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 as the games progress.

Half-Life
"Gordon Freeman in the flesh, or rather in the hazard suit."

- G-Man



The G-Man is first seen traveling 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, sound-proof room of Sector C. However, he can be heard possibly saying "I will be giving him an offer he won't regret." 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 final boss in Half-Life, Nihilanth, the ruler of Xen, the 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, a destroyed tank and a downed fighter jet can be seen around this area of Xen, suggesting that American military forces participated in capturing Xen for the G-Man's "employers". Eventually the scene changes into what appears to be a tram (like the one from the beginning of the game) traveling through space at an incredible 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; declining the offer results in the unarmed Freeman facing a horde of hostile aliens 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," because, of course, if Gordon had declined the offer and died at the hands of the alien horde there would be no sequel.

Half-Life: Opposing Force
In the expansion pack Half-Life: 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 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, the implication is that the G-Man had an interest in Shephard before the Black Mesa incident, for reasons unknown.

At one point Shephard is trapped on a small walkway, with deadly corrosive/radioactive liquid rising steadily towards him. The G-Man opens a door allowing him to escape, saving his life. One level later, 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, the G-Man is seen rearming the nuclear bomb that destroys Black Mesa, which Shephard had deactivated moments prior.

After Shephard defeats the Gene Worm at the end of Opposing Force, the G-Man appears again. On this occasion, Shephard finds himself on board one of the HECU's Osprey aircraft, 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 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 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 at some point in the future by the G-Man, 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.

The G-Man 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 cloud-penetrating Citadel skyscraper, Gordon causes critical damage to the structure's dark energy reactor, resulting in an explosion that might have caused his death &mdash; had the G-Man not seemingly stopped time in order to extract Gordon to safety to await further "employment offers" (while apparently leaving Freeman's companion, Alyx Vance to perish in the explosion). 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, 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 HL1. However, in Episode One, the G-Man's control over Gordon is taken by the Vortigaunts (see below), ending (either definitively or temporarily) his plans.

Before their final showdown, Doctor Breen asks Gordon, "Did you realize your contract was open to the highest bidder?". This is taken as a reference to the "contract" Gordon has with the G-Man.

Half-Life 2: Episode One


The G-Man is only seen once in Half-Life 2: Episode One. At the beginning of the game, which begins at the point when Half-Life 2 ends, the G-Man 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's 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 the player witnesses any hindrance in the G-Man's plan.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two
"You know who I'm talking about. Our Mutual Friend."

- Eli Vance



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 Freeman. Thus he needed to wait for the Vortigaunts to be preoccupied so that he could visit Gordon. 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 Doctor Judith Mossman, and one of the entrances to the Black Mesa Research Facility. 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 the White Forest, as repayment for the G-Man's previous ensurance of his survival, stating he wished he could do more than simply monitor Gordon, but he 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. He seems to be less rigid during the sequence and is depicted more human like. In addition, he is not seen carrying his briefcase during this sequence.

Eli is noticeably disturbed by the words, to the point where he almost collapses. After making 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. Eli hints that he knows more about the G-Man when he relates to Gordon that he has more to share, but is interrupted by Alyx. Whatever he knew is left unsaid, however, as he is killed by a Combine Advisor before he has an opportunity to elaborate further. This could possibly be the work of the G-Man, hinting that he does not want Gordon to know what he's up to quite yet.

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. 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 (i.e. "diffference", he drags the 'f' on for too long and changes speed of speech half way through). He also has a tendency to elongate "S" sounds (i.e."Limitlesssss potential").

Personality and skills
The G-Man exudes a calm, almost disinterested demeanor, particularly apparent in the ruined and alien-infested Black Mesa Research Facility. The G-Man 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 at random.

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.


 * The Nihilanth: While Gordon Freeman was searching Xen for the Nihilanth, the creature could be heard transmitting various telepathic messages to him, including "You are man...he is not man...for you he waits, for you...". This seems to indicate that the Nihilanth was quite aware of the G-Man and forebodes Gordon's eventual "employment" by him.
 * Wallace Breen: From various statements given by Breen at 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.
 * Various security, military, and science personal in Black Mesa had also been seen being interacted with by the G-Man.
 * Alyx Vance: When Alyx is still hurt (but almost better), G-Man gives a message to Alyx to give to her father Eli Vance. Also in the chapter Our Mutual Fiend, Alyx looks on the monitor in the research room then Alyx gives Eli the message. (Alyx may not consciously know of the G-Man's existence as the message was planted subliminally)

Contents of briefcase and other possessions
With the exception of the opening sequence in Half-Life 2: Episode One, and another sequence in Half-Life 2: Episode Two the G-Man is always seen carrying a briefcase, and fans have often debated its contents. In the original Half-Life, using the "no-clipping" cheat (noclip), or with the aid of a model viewer, it is possible to see inside his case.

However, it's often pointed out that because the contents of the briefcase can only be seen by cheating or using game development tools, it is likely that the player was never intended to see them and so these contents may constitute nothing more than an Easter egg. Note that this only applies in Half-Life, as the inside of his case in Half-Life 2 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

Also, in Opposing Force, the G-Man is seen for a moment talking on a cell phone.

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 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 frozen on the track.
 * Anomalous Materials (map: c1a0): The G-Man can be seen standing in an inaccessible room arguing with a scientist, where incomprehensible murmurs can be heard from behind glass
 * Unforeseen 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.
 * 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 terminal of the rail network, 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 (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.
 * Lambda Core (map: c3a2c): 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 the glowing portals, and it may explain 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.

Half-Life: Uplink

 * 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.

Half-Life: Opposing Force

 * 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. 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 (map: of1a3): 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 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 inside. He brushes his suit and strolls away as the evacuation plane takes off.
 * Pit Worm's Nest (map: of4a4): Shephard is deposited 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 leaving the compactor.
 * Foxtrot Uniform (map: of5a4): After a battle with Race X aliens, Shephard arrives at the damaged Black Mesa hydroelectric dam. Standing on the inaccessible control tower is the G-Man, who finishes a conversation on a cell phone and steps into a portal, powered by flying balls of light.
 * 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. 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. This is one of the only times when it is possible to attack the G-Man, in this case with satchels.

Half-Life: Blue Shift

 * Insecurity (map: ba_maint): 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 (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. G-Man walks away shortly thereafter.
 * 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. 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.
 * 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 breencasts.
 * 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. However, once Gordon turns a wheel to raise a gate blocking his progress, the G-Man is no where to be found. Coincidentally, there is a sign pointing to where G-Man stood which states "Observation".
 * "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, when the player arrives at the base the G-Man is nowhere to be found.
 * Nova Prospekt (map: d2_prison_02): 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 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, and if the player approaches the TV it will turn off. A resistance member outside then says, "I can't get this tune out of my head." and whistles a portion of the eerie music.
 * 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, 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 Episode One are not part of the G-Man's plan, as suggested by the apparent Vortigaunt intervention in the opening sequence. He does not have his signature briefcase with him here.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two

 * This Vortal Coil While the Vortigaunts are busy healing Alyx Vance, the G-Man appears to Gordon and, after a "heart to heart", tells him to see Alyx safely to White Forest. He then instructed an unconscious Alyx to tell her father to "prepare for unforeseen consequences", after which Alyx suddenly wakes.
 * 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 as the player watches from the overlook. Then the G-man walks towards a gate and disappears behind a wall. This was mentioned in the commentary of the episode.
 * Under the Radar On the ridge above the inn. If the player uses their crossbow to look towards where the Muscle Car gets stuck they will see the G-Man quickly walking into the inn.
 * 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 to "relay this message".

Trivia

 * The G-Man is never identified or referred to by name in any of the Half-Life games. Instead, his name stems from the character's model's name in the original Half-Life, and Half-Life 2, as well as being referred to as such in documentaries featuring employees at Valve Software 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, though this seems to refer a use of the generic slang term."


 * The G-Man's message of "prepare for Unforeseen Consequences" is a reference to the third chapter of Half-Life, in which Gordon regains consciousness after the resonance cascade. This clearly symbolizes the power of G-Man's words, as this event marks the beginning of the Black Mesa Incident. This reference also gives support to the theory that the G-man may have purposely caused the Resonance Cascade for some unknown reason.


 * Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar reveals that G-Man's Half-Life 2 model is based on Frank Sheldon, an Alexander Technique practitioner. He was originally slated to be the model for Dr. Breen.


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


 * In Half Life, G-Man's briefcase sports a Black Mesa logo while Half Life 2 does not.


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


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


 * Another deciphered term by G-Man from the original Half-Life is, "My employers don't agree to that," implying that the scientist was arguing in favor of Gordon for more leniant terms.


 * The G-Man is shown in a trailer standing over Alyx, commenting that someone is "not supposed to be here" and that they should "forget about all this." The dialog is an edited form of an unused voice clip from Half-Life 2.


 * Players have also created numerous explanations as to who or what the G-Man is. It ranges from cover leader of the Combine, leader of the Black Ops, secret leader of humans, a malevolent alien, Gordon Freeman from the future, the administrator of Black Mesa (before Half-Life 2) or some form of multi-dimensional power broker, hired by powerful groups or individuals to bring about certain desired outcomes in pan-dimensional conflicts.