GMan: Relevance of his Appearance

[Automatic Kafka]

Hooray! Another GMan thread.

This is not really a question thread or another theory thread, this is just really a post it note to allow people to see things from a different angle so that in future you have another element to cross examine the character with.


Many of you being Half-Life fans have some scientific knowledge and knowledge of scientific developments over the last century so I assume you know who Robert Oppenheimer is.

Incase you don't know who he is (go back to school) you can read about his scientific errrr achievements here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Oppenheimer

Now look at him, really look at him.

It's pretty obvious that this is the man Valve based GMans appearance on but the question is why? Is it just some sort of 'in' joke for us science boys or does it have deeper relevance to the character?

Is....Gman Oppenheimer?

 

[ninjasonfire]

Whoa, creepy. Maybe Oppenheimer (in Valve's universe) got moved to another project after the Manhattan Project which placed him in contact with extra-terrestrial/extra-dimensional beings, and that's why he's all slow-time-warp-mercenary-ness.

I need to lay off the ganja.

 

[Automatic Kafka]

Seems reasonable to me.

Holy shit what if he was attached to the Philadelphia experiment?

That happened in 1943.

 

[BlackDahlia]

Holy shit, indeed. :O

 

[Sulkdodds]

Actually...that's a really cool theory. The G-Man is like a scientific Buddha figure....

 

[Flyingdebris]

ehh i don't know, from what i saw in raising the bar, his face was merely a more gaunt looking take on the voice actor for Barney/G-man

and in hl1 he looked a little too bland to look like anyone. But who knows.

 

[Epsi]

Well, the prevailing theory is that the G-Man is actually some kind of alien, so his appearance is some kind of assumed form. Maybe he was inspired by Oppenheimer.

Random OT pondering... the Vortiguants say "We serve the same mystery" - presumably the G-Man. Do you think the Vortiguants experience the G-Man as appearing human, or as a Vortiguant?

 

[Automatic Kafka]

The only reason people think GMan is an alien is because in one of the fan made SP mods for HL1 has him talking with a snake like lisp.

If you totally remove that from your mind and look at whats official there is no supporting evidence that suggests hes an alien.

 

[hi_ted]

The only reason people think GMan is an alien is because in one of the fan made SP mods for HL1 has him talking with a snake like lisp.

If you totally remove that from your mind and look at whats official there is no supporting evidence that suggests hes an alien.

And then there was that HL2 E3 vid where the Gman spouted some alien gibberish.

 

[Sulkdodds]

1. That was solely for the purpose of a joke.

2. I was under the impression that it was, in fact, Chinese (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

[Automatic Kafka]

And then there was that HL2 E3 vid where the Gman spouted some alien gibberish.

Wow way to go and slap every Chinese person on the planet in the face.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Was it actually Chinese? Someone said it was, but then I don't know the language and I haven't seen the video for ages.

 

[Automatic Kafka]

Or Mandarin.

 

[bvasgm]

They say in the video that it's Chinese.

 

[Skaadi]

I reckon he faintly resembles the Stranger off that Nocturne game. Scary...

 

[Sulkdodds]

I remember that! Man, that had the most ridiculous plot. The mafia use zombies as hitmen...yeah...

Well anyway, in relation to Oppelheimer...what if the G-Man was some sort of enterprising scientist who ended up working out the very secrets of the universe. Some incredibly higher power approached him and offered him tthe chance to transcend the physical...much like the Combine offered Dr. Breen the chance to see things no man would ever have seen...you can just imagine it:

Once, Mr Freeman...I was like you. My name, then, was Oppelheimer...

 

[Flyingdebris]

i think the fact that he can zip through time, disappear without a trace, appear wherever he wants, and seems to have an accent that doesn't really have any human language as a basis, is what leads people to believe he's an alien.

I personally think he's an alien or transdimensional being that plays the role of a troubleshooter or fixer. When his employers have an issue to deal with, they call on him to fix things. Of course it would make his job much easier if he could have someone else handle his dirty work, ala gordon.

So g-man either being able to see the future or simply very good at being able to predict consequences points gordon in the necessary direction, checking up on him every so often, and ironing out a few issues before hand

 

[Is This Tea]

http://www.atomicarchive.com/Movies/Movie8.shtml
Here is a clip of him talking… Always found this interesting. He quotes the Bhagavad-Gita after the first nuclear test at Trinity.

We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." I suppose we all thought that one way or another.

 

[crackhead]

im sorry but that looks nothing like gman to me lol. if i could be bothered i would make a spoof of this thread with a picture of bill clinton but it seems like alot of trouble for a small joke that would probaly just get me in trouble.

 

[Sulkdodds]

It seems to have some similiarities. But I think Tea us more talking about the voice and way of speaking...

...and it is pretty interesting whether it has anything to do with the G-Man or not.