The Master Chief

The Master Chief is the faceless cybernetic protagonist of Bungie’s Halo series. The Master Chief is one of the most visible symbols of the Halo series. Originally designed by Bungie artists including Marcus Lehto, Rob McLees, and Shi Kai Wang, the character is a towering and faceless cybernetically-enhanced supersoldier; he is never seen without his green-colored armor or helmet. He is voiced by Chicago disc jockey Steve Downes, who previously worked with Bungie composer Martin O’Donnell on the project Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator.

The Master Chief is a video game icon. The Master Chief’s history is revealed in the Halo novel The Fall of Reach. Originally named John, he was born in the year 2511 and lived with his family on the human colony of Eridanus II. When John was six years old, he was one of 75 children secretly kidnapped by the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) to participate in the SPARTAN-II project, which sought to create a new breed of cybernetic super soldier. The kidnapped children were “flash cloned” by the UNSC so that the parents of the children never even knew they were kidnapped. Eight years later, all 75 of the SPARTAN-II soldier’s underwent psychological, biological, and cybernetic enhancement procedures. 21 died during or shortly after the procedures and 12 suffered debilitating physical and mental complications rendering them unfit for service in the field. John and the remaining 32 survived unharmed and in possession of superhuman abilities. After a surprise attack on the planet Reach where the entire Spartan task force was located at the time, most of the SPARTAN-II’s were killed, although a handful survived. These other surviving Spartans have never been mentioned outside of the Halo novels, and are never acknowledged in the games. Indeed, the back of Halo: Combat Evolved states that the Master Chief is the “last of his kind”, although at least seven other Spartans survive the glassing of Reach.

The character has received mixed reception. Reviewers such as Kotaku have pointed to the Chief’s silent and faceless nature as a weakness to the character, while other publications said this attribute allows players to better assume the role of the Master Chief. Gaming magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly named the Master Chief as the eighth greatest video game character ever.

Master Chief has appeared in the series’ main games, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and as an easter egg in Halo:Reach, as well as numerous comic books and novels.