GLaDOS

"We're a lot alike, you and I. You tested me. I tested you. You killed me. I—oh, no, wait. I guess I haven't killed you yet. Well. Food for thought."

- GLaDOS

GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) is the sentient computer system managing Aperture Laboratories, the guide of the Aperture Science computer-aided Enrichment Center, and the main antagonist throughout Portal and the first half of the singleplayer campaign in Portal 2.

She temporarily becomes an ally when Wheatley takes over the laboratories in the singleplayer campaign. In the game's cooperative campaign, she is the guide and instructor for ATLAS and P-body.

Background


The earliest known appearance of the name "GLaDOS" is in 1982, where version 1.07, and later 1.07a and 1.09, is operating Aperture Science's Enrichment Center Test Subject Application Process. The precise relation between this version of GLaDOS and the one appearing in Portal is unknown. Aperture also started using a bulletin board system in 1973, which was later managed by GLaDOS as late as 1997.

In 1986, while Aperture Science was working on the 'Portal' project, (one of Cave Johnson's dying wishes), they learned of Black Mesa's work on a similar portal technology. In response to this, construction of the first Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System (GLaDOS) began in the Aperture Laboratories with the aim of accelerating the 'Portal' project, and beat their rival company. In 1996, after a decade spent bringing the Disk Operating System parts to a state of more or less basic functionality, work began on the Genetic Lifeform component. During that time, the Aperture Science Red Phone plan was implemented in case GLaDOS appeared to become sentient and godlike, requiring an employee to sit by a red phone on a desk in GLaDOS chamber's entrance hall. In 1997, GLaDOS's version was 3.11.

Prior to May 2003, GLaDOS was activated several times by the Aperture technicians, but was rapidly turned off again, due to attempting to kill them in a sixteenth of a picosecond after activation.

In May 2003, the untested AI of GLaDOS was finally completed and was activated for the first time as one of the planned activities on one of Aperture's annual bring-your-daughter-to-work days. Within one picosecond of activation, GLaDOS became self-aware, and two picoseconds later, she locked down the entire facility, trapping all inside, and began a permanent testing cycle, aiming to beat Black Mesa in the race for the portal technology. She effectively loses this race however, as the Black Mesa Incident occurs mere days later, which in turn diverted all attention from rescuing the trapped Aperture employees.

In order to quell the rebelling scientists, GLaDOS flooded the Enrichment Center with a deadly neurotoxin. Survivors of this attack subsequently fitted GLaDOS with a Morality Core, which lessened her murderous intentions and prevented her from releasing more neurotoxins. GLaDOS's testing continued through the years, and the number of surviving employees dwindled.

Portal


Some time after her takeover of Aperture Laboratories and shortly after the Combine invasion of Earth, she awakens Chell from some sort of stasis pod in a Relaxation Vault, speaking to her as if she is just a mandatory Test Subject. Chell is released from the vault through a portal, and begins to progress through a series of Test Chambers, utilizing the completed Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, with GLaDOS constantly monitoring her progress with security cameras. The chambers show signs of decay and neglect, and GLaDOS shows signs of instability. Throughout the tests, GLaDOS continues to act like everything is perfectly mandatory, giving apparently scripted responses. Despite this, she lets slip several phrases to suggest otherwise, and sometimes malfunctions in the middle of sentences (also showing that she is programmed to speak in other languages, such as Spanish, using machinery translation). She also continuously promises that cake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test.

When Chell eventually makes it to Test Chamber 16, GLaDOS informs her that the appropriate chamber has been replaced with a live fire course designed for Military Androids, simply wishing Chell the best of luck and letting her into the chamber, where she is met with Aperture Science Sentry Turrets for the first time. It is in this chamber that Chell discovers a hidden alcove in the wall, where desperate messages were scribbled on the walls by former Aperture employee Doug Rattmann, who seemed to have gone slightly mad while being trapped in the facility. The most prominent message, "the cake is a lie", is written several times. Chell then proceeds to the next chamber, where GLaDOS introduces her to the Companion Cube, which Chell must carry through the chamber. She once again finds messages from Rattmann, who seems to have become insanely attached to his Companion Cube, and grieved over its "death", and was outlandish towards GLaDOS's comments about it. At the end of the Chamber, Chell's Cube meets the same fate when she is forced to incinerate it in an Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator in order to proceed. According to GLaDOS, Chell "euthanized" her Cube more quickly than any other Test Subject, something GLaDOS feels calls for congratulations.



At the conclusion of the test, Chell travels on an Aperture Science Unstationary Scaffold away from the final Test Chamber. But instead of the constantly promised cake, the young woman is met with an incinerator, which GLaDOS calmly states will not damage the ASHPD. Using the weapon, she narrowly escapes certain death. It is here that GLaDOS reveals her true nature, stuttering on the word "I", before trying to convince Chell that this was all part of the test. Chell ignores her, and journeys through the maintenance areas. Throughout the decaying and neglected maintenance areas, Chell is constantly trying to be convinced by GLaDOS to return to the testing area, through the use of the Aperture Science Speaker System. With hints and scribblings by Rattmann guiding her along the right path, after constant admonishment from GLaDOS, as well as a massive Sentry Gun ambush, Chell finally finds herself in GLaDOS's main control room, where the A.I. has been sitting alone for months. GLaDOS then attempts to deploy a "surprise" to eliminate Chell, but ends up accidentally detaching her Morality Core, which Chell promptly incinerates.



GLaDOS, now free of her morality, begins to flood the Enrichment Center with neurotoxins as she did before. She notes that the Morality Core must have had some ancillary responsibilities, and that she cannot shut off the Rocket Sentry in her control room. Chell uses this to her advantage, and uses portals to redirect the rockets back at GLaDOS, detaching and incinerating her Personality Cores one by one. As the battle continues, GLaDOS mocks Chell and tries to make her feel bad about herself. She also makes a comment apparently regarding the Combine invasion, stating that she was "the only one standing between us and them", which implies that she was keeping the Combine from entering the facility. Before the neurotoxins can kill her, Chell destroys GLaDOS who is apparently sucked through a portal to the outside with parts of her generator. Chell is also dragged with her, and she ends up among GLaDOS's remains on the parking lot in front of the Aperture labs entrance, only to be taken back inside into stasis by the Party Escort Bot.

Despite GLaDOS's apparent destruction however, only a part of her is destroyed. She reactivates a room full of Personality Cores and re-captures Aperture Laboratories, filing a letter to Chell, telling her that she is "still alive" and "not even angry" at her, but not before extinguishing a candle on the cake, which was not a lie after all.

Portal 2


In the years between Chell's confinement to stasis by the Party Associate and her awakening at the beginning of Portal 2, parts of GLaDOS' systems and her Personality Cores attempt to maintain the Enrichment Center, which is heavily damaged after the explosion created by GLaDOS' partial destruction. GLaDOS later explains to Chell that a postmortem analysis "quicksave" feature in her system kept her consciousness alive but trapped her in an endless loop of the last two minutes of her life. Thus, GLaDOS was "still alive" at the end of the first Portal, but effectively dead to the Enrichment Center.

When Chell is finally awakened by Wheatley, the two make their way across the facility in an attempt to escape. They make their way to the master breakers underneath GLaDOS' chamber, where Wheatley accidentally restores power to her and raises himself and Chell right in front of her as she comes online. GLaDOS is extremely bitter towards Chell for "murdering" her, but wants to repair their "relationship" for the good of science. GLaDOS then forces Chell to complete more tests through the Enrichment Center. At the same time, she sets about restoring the dilapidated facility, often reluctantly allowing Chell to navigate through the maintenance areas to proceed.

However, Chell and Wheatley manage to escape and sabotage her turret production, as well as destroying the neurotoxin system. Once they reach her new chamber, they conduct a core transfer with Wheatley as the replacement core. Unfortunately for GLaDOS, the transfer is a success. A vengeful and corrupted Wheatley transfers her core to a potato battery, capable only of powering her basic consciousness and personality along with some secondary components like her sarcastic slow clap processor.



Wheatley then accidentally sends Chell and GLaDOS to a deep, forgotten area of the facility. As Chell wakes up after the fall, GLaDOS is carried off by a crow for food. Chell eventually finds her again and impales her on one of the Portal Gun's claws. This allows GLaDOS to accompany Chell through the rest of a testing area made by Cave Johnson, as well as gaining an additional half-volt to think rationally. Free from the compulsions and psychoses induced by her main body and lacking sufficient power to form complex schemes, GLaDOS becomes much less antagonistic towards Chell. Through pre-recorded messages by Johnson, the AI gradually remembers her former self.

After witnessing what Wheatley has done to the facility, GLaDOS makes plans to return her core to her original body. Knowing that Wheatley's incompetence will cause the facility's nuclear reactors to explode, GLaDOS formulates plans while Chell completes new testing chambers made by Wheatley and old chambers that GLaDOS stockpiled as "mementos". As GLaDOS and Chell perform more torturous tests, Wheatley discovers the Cooperative Testing Initiative and tries to kill the now-redundant Chell, destroying parts of the building in the process. Finally, the two reach Wheatley's chamber and attempt to force a second core transfer with the Enrichment Center minutes from self-destruction. At the climax of the battle with Wheatley, Chell opens a portal to the Moon, sucking herself and Wheatley's tethered core into outer space. GLaDOS restores herself and stabilizes the facility's reactors, then cuts Wheatley loose into the void. Compelled by Caroline's kind personality, she drags Chell to safety before closing the portal. The positive emotions she feels during this act allow her to trace the location of Caroline's mental imprint in her memory banks.

As Chell recuperates, GLaDOS repairs the facility and summons ATLAS and P-body. When Chell awakens, GLaDOS reveals that she knows where Caroline's data resides and apparently deletes it, seemingly returning to her original, cold self. She decides that the easiest way to remove Chell as a threat to the facility is not to kill her, but instead to throw her out, making sure to remind Chell to never return, although she makes the inexplicable decision to give Chell her old Weighted Companion Cube (which is charred but intact) as well. With the Cooperative Testing Initiative fully functional, she goes back to testing without having to worry about escape or sabotage while also using the robots to find the other human subjects that are still in stasis within the facility.

Appearance



 * GLaDOS is stored in a large octagonal chamber set within Aperture Laboratories, reminiscent of Half-Life's Test Lab C-33/a in Black Mesa's Sector C, where the Anti-Mass Spectrometer is found. In the small lobby area of the chamber connected to the rest of the facility with a door and a Material Emancipation Grid, the Aperture Science Red Phone is located next to four "pillars" (according to the model name). Under a concealed door, a Rocket Sentry is kept, seemingly for security, and numerous monitor screens line the walls and encircle GLaDOS. An Emergency Intelligence Incinerator is also present, for unknown use, and can be opened from a switch located in a small "bunker" (as said in its model name).


 * GLaDOS's components themselves are suspended from the ceiling in the center of the chamber, and make up all of the chamber's height:


 * The topmost component is a large, dark disc attached to the bright ceiling. It is the start of GLaDOS's generator running until her "body" (according to the model name).


 * Right underneath is a cylinder with grooves connected to the metal walls with large pipes. The walls are filled with bright rectangular holes. All the cables starting below arrive there.


 * Under is a smaller barrel-like device covered with panels, and also connected to the walls with large pipes. A few panels are missing and show the circuits underneath.


 * Then the walls are in concrete from there to the ground, and GLaDOS's four discs are found. The The Orange Box Prima Guide states that the discs "represent each aspect" of her Personality Cores, which may mean that one disk is connected to one core, the same going for all the others. Right below the discs is a transparent maintenance platform where the Intelligence Core is sent during GLaDOS's partial destruction. How it is accessed is unknown. The two discs from the edges are covered with the Aperture Laboratories logo, the two discs from the middle with GLaDOS's name. The four "pillars" found in the chamber's lobby may also be related to the discs and the Personality Cores.


 * Under the platform, all the wires seen above start. Four large screens and GLaDOS's "body" are found, attached to a cuboid-like structure, which makes up the end of the generator; on it is found a small sign with on it the words "model: GLaDOS", "code # 081-354-56", and "Aperture Science", as well as a red struck circle, and a red triangle. Under her is another transparent platform, accessed with stairs, then the tiled ground. GLaDOS's "body" is a piece of delicate hardware constantly swinging (whose swinging speed increases each time a core is destroyed), attached to which are her four Personality Cores that make up the bulk of GLaDOS's character; the Morality Core, a purple core with a rather diluted pupil and two dots installed into GLaDOS to stop her from flooding the Enrichment Center with a deadly neurotoxin; the Curiosity Core, an orange core with an average size pupil and four dots that is insatiably curious about everything around it (it even recognizes Chell as "the lady from the test"); the Knowledge Core (also known as "Crazy Core"), a blue core with a very dilated pupil and six dots that gives an interesting cake recipe, and the Emotion Core (also known as "Aggressive Core" or "Anger Sphere"), a red core with a rather small pupil and eight dots that emits angry growling sounds. When looked upon from a certain angle, GLaDOS looks like a woman - with a head, a chest, a large abdomen and two arms - hanging upside down by her feet, an arm bound around her legs (an effect actually intended by the team). The in game commentary mentions making her to be an inverted version of "The Birth of Venus", however, Game-ism says that she looks like she is imprisoned in some sort of bondage or torture posture. Unfortunately, it is unknown what part is the Disk Operating System, and what part is the Genetic Lifeform. GLaDOS's "body" is likely one of them, and the four disks and four "pillars" in the entrance lobby may have something to do with it.


 * When Chell detaches all of GLaDOS's Cores in Portal, the Cores are all sent in a different location, making it harder and harder for Chell to catch them. While being in these locations, they appear to be still linked to GLaDOS somehow with a greenish, semi-transparent beam / thread. It is only when grabbed by Chell and destroyed in the Emergency Intelligence Incinerator that their effect on GLaDOS stops.

Personality and skills
GLaDOS is amoral and rather sadistic. She has a clear sense of humor, but an extremely dry, bitter, and sarcastic one; her jokes are usually dark, morbid, or outright cruel. She seems to enjoy making comments intended frighten others or to undermine their self-esteem, but does not usually express open malice. Instead, she makes snide implications, seems to malfunction at suspiciously convenient times, or claims that her insults are merely objective fact; both Ellen McLain and Jonathan Coulton have described her personality as "passive-aggressive." GLaDOS lies frequently, especially about her own emotional state, often claiming to be pleased or merely disappointed when she is clearly alarmed or enraged. She usually portrays herself as an innocent victim, no matter how obviously cruel her own actions have been. Although it is often unclear whether there is any real point to her experiments, she seems to be motivated by a sincere passion for science, which she regards as her fundamental goal in life.

Since the time of Chell's unexpected escape from Test Chamber 19, GLaDOS has shown signs of intense and complicated emotions toward her, seeming to combine hatred with a kind of twisted affection; some players have compared her attitude to that of a jilted ex-lover or an abusive parent. At the end of both games, GLaDOS sings songs - "Still Alive" and "Want You Gone," respectively - that openly express pleasure or relief at Chell's departure, but hint, in GLaDOS' customary passive-aggressive style, at considerably more complex feelings on the subject. Near the end of Portal 2, shortly before claiming to delete Caroline, she tells Chell, "I thought you were my greatest enemy, but all along you were my best friend."

Portal
For most of the game, GLaDOS plays the part of an emotionless voice that seems to be reciting pre-recorded scripted remarks. However, it quickly becomes clear that something strange and possibly sinister is going on. GLaDOS is disturbingly unconcerned about situations that could cause Chell's death. Many of her comments are bizarre, and they often have a subtly ominous edge. Important information is often obscured by suspiciously well-timed bursts of static. More than once, she tells obvious lies, then explains it away as a "required test protocol." She also displays an odd fixation with cake, frequently promising it as a reward.

After Chell escapes her "victory candescence" in Test Chamber 19, GLaDOS, clearly surprised, drops the pretense and begins to show emotion. She at first unconvincingly pretends to be on Chell's side, claiming that her attempts to kill Chell were merely part of the test, that she is concerned that Chell is going the wrong way, and that rewards such as cake will be available if Chell turns back. When this proves ineffective, she switches to attempting to bond with Chell, reminiscing fondly over their experiences together and offering to simply let Chell live peacefully in another part of the facility. Only when Chell is nearly at GLaDOS' lair does she show her true colors, declaring, "Turn back or I will kill you. I'm going to kill you, and all the cake is gone." When her Morality Core is detached, her voice loses much of its computerized tone, becoming more human and seductive. She alternates between comments attempting to make Chell feel guilty about her destruction, ostensibly well-intentioned advice suggesting that Chell's best option is to give up and allow GLaDOS to kill her, and open verbal abuse - alleging that Chell is "not smart," "wrong about everything [she's] ever done," and "a bitter, unlikeable loner whose passing shall not be mourned."

In the ending song, "Still Alive," she insists that she is "not even angry" at Chell - in fact, she is pleased and considers the entire project a "huge success." She claims to be happy on Chell's behalf, as well; however, she also implies that Chell would have been better off remaining in Aperture, singing, "When I look out there / It makes me glad I'm not you" and mocking the idea that she might receive help from Black Mesa. As for herself, she says, she is happy to remain in Aperture, with plenty of science to work on and lots of delicious cake. As these emotions are clearly at odds with the obvious, intense anger and distress GLaDOS displayed during the game's final boss fight, the song is probably not meant to be taken at face value.

Portal 2
After being accidentally booted up by Chell and Wheatley, GLaDOS openly shows emotion right from the start. She displays an intense grudge for Chell, whom she says "murdered" her, describing the situation as though her destruction at Chell's hands was completely unprovoked. As she tests Chell, she keeps up a nearly continuous stream of veiled threats and passive-aggressive insults, repeatedly implying that Chell is overweight, unattractive, selfish, cruel, and unloved by friends and family. GLaDOS does not mention cake (Valve writers have stated that they were tired of cake jokes after the first game).

Information revealed in Portal 2 may shed light on some of her behavior in the first Portal. The mainframe that controls the Enrichment Center is hardwired with a compulsion to constantly run tests, described by Wheatley as "the itch." The system rewards the AI with a euphoric reaction upon test completion; much like a drug addiction, the intensity of the "high" diminishes each time, and the diminishing returns can trigger a state of withdrawal that may induce insanity. GLaDOS claims that she was sufficiently motivated by genuine love of science to ignore the addiction; it remains unclear whether this is true, and whether the "itch" might have had other, subtler effects on her personality anyway. GLaDOS also mentions the maddening influence of the Personality Cores, which she experienced in at least some cases as constantly babbling voices in her mind.

As she comes to remember her identity as Caroline, GLaDOS' attitude toward Chell seems to soften considerably; although she continues to insult her, some of her other comments are almost friendly, and near the end of the game she confesses that she realizes Chell was her "best friend." She claims to experience the Caroline persona as something like a conscience - "Now I hear the voice of a conscience, and it's terrifying, because for the first time, it's my voice." GLaDOS finds the experience of being aware of a conscience distressing and unpleasant, adding, "I'm being serious, I think there's something really wrong with me."

Even after GLaDOS claims to delete Caroline at the end of the game, her experiences while allied with Chell seem to have had an effect on her. For whatever reasons, her grudge has lessened; GLaDOS implies that her feelings toward Chell have merely changed from outright hatred to apathetic disgust, but her actions may hint at a more complex set of emotions. Although she claims to only free Chell because efforts to kill her have proved so troublesome, this does not explain why she did not delete the Caroline program and kill Chell during the several hours she spent unconscious. Even aside from the decision to release her, GLaDOS' final actions toward Chell seem inconsistent with her previous characterization; it is left ambiguous whether she was responsible for the Turret Opera's farewell, and her motivations for returning Chell's Companion Cube are also uncertain.

In the ending song, "Want You Gone," GLaDOS sings that while she once wanted to kill Chell, she is now satisfied to simply have her out of the way. She expresses relief at being rid of Chell, suggests condescendingly that Chell is to be pitied for not having an immortal robot body like herself, and finally mocks the idea that she might consider Chell a friend, declaring, "I don't need anyone now." At the end of the final verse, however, she sings, "When I delete you / Maybe I'll stop feeling so bad," with the final line appearing simply as "[REDACTED]" in the lyrics displayed onscreen - suggesting that her feelings about Chell may be more conflicted than she wants to admit. She also at one point sings, "Now little Caroline is in here too," raising questions about whether Caroline was actually deleted at all.

Behind the scenes



 * GLaDOS is voiced by Ellen McLain. She also provided the voice of the Overwatch Voice in Half-Life 2 and its episodes, the Aperture Science Sentry Turrets and GLaDOS's other Personality Cores in Portal (except for the Emotion Core), and the Announcer in Team Fortress 2.


 * GLaDOS was universally praised for her contributions to the quality of Portal's writing, winning multiple awards for best new character from GameSpy, GamePro, and X-Play.


 * The song "Still Alive" sung by GLaDOS during the Portal end credits, composed by Jonathan Coulton, was very successful and received significant praise for its humor and the quality of its performance.


 * GLaDOS went through several design iterations. Earlier versions included a floating brain, a sprawling, spidery mechanism, and an upside-down version of Botticelli's painting "The Birth of Venus" built out of robot parts and wire, and the cores were glowing light blue spheres. Eventually, the team settled on a huge mechanical device with a robotic figure dangling out of it, conveying both GLaDOS's raw mechanical power and femininity.


 * The Portal team wanted to build a space that brought a great deal of attention to her, which resulted in the large chamber where she is found.


 * When the team decided to add a large disk to GLaDOS's design, with the four Personality Cores dangling from it, she was still a mere sphere standing above it, which was considered too small. Her "body" was then enlarged and placed under the disks.


 * The name "GLaDOS", other than the technical name it stands for, is a pun on the female name "Gladys". Indeed, a model folder found in the Portal files is named "gladdysDestruction".


 * The hundreds of pictures (exactly 143 in total) on the video screens in GLaDOS's main chamber display many various and considerably random items (many were taken by Valve, several were taken from the free stock images section of the website Turbo Photo). They include several of photos of cake, tools such as bolt cutters (often coupled with cake), people, signs, computer parts, many miscellaneous objects, animals, random locations, or scientific devices. There is also an image of the Black Mesa logo, reinforcing the connection between Aperture Science and Black Mesa. However, several pictures match up with the dialogue, such as an image of a violin about to be cut by a knife when GLaDOS mentions Chell's "violent" behavior, a picture of a cake when saying "surprise", the Black Mesa logo when she mentions the "dumbest thing" (destroying the Morality Core), a cow when she says "whoah, whoah, whoah" when the effects of the Morality Core go away, or a screw when she says "good news". However these images may slightly vary from one gameplay to another.


 * In Portal 2 there are changes in GLaDOS's design, notably her head being now rectangular instead of rounded. It is unknown if this change was simply a game design change, or if the head was rebuilt by the Personality Cores after GLaDOS's destruction.

Trivia

 * GLaDOS Intelligence Core is actually reciting the cake recipe, also found on many of the screens around the office areas of the Enrichment Center.


 * GLaDOS is strongly reminiscent of HAL 9000, the murderous AI computer of 2001: A Space Odyssey; even the single, red "eye" of the security cameras and Sentry Guns remind of HAL. However, those who read the book, 2001: A Space Odyssey, will find that the HAL 9000 was not self-aware, and driven to his actions in an attempt to rationalize two conflicting orders, to conceal the true mission objective and to never hide anything from the crew. Because GLaDOS became self-aware, and developed a sinister personality, it is safe to assume she is more alive, and more antagonistic, than HAL 9000.


 * GLaDOS also shares some characteristics with SHODAN, another female AI villain from the System Shock series.


 * Despite being the central core and CPU of the Enrichment Center, ironically she was not aware of who Cave Johnson is, as she constantly remarks his voice with being "familiar".

List of appearances

 * ApertureScience.com
 * Portal
 * Half-Life 2: Episode Two
 * Portal: First Slice
 * Portal: Still Alive
 * Portal ARG
 * Portal 2: Lab Rat
 * Portal 2