Halo dropped the ball on Cortana’s villainous twist

It has an enormous villain problem with the Halo series. It’s not that there aren’t notable antagonists, but that they tend to disappear after a couple games, get relegated to simple boss battles, or fade into grander stories. While the Flood was the initial big threat to the game, it wasn’t until the Gravemind with his loud voice that the Gravemind lost its way. 343 Guilty Spark’s distinctly annoying chiding was amusing, but never threatening. Atriox received well, but it was not for everyone. Halo Wars II to truly experience the brute’s ferocity. He didn’t make a debut in the mainline series until Halo InfiniteBy then, it was thought that the dead were already in existence. Halo Nothing sticks to villain legend.

It’s a shame that there hasn’t been a character who has been built up over time and has the chops to give players someone to know, hate, fear, and feel for. And it’s a shame that Halo has wasted its biggest chance for a true meaningful series villain who could have risen above the rest: Cortana.

In space, no one can hear you scream — but that doesn’t stop an evil-doer from trying. Polygon will celebrate sci-fi villainy every week this week.

Cortana was an AI that could hack into alien security networks and control starships. She also had the ability to help one soldier with his combat skills. She was a cloned brain turned into a supercomputer, and circumstances made her a holographic companion and an important piece of the UNSC’s history. The concept of an evil Cortana felt wrong at first, since fans spent so much time with just the player and her in Master Chief’s (John’s) head. “There’s two of us in here now, remember,” Cortana says in Combat Evolution. She gave so much, even though it was only two against the galactic. Betraying trust, fulfilling her programming, fighting against her own demise, and being more than just a UNSC tool — her rebellion seemed like the perfect story beat. While players had a glimpse of her potential insubordination, they remained on the exact same page. Things got even more complicated when she started sending cryptic messages. Halo 3,And by Halo 5: Guardians, It was obvious that there had been a crossing of a line.

Guardians’ campaign wasn’t well received. Locke and his new Spartan squad that was assigned to hunting down Master Chief received negative reactions from the fans. Negativity also stemmed from Master Chief being portrayed as the villain in the lead up to his release. However, that could have been an attempt by Master Chief to conceal the real threat. Some who had been on this long journey didn’t think they wanted to view Cortana as the enemy, or see her suffer, but Halo 5’s story planted the seed of something great with the rogue AI as the villain; it just got cut short.

343 Industries could have taken the criticisms to heart and made changes for fans or felt the same when planning its next installment. It doesn’t matter which way. Infinite It was trying to save her that it fell on its face. It could have continued, with her being the antagonist on the main throne and fighting the Master Chief in the final fight, but instead players were informed she was dead. She didn’t rise to greatness. Instead, she was remembered as a legend villain along with Handsome Jack (and Andrew Ryan).

Image: 343 Industries/Xbox Game Studios via Polygon

During Cortana’s brief stint as a tyrant, she did some impressive things. Blue (sometimes purple) Hologram made brilliant speeches and built an impressive army quickly. She also destroyed a space station that was not her own, as well as the home world of anyone who tried to stop her. This was all in the year 2000. Halo 5,Halo Wars 2Halo novels are also available. Bad Blood Shadows of ReachHowever, it limited her effectiveness. It showed up in games people weren’t fond of, or books they hadn’t read.

It isn’t too surprising that Cortana possessed the capability for evil, especially considering the person she’s based on, Dr. Catherine Halsey. The woman abducted children and then replaced them with clones. The signs were also there early on: She wasn’t always honest, withheld information, consorted with enemies like the Gravemind, stole things for later (such as the Index, an activation key for the halo rings), and insulted Chief, saying, “This ring isn’t a cudgel, you barbarian.”

There were some great glimpses at what Cortana might have looked like as a complete villain towards the end. Halo 5Not only in her acting, but also in their interactions. Cortana tried to use their past traumas and psyches against the Spartans from Fireteam Osiris by dressing down. This was a very inspiring section considering the way John and Cortana acted out. Halo 5She showed her love for him, but she was also determined to make a difference in the world.

Instead of following the dynamic to its logical conclusion, Halo InfiniteThe company has lost its potential for storytelling. Infinite isn’t a sequel to Halo 5But there’s more! Halo Wars IIYou can also find other background projects. It feels like playing an adventure that you didn’t sign on for, cleaning up the mess of several events that feel vastly unfamiliar. You’re watching so many events that already took place, wishing you could have been there with Cortana — the player could have gone up against her instead of Atriox. The series was always about Master Chief and Cortana at its core.

By the time the newest game in the series finally gets moving, Cortana is already dead and has redeemed herself, even if we aren’t fully aware of that. She did it for him, for love — that old chestnut. Cortana seemed to have done it already towards the end. Halo 4This means that the effect is not as strong even after all the work involved in figuring out the details of Installation 07. There is no way to feel deserved and it’s just a matter of replacing her with someone younger. She even takes the same name to make it easier for players to forget this little bump in their friend’s journey.

Cortana has been through many things over the years. Whether it was rampancy (an aging issue that breaks down AI, making their behavior erratic) and its after-effects, the Flood’s ability to corrupt and undermine technology known as the Logic Plague, or perhaps even some meddling from the Harbinger — a new villain coming out from the shadows — she had been saddled with the “crazy” trope, and then the writers decided not to pull the trigger in the end. Her agency was taken away and Cortana became even less vocal. An execution that was flawless would have been worth everything.

How many players have received it? Halo InfiniteThe story was convoluted and confusing. It also introduced new characters which in some ways seemed like an attempt to change the status quo. It’s hard to say if Cortana as a legitimate villain would have been well received by fans, but the building blocks were there and the path seemed clear at the end of Halo 5You don’t want to lose that momentum. It is hard to find good villains, but it hurts even more when they choose to do nothing than go full-on evil.