Theory on who Gman is!

[PsyberGoth]

Gordon Freeman

I bet that at the end of the last game we'll hear Gordon speak, and it'll be with the same speech impediment.

This has been officially refuted by VALVe.

I think that he is a member of some multi-dimensional Combine resistance movement, and has recruited Gordon and Adrian because he believes they stand the best chance of stopping the Combine once and for all.

Possible, but then why didn't he intervene during the events of Half-Life, the events that expanded the Combine Empire? And why has, at the very least, been implied that Breen could have easily purchased Freeman's services?

Spoiler

And then, when Freeman was still needed, why did he pluck Freeman away, and then get angry when the vortigaunts jacked him?

I did say multi-dimensional. he may think in a different way than us, and has decided that this course of action that will create the fastest method for destroying the combine.

 

[geldonyetich]

Clearly, the G-Man is a being who likes the meddle in the affairs of man and alien alike. I doubt he works for a divine power, however -- it doesn't seem to suit the Half-Life Mythos to drag God into it. Granted, God is a really easy entity to pry into having that role of either being the G-Man or having him represent the G-Man.

Apparently, there wouldn't be an Episode 2-3 of Half Life 2 were it not for the G-Man being forced to sit on the sidelines, so I'm inclined to believe he's a malevolent and not a benevolent force.

 

[PirateKing]

I think he's some sort of extra dimensional being that manipulates Gordon into doing things that he, for whatever reason, can't interfere with. He seems to be need Gordon though.
I do think he is more sinister than good. After all, the vortegaunts saved Alex and Gordon from him at the start of HL2: Episode 1.
I bet he'll be the final boss though or something to that nature.

 

[Pseudonym2]

G"g-man" is an outdated slang term for a government agent particularly and authoritarian one like a police, FBI, CIA type of thing. I just assumed he was secret CIA-type agent who illegally is messing with other dimensions at the request of a bunch of higher dimensional beings.

 

[hellthins]

Gordon Freeman

I bet that at the end of the last game we'll hear Gordon speak, and it'll be with the same speech impediment.

This has been officially refuted by VALVe.

I think that he is a member of some multi-dimensional Combine resistance movement, and has recruited Gordon and Adrian because he believes they stand the best chance of stopping the Combine once and for all.

Possible, but then why didn't he intervene during the events of Half-Life, the events that expanded the Combine Empire? And why has, at the very least, been implied that Breen could have easily purchased Freeman's services?

Spoiler

And then, when Freeman was still needed, why did he pluck Freeman away, and then get angry when the vortigaunts jacked him?

I did say multi-dimensional. he may think in a different way than us, and has decided that this course of action that will create the fastest method for destroying the combine.

Perhaps, but it doesn't explain why he's so frustrated with the Voritgaunts, who are equally multi-dimensional and seem to be just as capable of thinking in the incredibly long term as he is.

And then there's what happened to Shephard? He was picked up by G-Man like Gordon but hasn't shown up since the end of Opposing Force.

 

[PsyberGoth]

Gordon Freeman

I bet that at the end of the last game we'll hear Gordon speak, and it'll be with the same speech impediment.

This has been officially refuted by VALVe.

I think that he is a member of some multi-dimensional Combine resistance movement, and has recruited Gordon and Adrian because he believes they stand the best chance of stopping the Combine once and for all.

Possible, but then why didn't he intervene during the events of Half-Life, the events that expanded the Combine Empire? And why has, at the very least, been implied that Breen could have easily purchased Freeman's services?

Spoiler

And then, when Freeman was still needed, why did he pluck Freeman away, and then get angry when the vortigaunts jacked him?

I did say multi-dimensional. he may think in a different way than us, and has decided that this course of action that will create the fastest method for destroying the combine.

Perhaps, but it doesn't explain why he's so frustrated with the Voritgaunts, who are equally multi-dimensional and seem to be just as capable of thinking in the incredibly long term as he is.

And then there's what happened to Shephard? He was picked up by G-Man like Gordon but hasn't shown up since the end of Opposing Force.

Different groups with differing plans or agendas?

and just wait till half-life 2 episode 3. he'll be back

 

[hellthins]

Perhaps, but it doesn't explain why he's so frustrated with the Voritgaunts, who are equally multi-dimensional and seem to be just as capable of thinking in the incredibly long term as he is.

And then there's what happened to Shephard? He was picked up by G-Man like Gordon but hasn't shown up since the end of Opposing Force.

Different groups with differing plans or agendas?

and just wait till half-life 2 episode 3. he'll be back[/quote]

If G-man does really want to take down the combine they have the same goal, and the vortigaunts know how to forgive while G-Man doesn't seem to particularly care about slights or offenses when he needs a person. It just seems more likely that the G-man, while perhaps not a malevolent force, isn't particularly benevolent either.

 

[Anarchemitis]

He can see what's really inside Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal!

The Combine Overworld?

 

[WolfThomas]

Lets look at the chain of events, black mesa incident opens a rift for the Xen, Gordon defeats the Xen.

Opposing Fronts, Sheppard defeats Race-X (another race competing with the Xen for earth).

In the power vacuum Combine take over, Gordon significantly damages the combine efforts.

Three different powerful intergalactic races all defeated/destroyed/crippled.

I'd assume hes from a fourth, potentially more powerful civilization is taking down the others. But maybe like the ancients from Stargate they can't interfere obviously. So the Gman, representing them, manipulates Gordon (and Adrian) to achieve their goals.

 

[waffletaco]

G-Man. G-Spot. Coincidence?

I think not.

So you're saying... he's a MYTH?!?!?!?! haha nah...

 

[Twilight_guy]

Lets look at the chain of events, black mesa incident opens a rift for the Xen, Gordon defeats the Xen.

Opposing Fronts, Sheppard defeats Race-X (another race competing with the Xen for earth).

In the power vacuum Combine take over, Gordon significantly damages the combine efforts.

Three different powerful intergalactic races all defeated/destroyed/crippled.

I'd assume hes from a fourth, potentially more powerful civilization is taking down the others. But maybe like the ancients from Stargate they can't interfere obviously. So the Gman, representing them, manipulates Gordon (and Adrian) to achieve their goals.

That seems logical, but in the episodes the G-man seems to be independently in control of Gordon. He doesn't mention any employers and he's just selling the contract for the highest price. I think the G-man was working for the combine. They hired him to set up the events to take down the the Voritgaunts so they could take over Xen. His employment ended from there and the combine took over and then moved on to Earth. Then he decided to use Gordon for his own goals(namely to sell his "services"). Somebody hires Gordon to take down the combine and G-man sicks Gordon on city 17. Then the Voritgaunts take him away and Gordon is free of his contract(and G-man) temporarily.

 

[WolfThomas]

Actually thinking about it I think hes probably is some sort of alien belonging to another mysterious and powerful race, as i mentioned. But I don't think he necessary represents them. But perhaps he is constrained by something to prevent direct meddling.

 

[Aiden Rebirth]

He's obviously gordan's father...

 

[danosaurus]

He's obviously gordan's father...

That's not true....

THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

My theory:

Valve has no fucking idea who the g-man is and is trying to think of a reason that isn't stupid as hell as we speak.

 

[ObadiahBlack]

The g-man is in fact an old gordon freeman who sent himself back in time in order to tell himself not to do that botox treatment and never learn to speak, as it was better when he was the odd, but strong and silent type, instead of the later stage of plain creepy.

Best theory, right there.

 

[Good morning blues]

Lets look at the chain of events, black mesa incident opens a rift for the Xen, Gordon defeats the Xen.

Opposing Fronts, Sheppard defeats Race-X (another race competing with the Xen for earth).

In the power vacuum Combine take over, Gordon significantly damages the combine efforts.

Three different powerful intergalactic races all defeated/destroyed/crippled.

I'd assume hes from a fourth, potentially more powerful civilization is taking down the others. But maybe like the ancients from Stargate they can't interfere obviously. So the Gman, representing them, manipulates Gordon (and Adrian) to achieve their goals.

That seems logical, but in the episodes the G-man seems to be independently in control of Gordon. He doesn't mention any employers and he's just selling the contract for the highest price. I think the G-man was working for the combine. They hired him to set up the events to take down the the Voritgaunts so they could take over Xen. His employment ended from there and the combine took over and then moved on to Earth. Then he decided to use Gordon for his own goals(namely to sell his "services"). Somebody hires Gordon to take down the combine and G-man sicks Gordon on city 17. Then the Voritgaunts take him away and Gordon is free of his contract(and G-man) temporarily.

I think we're all beyond the point of spoilers in this thread, but just in case:

Spoiler: Spoilers for every HL game since HL2

This is similar to a theory that I've heard on the Something Awful forums. There was a fellow there that suggested that it was Eli Vance who hired Gordon, and that the G-man had Eli killed when he failed to make his payment. It stands to reason that Eli probably asked the Vortigaunts to restrain the G-man because he knew he couldn't make the payment. The guy on this forum suggested that the proposed payment was Alyx, but I don't buy that - there's no way Eli would make that offer, and the G-man saved Alyx from Black Mesa of his own accord; obviously, he had plans for her that we haven't seen yet. It is possible that someone else made this offer - Kleiner, perhaps - but if that's the case, why was Eli the one that was killed? (I recognize that it was actually the Advisor that killed Eli, but does that not seem like exactly the way that the G-man operates?)

I think that the people to ask about the G-man are the Vortigaunts. They have similar powers, and when Gordon is outside the G-man's control in Episode 1, the entire game switches as if the Vortigaunts are Gordon's new employers - you remember how you'd get the "SUBJECT: Gordon Freeman STATUS: Mission Failed NOTES: Subject failed to preserve mission-critical equipment" messages if you did something like drop your car into the ocean or let an essential NPC die? I don't recall this myself, but I've heard that when a similar situation occurs in Episode 1, the text that crawls across the screen is Vortigaunt-speak. I think it's possible that the Vortigaunts know everything there is to know about the G-man.

I am guessing the G man was a person somehow brought through a third would when the experiment thing went bad.

Nope, you see the G-man at least twice (once on the tram ride, another time arguing with a scientist behind a window) before the resonance cascade. Furthermore, it's confirmed later in the series that he is the "Admnistrator" who provided the sample that caused the resonance cascade.

 

[linchowlewy]

I think the better question is: What is in his briefcase?

sandvich.

seriously though in the first halflife you could noclip and all he had were papers and pens (i think a pistol i'm not sure).

also i think the G-Man is some Vort Demon. makes sense to me from what i read but can't remember what exactly.

 

[[zonking great]]

I was discussing this earlier and I think this might be something - He infact works for God, or is in association with God, in that he enlists Freeman to restore balance when he's needed, this is open to discussion! gief ideas!

Okay, bye now. There's no such thing as a "god" and if there was, it would be an infinitely more advanced creature from a society with "minds that to our minds as ours are to the beasts in the jungle." From War of the Worlds. THE RADIO PLAY. NOT THE DUMB TOM LOSE MOVIE.
God, I miss Orson Welles...