Great Multiverse Wiki
Great Multiverse Wiki
Multiversial Encyclopedia
7,429
pages
in: People, Morts, Mysterious,
and 3 more

The G-Man

Sign in to edit

The G-Man

Biographical and chronological information

Homeworld:

Unknown, theories point to a long destroyed Earth

Home universe:

Unknown, resides in the Plains of Rebirth

Ethnicity:

Appears European

Date of birth:

Date of death:

Unknown, 72 thousand years before the Black Mesa Incident

Physical and biological description

Species:

Appears Human, Mort

Gender:

Appears male

Height:

2.01 m (6'7 ft)

Hair color:

Black

Eye color:

Teal

Skin color:

Light

Societal and political information

Affiliation:

Status:

Alive?

[Source]
"Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and shine. Not that I wish to imply you have been sleeping on the job. No one is more deserving of a rest. And all the effort in the world would have gone to waste until... well, let's just say your hour has come again. The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So, wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes."
— The G-Man, as told to Dr. Gordon Freeman when he was reawakened in 1370 just before the state of the Golmar Uprising


The G-Man is a mysterious and enigmatic character encountered several times before, during, and after. Referred to as a "sinister interdimensional bureaucrat", he is known to display peculiar behavior and to wield powers far beyond those of a human. His identity and motives remain completely unexplained.

He plays the role of an overseer and eventual employer, watching over Gordon Freeman and other individuals in the Multiverse, at times helping or hindering them. Later on, it turns out, that he works for an even more mysterious and enigmatic individual by the name of Old Gray and that he is over 72,000 years old being born on an earth long since destroyed.

History[]

Past[]

Service to Old Gray[]

Black Mesa Incident[]

The G-Man manifested in the Golmar Universe during the Black Mesa Incident, he was first seen along the Sector C Line, standing in an electric tram frozen on the track opposite the tram that Freeman travelled. He somehow manages to arrive at the Test Labs and Control Facilities before Freeman. Before the experiment begins, the G-Man can be seen arguing with a scientist in a locked, sound-proof room of the Research section of the Anomalous Materials Lab where only mumbling can be heard. 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 Nihilanth, the ruler of Xen, G-Man brought Freeman to "safety" in an inexplicable, abstract sequence. Appearing beside Gordon, having stripped him of his armaments while claiming the excuse 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 HECU Marines, destroyed tanks, and a downed jet fighter can be seen around this area of Xen, suggesting that U.S. military forces participated in capturing Xen for the G-Man's "employer", although this may merely be part of G-Man's illusions.

Eventually, the G-Man then informs him that he has recommended Gordon's services to his "employers," and offers him a job.

Encounter with Shephard[]

The G-Man was spotted at a window speaking to an officer and occasionally glancing at Freeman Since the drill instructor mentions that Shephard's training has mysteriously accelerated, the implication is that the G-Man had an interest in Shephard before the Black Mesa incident, for unknown reasons.

When Shephard was trapped on a small walkway, with deadly radioactive liquid rising steadily towards him. The G-Man opens a door allowing him to escape, saving his life. As Shephard attempted 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 eventually destroys Black Mesa, while Shephard had deactivated it moments prior. As he cannot return to the truck, the destruction of the facility became inevitable.

After Shephard defeats the Gene Worm after the incident, G-Man appears again. On this occasion, Shephard finds himself onboard one of the HECU's V-22 Ospreys, facing the G-Man. The G-Man informs Shephard that, contrary to his employer's original wishes, Shephard is to be spared and detained. The G-Man says that he has been impressed by Shephard's ability to "adapt & survive against all odds" in the Black Mesa facility and comments that these are traits that 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. The G-Man then leaves Shephard via a portal in the cockpit.

Prisoner of the Combine[]

(Five years before the Uprising) The G-Man was captured by the Combine with methods yet to be specified and held in a floating prison called the Vault, which was powered by Vortigaunt energy to keep him contained. After he was freed by Alyx Vance, he pulls her into his dimension. Alyx initially believes him to be Gordon Freeman, which amuses the G-Man, who claims that Freeman does not need such a powerful prison to be held captive. Alyx asks who he is, and he replies, "Perhaps what I am is not as important as what I can offer you in exchange for coming all this way," and offers his services to Alyx. She asks that the G-Man remove the Combine from Golmar Earth, but he deems it too large of a request and against the wishes of some of his employers. He then shows her the future where Eli Vance is killed by a Combine Advisor and rewinds time, giving her the opportunity to kill the Advisor. Alyx does so, and the G-Man points out she has proven a worthy successor to Freeman, whom he claims to have grown dissatisfied with due to Freeman's inability or refusal to carry out his orders. Alyx asks him to send her home, but he simply replies she misunderstands her situation before leaving her in stasis.

In the the aftermath, Gordon Freeman awoke at White Forest to find Eli alive, the Advisor dead, and Alyx missing. Eli, seeing the G-Man watching from a nearby balcony, realizes that the G-Man exploited his own death to detain Alyx. The G-Man walks away, disappearing behind a pillar as Eli plots revenge with Gordon.

Reunion with Freeman[]

Gordon was greeted by the G-Man around 20 years after the Black Mesa Incident 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 safety and that an opportunity has now arisen which will allow Freeman to begin his campaign against the Combine forces on Golmar Earth. He continuously refers to Gordon Freeman as "Mister Freeman" throughout the introductory sequence, forgoing Gordon's proper title of doctor. However, he later referred to Gordon as "Doctor Freeman."

The G-Man is briefly visible at various other points, including along the different vehicle sequences, but these are only from a great distance or as seen on video terminals. After an uphill battle in the Citadel, Gordon causes critical damage to the structure's Dark Energy reactor, resulting in an explosion that might have caused his death, had the G-Man not seemingly stopped time to extract Gordon to safety to await further "employment offers" (while leaving Alyx to perish in the explosion), and with the G-Man stepping through some 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 the past, justifying that the current situation is "extraordinary" enough to contemplate taking up any of these offers. Before their showdown, Doctor Breen also asks Gordon, "Did you realize your contract was open to the highest bidder?", probably a reference to the "contract" Gordon has with the G-Man.

The G-Man was seen walking 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 is 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 sternly 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 Combine Citadel.

This incident shows the Vortigaunts can enter the G-Man's realm. This is also the first time any hindrance (definitive or temporary) is seen in the G-Man's plans, as well as the first time the G-Man displays anger, if strongly restrained.

The G-man reunites with Gordon while a group of Vortigaunts is occupied healing the heavily wounded Alyx Vance. He explains that the reason for his absence is that the Vortigaunts have been preventing him from appearing to Gordon, thus he needed to wait for the Vortigaunts to be preoccupied so that he could contact him. He appears in a surreal, dream-like sequence taking place in several locations: the rocket silo located at White Forest, the same corridor as the one seen in the message left by Judith Mossman, and what seems to be the entrance to the Anomalous Materials Laboratories in 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," and that he has learned to "ignore such naysayers, when quelling them was out of the question" (An image of Doctor Breen flashes in the background during a short pause between "when" and "quelling"). He then instructs Gordon to safely escort Alyx to White Forest, as repayment for the G-Man's previous insurance of his survival, stating he wished he could do more than simply monitor Gordon, but 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. During the sequence, he seems to be less rigid and more human-like and is not seen carrying his briefcase.

Just after she delivers the message to her father, Alyx seems dizzy and holds her head, suggesting that she wasn't consciously speaking. The G-Man manifested just before she delivers the message, which could have triggered her to say it subconsciously. Another reason to believe Alyx has no idea what's happening is that she never mentions the G-Man at all, which she would if she could remember. Eli is noticeably disturbed by the words, to the point where he almost collapses in shock. After making up 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 sample GG-3883 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 the 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.

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 styled in a crew cut, and pale green eyes. In all appearances, he is seen dressed in a gray-blue suit and is almost always seen carrying a briefcase.

The G-Man speaks in a slow, commanding manner, with a certain accentuated low-key moroseness to his tone, bordering on the cryptic. Most notably, he has an odd habit of placing unusual stress on syllables, stressing the wrong parts of words, making unnecessary pauses, and awkwardly changing the pitch of his voice. He also has a tendency to elongate consonants, especially the "S".

Personality and skills[]

The G-Man is an almost complete enigma. In many ways, he is referred to as follows: "The cryptical bureaucrat, a mystery man with a briefcase. He appears in the shadows, disappears when you chase him down dead-end corridors. He leads you into danger and guides you to safety, as the whim strikes him. His motives remain mysterious, but at the Black Mesa Incident, when Dr. Freeman have extinguished an alien civilization, he offers him a job with whoever it is he works for."

The G-Man possesses a calm, almost disinterested demeanor, particularly apparent in the ruined and alien-infested Black Mesa facility. He can often be seen calmly straightening his tie or brushing his suit lapels with his hands, regardless of whatever chaos may be surrounding him. Even when angered, he maintains a decidedly restrained demeanor. He also has demonstrated a dry sense of humor.

He has stepped in directly and rescued Adrian Shephard and Alyx Vance before the destruction of Black Mesa, suggesting that he is capable of mercy, though it is more likely that he merely did this for his own interests. The G-Man seems to occasionally take an interest in certain individuals, using his powers and skills at manipulation to guide them down certain paths.

He has made pawns of Gordon Freeman, Alyx Vance, andAdrian Shephard, as well as perhaps countless others. It is also implied that he orchestrated the Black Mesa Incident, meaning Dr. Breen was also under his influence. The G-Man mentioned to Adrian that he has great respect for people who can survive against incredible odds, citing that such people remind him of himself.

His message to Eli mentioning "unforeseen consequences" and the subsequent revelation about the threat to humanity posed by the Combine acquiring the technology onboard the Borealis could imply that the G-Man might secretly be sympathetic to humanity and its fight for survival. Alternatively to these actions may be more self-serving in some unknown way than sympathetic. Although, this was proven wrong as he give that phrase as both as sympathy and to do a job given by his overseer.

The G-Man appears quite skilled with technology and is capable of operating a very wide range of machinery, ranging from simple cell phones and sealed steel doors to complex nuclear weapons (although for the latter there are instructions inside the cap) and experimental teleports and portals.

Abilties[]

Relationships[]

Individuals aware of the G-Man[]

Quotes[]

Gallery[]

Notes[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.