a tall, thin physique, pale skin, a prominent widow's peak, black hair shaped in a military-style crew cut, and green eyes. Throughout the entire Half-Life series, he is seen dressed in a gray/blue suit and is almost always seen carrying a briefcase.

The G-Man speaks in a slow, raspy yet commanding manner, with a certain accentuated low-key moroseness to his tone, bordering on the cryptic. He also has an odd habit of placing unusual stress on syllables, stressing the wrong parts of words, making unneeded pauses and awkwardly changing the pitch of his voice. He also has a tendency to elongate consonants, especially the "S".

Personality and skills
The G-Man exudes a calm, almost disinterested demeanor, particularly apparent in the ruined and alien-infested Black Mesa Research Facility. He can often be seen calmly straightening his tie or brushing his suit lapels with his hands, regardless of whatever chaos may be going on around him.

He also appears quite technically skilled and is capable of operating a very wide range of machinery and technology, ranging from simple cellular phones and sealed steel doors to complex nuclear weapons and experimental teleporters.

Throughout the entire Half-Life series, the G-Man has a tendency to appear in an out-of-the-way or hard to reach location and then walk away and vanish without a trace once the player arrives. He is seen twice using teleporters, perhaps explaining his ability to appear and disappear apparently randomly. G-Man also seems to be able to control time as he stops momentarily the reactors explosion at the end of Half-Life 2.

People aware of the G-Man
The G-Man is seen talking to various people, and yet at times it seems that only the player is able to see him. However, a few characters other than Gordon Freeman seem to be aware of his existence or have interacted with him. Besides the many unnamed security, military, and science personel in Black Mesa seen interacting with the G-Man, the characters include:


 * Adrian Shephard: He has many encounters with the G-Man during Opposing Force, from the training chapter to the ending sequence, mirroring that of the original game.


 * Wallace Breen: From various statements given by Breen at the end of Half-Life 2, such as Gordon having "proven himself a fine pawn for those who control him" and his "contract is open to the highest bidder", it would appear that he was well aware of the G-Man's influence over Gordon Freeman. However, when Alyx questions this he whispers that Gordon does not want to discuss this in front of his friends, suggesting that at this point Alyx is not yet aware of the G-Man's existence.
 * Vortigaunts: In Episode One, Vortigaunts are seen entering the G-Man's realm and liberating Gordon from his control, leading to an irritated "We'll see... about that!" from the G-Man. They also appear to be able to hold him back or force him away, since the G-Man later tells Gordon that he "had to wait until your friends were otherwise occupied" before being able to speak to him.
 * Eli Vance: In Episode Two, Eli tells Gordon that the crystal sample for the test that would produce the Resonance Cascade was delivered by the G-Man, further referring to the character as "our mutual friend".
 * Odessa Cubbage: The G-Man can be witnessed speaking with the Colonel with Combine binoculars, though Odessa Cubbage never mentions him. His outpost is warned to expect a Combine Gunship by the time Gordon reaches the outpost, though, suggesting that G-Man may have warned Cubbage.
 * Alyx Vance: When Alyx is still hurt, G-Man gives a message to Alyx to be delivered to her father, although it is unknown if she is actually aware of his existence.

Briefcase


With the exception of the opening sequence in Episode One and the Episode Two sequence, the G-Man is always seen carrying a briefcase, and its contents have often been debated. In the original Half-Life, using the "noclip" cheat, or with the aid of a model/texture viewer, it is possible to see its contents. However, since the contents of the briefcase are never seen during the game, they may constitute nothing more than an Easter Egg. These contents appear to be as follows:


 * Three pencils
 * One sheet of paper
 * A handgun in a holster
 * An identity card

It must be noted that this only applies to his original Half-Life model, as the inside of his suitcase in the HD model and the Half-Life 2 one are blank.

Other
Near the Gargantua dam in the Opposing Force chapter Foxtrot Uniform, G-Man is seen for a moment talking on a cell phone before disappearing in a portal.

List of exact in-game locations
"I wish I could do more than keep an eye on you, but I have agreed to abide by certain... restrictions."

- G-Man

The G-Man is notable for appearing several times in each game, often in out-of-the-way locations. It may be difficult for a first-time player to see him, and it is almost universally impossible to go directly to where he is standing. When it is possible, he always disappears from that place before the player is able to reach it. If fired upon, he is always unharmed and never reacts to the shot. In the Half-Life chapter Lambda Core, it is learned that the G-Man is able to suddenly disappear by using portals.

This list does not include introduction and ending sequences in which he speaks to the player character directly.

Half-Life

 * Black Mesa Inbound : When the tram Gordon is riding pauses briefly, the G-Man can be seen standing with a scientist in another tram frozen on the track.
 * Anomalous Materials : The G-Man can be seen standing in an inaccessible room arguing with a scientist, where only murmurs can be heard from behind the glass.
 * Unforeseen Consequences : 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 in an apparent dead end, where a Zombie is eating a dead scientist.
 * Office Complex : As Gordon battles his way out of the office complex, the G-Man can be seen behind a locked door, watching. As usual, 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 : Immediately before Gordon's first encounter with the HECU Marines, the G-Man is seen on a high catwalk, apparently heading towards the soldiers. However, when Gordon arrives at the same spot, the Marines have only just arrived, whilst a nearby scientist does not mention having seen him.
 * Power Up : When Gordon arrives at the terminal of the Black Mesa Transit System, he sees the G-Man watching him from a control room. By the time Gordon gets there, though, the control room is boarded up from the outside, and a wounded security guard there indicates no sign of having seen him.
 * Apprehension : 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.
 * Lambda Core : In the deserted Lambda Complex, Gordon watches through a window into a deserted room filled with Headcrabs. 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 portals, explaining how he 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.

Half-Life: Uplink

 * Uplink : 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.

Half-Life: Opposing Force

 * Boot Camp : As Shephard walks through the camp towards his training area, he can see the G-Man and an officer watching him through a window.
 * Welcome to Black Mesa : In a relatively undamaged area of Black Mesa, Shephard sees the G-Man talking to a security guard before walking away. It seems that he is instructing the guard not to let Shephard pass through the door, though this may not be likely, as the retinal scanner to open it is damaged from the outside, for unknown reasons.
 * Welcome to Black Mesa : 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 after a moment of hesitation. 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 Xen creatures.
 * We Are Pulling Out : 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 inside. He brushes his suit and strolls away as the evacuation plane takes off.
 * Pit Worm's Nest : When Shephard find himself into a large garbage compactor, the G-Man can be seen quietly observing him from an observation window. After a short time he opens the door and leaves.
 * Foxtrot Uniform : After a battle with Race X aliens, Shephard arrives at the damaged Black Mesa hydroelectric dam where HECU soldiers are firing at a Gargantua. Standing in the control tower where Gordon climbs into in Half-Life is the G-Man, who finishes a conversation on a cell phone and steps into a portal, where Sprites can also be seen rushing into.
 * "The Package" : 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 rearming the bomb. If the player attempts to backtrack to the bomb in order to deactivate it again, he will discover that the previously open chain link fence leading there is now locked, making it impossible.

Half-Life: Blue Shift

 * Insecurity : Traveling 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.

Half-Life: Decay

 * Dual Access: 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.
 * Domestic Violence: This is only seen in an Easter Egg sequence in the PC port as an alternative way to unlock the bonus mission. After a very confused scientist is teleported into the airlock between the Gamma Labs and Biodome Complex of Sector E, he notices the G-Man walking past the Biodome Complex sign. He stops to straighten his tie, the scientist cries out to him for help, but instead he walks away. Although this is not canon, it is the very first time an NPC is heard speaking to the G-Man face to face. In addition to this, the G-Man has a trail of PlayStation buttons signs behind him, consisting in the code required to unlock the bonus mission when playing on a PlayStation.

Half-Life 2

 * Point Insertion : Vaguely seen in a large rectangular monitor that flickers his image along with other Breencasts right before Barney is met.
 * "A Red Letter Day" : 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. G-Man walks away shortly thereafter.
 * Route Kanal : In Joe's boxcar, a TV temporarily shows the G-Man, with a Vortigaunt watching and supplying television power. 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. When Gordon touches the boxcar's ground, the Vortigaunt stops the transmission.
 * Water Hazard : He is seen standing on Station 7's walkway. As Gordon approaches, he disappears inside the barn, although it is filled with Zombies.
 * Water Hazard : Vaguely seen in a large rectangular monitor that flickers his image along with other Breencasts.
 * Water Hazard : Seen overlooking a ledge as Gordon's Airboat passes under.
 * Water Hazard : Before Black Mesa East, the G-Man can be spotted on a concrete ledge near the gate controls. However, once Gordon turns the wheel to raise the gate blocking his progress, the G-Man is nowhere to be found. Coincidentally, there is a sign pointing to where G-Man stood which states "Observation".
 * "We Don't Go to Ravenholm" : After leaving Ravenholm, he can barely be seen walking off into a tunnel behind a few train cars, right behind Shorepoint.
 * Highway 17 : Looking through the Combine binoculars in the second house the player comes to after the Shorepoint tunnel, Gordon can spot the G-Man conversing with Colonel Odessa Cubbage at New Little Odessa. When the player arrives at the base, the G-Man is nowhere to be found.
 * Nova Prospekt : Seen walking up to and peering through a door window while adjusting his tie as Gordon flips through the monitors near the beginning of the chapter.
 * Anticitizen One : After Dog is taken away by a Dropship, Combine Walls start moving towards Gordon and some very discordant music starts playing at the same time in the ruined tenement building nearby (its seems to include loops of two different tracks, bundled with interferences and garbled human voices). Gordon proceeds to the building and arrives in the same corridor featured at the very start of the map . Instead of the door leading outside is rubble where can be seen the source of the music: an unplugged television, showing an image of the G-Man standing in a wooden boat with a crow on his shoulder. The television will shut off right after G-Man straightens his tie, and the screen will break by itself when the player gets closer, although they carrying it with the Gravity Gun will not break it. Later, one of the Rebel random sentences, "I can't get this tune out of my head!", seems to reference the strange tune heard on the television, since after talking the Rebel whistles similar notes.
 * Anticitizen One : Similar to the giant rectangular monitor seen in the Canals, the G-Man's image flickers on and off with Doctor Breen's image in the Trainstation Plaza Breencast, before the monitor is toppled by Resistance members, who show no sign of seeing him.

Half-Life 2: Episode One

 * There are no G-Man sightings in Episode One apart from his appearance in the introductory scene. It is possible that this is because the events of the game are not part of the G-Man's plan, as suggested by the apparent Vortigaunt intervention in the opening sequence.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two

 * Freeman Pontifex : The G-Man can be seen watching Freeman for the first time since the Vortigaunt intervention in Episode One, watching from a bridge before the player goes down to fetch the Muscle Car. He then walks towards a gate and disappears behind a wall.
 * Under the Radar : Seen behind the White Forest Inn, at the spot where the Muscle Car gets blocked.
 * Our Mutual Fiend : The G-Man flickers ominously on the screen which previously showed Dr. Mossman's recording, right before Alyx relays the message to Eli. It should be noted that Alyx is watching the screen as the G-Man appears, implying that it might be the G-Man's reminder/trigger to relay his message.

Behind the scenes

 * The term "G-Man" is an American slang term for "Government Man".


 * The G-Man is never identified or referred to by name in any of the Half-Life games, "G-Man" being merely a code name. His name actually stems from his Half-Life model name (reused in every subsequent games). It has been confirmed and referred to as such in documentaries featuring Valve employees and the voice actor credits of Half-Life 2. Furthermore, in the manual for Opposing Force, Shephard makes mention of him as "a G-man", although this seems to be as the generic slang term.


 * Originally, the Half-Life's Black Mesa security forces were to be hostile to the player and attacking them. After several tests, allied NPCs showed their usefulness and testers grew fond of his (occasionally bumbling) behaviors. The Black Mesa security guards, as well as large parts of the story, and the main character itself, were rethought. Then, the team came to think about characters that were neither allies nor enemies to the player, leading to the creation of the G-Man.


 * Frank Sheldon, an Alexander Technique practitioner and the person whom G-Man's Half-Life 2 model is based on, was originally slated to be the model for Dr. Breen. It was chosen for G-Man's appearance after Bill Van Buren presented a hastily Photoshopped image of Sheldon, with chopped-off hair and a scaled down face shape.


 * Doug Wood, who designed the facial expressions of the Half-Life 2 G-Man model, wanted the player to never quite know what side the G-Man was on by giving him ambiguous facial expressions. For example, Wood would have the G-Man express an apologetic look toward Freeman as he 'regretted' to put the latter in this situation, but then have him give a slight smirk or smile at the end to keep the player guessing about his sincerity.


 * The Half-Life 2 introductions went trough two different versions before the final one. One version, proposed June 2, 2000 to the development team by Marc Laidlaw, has Gordon waking up in the midst of beautiful rolling hills, with a bright blue sky, singing birds, and a modern city below. Then the G-Man appears and the landscape starts to change to become the Combine-controlled City 17, with a wasteland around it, while G-Man does not talk much, preferring to show Gordon images instead of explaining in details. Then, Gordon climbs into a train and the people inside it starts moving, and he encounters Samuel. The second one is shorter, although G-Man is more precise, as he mentions for example the time lapse between Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Then Gordon was to abruptly wake up on the train, and also encounters Samuel.

Trivia

 * The G-Man's "prepare for unforeseen consequences" message is a reference to the third chapter of Half-Life, Unforeseen Consequences, in which Gordon Freeman regains consciousness after the Resonance Cascade occured. This clearly symbolizes the power of G-Man's words, as this event marks the beginning of the Black Mesa Incident.


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


 * In the comment section of the "npc_gman.cpp" file of the Source SDK file "sourcesdk.gcf", the following is written: "// Purpose: The G-Man, misunderstood servant of the people."


 * In the Episode Two second trailer, G-Man is shown standing over Alyx, apparently talking to Gordon and telling him that he is "not supposed to be here" and that he should "forget about all this." This dialog comes from two unused voice clips for Half-Life 2, featured in a prototype hazard course featuring Kleiner.

List of appearances

 * Half-Life: Day One
 * Half-Life
 * Half-Life: Uplink
 * Half-Life: Opposing Force
 * Half-Life: Blue Shift
 * Half-Life: Decay
 * Half-Life 2
 * Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
 * Half-Life 2: Episode One
 * Half-Life 2: Episode Two