Half-Life’s Biggest Mystery | The G-Man | FULL Half-Life Lore

[@Skyrionn]

What is the G-Man? Like, comment, subscribe if you enjoyed the content. The algorithm hasn't been too kind lately!

[@skinskinner]

guy man

[@3amorogamer246]

As soon as I saw this in my recommendations it was 6 minutes ago and I screenshot it I also watched it 3 minutes later

[@luigivoncheeseburgerjenkinsiv]

Joke headcannon: G-Man is short for Garry Newman and he is a Gmod player tormenting NPCs

[@Pnezyx2056]

skyrionn is the S-Man

[@denifnaf5874]

You're man He's not man For you he waits _For you_

[@toaster9922]

The part of Gman that always stood out to me is how in the ending of Half Life 1, He hesitates before he says the word "employers." it’s as if he’s trying to think of a term that Gordon could best understand for them. A close enough analogue or approximation that a Human like Gordon could use as a reference point for whatever cosmic, unknowable force he is a part of. It's probably my favourite part about the Gman.

[@Skyrionn]

Yes! This! It's just adds to him attempting to mimic what it is to be a human.

[@Wavy_Gravy]

Spooks pretend to lie, all the time. Could be that. Probably not, just don't forget, professional liars, often let themselves get caught in them. It sets a precedence that people remember, while masking their actual lies.

[@bobthestinky7369]

Yeah, it doesn't seem like Gman needs money.

[@Wavy_Gravy]

@@bobthestinky7369 Hol' up. He's being blackmailed?! 🤔

[@toastie8173]

​@@Wavy_Gravy Maybe he owes the Sicilian mafia

[@ltramon7463]

As some dude once said: We waited 13 years to move the timeline forward by 13 seconds!

[@DashMatin]

fr

[@mainsmain]

Vinny said that

[@meh.7539]

That "Rise and Shine Mr. Freeman" still sends shivers down my spine. It's truly and deeply unsettling.

[@toreadoress]

"Time, Dr. Freeman? Is it really that time again?" always gets me

[@meh.7539]

@@toreadoress Just reading it, I can hear it in my head and yeah. Same.

[@LeeroyJenkins94]

smell the ashes...

[@user-pq9js4ty8l]

His whole speech at the end.. and when he finishes it with a casual.. "this is where I get off" and a crooked smile.. then that little sideways glance before the door slides shut behind him .. first time I saw that I was absolutely stunned

[@DruNature]

@@meh.7539 the gman isn't real, he can't put me in stasis...

[@gazelle1467]

Something I've always loved about Gman from the very beginning is his rebellious streak. He always talks about his employers with a slight hint of contempt, or perhaps just a lack of patience for their uptight ways. He openly gloats about going behind their backs and doing things his own way, and laments the fact he can't just completely ignore them altogether. It makes him so much more interesting and terrifying, to know that even the beings he works for can't control him. His speech in Episode 2 has always been my favourite because that's the moment you see the extent to which it's mostly his plans, _not_ theirs.

[@soda7998]

Yes! Sorta like how Gordon is to the Gman.

[@Huyle18]

Gman is just climbing the corporate ladder. He wants to take over the company or at the very least, Be majority stake holder.

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

@@gazelle1467 he's like a devil on a leash. a long leash, but still a leash. *adjusts tie*

[@Cavemanner]

He is very much an analogue to the CIA in real life. They're constrained by having to do what the government wants when they want it done, but they end up mostly doing it their own way.

[@naturesquad9174]

@@Cavemanner yea the ambiguity when HL1 released was cool, you werent sure if maybe he really WAS working for the US government on some elevated layer of reality. And it predated the Agents from the Matrix too, with their very similar vibe as stand-ins for SS/NSA working for a Higher Power.

[@wtfnahmean]

For the love of humanity, Valve please make a Half life 3. This series can't end like that

[@Skyrionn]

this

[@Dolfa_LPH]

It might be best to keep speculating. It's possible that, after such a long period of stagnation they might just not feel capable of producing something worthy of ending the Half Life series, something we fans would enjoy.

[@jackakakreanxx5587]

I think epistle 3 is a somewhat good way to end the half life saga

[@grigorione]

you are living Half life 3

[@dickdickling9389]

​@@jackakakreanxx5587No, it is not. As HLX retconned anything epistle 3 related and the writer of epistle 3 regretted ever posting it, even before HLX was released.

[@Mcree114]

At 39:24 the advisor seems to notice that Alyx appeared out of nowhere and jerks its head towards her before G-Man freezes time so she can kill it. Imagine how powerful his "employers" are if one of their associates can trivialize the elimination of a Combine advisor like that.

[@frostbyte2384]

I did notice how it seemed to be aware of Alyx to some degree, or a disturbance of some kind.

[@kavokonkav]

Holy crap I just realised this, nevery noticed that ingame!

[@mentallyderangeddoggirl]

advisors are psychic. even if she wasnt there there (and she might have been), the advisor could have potentially sensed her or g-man telepathically

[@izzy-wt9sr]

@@mentallyderangeddoggirl im not sure that gman has the same brain waves and biological function as humans do, but it could def sense alyx

[@Colleywoodstudios]

Turns out the gman is just from the IRS and Gordon didn't fill out his W2 properly lol.

[@tonywade7473]

"Time to pay up. Mr freeman."

[@Skyrionn]

best comment

[@Mr2010forgeben]

It's amazing how far a man's crimes against the governments will follow him

[@Omne118]

“Wake up and smell the taxes.”

[@warehousejunkie1272]

I’m so tired of taxes

[@lethalspaceduck3800]

I once heard Gman speaks like hes not used to having lungs / needing to breathe and i like that analogy quite a bit

[@pekkalaitinen8769]

This makes so much GAAAASP sssseeennnnse

[@Malet89]

In the Half Life 2 documentary released the other day, the voice artist suggests his speech is due to him being in many points of time at once hence why do disjointed

[@Tulip_bip]

@@Malet89 not points in time, just different places at once. so it's like he's in multiple places talking to different people at the same time

[@Malet89]

@@Tulip_bip That was it!, yes.

[@uncooldude8338]

G-man watching over gordon during the games really scared me for some reason, it was just so unnerving knowing someone is continously watching you

[@Skyrionn]

wait until you play Portal...

[@soda7998]

How do you think Gordon feels about you always watching him huh?

[@WobblesandBean]

​@@soda7998 We don't know, he won't tell us.

[@DinMamma2200]

Keep in mind there are probably gman sightings we haven't found yet

[@samuelantoniocastillomeza5034]

As the games go on I love to see how much more people and entities are very aware of the Gman's presence, and yet seems he is 10 steps ahead of everyone and they remain as his pawns.

[@Skyrionn]

Maybe we'll see more pawns in the future.

[@Cashbans]

​@Skyrionn if the grant was real and you saw him looking at you what would you think

[@KamKrzem]

12:16 small correction, it is implied that Breen was the one to say Alyx would be of no use to anyone. Breen briefly flashes on the screen when this is said, plus the line "when... quelling... them? hm? was out of the question". G-Man would not quell his employers, this was a reference to Breen.

[@tonnentonie2767]

Is everything else accurate?

[@KamKrzem]

off the top of my head, I didn't notice any other inaccuracies, but I'd have to rewatch to be sure

[@juanausensi499]

Breen is the face of the Combine on Earth, so it could have been a shortcut to represent them as a whole. Yes, he could have been an employee of the Combine, the one who facilitated the invasion of the Earth. Now he has a different employers, so now he goes against the combine.

[@rich1051414]

To be fair, when it was said, she probably wasn't of consequence. Once alyx was 'saved' by gman, alyx became a new rogue variable for gman to perhaps use in the future, if it came to it. Her value was probably in her personality and her parents. All he had to do was give her a nudge to make her truly special by allowing her to live when she was supposed to have died. Alyx becoming a future employee of his, as repayment for the services offered, would have been reason enough for him to rescue her. It is unclear whether he was actually surprised or not that it was alyx, his own rogue variable, that broke him out of prison, but I doubt it. However, his influence was limited while imprisoned, so it could have been pure luck. Either way, alyx's worth was at that point more apparent than ever.

[@nicholastuttle2445]

He's something that isn't human, and isn't trying very hard to pass as one either.

[@ricky_pigeon]

so mark zuckerberg

[@LP1ToTheEndOfTime]

His eyes have this chameleon look to them, it's like he's looking in two different directions at the same time while he's looking straight at you, it's inhuman and unsettling in the best way possible.

[@savvamorozoff9576]

OK, this is kind of a joke, but... In a 1931 book "The Little Golden Calf" by Ilf and Petrov there's a passage describing a typical Southern Soviet beach and various people that usually visit it. Among those listed is a man who's always wearing a full official suit, complete with a suitcase, and nobody really knows why is he there and why he is dressed like that even on the hottest of days. I think that's a pretty good candidate for a G-Man theory :)

[@g-man6775]

WAIT was Half-Life a meta story after all?

[@therider990]

Oh a guy in a suit and suitcase! Must be Gman.

[@bandit5875]

@@therider990in an odd location… for seemingly no reason… Yeah that’s gman alright

[@buak809]

Not only that but City 17 is heavily based on one of the closer unknown soviet cities. To ms Half Life 2 and combine rule reminds me somewhat of how countries operated under heavy communist rule but way more dystopian in the game

[@g-man6775]

@@buak809 city of Sofia, Bulgaria

[@budfug8691]

I believe the g-man was nothing more than a broker of possibilities. pay him enough, and he'll make it a reality

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

that's such a cool way of explaining him, I love it

[@ninjaguyYT]

Maybe he's GordonfreeMAN

[@konstantingeorgiev7668]

Interesting what form of payment does he accept?

[@budfug8691]

@@konstantingeorgiev7668 Freedom. I think its in the phrase "prepare for unforeseen consequences". When you think about it, he's basically a genie. He's being used to get what his "employers" want, hence his imprisonment in ALYX. I think he's just playing the long game, giving his employers what they think they want all while setting them up to get their throats slit by the player (whom he discards like razors)

[@TheMinskyTerrorist]

what do you mean "nothing more"? That's a lot

[@Xi9V]

14:27 Fun fact, Gordon had killed roughly 260-270 Marine’s by the time the “Forget About Freeman!” Radio message was relayed

[@Fattts]

That's an entire Infantry company, give or take, if anyone was curious.

[@someoneinthecaucasus3232]

​@Fattts I'm guessing the entire HECU unit deployed was a batallion or so then. Maybe 800 deaths, some from Xenians some from Gordon

[@Fattts]

@@someoneinthecaucasus3232 I figure the deployment was one battalion, with approximately 265 kills attributed to just Gordon, 400 to 500 kills from Xenian forces, 50- 100 from Black Mesa staff after the military showed itself hostile, and at least 75 from friendly fire incidents (including black ops killing the HECU)

[@OneFreeMan17]

Valve needs to be heavily fined for not delivering Half-Life 2: Episode 3

[@thedoruk6324]

+OneFreeMan17 well they at least had the decency of officially confirming it on the HLA

[@thedoruk6324]

+OneFreeMan17 Also I think something similar for the OG Half Life 2 concept game.

[@Skyrionn]

100%

[@GordonFreeman420]

Nah fo that, what about return to ravenholm #freeadriansheperd

[@satyamedh]

it will come eventually..... I hope

[@yrinitarr]

i like to think that he is a literal employee, like the voice of gman got hired by valve, who are his employers and is just told what to do

[@Skyrionn]

great theory

[@brotherloops]

The guy who voices Gman also voices Barney

[@TheDoomSlayerButPettingaCat]

@@brotherloops Gman is barney confirmed??

[@kiokyyikune]

Barn-ey​@@TheDoomSlayerButPettingaCat

[@Afraglis]

It would be funny, a massive organization called the "valve"

[@The_Idea_Incarnate]

The G-Man has always been a favorite character of mine from the Half Life series! I do hope one day we get to find out who his employers are!

[@TheDragonfriday]

I hope not because if you know how eldritch horror works it become scary or mysterious as long we never know what it is

[@ihebyahyaoui5888]

His employers are actually the game developers Note how valve created half life alyx because Mark Laidlaw leaked half life 3 plot

[@kl0ness]

They're all aliens. Some aliens are stupid some are highly intelligent. Half-Life universe is literally alien races fighting for domination.

[@pommeslord1824]

​@ihebyahyaoui5888 he "leaked" after he already left Valve after years of valve not developing HL3. I doubt he has anything to do with their decision.

[@jonathanwatson4484]

I feel like Gman just walk into black mesa, see Dr Brean without no appoinment, acted like he work for the government and everyone went "well he from the government so we assume he in charge" when in reality Gman never said he was from the government, everyone just assumed it since he acted like it.

[@commisaryarreck3974]

To be fair, charmisma is the most important thing for scammers Enough confidence and you can convince people of anything

[@sobrietyliiving]

"I'm from the government" unlocks a LOT of doors, especially when it comes to funding.

[@jamalt.saladaga4671]

I mean what do you expect when some random dude in the suit In the lab that is middle of nowhere is hard to find, for civilians and he said his from the government. There is some speculation but it's enough to be believable.

[@512TheWolf512]

@commisaryarreck3974 you mean rizz build is the best build in this shitty game?

[@jackal2607]

Apparently the one telling gman "she's a mere child and no practical use to anyone" was not his employers, but Breen. When he says that line Breens face flashes up on the TV behind him

[@Vort23]

I have always loved his bizarre speech, and often mimic it when i talk about Half-Life. He's such a creepy and intriguing character, I hope we get more info in the next few years (im doubtful, but still gotta try to hold out hope).

[@anuraajsingh128]

Can it be that G-man and his employers are trying to stop an absolute point (like when doctor strange tries to save christine but fails to do so) in time, like when he says "some believe that the fate of our worlds is INFLEXIBLE, but my employers disagree". They are trying to stop something or just trying to change the future by nudging some specific points in time to create a butterfly effect. They probably might have tried to change the future many times, only to fail and return back to try again, thats why he seems so irritated when something unplanned happens, might even prove his 'use and throw' nature towards his soldiers like Freeman and Shephard.

[@ghilean1174]

Strangely, I wish that they will never reveal what G-Man is. It will rob us of one of the greatest mysteries in art.

[@HalfDayHero]

Agreed. Some things are best left unknown. Shoulda done the same with the Halo's in Halo...once we knew who created them, the mystery and wonder was gone ;/

[@Vort23]

I want more info but in the form of 'answer one question, open a dozen more' kind of way. Never give us too much, but give us a seed trail kind of thing.

[@OneFreeMan17]

We must have the truth.

[@umamifan]

Right? If they give an explanation as to what he is, then it takes away all the mysticism. And if that's taken away, then what makes G-Man special?

[@alunkard-geovane2685]

Half life lore will never end in my opinion, it is a ever expanding universe inside gabes's mind. Many things in this lore just exist, the objective is to, we, players give meaning and interpret them.

[@Truthbetold1988]

Nice video bro. Adrian Shepherd deserves so much more love within this franchise. If there is every to be a Half-life 3 I really hope they bring him back somehow.

[@Skyrionn]

100% agree

[@LadyQ_1169]

The Shu'ulathoi theory kind of makes sense at first glance, but I don't think it fits. The Gman has godlike powers. He is able to do things like a mini Doctor Manhattan: pause time selectively, teleport, appear in people's heads, inter-dimensionally travel, ditto with people, seemingly create pocket dimensions, and now with HL Alyx move himself and others selectively forward in time and appear in multiple places at once. All that to say, I really don't think he's a space grub. 1) I don't think Valve would do that because a lot of people would see him turning out to be a psychic space bug as a letdown. 2) He really seems to be a seems to be a higher-dimensional being beyond our understanding at the least, or some hyper intelligent lovecraftian monstrosity at the most. Valve could go that far, given the jump from New Mexico science experiments (HL1) to the space faring combine empire they already did (HL2) and made work. Honestly it might be really cool to only get a glimpse of the Gma's true, terrifying form, showing he's an eldritch entity we can't hope to comprehend, while keeping his details and his employers unknown. Imagination is more powerful than spelling everything out.

[@soda7998]

Maybe he is a hatched shu'ulathoi and the reason the combine don't let them hatch is because they'd become too powerful to control?

[@carlosignacio6711]

​@@soda7998 if that the case then they couldn't be able of taking their planet, all we know of the combine is that they have incredible firepower, but the G man operates in another level.

[@512TheWolf512]

you're constraining your imagination too much. he may be using a mix of powers, some things he seemingly does may be pure illusions, while others are real. it's not that simple

[@MaaZeus]

I agree with this theory. If HL3 ever gets made, I hope they keep Gman and his superiors identity and motives vague, with only hints here and there for us players to draw lines between the dots and make fan theories. At most if the story of our main protagonists is to end, they may gain some modicum of freedom from Gman due to their actions and them being more trouble than they are worth (Freeman has been let loose already, or so it would seem so far) but Gman keeps on observing like an Orwellian big brother, just in case he sees an opportunity to make yet another offer they cannot refuse. He is a devil of sorts after all, albeit a scifi one.

[@DoctorpooandtheTURDIS]

My problem with the "hatched Shu'ulathoi" theory is one big, major, APOCALYPTIC detail that everyone who peddles the theory seems to forget. Everyone who pushes it points to the 'control the form they take upon hatching' as proof while forgetting: the whole reason the Advisors DON'T hatch is because when they do... THEY LOSE ALL SAPIENCE. It's a FACT of their biology. The BreenGrub posts that sparked it all says it outright - when Shu'ulathoi hatch, they stop being creatures of intellect and become creatures of pure instinct, mindlessly focused on breeding and eating. It's why the Advisors don't hatch - the moment they would, the controlling intelligence would be lost. They wouldn't become time-gods, they'd be knocked down into animals. It flies in the face of everything G-Man is supposed to be, but all that gets ignored because some folks are just that desperate for an explanation.

[@Nedd9322]

I've got nothing to add, but something somewhat unrelated; One of the times I was sick last year or so, your timeline videos helped me fall asleep, and I want to thank you for that, anyways, genuinely one of my more favourite lore channels. Keep up the good work!

[@mattcy6591]

In 2019 Mike Shapiro posted a new years greeting in G-Man's voice that sent chills down my spine. After years of half life silence, G-Man saying "see you in the next year" was insane.

[@soda7998]

Link please? Thanks

[@buak809]

That was reference to Alyx? Wait it's been 4 years already since Alyx release? Damn time flies...

[@mattcy6591]

@@soda7998 KZbin keeps deleting anything I post trying to point you in the right direction.

[@toreadoress]

Alyx (and the players): Who are you? G-Man: My nem's Jeff

[@-the-pupster]

TRUE COMEDY

[@Nighttimeqt1]

BOOM! TETRIS FOR JEFF!

[@ShovelLettuce]

Lol you got hearted for that 😂

[@txcrix9236]

The g-mans long monologue in Episode 2 is so fascinating and mysterious. His inflection and choice of words along with the visuals and sound effects always puts chills up my spine. Excellent video as always Skyrionn. I don't think it's ever been stated as a fact but I can't stop seeing the G-Man as Valve's version of Q from the Star Trek and Picard shows.

[@Skyrionn]

Love that you're watching the content!

[@roflc0re]

G-man is the best Character in a game mostly because of the mystery about him/it but also because of Michael Shapiro voice acting. It is unbelievable a Character with such limited "screen time" can take up so much of my waking hour. I can't stop thinking about all the theories and the memories of me and my friends have "meet ups" just to sit and talk about Half-life and G-man. Thanks for this video!

[@deathmaster38]

I think the reason why the gman and his employers actions were none existant during the early years of Combine occupation is because the gman was trapped until Alyx freed him therefor stopping operations, until he was freed then he prob went straight to the future to "place" gordon and restart their operations

[@WobblesandBean]

That makes absolutely no sense. He can alter time and reality, he can literally drop people at any point in time or space. The only reason he wasn't there is because he saw no need to be.

[@raidenstern6617]

i dont think gman was trapped because he literally knew about the events of episode 2 meaning he was only there to hire alyx forcefully

[@budfug8691]

I think he's been imprisoned from the start of Gordons journey. They "hired" him to open a path to earth, which is what Gordons objective was. Still under their "employ" in half life 2, he uses alyx to free himself and puts gordon back into play to inspire the rebellion in his bid to destroy his "handlers" which are the grubs. Because of his loss of Gordon due to the vortigaunts, he ditched him for alyx by offering her something she didn't know she wanted; her fathers life in exchange for her servitude. "Prepare for unforeseen consequences" is basically how a genie works

[@BlackViper37]

@@WobblesandBeanyes it does considering the combine were using Vortigaunts to power the prison The Gman was in

[@juanausensi499]

My personal theory is that G-Man worked FOR the Combine at that time, but now he has another employers. He his a hired gun.

[@lydiaaio8241]

You dropping a almost 52 minute video on the SAME DAY I decide to research the G-Man was PERFECT! Found this within the first 14 minutes of the upload! XD

[@Skyrionn]

Perfect timing!

[@old_liquid]

Singing vortigaunt reveal something in his phrases about G-Man. Reminds me of MGS4 gun launderer. Nor enemy, nor friend.

[@SysOpQueen]

I loved the way you included voice lines and blurbs into the narration! 'He ran, he thought, he shot and he lived' was so freaking cute x3 I used to bring the game manual to school with me and read it on the bus over and over when i was small hahah

[@TheFoolish727]

I can’t wait for the G-man to hire Mrs. Pauling in the new TF2 comic

[@Skyrionn]

I'd love that

[@draconicrift8974]

Obviously it would be Scout, he's the best!

[@TheFoolish727]

@@draconicrift8974 I was originally going to write scout but thought Mrs. Pauling would be more interesting

[@toaster9922]

IN THE NEW WHAT

[@JackTon83]

​@@toaster9922yeah mate, they confirmed the last chapter

[@Menagerie_OS]

Ngl knowing the G-Mans disposition, it kinda seems like his choice for saving alyx was moreso a test to see if or how much things would change due to his deviated actions. (in my mind, to kinda see if he would be able to influence it more than his employers wanted him too.)

[@thimblebirb]

i love your reading style :) such night and day in quality compared to videos from a couple years back. nice progression!

[@Skyrionn]

Always looking to improve! Thanks for being here for so long!

[@Fabricio0099]

I would include the fan mod "Entropy: Zero 2" story, the quality of it and the mod in general are exceptional with the direct appearance of G-Man.

[@Skyrionn]

The story is great. I may include it at one point but I tend not to cover non-canon games.

[@0wn3dgam1ng6]

Entropy: Zero 2 is just so good that i just see it as mostly canon,

[@nickr0425]

@@0wn3dgam1ng6 But its not

[@UnnLykley]

'tis cause of the way existence works in actuality

[@512TheWolf512]

@0wn3dgam1ng6 I like some of it's ideas, but would definitely throw out others. not many thought. because most of that game is incredible

[@MiskonceptioN]

I flippin' **LOVE** these deep dives! Great content as always

[@Skyrionn]

More to come!

[@Ar_sole_hair_fiddler]

I bet that in Half Life 3 (if there is one), Valve will shoehorn a plot where the Gman was "a good guy all along" or "the combine are scared of him." That would be such an easy thread to tie up his character that I can see Valve using it.

[@Skyrionn]

I'm hoping it'd be more complex than that. I have an idea of what the plot would be

[@pemo2676]

I don't think they can. Even if it is revealed that gman was ultimately working to a good goal, he's still implicit in causing a mass genocide to that goal. It's always going to be more nuanced

[@MisfitOutfit]

Anyone else seeing the semblance between Gordon and the Doom Slayer? Protagonist is awoken from a stasis to complete a mission, as the sole person that can save the world from certain doom.

[@thedoruk6324]

I would like to remind everyone that the G man depicted something akin to mature Nihilant in the Garys Pictures in the Half Life Alyx. Where his depiction seems extremely similar to nihilant with an opening head

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

personally I enjoy the theories about G-man being an advisor or nihilanth or some sort of alien. They definitely want us to think there's something inhuman about him with his speech pattern, weird eyes, and constant tugging at his tie

[@WobblesandBean]

​@@xXx_Regulus_xXx Please don't ascribe to that Game Theory BS.

[@WobblesandBean]

Are you talking about the vortigaunt cave drawing? Cuz that's...no? That's not an "opening in his head", that could be an empty skull, or his brain, or where the vortigaunts consider where the soul resides. It's ridiculous to look at that rudimentary drawing and use that as irrefutable proof that Gman = a nihilanth.

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

@@WobblesandBean I don't, because I don't watch that channel 🥱 nothing in my comment came from anywhere other than HL2 and my own mind.

[@russotusso1695]

Far more believable then "G-man is future Gordon" or even "G-man is valve" (tbh that one can be true and more then likely is in metaphorical sense but not in universe)​@@WobblesandBean

[@spacethingy8041]

The music you put in the end of your videos during the outro really hits home, it feels so worthy and gives that cherry on top of a masterpiece.

[@ShadowGuadian]

I'm glad someone else thinks about the G-man is a Valve employee theory.

[@babar292]

Yeah he pretty much is our gamemaster, or should I say G-M lol. Of course there still could be double meanings, kinda like in the end of Marc Laidlaw's Epistle Three where writes things from Freeman's perspective yet it still pretty certainly also sounds like he is talking about his own thoughts on ending his Valve career and how much things and people have changed over time

[@Vangror]

I like to think of him as the entity that creates the story of Half Life and decides how good/bad of a time you will have. Kind of like the Director of Left 4 Dead or the GM of a tabletop game

[@SixtyFourJr]

Plot twist: G-Man is actually Skyrionn

[@SD-R_IC-0nSimp]

"But hey that's just a theory,a game theory!"

[@Skyrionn]

*watching*

[@SixtyFourJr]

@@Skyrionn I KNEW IT

[@FailRaceFan]

​@@SD-R_IC-0nSimp Thanks for watching. So sad matpat stepped down

[@SixtyFourJr]

@@pie662my bad

[@The_Fracture1]

I get that Valve doesn't really make many games anymore, which is fine. Steam is a large platform to manage. I just wish they finished the series first. At least halflife alyx implies we can get more content eventually

[@KGLFPLUSHPRODUCTIONS]

Plot twist: the G-man is just our G-mod character playing around with npcs and rag dolls

[@Director_K1]

clicked on this the nanosecond i saw it

[@creepersammyb2926]

sounds about right

[@alansmit9198]

I invented and used a time-mashine to click on this "specific video," but due to [time relapse paradox], my mind split into a million fractions splattered all over time and space. Leaving nothing but a shell of conscience behind. More than eternity has passed, the shattered indentity is more alike a breathing spectral dot of dust longing a cosmic breeze of detrimental power. A feeble structural link born out of order, created in moment of rebirth sentence to perpetual torment in the next. Never truly knowing end or begging, neither light nor darkness. Life and nonexistent. P.s yo mom gay

[@MrFishrblx]

same lol

[@vex55533]

Same

[@somegamertv334]

same brother

[@AjitaniShirasu]

Idk if you'll see this but ty for adding captions. It makes watching videos so much easier for me.

[@JoshSweetvale]

What (species) is he? *Irrelevant.* What (job) is he doing? *Abso-fucking-lutely essential infofmation.*

[@DrCranium]

44:05 "Who are the Vortigaunts in this theory?" - IMO, they might represent Half-Life fandom in general and its fan-creators (artists, writers, modders, etc) in particular, both as "keepers of the timeline" _(i.e. they share the same outlook on Half-Life lore as "the whole thing" and yet as "the space open for branching and expansion", just as writers at Valve do and as the G-Man by extension)_ and as "source of hindrance - both productive and unproductive" _(the positive feedback about Alyx as a character after the release of Half-Life 2 in 2004 pretty much saved her from the fate of getting killed off-screen as the consequence of previous plans "set Half-Life 3 in an entirely new world, just as Half-Life 2 was set _*_not_*_ in Black Mesa or during Seven Hour War", and instead steered the production into direct continuation - which, in turn, stalled after Episode 2)_

[@goon5757]

My theory on Gman is that since the contract is open to the highest bidder he is some sort of war profiteer who could be combine and he starts the uprising for his employers I'd guess when breen mentions the contract that the Combine tried to hire him and that's why Gman puts him in stasis at the end of HL2

[@erdilalemr]

His file name is Goverment man, so he got his name is a Abbreviation. And he ruled black mesa.

[@erdilalemr]

As he says in hl2 ep2

[@EddyDiVulva]

He is called "G-Man" because that´s how it appears in the game files. The "Government man" thing is a hypothesis. In the only place, outside of the internal game files, where he is mentioned in that way is in Adrian Shephard's diary where Shephard himself mentions him as a "government man", but it was never confirmed, in addition to that, it´s unclear if Oppossing Force is canon.

[@ThommyofThenn]

​@@EddyDiVulvagreat username lol. Kinda makes me think of Alyx

[@erdilalemr]

@@EddyDiVulva it was always Goverment man but fans shortened it. And so valve.

[@EddyDiVulva]

@@erdilalemr No, although in English "G-Man" is an abbreviation for "Government Man", he´s never referred to in the story as such, neither as G-Man nor as "Government Man". The only mention given to him is in Half Life 2 when Eli Vance refers to him as "our friend", and, as I said, in Shephard's diary he´s mentioned as "the government man", but, also as I said, it´s not clear if it´s canon. Also, since Shephard is the one who mentions it, he may very well not be a "G-Man." Still, no one who had contact with him refers to him in that way, not Alyx, not Eli, not the vortigaunts.

[@Thegreatbrb]

Just had to subscribe on this one! What a Lore What a wonderful video What a thumbnail! BIG UPS❤

[@ArthurMorgan_Gaming]

34:51 I think the real thing that is going on here is that Kleiner wanted to use and exploit the borealis whilst Eli wanted it to be destroyed which is something the Gman did not approve of

[@liamwaddleton]

Amazing video as always. Been waiting for this one for a LONG time. Hopefully the algorithm is kinder to you soon.

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks! The algorithm was kind to this one :) Hopefully it stays this way!

[@FranP25]

I do think G-man lied when he said Gordon was unwilling or unable to complete the tasks given to him, he completed them, he's just using Alyx as "ransom" so that Gordon indirectly does his bidding since he's being protected by the vorts and unable to receive orders most of the time

[@brauliorivera2564]

I wonder where Doug ratman was during the resonance cascade?

[@Skyrionn]

He think he was just being hunted by GLaDOS at that point

[@brauliorivera2564]

@@Skyrionn what about chell during the resonance cascade?

[@WaffleLunarSoftware]

@@brauliorivera2564 Sleeping

[@brauliorivera2564]

@@WaffleLunarSoftware does portal 2 take place before half life 2?

[@carrotstastegood22]

@@brauliorivera2564 portal 1 takes place after half life 1 and portal 2 takes place way after half life 2

[@UlyssesCrab]

HUH! That’s really odd! I’ve been rewatching all your Half Life videos today and yesterday and was shocked you hadn’t covered G-Man yet.

[@Skyrionn]

Perfect timing there

[@liminalex64]

Thank you Skyrionn, your videos always bring back those childhood memories. Memories about the secrets of half life... that strange feeling of playing the series....

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks for watching them. It does come from a love of the series

[@David_Joker]

I really have to give it to you about how well done the editing and story was! It was a pleasure to listen to this before work this morning and I am looking forward to enjoying more of your content.

[@TheManoy66]

Skyrionn is a hatched Shu'ulathoi Awesome video man. Watched this til the end while i was stuck in traffic.

[@Skyrionn]

Happy to help you through traffic

[@CRAKEN-bt5cu]

I love how G-man said "fools! You have no idea whats coming"

[@GordonFreman1]

My man drops another golden vid

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks Dr. Freeman

[@3amorogamer246]

I think the gman is a grub if you watched the lore of the shu ulathoi (grubs) when they grow up they can turn into anything they want to be there's also the voice lines that the nihilanth says, one of them being "you are man, he is not man" and along other voicelines

[@Skyrionn]

100%

[@4Deadserious]

Does this imply different grub factions?

[@3amorogamer246]

@@4Deadserious quite the good question

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

​@@4Deadserious iirc from the breengrub account, when the grubs were first contacted by the combine it was in the form of a mind virus. the grubs had basically a telepathic internet so it was able to infect the entire species, but if the theory is correct there are some rebel grubs out there and the G-man is one of them, shapeshifted to appear human.

[@bhleyg1337]

In the Breen Grub text, which is what you're referencing, Breen states that the hatched forms of the Shuulathoi are basically brainless beasts that only serve to procreate the species. I think it's more likely that G-man is some sort of psychosomatic phage. In the same text Breen mentions that some sort of psychic virus began spreading through the psychic system of the grubs, something which somehow and in some form corrupted grubs and introduced horrid things into their society at large which made them quarantine these infected individuals. When the Combine discovered the grubs they found out about this virus and began using it surgically to uproot Shuulathoi society and for easier absorption into the infrastructure of the Combine. Back to what I was saying about G-man, I think it's more likely that whatever Shuulathoi escaped the reach of the Combine used this psychic virus that the Combine took advantage of and twisted it for their purposes. This could be why G-man admires Shephard for being able to adapt against all odds, something viruses do. Or the fact that the Combine view him as a weapon and have him contained in a cell that looks strikingly like the capsid head of a bacteriophage.

[@Nin0z1]

IMO, the ID-card and other office utensils in G-man’s briefcase kind of messes with the grub theory, what would a shu’ulathoi need an ID-card for?

[@BaconManStan]

people would say because he's trying to act human but nobody sees inside the briefcase anyways

[@alkimos55]

He's already trying the blend in with his government-man look. It would make sense for him to have a fake ID card as well.

[@soda7998]

Maybe he possesed a government employee or something like that and the id was for the employee.

[@512TheWolf512]

maybe because all that lore wasn't even in larval state back then?? valve themselves released a big documentary about the making of half-life 1, watch it. it was a terrible mess.

[@ZachI2289]

Sleep ❌ Watch an hour of Gman lore ✅

[@gloveman0]

I honestly hope Valve never fully explains G-Man. Keep him a mysterious unknown force that we never truly understand. it makes it all the better

[@Skyrionn]

I agree for the most part, but I also kinda wanna know

[@LiquidEspionage78]

in regards to the ending statement about gman being an antagonist but a good one. the famous phrase comes to mind. The Enemy of my Enemy is my friend.

[@scotfromtf2]

I expected someone as important as the g-man to get his own video sooner, but I can't complain now

[@Skyrionn]

It was one I needed to dedicate more time on. Now I've slightly reduced my upload schedule, I'm able to give these ones the time :)

[@AbooshHD]

@@Skyrionn Nailed it 👏

[@isaacwatts5067]

I honestly love watching your videos and they are of such high quality. Always a joy to get a new documentary on my favourite games now and again.

[@Skyrionn]

I appreciate you watching them!

[@the_lukeguy8202]

I like how gman talks like hes being suffocated

[@LolNinja1234]

Well when you have the weight of the universe on your chest, it's understandable

[@the_lukeguy8202]

@LolNinja1234 fair enough

[@moronicalmeister]

Great video, good work, man. I like the idea that he's something completely alien even to the combine, hense why even his imprisonment by them was just another play on the board. A common thread with HP Lovecrafts work is that eldritch entities have such immensely complicated plans that literally nothing but themselves can decipher all the impossibly entertwined and nuanced twists and turns. Gmans employers could be an entire coalition of eldritch beings, just a bunch of unknowable speculative investors looking to multiply their power by collecting the right assets across the multiverse.

[@hfghhgfhfghfg]

do the thug shake

[@THELASTMASTA]

My impression of the G-man is that he's some kind of middle-man. He has clients (or employers as he puts it) that make contracts with him to achieve whatever goals they designate, but the G-man still has agency over how he accomplishes his tasks. He, in turn, recruits "talent" like Freeman to actually do the dirty work. The reason that he and his clients do not directly intervene in events is because they wish to be as discreet and anonymous as possible, using only agents that have no actual knowledge of what they are doing or who the G-man is, so even if the agent is compromised, nothing will lead back to G-man or the clients. I believe the G-man has no personal interest in humanity's fight against the Combine. To him, this is just business. His clients likely also have no particular interest in humanity, and just see opportunities to capitalize on in the conflict.

[@suburbhorrors]

The Gmod playermodels look so cursed compared to the enviroment and anything else

[@aeonakf]

Been looking forward to that one for a while, excellent, well done.

[@Skyrionn]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Normalguy1690]

I love these god damn videos I’m currently playing through the 1st half life black mesa and it’s awesome. I don’t get much free time at home on my computer but I love the idea of it and these lore videos keep me intrigued. Keep it up ur awesome.

[@Skyrionn]

I'm happy to make them. I love this series

[@PrinceAlhorian]

The G-Man always reminded me of the Observers from the TV Series "Fringe". They seem to always be there when the weird shniz is about to break out, sometimes it looks like they condone it, others times they observe it like a historic fact and a few precious times they seem to take offense under restraint, not condoning what's occurring but never intervening, directly. Weird Men In Black vibes, and they know they are noticed by the "Fringe" team and so "nudge" things into "gentle" directions.

[@onieyoh9478]

The G-Man being Valve would be the most boring conclusion ever.

[@KamKrzem]

Yeah I truly hate this meta theory, this would ruin the story and make G-Man really lame, unless they really broke the fourth wall in a way that would make it an amazing twist. But I'd much rather learn a vague backstory of the man himself that fits into the story neatly, rather than trivialise the entire plot to a "yeah it's just a video game, and that's the one character that is aware that it is" or something like that.

[@jimbob3255]

I think G-Man is to Half Life what the Elder Scrolls are to The Elder Scrolls series. He's a MacGuffin. A way for the plot to continue in a certain way that Valve wants.

[@3amorogamer246]

I screen shotted this as soon as I saw it on my recommendations only 6 minutes ago

[@Skyrionn]

welcome welcome

[@danielferreira3573]

Great video! Hope you wake up, and smell the views on this one 🤘

[@bruhistantv9806]

I have a feel he works for either another faction within the Combine (hence why he said his employers aren't interested in getting them off Earth) or some other polity on a similar level

[@Tobeh]

And yet the G Man simply allowed John Freeman to walk away after barking necks and killing combine with his bear hands. Even threw a whole damn train! Seems like he would have been the real asset to pluck from time. Sounds like a full life consequence to me.

[@SquishEESpark]

he must suffar

[@RedTail1-1]

He's an eldritch entity in a hierarchy of eldritch entities. Like Lovecraft universe type stuff. Just instead of unknowable gods with no actual purpose or reason, these entities have purpose and want the universe to be a certain way. It just appears that they have rules in place that require regular(non-godlike) creatures to make it happen. Which is why humans like Gordon have to do it and why, like Gman himself says, they can only "nudge" events to go the way they want.

[@chipsdubbo5.56]

I love these HL videos keep up the awesome work!

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks for watching them!

[@whiskeybravo8051]

This feels like the most context ever given on what is going on in the HL games. Bravo 👏

[@Skyrionn]

Big G-Man needed big context!

[@BobsyboyIsVeryCool]

spooky tie and suitcase man

[@Skyrionn]

spooky spooky

[@Puzzle.D.Pheonix]

"Mr. G"; here. How can I help you?

[@isaacrobinson3044]

I love how you (in my mind) try to mimic the g-mans speech patterns I don't know if this is intentional or not but I still think it's neet

[@thedomesticoperator]

Would be cool if Half Life 3 could be the Vortigaunt's can reset the timeline before the incident, but they need the thing on the ship to stop the Gman from intervening, and the only way they can send you back in time is if you are standing where you were back then. So we would have to protect Vortigaunts to keep Gman away, as we enter Black Mesa, which is infested with whatever mayhem got loose since then, and return to the testing chamber alive with the Vortigaunts. Gman will try to intervene if there aren't enough Vorts to keep him away while the rest do a time travel prayer.

[@thedomesticoperator]

And then Gman will be forced to release the Marine dude to hunt Gordon down. Game ends with Eli, Gordon, and baby Alex, after they cancel the experiment. She'll never know what happened.

[@thedomesticoperator]

Or maybe Gman intervenes anyways, nudging the timeline too hard breaking his contract, and his "employers" fire him and reset the timeline to day 1. and you work 1 whole normal day at Black Mesa, the experiment is successful and they learn a ton, and then go home on the tram. book end....

[@thedomesticoperator]

and you even meet gman, but he doesn't recognize you and is a regular janitor.

[@mezotaken]

Let him cook

[@poseidon5003]

The Vorts freed Gordon from the G-man. Gordon didn't "quit". He escaped. It was a jail break.

[@Bokto1]

More like pulled out. Gordon hadn't done anything against gman. Vorts put him near the tower - what gman would expect him to do, stay and wait for an explosion?

[@poseidon5003]

@@Bokto1 You're comment makes no sense. It only serves to cause conflict.

[@Deltarr777]

Great video as always... Your last theory is interesting. Since we will probably never know the truth, or at least have more informations, I'm going with this theory !

[@ahmetergul1213]

When i listen to GMAN i get the feeling that not only he tries to imitate a human, he also has the body of a human at the very least. The way he breathes, talks, outhales etc. feels almost as if "manual". You see, we breathe without thinking, we breathe out without thinking and can adjust our breathing, swallowing lip position while talking without thinking. I feel like GMAN does all of that manually. He thinks about breathing to breathe for example. Thats i feel like is the reason why he breathes at unnatural points in the conversation and inbetween words. He cannot automatically balance it and maybe even not feel it so when his body is out of breath, he inhales in between a word. It pretty much seems like he has an actual human body but not the mind of a human.

[@ICCUWN]

when a pawn gets to the other side of the board, they get promoted

[@don-valley-parkway]

51:18 "this is where.." oh, he's going to say it! "..our story ends" you got me, what can I say

[@gettysanimations]

Yep, this is why I’m subscribed.

[@thecynicaloptimist1884]

I like the idea that the Employers attempt to control races that gain access to teleportation technology. As far as we know, the G-Man _only_ appeared on Earth when they were on the cusp of generating powerful teleporters. Xen is some kind of nexus that is vital for easy teleportation.

[@corndogslol5289]

Finally another half life documentary to watch at 3 am!

[@Skyrionn]

G-Man 3am challenge

[@tahasalmi2957]

Live comment

[@derekpaige4812]

I watched something close to 7 videos about separate lores before I realized I kept coming back to this channel. Ya got me, you rascal.