Alyx Vance lives, and together with Gordon leads the retreat from City 17 (which is about to get pwned by the dark fusion reactor going critical). How they survive the blast I have no idea. Perhaps Gman places them in stasis for a few seconds (A short term version of what for Gordon between HL1 and 2, and as he did for Adrian Shephard after the events of Opposing Force). This takes place in HL2: Aftermath.
Gordon and Gman both have really green (almost unnaturally green) eyes. I don't beleive they're the same person, but this is evidence that they could be (or that they're related - I've heard people say it's Gordons son or Father). Then again, I very much doubt that Gman is at all human (When the Nihilanth says "You are man, He is not man" in HL1 I think he means Freeman is a man, Gman is not). If Gman isn't human, that isn't his real form. If that isn't his real form, then physical details are kinda irrelevant.
My opinion? Tough to describe… Gman is like a talent scout looking for highly skilled individuals, possessing talent far beyond the norm. I don’t mean skilled marksmen or genius level IQs. I mean a combination of luck, skill, judgment, intelligence and strength that can cripple empires. What I mean, basically, is a player character. The only time a scientist with no military training defeats an intergalactic empire (twice) is when he gets to try again from the save point. Having found these unique individuals, Gman (or the employers he refers to so often) uses them as weapons. “The right man in the Right place can make all the difference in the Worldâ€Â, Is the quote from the beginning of HL2.
So he his the right man, but what about the right place (and the right time)? Look to the Vortigaunts. Vortigaunts, as it has already been revelaed, see time very differently from humans – essentially, they see it all. How many of you found the so called
all-seeing Vortigaunt in HL2? Among his phrases are these: “We see you still in Black Mesa. Clearly we see you in the Nihilanth's chamber.†“There is no distance between us. No false veil of time or space may intervene.†“We are there still, in observance of your final stroke.†Etc, etc. Clearly time doesn't hinder their senses. If the Vortigaunts see things so differently, it can be stated that (In the Half-Life universe) beings are capable of living parallel to our time, and seeing with clarity into the past or future. With perfect future sight and the right tool (e.g. Gordon Freeman) Gman could drop you into any situation, knowing exactly the consequences of all that would follow – basically, he can see all the futures that could happen, and through his own actions can choose which one will occur. What are the odds of Gordon being spotted at the train station by a friend in disguise (barney)? A million to one, but Gman is well aware of who is where and how they will react, so he knows that in exactly 1 minute and 34 seconds (or whatever) Barney will be in just the right spot to notice Freeman and pull him out of trouble.
Okay I just read through that and its rambling and confusing so I’ll see if I can explain this better.
Imagine a puzzle. The puzzles works like this: There are dozens of different disks of dozens of different sizes, all spinning at different speeds. In each disk is a different set of holes. You have hundreds of objects of different shapes and sizes and weights. To solve the puzzle you must drop one of these objects through the holes, so it falls through them all without ever touching the edge. Only one of the objects is the right size to fit through the spinning holes, and only once every few hours, for about a second, are the holes lined up right so that the object can fit through. The odds of actually getting anything down the holes, let alone without touching the sides, are millions to one. Gman however knows exactly how the puzzle works, and has tested some of the pieces until he found one that he knows will fit. The puzzle is bringing down the combine, the piece is Freeman, the test was Black Mesa. If Freeman had entered at almost any other point he could have been killed before he even got his H.E.V. suit on. If Barney had looked the wrong way, if Alyx hadn’t been around to take down those combine when they knock you out with shock-sticks, if Father Grigori had mistaken him for a zombie and gunned him down, if any number of things hadn’t been
just right, Gordon would have been toast. Of course, Gman doesn’t quite play fair - some of the wheels he just couldn’t see a way past, so he went in and made a hole. With the combine binoculars you spot Gman conversing with Colonel Odessa Cubbage at New Little Odessa – When you arrive the Colonel is preparing the RPG you’re about to need. I’m willing to bet that Gman was behind the crew in water hazard happening to have that gun that they fitted onto you boat lying around, and that Gman was responsible for the dune buggy having been taken out of storage just minutes before you arrive.
Perhaps another way Gman could have selected Gordon is through simple trail and error. For anyone who watched Unbreakable, think of Mr. Glass: All the disasters he caused, in search of a hero. One man who could survive anything, against all the odds. Gman caused the resonance cascade for the same reason he may have caused a dozen other disasters - Burning away to coal to find a diamond.
Well I’m still rambling, but whatever. Basically I think Gman is using Gordon as a tool, and using him very well.
As for Gman’s nature, I have no idea. He’s not human, and what we see is not his real form – that much I think is clear. What he
isn’t is easy, but what he
is is da*n hard to say. God, Satan, An agent for a higher form of life, A glitch in the matrix, a figment of Gordon’s imagination, A clever ploy from Valve to add mystery to the game, Gordon’s Son/Father/Brother/Future Self/Ghost*, they’re all valid theories.
*he dies and returns from the dead to guide himself and stop himself f***ing up again, perhaps?
Now two random factoids:
You know the briefcase Gman carries? Ever wonder what's inside? Three pencils, a 9mm pistol in a holster, some paper, a portable computer, and an ID card.
The person Gman's face was modeled after in HL2 was originally going to be the base for Dr. Breen.
Quote:
Alyx Vance soon to be Alyx Freeman
I wouldn't be surprised
Maybe Father Grigori could be the preist to marry them?
This has been 104% of your recommended daily dosage of nonsensical rambling. Risks of exceeding this daily dosage incluse cancer.