Arne Magnusson

"Oh-oh, excuse me if I'm interrupting tea time! I'll just step out until you've finished, if that's more convenient!"

- Arne Magnusson

Doctor Arne Magnusson is the leader of White Forest. He is a grey-haired stocky Caucasian man who looks to be in his early sixties. He is a former member of the Black Mesa Science Team and one of the few survivors of the Black Mesa Incident, and an important orchestrator of the Resistance.

Biography


Before the Black Mesa Incident, Magnusson worked at Black Mesa as a scientist. His personality made him clash with many other members of the Science Team and thus he developed grudges against some prominent members of it. Arne used to compete for grant money with Isaac Kleiner, and took grievance with Gordon Freeman when the latter destroyed his microwave casserole (this can be done in the opening level of Half-Life). It is never directly explained how Dr. Magnusson managed to survive the Black Mesa Incident. However, it may be inferred from the encounter between the G-Man and Dr. Gordon Freeman in Half-Life 2: Episode Two that he was apparently teleported out of Black Mesa Research Facility by the G-Man prior to its' destruction, along with Dr. Eli Vance, Alyx Vance and Dr. Isaac Kleiner.

After the Combine invasion he came to head a major Resistance base, White Forest, and used his scientific expertise to make technological advances to aid the Resistance. Most notable amongst these were the rocket he constructed to tap into the old Black Mesa/Xen satellite array and the Magnusson Device, a deadly anti-Strider weapon. He was aided in these endeavors by Uriah, a Vortigaunt with extensive knowledge of human technology. Dr. Magnusson is held in the same high regard by the Vortigaunts as is Dr. Eli Vance, both as an accomplished scientist and leader of the Resistance.

Personality and skills
Arne Magnusson has a fussy, petulant nature. He makes constant complaints about the completion of his satellite rocket, an object that he dotes upon. Verbose, egotistical and authoritarian, Magnusson thinks highly both of himself and his inventions, to the point of naming them after himself. He finds shows of emotion distasteful, particularly when he feels it comes at the cost of industry. He despises Isaac Kleiner's pet Headcrab Lamarr just like Barney Calhoun does. Magnusson is not, however, without a softer side; he grudgingly thanks Gordon Freeman for saving his rocket during the events of Episode Two, and his joy at the rocket's successful launch is palpable. His dedication to the resistance comes above all else.

Behind the scenes



 * In a February 2008 interview posted on ComputerAndVideoGames.com, Marc Laidlaw explained why Valve felt the need for a new character: "'In early drafts of the episode, Eli and Kleiner had warmed up White Forest all by themselves, somehow, in the brief time after fleeing City 17. This seemed ridiculous, so we developed a backstory in which Black Mesa had acquired an extremely cheap Cold War bunker and developed some projects in response to budgetary and oversight problems associated with basing all work in North America. Again, all the explanatory matter bogged down the game, so we ditched it. There may still be some old lines hanging around in the .wav files, but I haven't looked...'"


 * Magnusson was introduced in Episode Two. His character and temperament were designed to counter the cosy relationships between Alyx Vance, Eli Vance and Isaac Kleiner.


 * Magnusson's appearance was based on that of Paul Eenhoorn, a prominent actor from the Seattle-area filmmaking community.


 * According to the games files, Magnusson was to appear older and balder. The current model is more faithful to Eenhoorn's features.


 * "Arne" is a Scandinavian first name. It is originally an Old Norse short form of names beginning with the element "arn", meaning "eagle". "Magnusson" is a Swedish name, literally meaning "son of Magnus", a Late Latin name meaning "great". It was borne by 7th-century saint who was a missionary in Germany. It became popular in Scandinavia after the time of the 11th-century Norwegian king Magnus I, who was said to have been named after Charlemagne, or Carolus Magnus in Latin. The name was borne by six subsequent kings of Norway as well as three kings of Sweden. It was imported to Scotland and Ireland during the Middle Ages.

Trivia

 * When Alyx makes contact with White Forest for the second time, Magnusson appears to lose contact with her in the middle of their conversation. Immediately after Magnusson states that she is "breaking up" a Combine Advisor appears onscreen.
 * Just after Gordon has tested the Magnusson Device, Magnusson tells him that he might forgive his "microwave casserole" debacle at Black Mesa if he succeeds in protecting the rocket from the Striders. This is a reference to the beginning of Half-Life, when the player can turn on a microwave and explode the meal inside it. The scientist waiting for his food to be ready yells at the player "My God! What are you doing?".

List of appearances

 * Half-Life: Day One
 * Half-Life 
 * Half-Life 2: Episode Two