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    Master Chief

    Character » Master Chief appears in 46 issues.

    Master Chief is the main character of Halo comic series by Dark Horse Comics . He is a genetically augmented super soldier for the UNSC and is one of the few survivors of the SPARTAN II project. He is one of the greatest if not the greatest soldier in UNSC history.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Master Chief last edited by gravenraven on 09/01/23 08:49AM View full history

    Origin

    John at six years of age
    John at six years of age

    John was an unknowing child who excelled at always being at the top. He never lost and this was one of the qualities that Dr. Halsey adhered for in the SPARTAN project. Even at a young age, he was exceptionally strong and fast compared to other children of his age group and fortunately, it made him stick out long enough for him to be noticed. When Dr. Halsey and Lieutenant Keyes first observed John in action on his home planet of Eridanus II in the small city of Elysium. He qualified beyond their expectations having extraordinary reflexes, physical proportions and and extremely agressive drive for success. He was chosen out of 150 possible candidates and was given one last task by Dr. Halsey to determine whether was suitable or not. He was asked to watch an old coin and choose which side it would land on. As it flew through the air, John snatched it before it even landed and chose correctly, the Eagle. Even at the young age of 6, John was referred to by Dr. Halsey of having amazing eye-sight.

    Alongside 74 other children, John was conscripted and covertly kidnapped from his parents to initiate his SPARTAN training. In their absence, flash clones of the children were left behind to avoid any suspicion or cause any concern. John and the other candidates were taken to the planet Reach where Dr. Halsey informed them of the SPARTAN- II program they were to be initiated into and how they would become humanity's greatest protectors. The following morning, John awoke in his quarters and looked upon his new name: John-117.

    Current Events

    Halo 5 cover.
    Halo 5 cover.

    Master Chief has returned from Requiem and regrouped with his SPARTAN Team, Blue Team. On a mission to Argent Moon to receive important data sill on the station. Once there, Chief receives a "vision" of Cortana and learns that she is on Meridian. After Chief and his team manage to destroy station to prevent the Covenant from claiming it, Chief takes his team off the grid to Meridian in search of Cortana. Once there, they travel under the planet's surface and locate teleporting pads. The team runs into another Spartan fireteam, Osiris, and learn that they are being hunted. Chief defeats Osiris' leader, Spartan Locke, and jump through the next portal. They arrive on the planet Genesis to find that Covenant forces are already there. Chief soon runs into the Warden Eternal, a Forerunner artificial intelligence assigned to defend the Forerunner Domain. Blue Team eventually fought the Warden. After defeating him, Cortana gives Chief instructions on how to find and free her. Chief and his team enter another gateway and are transported to the Domain, the first organics to enter since the ancient Forerunners.

    Chief makes his way through the Domain and encounters the Warden Eternal again and after he defeats him, Cortana reveals that she intends on wiping life from the galaxy to start anew, while keeping Chief and Blue Team as her new champions. Chief is then frozen inside a Cryptum until Spartan Locke and his team can come and rescue. The Chief is then taken to Sanghelios and reunited with Dr. Catherine Halsey.

    Character Creation

    Master Chief was initially created by Bungie, a video game developer, for their first person shooter sci-fi epic, Halo: Combat Evolved. The game experienced such a success that the franchise branched out into other areas. Initially it started out as novels detailing the events around the Halo: Combat Evolved video game. Each one detailing the Master Chief’s life from the earliest days of his training to the events that led up to the first game’s sequel: Halo 2. During the success of Halo 2 Bungie released a graphic novel in partnership with Marvel comics. At that point the Master Chief began making his appearances in comics.

    Though the initial concept design of Master Chief is credited to artist: Shi Kai Wang, the project leader for Halo Combat Evolved, Jason Jones, and the Chief’s voice actor: Steve Downes, many have contributed to the Chief’s character slowly building him over time. Through the video games, novels, and comics, Master Chief has become a character that has somewhat created by a variety of individuals. Initially designed to be a “man of few words” Clint Eastwood type character, Master Chief has expanded beyond his initial design.

    As of now, Master Chief is property of Microsoft and 343 Industries, which consists mainly of the original creators from the original Halo video game, Halo : Combat Evolved.

    Major Story Arcs

    The Spartans were trained under CPO Mendez for a total of eight years. In the first two years they undertook physical, intellectual and weapons training. It was here that John knew that he would excel beside the other children. He didn't expect nor did he want to make any friends as he considered they would just slow him down. But to his disliking, the exercises were team-based and required all members to succeed. John was teamed up with Kelly-087 and Samuel-043 who soon became his closest friends and family. The Spartans were taught tactics of war, exceptional teamwork and to never leave another soldier behind. John soon became noticed as one of the most tactically brilliant Spartans out of the group and was chosen to lead after a specific event.

    At the age of eight, the Spartans underwent their hardest training mission to date. They were dropped in the middle of the forest with no direction, no map and no supplies. They were only told to reach the Pelican extraction sight and that the last child to make it would have to be left behind. This angered John since the Spartans considered each other family and couldn't bear to live with that. As they located the dropship, the Spartans all looked to John as their leader, which surprised him but he had to accept it. John and the Spartans mistook the armed guards around the Pelican as hostiles due to the lack of uniforms, even though they were UNSC Marines. John devised a plan to dispatch the soldiers, re-take the Pelican dropship and get everyone home safely even if it meant disobeyed orders. Mendez and Halsey recognized this and promoted John to squad leader and solidified his role as the Spartan-II's overall leader, and nobody was left behind.

    Undergoing augmentation
    Undergoing augmentation

    At the age of 14, John and the other Spartan II's underwent the extremely painful Augmentation process. Only 33 of the Spartans survived while 30 died and 12 were left physically disabled. This procedure granted the surviving Spartans with:

    • Enhanced eyesight- virtually able to see in complete darkness
    • Enhanced speed- able to run at bursts of 55 KPH
    • Enhanced strength- lift three times their body weight
    • Enhanced musculature- near-unbreakable skeleton
    • Enhanced reflexes- Twenty millisecond reaction time, even quicker in combat

    After this augmentation, John was stated to have the body of an 18 year old Olympic athlete. Along with the other Spartans, John was ordered to the Atlas which was essentially a training vessel to prepare for microgravity. While visiting the gym, John was approached by 5 ODST's and their Sergeant ordered them to engage John in the boxing room to test his skills. John flat out murdered two of the ODST's, and severely injured the other three. This absolutely shook the rest of the UNSC and a major resentment for the SPARTAN program began to grow and the Marines had a massive distrust for any of the Spartans. Although, the ODST incident gave further notice to ONI ( Office of Naval Intelligence) who decided to begin preparations to fully test the SPARTAN II's full capabilities.

    Before Gaining Cortana and Master Chief In The Covenant War; Halo Reach

    In Halo Reach, Six Spartans are on the colonized planet, Reach, which is overwhelmed by the Covenant. While on the planet, Dr. Hallsey had started to create Cortana. Cortana was the spartan interface that would change the outcome of the war, but it couldn't fall into enemy hands. While Master Chief was fighting on the planet Harvest, another great Spartan was picking up the "package" (Cortana). As many of the Spartans died in combat, Noble Six (the sixth Spartan in the team) was the chosen one to wield Cortana. Not picking Noble leader (Spartan Carter 259), Cortana chose Six to deliver the package to Miranda Keyes' father, Commander Jacob Keyes. Six was the special spartan in the team. He wasn't like other Spartans and rather worked alone. However, when he started to work with team Noble, he did more work collecting than sabotaging.

    Six was a guy that would go in, and get the job done. He was like Master Chief in so many ways, but with great uniqueness. As he witnessed the death of fellow spartans. Jorge, Kat, Emile, and Carter and he also died when protecting Commander Keyes so he could escape. (Jun went with Hasley and his fate is unknown) However, everyone knows that Six is one of the greatest Spartans to ever be in the UNSC. Once Keyes got back to UNSC home base, Cortana picked Master Chief out of every other Spartan that was there to carry her. They are one of the greatest teams since Noble Team.

    The Covenant War : The SPARTAN Project, Master Chief, and the Covenant

    Subsequently Master Chief was assigned to a team of Spartans. He grew close to them and they had many successful missions. When the alien race known as the Covenant attacked the Earth homestead of Reach and took massive casualties, Master Chief and his squad became the humanity's last hope. In the first few fights, Master Chief and his fellow Spartans were slowly separated by death. Most notably was John's friend Sam, who was forced to stay behind on a Covenant ship to ensure that a bomb detonated after he took a plasma round for the chief and breached his suit. On Reach the Spartans were assembled to undergo a suicidal mission to capture the Covenant Prophets and end the war. Here John was selected by Cortana, a UNSC smart AI. Her design was copied after doctor Halsey who originally took interest in Master Chief as a boy. She was supposedly killed fleeing from a battle aboard a space ship. However she was in fact going underground to escape persecution by ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence), the UNSC's special operations branch. Reach was attacked before the mission could get underway and the Chief escaped on board the Pillar of Autumn with Cortana.

    Halo: The Ringworld, the Moniter and the Flood

    When the ship was crippled during a battle with a superior Covenant fleet the Captain, a decorated war

    No Caption Provided

    hero by the name of Keyes, crashed the ship on a strange ring world. After several skirmishes with Covenant forces Cortana discovered that the ring world was called Halo and was of religious significance to the Covenant. After the release of the Flood, the Chief was recruited by a robotic entity know as 343 Guilty Spark to activate Halo and destroy the parasitic life form. Guilty Spark also told the Master Chief that he was the Reclaimer, son of the Forerunners. He was prophesied to activate the ring. The Chief quickly discarded his remarks. What he failed to mention was that activating the ring would wipe out all sentient life in the universe in order to prevent the flood from spreading. Fortunately Cortana managed to stop John and together they decided to stop Guilty Spark. After tearing the command codes out of a Flood infected Captain Keyes they flew to the Pillar of Autumn's crash site and overloaded its engines. Destroying the ring and the Covenant ground forces.

    Halo 2 : The Battle of New Mombassa, the Second Ring and High Charity

    Master Chief and Cortana captured a Covenant ship and rescued the survivors of the Spartan project on Reach before heading back to Earth. Here they were attacked by the Covenant Prophet of Regret, who had followed the instructions of a sacred prophecy and came to Earth looking for Forerunner artifacts, unaware that it was the human home world. After a short but bloody battle, in orbit and on the surface, the Prophet performed a slip space jump in the mega-city of New Mombassa, and disappeared, closely followed by the In Amber Clad with the Chief on board. When the ship dropped out of slip space it quickly became clear that the Prophet had discovered another Halo. The Master Chief went into action on the ring worlds surface to find and kill the Prophet while Miranda Keyes, Captain Keyes' daughter, tried to prevent its activation by getting to the Index before the Covenant.

    The Chief was successful in his mission but was knocked unconscious when a Covenant ship glassed the area in an attempt to kill him. Miranda on the other hand was captured when the Arbiter, a Covenant holy warrior, arrived to claim the index. The Chief was sent to find the Index at the Covenant city of High Charity by Gravemind, the hive controlling mind of the Flood. Meanwhile, the Covenant were under the misconception that activating the Ring would ascend them to the next plane of existence. The Prophet escaped on a Forerunner ship, heading for Earth and the Chief followed, stowed away on the massive vessel known as the Dreadnaught, a sacred relic to the Covenant that powered High Charity. Unfortunately he was forced to leave Cortana behind as a safe guard against the Flood taking control of ships capable of slip space travel. He promised to return for her but she remained skeptical. Right before he went Cortana said to him, "Don't make a girl a promise when you know you can't keep it." When he is asked what he is doing on a Forerunner ship, Master Chief replies that his is going to "Finish the fight."

    Halo 3 : The Battle of Voi, the Ark Portal and the Replacement Ring

    After being captured on board the Prophet of Truth's ship and subsequently escaping. The Chief

    No Caption Provided

    escaped by jumping off the ship and crashed landed somewhere within a forest near the ruins of New Mombassa. He then is found by Sergent Johnson and his men. They are then followed by the cloaked Arbiter when the Chief is about to shoot him the Johnson stopped him. The Chief fought in the Battle of Voi, clearing the way for an aerial assault on the Prophets fleet. Which had been busy excavating something under the African desert. As the human ships attacked a massive portal opened above the ground, through which the diminished Covenant fleet fled. After the arrival of a flood infected ship containing a message from Cortana landed in the area, the Master Chief was forced to once again ally himself with 343 Guilty Spark. In her message Cortana said that the portal lead to another Forerunner installation called the Ark, which would allow Truth to activate all seven of the Halo rings dotted throughout the universe. Now working with the Arbiter who's race had seceded from the Covenant, the Chief and his allies followed Truth through the portal and engaged his troops. Victorious in all engagements, the Chief was able to stop Truth from activating the rings, allowing the Arbiter to kill him. Unfortunately they arrived too late to save Miranda Keyes, who was shot in the back by Truth while she tried to kill herself and Sergeant Johnson. Since only a human could activate the Ark, they had both been captured to do so. The Gravemind chose this moment to make its play and betrayed the Chief, trying to infect him and the Arbiter. After fighting his way into High Charity, which had now become a Flood colony, the Master Chief rescued Cortana and started to implement a plan to stop the Flood. Using the index from the first Halo ring, the Chief activated an incomplete ring, that would destroy the Ark and the Flood with it. However Guilty Spark went rampant, killing Johnson, when he realized that the plan would destroy the under construction Halo. The Master Chief destroyed him and tried to help Johnson, but it was too late. The old sergeant told John,

    "Send me out, with a bang."

    Before passing him Cortana's micro chip. The two activated halo and escaped in the ship that had brought them to the Ark. Unfortunately the portal collapsed while they were going through it and left them stranded, beyond the blast radius of Halo but in the gulf of empty space beyond the galaxy. Cortana predicted that it would be several years before they were found and so the Master Chief froze himself, telling her:

    "Wake me up when you need me".

    Halo 4 : The Beginning of the Reclaimer Saga

    Halo 4 is the seventh video game in the Halo franchise, and is the first Halo video game developed by 343 Industries. It is also the direct sequel to the mega-blockbuster : Halo 3.

    Halo 4 takes place in 2557, four years after the main events of Halo 3. Master Chief is awakened by Cortana aboard the Forward Unto Dawn, and battles "Storm" Covenant (Covenant species who oppose the peace between Humanity and the Covenant/Elites. At first, Cortana and Master Chief suspect that they were found, then attacked by a salvage rogue Covenant aircraft/frigate, but it turns out that they are an entire fleet around the Forerunner planet. The ships temporarily deactivate their shields in order to send nukes. Master Chief uses this to his advantage to manually activate a nuke and take down the aircraft. However, the Forerunner's main gate opens (the Gravity Well) and sucks the ships, as well as John, into the abyss. This also marks the first major indication where Cortana is malfunctioning due to her "rampancy", or having "lived" as an Artificial Intelligence far longer than intended too. It is revealed that Cortana has lasted 8 years, where as all normal A.I last only 7 years.

    With Cortana's "rampancy" acknowledged, Master Chief suggests a plan to find a ship to Earth, find Hasley, and fix Cortana's "rampancy". Cortana disagrees at first, and remarks that John "shouldn't tell a girl a promise he cannot keep", but later on says that this method may work since she is the only A.I to have been created through actual flesh tissue/DNA samples. Master Chief then finds a Warthog which miraculously survived the wreckage, and drives it deeper inito Requiem, the planet, or rather Shield World, they are on. Cortana then picks up an unknown signal and suggests that John follows it. They encounter more Storm Covenant forces, and even Sentinals protecting the Shield World, although they do not attack Master Chief. John then activates the "Cartographer" and finds that the mysterious signal is somewhere near the Shield World's core. Cortana opens a portal for quick access, and they then have their first encounter with Promethean Knights.

    Master Chief encountering the Didact
    Master Chief encountering the Didact

    John manages to escape the Didact to search for the Infinity, which has entered the planet. The Didact also searches for the Infinity, however, the two take different rountes. After fighting off many Prometheans and Covenant (who have joined forces), he finds Commander Thomas Lasky and some other marines. Cheif clears an LZ for a Pelican to pick them up, and is transported to the Infinity, where he fights off waves of Covenant. Then, he is introduced to Captain Andrew del Rio and Commander Palmer. Palmer, Lasky, and the Chief are sent on a mission to attack the Didact, and are given a Mammoth. After destroying many Covenant vehicles, including a Litch, the mission brings John inside what is assumed to be a trap. It turns out not to be when John and Cortana are seperately taken by the Librarian, who explains that the Prometheans were once Humans, and how the Didact is looking to escape Requiem and find the Composer, which will allow him to take over the galaxy. She helps to accelerate Chief's 'evolutuion' so that he could survive the Composer. Once John and Cortana are reunited, they proceed outside of the Forerunner structures, where they attempt (and fail) to destroy the Didact. They are returned to the Infinity, where del Rio orders them to leave Requiem. Cortana and John attempt to convince him otherwise, but the Captain orders thet Cortana be decommisioned due to rampancy. Upon Chief's refusal to hand her over, he orders both Palmer and Lasky to arrest him, but neither of them move. With Lasky's assistance, John escapes the Infinity before it leaves, and attempts to destroy the Didact, once and for all. However, he is unsuccesful, and hides inside a Litch to follow the Didact into slipspace.

    He, along with the Didact and a Covenant fleet, arrive at Halo Instillation 03, where the enemies immediately attack a UNSC science facility orbiting the Halo, which has the Composer in it. After fighting his way inside, John agrees with some professors there and grabs a bomb to attempt to destroy the Composer. Unfortunately, he is too late, and the Composer is fired and kills all on the base aside from him. He takes a Broadsword to follow the Didact to Earth, where he is assisted by the Infinity, wihch is now controlled by Commander Lasky, in getting inside. There, the Didact firest the Composer, and extermination of Humanity begins in New Phoenix. In order to bring down the Didact's shields, Cortana clones her rampant personalities to overload the system. John places her chip in a holopedestal, but it is destroyed, and she is brought into the Composer's system. She manages to weakly communicate with the Chief before assisting him in killing the Didact and destroying the Composer. She uses the last of her energy to form herself into a visible form and touches John for the first and last time. She dies right before the Composer collapses around them. John is rescued by some ODSTs and, after a talk with Commander Lasky about the humanity of soldiers, is stripped of his armor by his own request.

    Physical Description

    Height6'10" / 270 lb. (7'02" / 990 lb armored)
    Hair colorBrown
    Eye colorBrown
    CyberneticsA.I. Cortana

    Master Chief, in his childhood was also noted to have a small gap between his teeth, and freckles upon his cheeks. Whether these features still remain after the numerous years, including the Covenant/Flood/Human wars, and augmentations is yet to be solved, as John is notorious for never showing his true face.

    Rank

    Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer Of The UNSC Navy.

    Another honorable mention for Master Chief is the known fact that he is such an accomplished soldier, that he has every single medal in the Military history, except for the Prisoner of War, due to the fact that he is such an experienced soldier, that he cannot be captured by the Flood, Rebel forces (in the novels), or the Covenant. Technically, John would have the Prisoner of War medal if the UNSC had known he was captured by the Forerunners temporarily, as shown in-game and in the teaser trailers.

    Powers and Abilities

    Master Chief/John-117 is a superhuman, especially with his MJOLNIR armor.

    Implants - The Master Chief is a Spartan II super soldier and so has been augmented in a number of ways designed to increase battlefield performance.

    Carbide ceramic ossification: advanced material grafting onto skeletal structures to make bones virtually unbreakable

    Muscular enhancement injections: protein complex is injected intra-muscularly to increase tissue density and decrease lactase build up and increase recovery time.

    Catalytic thyroid implant: platinum pellet containing human growth hormone catalyst is implanted in the thyroid to boost growth of skeletal and muscle tissues

    Occipital Capillary reversal: submergence and boosted blood vessel flow beneath the rods and cones of the subject's retina. Produces a marked visual perception increase.

    Superconducting fibrification of neural dendrites: alteration of bioelectircal nerve transduction to shielded electronic transduction. three hundred percent increase in subjects reflexes. Anecdotal evidence of marked increase in intelligence, memory, and creativity.

    Master Chief has also shown immense durability. He was capable of surviving a fall from space and the Covenant's best weapons simply bounced off his armor.

    At the age of 14, John 117 was described as having the body of an 18 year old Olympic athlete.

    John first donned his armor at the age of 14 and was shown to be highly tactical. His tactics allowed the UNSC to successfully complete countless missions.

    Basic Equipment - The Spartan super-soldier are equipped with finest armor and weapons available to the UNSC. Depending on the combat situation they are being deployed into the equipment carried by a Spartan changes. However they have some all purpose weapons and equipment. The original Spartans mainly used the MA5B, MA2B (a shortened version of the MA5B with an attachable silencer), M6D magnum and fiber optic cables. Every Spartan wears at leasy the MJOLNIR Mark V and several have the Mark VI model which have thermal optic and infrared vision modes. Cameras are also planted in the Spartan's helmet as it is standard procedure to record all missions for future review. Weapons are carried through the use of magnetic adhesive strips in specific locations such as the back and thighs, allowing Spartans to carry both human and covenant technology or even tactical HAVOK nukes for demolition work. Their armor also has the capability to carry an AI construct, such as Cortana. They are used to provide tactical guidance, provide objectives, hack into enemy communications channels and devices, analyze data, weapons, machines and identify specific threats. A flash light in the side of the helmet that runs off a recharging fusion power pack in the back of the armor is also included. Also, the visor of a Spartan provides a real time HUD (heads up display) and can provide weapon info, ammunition used and remaining, health and pulse monitors, energy shield status, active motion tracker and way points laid down by an AI. The MJOLNIR Mark VI has its own supply of biofoam and when a Spartan is wounded it is automatically administered. This foam stops blood loss and can temporarily replace muscle tissue, allowing the Spartan to continue to function even when wounded.

    The most important piece of equipment for a Spartan is his or her MJOLNIR armor, a full-body suit with a reflective visor. The armor consists of green ceramic outer plates with metallic inner plating. The suit augments neural ability, with slight commands becoming big motions with big results. It also allows for an AI to interface with the suit, acting as a layer between the suit and the brain. An AI interfacing with the suit provides improved response time, among other things. The first version of this armor put into use was the MJOLNIR Mark IV, which Dr. Halsey tasked John's team to retrieve. This entry-level version was rather primitive compared to newer incarnations, and because of conditions on Reach, spare parts were not available. Just before the Master Chief was deployed to Halo Installation 04, all available Spartans on Reach upgraded to the Mark V, which added an automatically-recharging energy shield to protect the wearer from initial damage. On his return from the original Halo the Chief was equipped with a new permutation of the amour. This latest armor is even more powerful, with a slightly more resilient shield, off-hand coordination enhancements that allow the wearer to wield two small weapons accurately, ammunition and heat tracking for the second weapon, and enhanced zoom capabilities using the helmet's visor. The suit was originally designed for use by non-augmented humans. Tests of this suit showed that the neural interface that allows the suit to move at a thought was too fast for an average human soldier, which proved fatal for the personnel inside. When given to the Spartans it proved to be manageable. The suit's codename MJOLNIR attests to this fact; in Norse mythology, Thor's hammer Mjolnir was too heavy to be carried by any but the strongest of body and mind. The Spartans quickly adapted to the suit and it is now an important addition to their arsenal.

    The Master Chief also has another weapon that only he has, Cortana, the A.I. Cortana can do various things from cracking lock codes to holding vast amounts of knowledge or just telling the Chief when targets are approaching. While not mandatory it gives John the upper hand against opponents.She can also perform many tasks that she was not intended to perform. Because of her high tech programing, she can also access the Covenant Battle-Net, pilot many ships made by alien hands, and fire the Halo(s) using an index.

    Superhuman Strength - Due to his augmentations, John has superhuman strength even without armor. At age 14 just after augmentations, he was capable of lifting at least 3x his bodyweight and latter improved to the point where he can send trainers in Mech suit(over half ton) flying 8 meters with mere strikes and even dent their titanium alloy plating. In Mjolnir could easily lift warthogs(3.5 tons) even in earlier versions of Mjolnir and he could easily destroy Wraiths (Covenant Tanks) with strikes. John's strength is slightly inferior to that of a Covenant Brute. His strength may vary base of MJOLNIR model as they enhance his strength in different levels. Such as the Mark IV-V doubling strength allows most IIs users to lift at least 2 tons to the Mark VI increasing by 5, allowing IIs to evidently lift at least 5 tons.

    Superhuman Speed - John can run faster than any human, even at age 14, John was stated to be on par with the best Olympic athlete. John was even capable of dodging Banshee fire at close-range and running half a Kilo-Metre in 32 seconds flat. During the Mjolnir Mark V training exercise, he was run at around 105 km/h or 65.2 mph while putting minor strain onto his body. In sustained runs John and most Spartans can travel nearly 60kph and keep going.

    Superhuman Agility - Due to his augmentations and constant/intense training in the UNSC, John has acquired major agility and can maneuver excellently in dangerous situations, to the point where he can move out of the way of enemy fire with ease.

    Superhuman Reflexes - John and the rest of the Spartans were stated to have 20 milliseconds reaction time just after augmentations though they were bound to approve as they'll get better, not to mention they're faster in combat. His MJOLNIR armor has been proved to multiply his basic statistics (strength, speed, agility, etc.), which includes his reflex speeds. This has allowed him to react to ballistics and even Beam rifles which can fire at hypersonic velocities.

    Excellent Hand-to-Hand Combat - Due to his training, John knows all military and some martial arts fighting styles, and could defeat most Covenant aliens (Elites, Grunts, Hunters, Brutes) with his bare hands even when in a disadvantaged position. He has also recalled in the novels numerous times that he underwent countless hand-to-hand combat training with his trainer, Franklin Mendez, whom was the best of the Navy.

    Excellent Marksmanship - John's aim is superb due to his constant training and excellent eye vision, especially in his MJOLNIR armor. He has shown to be in the same ballpark as Linda-058, who was easily the best marksman (or markswoman) of the SPARTAN-II candidates. John has consistently shown the ability to perform accurate headshots on snipers with a pistol weapon, even when travelling 10 meters in near half a second which was during the covenant invasion of Metropolis.

    Cortana - Cortana is an Artificial Intelligence (A.I), and can hack into computers, alien technology and human technology alike.

    MJOLNIR (MARK IV/V/VI) - His MJOLNIR armor has multiple functions that help John in the battlefield.

    • Helmet: The MJOLNIR Helmet is one of the most vital aspects to the MJOLNIR system. It is made of Titanium and contains key features like a HUD that links to the brain and hands, and can identify equipment and display information about it when it is picked up by the wearer. Another feature is the direct neural interface system which connects to a SPARTAN-IIs neural implants. Two core processor chips are implanted into the subjects skull in the rear of the head. This is essentially comparable to an on board computer using parts of the human brain for processing - when the connector at the rear of the subjects head and receptors in the brain link to the helmets on board sensors it creates the neural link needed to move the MJOLNIR suit. The helmet also contains other equipment to protect and aid the user in hostile conditions. This includes: filters to remove toxins from the atmosphere, a supply to provide air to the wearer during EVA, thermal and motion sensors, communications, solar-powered lighting, and imaging and video gear. The helmet also contains the A.I housing, where a ship-borne A.I chip is inserted, located on the back of the helmet.
    • Titanium Alloy Outer Shell: The outer shell of the MJOLNIR armor is comprised of a fairly thick titanium alloy. This plating covers the chest, arms, hip, legs, calves, feet and hands. This alloy is very resilient, can take significant punishment, and is nearly impervious to small arms fire. While enough shots from armor piercing rounds will breach the outer shell, the suit can take a few glancing blows from them without compromising the armor. The outer shell of the all MJOLNIR suits is covered with a refractive coating to help disperse the heat experienced from Covenant energy weapons. However one or two direct hits from any Plasma weapon will compromise the armor plating.
    • Titanium Bodysuit: Sandwiched between the external armor and the internal padding is a thick black armored bodysuit. This suit has numerous functions, small but vital to the safety and survival of the wearer. The bodysuit is made of a titanium-based material, making it very strong and yet very flexible. It also serves as another layer of protection against ballistics attacks and is coated with a heat resistant material to disperse heat from Plasma weapons.
    • Hydrotastic Gel: Underneath the armored bodysuit is a gel-filled layer, this gel layer regulates the temperature of the suit and can re actively change its density to conform to the wearer's shape - the temperature inside the suit is controlled by the moisture absorbing cloth suit underneath the hydrostatic layer. The hydrostatic gel layer can also be pressurized to various levels to potentially save the wearers life should the wearer be subjected to high G forces or a high velocity impact; however, over pressurizing this layer can cause nitrogen embolisms.
    • Adaptable Internal Shell: Sandwiched between the external armor and the internal padding, the liquid crystal layer of the suit is split into two sections that forms the inner structure of the suit. The first layer contains the Reactive Metal Liquid Crystal this reactive metal increases the strength, reaction time, mobility, speed, and all around physical performance of the SPARTAN-II. The section layer supports suit's Artificial intelligence, knitted together at a molecular level and fitted in between the outer plates and the inner padding. This type of computer memory is usually outfitted on a warship and as such this layer accounts for over eighty percent of the MJOLNIR armor's cost of construction and materials.
    • Magnetic Weapon Holder Strips: Available on the Mk. IV, Mk. V, and Mk. VI the magnetic strips are very small yet powerful magnets place on the legs, waist, and back of the suit and is used to hold any equipment with a magnetic property. The suit also contains an electromagnetic system on the boots of the MJOLNIR suit that allow its wearer to stay attached to a metal surface in Zero G environments and can be toggled on or off by the wearer.
    • Shields: First used on the Mk. V, and later refined on the Mk. VI, the energy shield device is reversed engineered from Covenant technology. Begun in 2532, forty scientists and technicians would spend the next 20 years attempting to make some use of the technology. For decades the attempts at cracking their technology had met with failure after failure, some had given up and others in the scientific community believed the energy shield technology could never be cracked. However at some point before 2552 a breakthrough was made and for the first time the UNSC had successfully cracked and improved upon the technology. This shields are strong enough to take on 50mm cannons and most anti-vehicle weapons such as fuel rods.
    • Pressure Seal: The Pressure Seal is a vital component to the MJOLNIR system, it keeps the system airtight, underwater or in space. The seal is very strong and will only break under extreme pressure, such as in a high velocity impact or when the Hydrostatic Gel has been over pressurized.
    • Automatic Biofoam Injections: Introduced on the Mk. VI models Biofoam injectors is an integral part of the systems ability to keep a SPARTAN-II functioning in battle. Biofoam is a medical gel that is used to fill and seal a wound automatically, it is also used to treat any infection that could occur as a result of the wound. The process of injecting, or applying the gel to a wound,however it is extremely painful and is only a temporary solution; medical attention must be sought soon after to ensure survivability.
    • Fusion Reactor: The fusion reactor is the most essential part of the MJOLNIR System, as it provides power to all equipment on the MJOLNIR armor - the reactor is built into the suit and allows for nearly unlimited movement. The fusion reactor in all versions of the MJOLNIR armor are half the size of a normal fusion pack that conventional marines carry around.
    • Enhanced Motion: Located throughout the armor, these systems boost the force applied by the user. They make hand-to-hand combat easier, but also make the armor difficult to adjust to; a slight motion can be translated into a potentially harmful one if not conducted correctly. For this reason it is only possible for Spartans to use this armor, as their strengthened bodies are able to withstand the increased power and speed of movement, which, in un-augmented human bodies, results in broken bones or death, due to spasms caused by the pain of broken bones.
    • Reactive Circuits: Reactive Circuits are systems installed directly linked to the interface. They amplify the wearer's reaction time by connecting directly to the thoughts of the wearer, making it much easier to control and allowing for the soldier to be both more efficient and have a higher survival rate in combat.
    • Power Battery: The Power Supply Control Unit controls the power supply of the armor.

    Other Media

    Halo Trial

    This video game was a trial of the official Halo : Combat Evolved published by Bungie. It is not a beta, and is often mistaken as so. It was released for players to have a taste of the game, without purchasing it. It includes the Silent Cartographer level of the full game, and Multiplayer servers limited to Slayer and Capture the Flag (CTF) on Blood Gulch. Surprisingly, this trial game is still downloadable and functioning, with a relatively strong fanbase/community.

    Halo : Combat Evolved (Video Game)

    This was the first, full (and official) installment of the Halo video game franchise. Master Chief is shown on every single level of the entire Campaign, and has generic SPARTAN-II soldiers identical to him in Multiplayer. Various game-modes include King of the Hill, Oddball, Slayer, King of the Hill, Juggernaut, and more, with a wide selection of maps such as Blood Gulch, Battle Creek, Damnation, Prisoner, Hang Em' High, Rat Race, and more.

    Halo : Custom Edition (Modification of Combat Evolved; Video Game)

    Fans created a modded version of the official Halo : Combat Evolved, and has an extremely strong fan-base/community, with custom made maps still going strong today. However, this game is limited to Multiplayer only, and requires the official Halo : Combat Evolved in order to install.

    Halo Zero (Fan-made Video Game)

    Another fan-made game inspired by Halo, this is a 2-D side-scrolling shoot em' up with the same basic concept as the first Halo video game.

    Halo 2 (Video Game)

    The second installment of the Halo video game franchise. It received incredible positive reviews and critical appraise, and revolutionized modern online gaming with the addition of XBOX LIVE.

    Halo 3 (Video Game)

    The final installment of the main Halo-Covenant war trilogy, it concludes Master Chief's first video game tale, and features a major event of the Elites siding with the humans.

    Halo : Reach (Video Game/Cameo/Easter Egg appearance)

    John-117 makes an official appearance in Bungie's last Halo video game as well, but it is only briefly. In the second to last level, Pillar of Autumn (Rally Point Bravo), the player can do a minor easter egg in which Master Chief is shown in his "casket". Being a prequel to Halo : Combat Evolved, it is the same pod Chief awakens in the first game.

    Halo Combat Evolved : Anniversary

    343 Industry's first Halo game was actually a remake/rendition of the first Halo game, with updated Halo : Reach Multiplayer, and new and improved graphics. However, out of nostalgia for the players, 343 added a feature wherein you could press select and revert back to the original graphics.

    Halo 4 (Video Game)

    The first installment of the Reclaimer saga. It features Master Chief in his adventure throughout the strange Forerunner worlds, attempting to save a planet, the slow breakdown of Cortana, and the looming shadow of The Didact. The game received massive critical appraise, and is one of the highest rated First-Person Shooters up to date.

    Halo 5 (Video Game)

    The second installment in the Reclaimer saga. Chief reunites with Blue Team and attempts to locate Cortana, who has somehow survived rampancy. They travel to distant Forerunner planets, fight the Warden Eternal, and are at first in conflict with Spartan Fireteam Osiris but eventually team up with them to battle and search for Cortana. The game is the first Halo game to not feature co-op mode on same screen t.v.

    Halo 6 (Not released yet; Video Game)

    Although not released yet, 343 has confirmed this game in their Reclaimer trilogy.

    Halo : Fall of Reach (Novel)

    This novel by Eric Nylund depicts the events leading to the fall of planet Reach, one of humanity's greatest strong-points and planet overall. It is immensely different from the Bungie video game Halo : Reach.

    Halo : First Strike (Novel)

    Another Halo novel written by Eric Nylund, it features the events between Halo : Combat Evolved and Halo 2, answering various key questions fans had about the events in-between the blockbuster Xbox games.

    Halo : The Flood (Novel)

    Written by William C. Dietz, and shows more in-depth of the events of Master Chief, as well as Covenant alien species/UNSC marines' encounter with the ancient Flood parasitic race.

    Halo : Evolutions (Novel)

    Also called the "Essential Tales of the Halo Universe", it contains over 10 short-stories (as well as some poems) of the Halo Universe. The authors vary from Eric Nylund, Tobias Buckell, B.K Evenson, to Frank O' Connor, Eric Raab, Fred Van Lente, and more.

    Halo: Uprising (Comic Book)

    Written by Brian Michael Bendis, it depicts the events between Halo 2 and Halo 3. It was published by Marvel.

    Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp (Comic Book)

    This comic book shows the abduction, and intense training of John as a child through an adolescent. It also shows on-panel his augmentations and so forth. It was published by Marvel.

    Halo: Fall Of Reach - Covenant (Comic Book)

    A loose comic book adaption of the novel Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund. However, it also branches off into its own direction, as having its team of Brian Reed, Felix Ruiz, and Val Staples. It was also published by Marvel.

    Halo: Helljumper (Comic Book)

    Master Chief is not seen very much in this comic book, but he is mentioned briefly at moments through allusion. This was also published by Marvel.

    Halo: Fall Of Reach - Invasion (Comic Book)

    Linking to Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant, it shows the actual Covenant invasion, and glassing of the planet Reach, as well as the numerous actions the SPARTAN-II's did while attempting to defend Reach.

    Halo Encyclopedia (Guide to Halo Universe)

    This massive definitive guide to the Halo Universe contains key characters, events, weapons, vehicles, and more up to the events of Halo 3.

    Halo : Forward Unto Dawn (Youtube Machinima Series)

    This online Youtube Machinima Respawn series depicts the events wherein Master Chief inspires numerous UNSC cadets, including Commander Laskey.

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