Dr. Gordon Freeman: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:Gordon Freeman.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Gordon Freeman]]
[[File:Gordon Freeman.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Gordon Freeman]]
You are Gordon Freeman. Aged 27 and an [[wikipedia:Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] graduate ([[wikipedia:Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] in [[wikipedia:Theoretical physics|Theoretical Physics]]), you begin work as a research associate in the Anomalous Materials Laboratory of the [[Black Mesa Research Facility]], all thanks to an unidentified administrative sponsor.
{{spoiler2}}
'''Gordon Freeman''' is the protagonist of the Half-Life series. Originally employed by the Black Mesa Research Facility, Freeman is one of the main survivors of the Resonance Cascade that causes the events of the series to unfold.
 
The player almost never sees Freeman, which is an intentional stylistic choice on Valve's part to enhance the immersive gameplay of the series. For all intents and purposes, the player IS Freeman, almost never losing control of him and allowing the player to project themselves onto him. Instead of the storyline being told through cutscenes, it is instead told through the environment and through scripted sequences involving the NPCs around the player. As such, Freeman's profile is left intentionally vague, to the point where a Freeman model isn't even included with the game.  


==Appearances In [[Half-Life]] Canon==
==Appearances In [[Half-Life]] Canon==
{{spoiler}}
Being the player, Gordon Freeman is present at almost all points of the [[Half-Life]] saga. In the original game, you start on an electric tram within the Black Mesa Research Facility on your way to work one morning. After arriving late at the [[Sector C Test Labs & Control Facilities]] you head down to the [[Test Chamber]] and accidentally cause the [[Resonance Cascade]]. From here you travel through Black Mesa, towards the surface to get help, but have to turn back when you are confronted by hostile military forces. You then head into the [[Lambda Complex]] and finally to the borderworld [[Xen]], where you approach and defeat [[Nihilanth]]. You are then conveniently extracted by the mysterious [[G-Man]] and given a choice to either work for him to whatever end or face certain death in Xen.
Although this is the last time the player takes control of Gordon until [[Half-Life 2]], he is visible from afar in certain areas of [[Opposing Force]], accomplishing tasks the player would have done over the course of the original game.
Half-Life 2 assumes that you, Gordon Freeman, chose life over death and were entered into stasis by the G-Man. Now that you are needed again however, you are given a short speech by your new employer and dropped into an arriving passenger train at [[City 17]]. Over the course of the game you travel through the city, [[Route Kanal|its canal system]], [[Ravenholm|the nearby town of Ravenholm]], [[Highway 17|the coastline]], and [[Nova Prospekt|the Combine prison, Nova Prospekt]]. After escaping the prison through a portal with [[Alyx Vance|Alyx]], you return to the city a week later to find your blow against the [[Combine]] at Nova Prospekt has sparked a revolution. Teaming up with the rebellion in the city and [[Barney Calhoun|Barney]], you lead an assault through the city streets and eventually enter the [[Citadel]] alone after passing through the [[Nexus Building]]. After helping to free Alyx and [[Eli Vance|Eli]], you destroy the device by which [[Wallace Breen|Dr. Breen]] had hoped to escape and with it the entire Citadel. As soon as this happens you are again swept away from the Citadel by the G-Man, and once more entered into stasis.
Gordon Freeman is set to next appear in [[Half-Life 2: Episode 1]], where your journey will continue through the events immediately following the destruction of the Citadel.
==Theories==
There are a number of theories about the future and past of Gordon Freeman, given the key role he plays in most of the important events of the Half-Life universe.
For example, at the start of the game the onscreen text reads "Sponsor: Classified". It is unclear why this is classified or whether it is even significant, but many believe that your sponsor is the enigmatic G-Man, as part of his attempts to shepherd you into, and perhaps through, the events of the Black Mesa Research Facility.


Equally, there are many theories surrounding Gordon's relationship with the equally mysterious Dr. Breen. It was he who chose the samples that were used in the Test Chamber the day of the Resonance Cascade, but it is unclear whether he knew what would follow or whether he specifically wanted Gordon to be involved. What is clear, however, is that at the end of Half-Life 2, Breen somehow knew about your business relationship with the G-Man, and threatened to tell Eli Vance, Alyx Vance and [[Judith Mossman]] about it.
Freeman is a 27 year old Ph.D in theoretical physics. His task on the day of the resonance cascade is simple: place the sample into the testing equipment. This opens up a dimensional rift which causes aliens to be teleported en masse onto earth. Throughout the original Half-Life, Freeman battles aliens and the military on his way to the Lambda Complex in order to close the rift and prevent more aliens from getting through. After this goal is accomplished, he is put in stasis by the mysterious [[npc_gman|G-Man]], awaiting further instruction.


It remains to be seen exactly why Gordon is such an important part of the events in the Half-Life universe.
Freeman is woken up at the start of the second game and is put on a train heading straight towards the Combine empire in [[Point Insertion|City 17]]. Freeman reconciles with [[npc_barney|Barney]] and [[npc_kleiner|Dr. Kleiner]] from Black Mesa and is sent to [[Black Mesa East]] to help out with further research into defeating the Combine. After arriving, he gets derailed off this path and is sent into the zombie-infested [[Ravenholm]].  


<!--==Appearances In Third Party Mods==
We soon learn that the Combine have taken [[npc_eli|Eli Vance]] from Black Mesa East and are taking him to the [[Citadel]]. Gordon heads through the coast and completely destroys [[Nova Prospekt]], which causes hundreds of rebels to join forces and further the Resistance movement. Through his time battling through Black Mesa and Nova Prospekt, Gordon becomes a legendary hero in the movement.


Due to Gordon's proximity to the events of the Black Mesa Research Facility, a number of mods and map packs immediately following the original game attempted to expand his story in different ways.
After barreling through a war-torn City 17, Gordon finally breaches the Citadel and fights his way through hundreds of [[npc_combine_s|Combine soldiers]] with [[npc_alyx|Alyx]] on his way to stabilizing the core of the facility. City 17 completely collapses and Gordon and Alyx now head towards [[White Forest]] to deliver important packets of information to Eli and [[npc_magnusson|Dr. Magnusson]].


* Someone Please Add
Now at White Forest, Gordon and Alyx have to help the scientists prepare a rocket with which to launch a satellite array to close the Combine superportal. It is revealed in [[Episode 2]] that Gordon is no longer under control of the G-Man, which was a key plot detail driving the previous games.
* Mods in Which You Play
* As Gordon
-->


==See Also==
==Behind the Scenes==
* [[info_player_start]]
As noted, the player never sees Freeman. The only time this happens is in the Gearbox expansions of [[Opposing Force]] and [[Blue Shift]], as well as in [[Half-Life 1]] multiplayer as a model. In [[Half-Life 2]], Gordon is never seen and a generic version of his HL1 model with dev textures is used instead. (Please note that although an official Source model of Freeman exists, it has only begun circulating in late 2012.)
* [[Wikipedia:Gordon Freeman]]


[[Category:Half-Life Continuity]]
==External links==
* {{Wiki|Gordon Freeman}} on Wikipedia
* {{cow|Gordon Freeman}} on the Combine OverWiki
[[Category:Half-Life Continuity]][[Category:Protagonists]]

Latest revision as of 19:11, 20 March 2025

Gordon Freeman
Info-red.png
Spoiler Warning
Some information on this page may contain plot spoilers. Continue reading at your own risk.

Gordon Freeman is the protagonist of the Half-Life series. Originally employed by the Black Mesa Research Facility, Freeman is one of the main survivors of the Resonance Cascade that causes the events of the series to unfold.

The player almost never sees Freeman, which is an intentional stylistic choice on Valve's part to enhance the immersive gameplay of the series. For all intents and purposes, the player IS Freeman, almost never losing control of him and allowing the player to project themselves onto him. Instead of the storyline being told through cutscenes, it is instead told through the environment and through scripted sequences involving the NPCs around the player. As such, Freeman's profile is left intentionally vague, to the point where a Freeman model isn't even included with the game.

Appearances In Half-Life Canon

Freeman is a 27 year old Ph.D in theoretical physics. His task on the day of the resonance cascade is simple: place the sample into the testing equipment. This opens up a dimensional rift which causes aliens to be teleported en masse onto earth. Throughout the original Half-Life, Freeman battles aliens and the military on his way to the Lambda Complex in order to close the rift and prevent more aliens from getting through. After this goal is accomplished, he is put in stasis by the mysterious G-Man, awaiting further instruction.

Freeman is woken up at the start of the second game and is put on a train heading straight towards the Combine empire in City 17. Freeman reconciles with Barney and Dr. Kleiner from Black Mesa and is sent to Black Mesa East to help out with further research into defeating the Combine. After arriving, he gets derailed off this path and is sent into the zombie-infested Ravenholm.

We soon learn that the Combine have taken Eli Vance from Black Mesa East and are taking him to the Citadel. Gordon heads through the coast and completely destroys Nova Prospekt, which causes hundreds of rebels to join forces and further the Resistance movement. Through his time battling through Black Mesa and Nova Prospekt, Gordon becomes a legendary hero in the movement.

After barreling through a war-torn City 17, Gordon finally breaches the Citadel and fights his way through hundreds of Combine soldiers with Alyx on his way to stabilizing the core of the facility. City 17 completely collapses and Gordon and Alyx now head towards White Forest to deliver important packets of information to Eli and Dr. Magnusson.

Now at White Forest, Gordon and Alyx have to help the scientists prepare a rocket with which to launch a satellite array to close the Combine superportal. It is revealed in Episode 2 that Gordon is no longer under control of the G-Man, which was a key plot detail driving the previous games.

Behind the Scenes

As noted, the player never sees Freeman. The only time this happens is in the Gearbox expansions of Opposing Force and Blue Shift, as well as in Half-Life 1 multiplayer as a model. In Half-Life 2, Gordon is never seen and a generic version of his HL1 model with dev textures is used instead. (Please note that although an official Source model of Freeman exists, it has only begun circulating in late 2012.)

External links