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This topic has moved here: Subject: Halo 3 Ending Theory - Why the Master Chief dying does not make sense.
  • Subject: Halo 3 Ending Theory - Why the Master Chief dying does not make sense.
Subject: Halo 3 Ending Theory - Why the Master Chief dying does not make sense.
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I am going to leave this open for discussion for the masses as to what the controversy surrounding the possible Halo 3 endings might really mean, but here is my take:

Spartan-117 is a deeply identifiable character if we look at him in his humanized aspects (the other side to the war machine that we all know and love). He has a family (the other Spartans) that he has kept losing over the course of the war, his life was focused on victory ever since he learned to walk and talk, and has a deep ideal of putting his mission ahead of his own personal safety. A lot of people have suggested that the Master Chief be killed, but here is why it is a bad idea:

1. There may be no one left - With the MAC Grid destroyed, cities burned to the ground, the UNSC reduced to an underground resistance movement, and the Covenant everywhere, there is a great chance that the Admiralty of the UNSC (including our man, Lord Hood) may be dead. Who will lead humanity through the end if this is true?: The Arbiter won't (he's got the Seperatists to lead), Sgt. Major Johnson or Commander Keyes may not (they are a tiny bit underdeveloped at this point). That leads only up to the character known as John-117.

2. Controversy and Cliches - Let's face it, Bungie likes to surprise us, but the death of the main hero is something that has been rehashed throughout popular culture and does not really seem feasible given the fact that we control the Chief. Imagine also of how pissed off you would be at this ending:

You are surrounded by enemies as you fade into darkness.

Commander Keyes - "Damn it! We've failed. Spartan-117 is down. Earth is lost!"

Point 2: The Arbiter is more likely to go out on a rampage because of the fact that his whole life was living to serve a lie. I could see him dying in a blaze of glory while taking down Truth or setting off the knockout blow against Gravemind.

3. Rampage - Drama is always great when we see a friend of the main hero die. What about if John-117 loses everything and goes on a rampage? It was mentioned at the very end of the Fall of Reach of his thirst for vengeance. So why not carry it out in Halo 3 by making him a lone wolf with a few marines, or have him lose his mother figure, Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey? (She had a principle of the sacrifice of one for many.) I could imagine a final bombshell of Commander Keyes finally being revealed as Dr. Halsey's daughter, the good Doctor tells John-117 to look after her, and Halsey buys time for the Master Chief to trigger the final defeat of the Flood.

Post your own ideas and thoughts here. Let's debate.

[Edited on 6/25/2006]

  • 06.25.2006 8:59 PM PDT
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I want to debate.....But I have to say you do have some good points.

  • 06.25.2006 9:06 PM PDT
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Good points but I believe they will tie in the movie with the game somehow.

  • 06.25.2006 9:08 PM PDT
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Really? I personally thought this might have been flamed from the get-go.

  • 06.25.2006 9:13 PM PDT
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Yeah, I completely agree, I don't think they would consider killing the MC. Unless, of course, they killed everyone else as well. Probably the Prophets and Brutes and such will be consumed by the Flood, but the humans and Separatists will go somewhere safe. Maybe. Or they all just die.

  • 06.25.2006 9:16 PM PDT
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Good thought, but then again, the Ark is classified as a safe haven, so why not there?

  • 06.25.2006 9:20 PM PDT
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i couldnt have said that any better, well, thats not a compliment because my theorys and points SUCK! good job, i totally agree

  • 06.25.2006 9:20 PM PDT
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So no debate? No theories of your own that could complement this one?

I personally think that Halo 3 may also show the resurrection of the Forerunners and everyone rallying together after the death of Truth to destroy the Flood once and for all (with the Master Chief and Leader of the Seperatists leading the charge).

  • 06.25.2006 9:31 PM PDT
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Your'e right killing off the main character is sooo cliche, for example They're going to kill off Solid Sanke in MGS4. Does Bungie want to copy Kojima? The games will be out around the same time it will sure look that way. Plus i dont think anyone wants Master Chief to die and I dont think anyone wants this to be the last halo game either. At least keep him alive for the multiplayergame I think that will turn into something the fans expect them to renew every year because its become such a standard like Unreal 2007, if the main character is dead they will have to replace him and it just wont be the same.

PLUS think about the movie, The game and movie will release together (?) and you KNOW there is gonna be a sequle to this movie- If Master Cheif dies in Halo 3, then no more sequle and movie studios will be pissed!!

  • 06.25.2006 9:37 PM PDT
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Multiplayer is not the equivalent of Single Player.

Halo > Unreal

And no, the movie studios will have the possibility of at least seven films, but this is the last Halo game, Bungie has said so. John-117 dying still does not make sense.

  • 06.25.2006 9:41 PM PDT
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I was one of those people who thought that the Master Chief would die, but you make some really valid points that have given me something to think about.

  • 06.25.2006 9:46 PM PDT
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Posted by: The Gunshark 360
Good thought, but then again, the Ark is classified as a safe haven, so why not there?
if the rings get activated (which is a Long Shot) Why would ark be safe,Also has anyone Wondered What Halo Does to kill All Living Life?

  • 06.25.2006 9:53 PM PDT
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Posted by: The Gunshark 360
1. There may be no one left - With the MAC Grid destroyed, cities burned to the ground, the UNSC reduced to an underground resistance movement, and the Covenant everywhere, there is a great chance that the Admiralty of the UNSC (including our man, Lord Hood) may be dead. Who will lead humanity through the end if this is true?: The Arbiter won't (he's got the Seperatists to lead), Sgt. Major Johnson or Commander Keyes may not (they are a tiny bit underdeveloped at this point). That leads only up to the character known as John-117.


I'm picturing Admiral Hood dying in this sense: Brutes have boarded Cairo and blew through the blast door to the bridge, killing all the command crew (who refuses to abandon their posts despite Hood's calm order for them to abandon ship if they wish to)in sight. Hood ducks behind a console, picks up a SMG nearby, runs out and shoot. He runs across the stage(where the medal awarding ceremony was held)in front of the display screen as the space outside Cairo is alit with fire. A UNSC ship engulfed in flames moves across to take a hit for Cairo(must be Iroquois, by the battered war stripe). He gets shot in the chest, and clutching his wound, a mortally wounded Hood sprays the SMG at Cairo's windows shattering them and sucking the Brutes and himself into space. MC becomes the sole leader of mankind's last stand against the Covenant as the MAC defenses are failing rapidly.

Something tells me the Arbiter is more likely to sacrifice himself.

[Edited on 6/25/2006]

  • 06.25.2006 10:01 PM PDT
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Excellent, Hood could also fight in Dr. Halsey's final stand as her gunner.

This is less feasible but I will throw it out there anyway. What about an ending that is like Helm's Deep from LOTR? All hope is lost, yet as nightfall approaches, you lead a last heroic charge and a second army of Spartans, led by Frederic-104, appear out of nowhere.

  • 06.25.2006 10:06 PM PDT
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Posted by: Seven7h
Posted by: The Gunshark 360
1. There may be no one left - With the MAC Grid destroyed, cities burned to the ground, the UNSC reduced to an underground resistance movement, and the Covenant everywhere, there is a great chance that the Admiralty of the UNSC (including our man, Lord Hood) may be dead. Who will lead humanity through the end if this is true?: The Arbiter won't (he's got the Seperatists to lead), Sgt. Major Johnson or Commander Keyes may not (they are a tiny bit underdeveloped at this point). That leads only up to the character known as John-117.


I'm picturing Admiral Hood dying in this sense: Brutes have boarded Cairo and blew through the blast door to the bridge, killing all the command crew (who refuses to abandon their posts despite Hood's calm order for them to abandon ship if they wish to)in sight. Hood ducks behind a console, picks up a SMG nearby, runs out and shoot. He runs across the stage(where the medal awarding ceremony was held)in front of the display screen as the space outside Cairo is alit with fire. A UNSC ship engulfed in flames moves across to take a hit for Cairo(must be Iroquois, by the battered war stripe). He gets shot in the chest, and clutching his wound, a mortally wounded Hood sprays the SMG at Cairo's windows shattering them and sucking the Brutes and himself into space. MC becomes the sole leader of mankind's last stand against the Covenant as the MAC defenses are failing rapidly.

Something tells me the Arbiter is more likely to sacrifice himself.


That makes the most sense for Hood's ending. It would be very heroic and bittersweet that he died on a former scene of celebration.

  • 06.25.2006 10:46 PM PDT

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Posted by: Centrocal
PLUS think about the movie, The game and movie will release together (?) and you KNOW there is gonna be a sequle to this movie- If Master Cheif dies in Halo 3, then no more sequle and movie studios will be pissed!!

The movie will most likely follow the events of Halo: The Flood (Halo CE, but more detail)

There could also be one for The Fall of REACH, Firsth Strike, Halo 2/Ghosts of Coral, and Halo 3.

  • 06.25.2006 10:52 PM PDT
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I really think they could kill off the Chief for several reasons:
1) As far as Master Cheif leading humanity there is little chance of that. The rank Master Chief is not exactly very high of a rank at all, in fact it may not even be an officer rank (have to check on that though) so logically there are many people still who would out rank him. MC has never been portrayed as a huge leader either, i mean seriously President Master Cheif head leader of humanity or what not...not happening

2) The way Bungie has portrayed Earth's situation to us, humanity and Earth seems already pretty much screwed over, the Covenant have seemingly beaten the species known as -blam!- Sapiens. There cant really be any goody goody, ok we activated the Ark now humanity can go on living happily. It makes sense then (to me at least) the MC follows the lead of the rest of humanity and perishes.

3) Bungie has stated this is the last Halo game. Presuming they arent lying (which they are known to do) closure is needed as a final large emphasis to a extreamly popular game franchise. To simply have MC walk off leaves people wandering why the hell doesnt Bungie make a Halo 4. And while the death of the main hero can be cliche, there are certainly ways it can be done correctly to leave a sense of awe and finality that isnt cliche.

Honestly i dont know if MC will die, its really up to bungie, im just trying to play devil's advocate and do a counterpoint.

  • 06.25.2006 11:24 PM PDT
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Posted by: XxTaranakixX
I really think they could kill off the Chief for several reasons:
1) As far as Master Cheif leading humanity there is little chance of that. The rank Master Chief is not exactly very high of a rank at all, in fact it may not even be an officer rank (have to check on that though) so logically there are many people still who would out rank him. MC has never been portrayed as a huge leader either, i mean seriously President Master Cheif head leader of humanity or what not...not happening

2) The way Bungie has portrayed Earth's situation to us, humanity and Earth seems already pretty much screwed over, the Covenant have seemingly beaten the species known as -blam!- Sapiens. There cant really be any goody goody, ok we activated the Ark now humanity can go on living happily. It makes sense then (to me at least) the MC follows the lead of the rest of humanity and perishes.

3) Bungie has stated this is the last Halo game. Presuming they arent lying (which they are known to do) closure is needed as a final large emphasis to a extreamly popular game franchise. To simply have MC walk off leaves people wandering why the hell doesnt Bungie make a Halo 4. And while the death of the main hero can be cliche, there are certainly ways it can be done correctly to leave a sense of awe and finality that isnt cliche.

Honestly i dont know if MC will die, its really up to bungie, im just trying to play devil's advocate and do a counterpoint.


If you should know bungie said that Halo3 would be the last of the Halo series, not the last of the games so likely after Halo3 there will be another game with MC in it. I think that MC will deffinetly not die on Halo3 because as people have said earth needs a defender from other threats, such as other races of aliens of which there are likely lots considering that there are aliens that refused to join the covenant and hid. After the battle of the flood, humans and covenant plus heritics has ended these other alien races will likely take advantage of the opportunaty and wage war against the covenant and humans who will be at piece with each other by know. If MC dies than humans will be as good as doomed because as far as we have seen there are no other spartans willing or able to help and most are dead anyway.

After reading this I start to dought it but i'm going to post it anyway.

  • 06.26.2006 4:08 AM PDT
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Endings with the main character dying always pisses the fans off.
Here you have played for hours making sure he lives,then suddenly in a cutscene whe nyou cant control him/her that person dies...
I mean wtf?

  • 06.26.2006 4:11 AM PDT
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Master chief cant possibly die - he is a hero

  • 06.26.2006 4:22 AM PDT
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YEP! i agree wid u. You play for hours to keep the character alive and he dies in the last mission when u cant control it.

  • 06.26.2006 4:24 AM PDT
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i dont think halo 3 is the last game cuz there are like 600 years of story bible right? and MCs story only covers like less than 50 years and maybe halo 3 is the last game with MC in it...thats just my opinion though...

MC must not die.

its still up to bungie though...

  • 06.26.2006 4:31 AM PDT
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Many game developers like to say-this is our last game in the serie!

To make it sell more,i can tell you this,they wont leave the Halo universe,im sure off it.
And there might be more adventures after the flood is wiped out :P
What if the forerunners come back,infested, from another galaxy or as normal and are pissed off.

:P
TT

  • 06.26.2006 4:33 AM PDT
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I think that chief will die i mean c mon there must be some sort of ending other wise the game will go on forever so either chief dies or the erth gets destroyed by the way i heard some where that u will be able to hold 4 weapons at a time -now that would make chief a great killing machine!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • 06.26.2006 5:03 AM PDT
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Generaly in western culture the lead character does not die, it happens but usualy you have to look to China/Japan for such plot twists.
Eg: Crouching tiger, Hero, House of Flying daggers.

  • 06.26.2006 5:07 AM PDT