Highly anticipated: John-117, also known as Master Chief, is one of gaming's most recognizable characters despite never being shown without his iconic helmet. In some ways the character's anonymity is the very thing that has allowed players from all over the world to connect and immerse themselves in the game's storyline. But in a recent interview with IGN, 343 confirmed that the upcoming Halo TV show will finally unmask Master Chief as an important part of the show's storyline.
Ever since his first deployment, Halo's armored protagonist has been the face of the Halo franchise and Xbox gaming as well as non-game related merchandise ranging from t-shirts to Mountain Dew.
And now, thanks to Paramount Plus, our hero can add acting to his long list of achievements. But this achievement comes at a controversial cost, as fans will catch their first glimpse of a helmetless Master Chief.
Whether or not to reveal Master Chief's identity has been a hot topic as old as the game itself.
According to Kiki Wolfkill, executive producer of Halo 4 and 343's current Halo franchise transmedia lead, the decision to show Chief's face in the new TV show is critical to the actual story being told.
Fans will recognize the face selected for this important mission as Canadian actor Pablo Schreiber, star of 2016's thriller 13 Hours and the more recent series American Gods.
The decision is expected to be met with mixed emotions, with some fans who have waited years to see Chief's face, while others feel his anonymity was what really lets them connect to the character and storyline.
"I think we set out to tell a character story and a personal story... and once we really got into what that story was, it became clear that you really needed to see the person in the armor and under the helmet," said Wolfkill when asked about the decision in a recent IGN Fan Fest interview.
There is hope for those fans who aren't excited about seeing Master Chief's face. 343 Industries and Microsoft previously stated the show will take place in a different timeline, exist outside of the game's established canon, and this version of Master Chief won't be quite the same as the version known from the games. If that remains true, then one can argue that the real Master Chief's identity will continue to remain a mystery.