G-Man. What/who do YOU think he is?

[Timmaaaah]

I think he's a manifestation of Gordon's schizophrenia.

... Which put him in a stasis for 20 or so years?

He didn't put him in stasis-- he dominated his other personality and then quit at the beginning of HL2 because he gets his jollies from watching Gordon in danger. I say that because, if you'll notice, he only appears immediately before Gordon encounters a new threat for the first time.

That makes absolutely no sense unless he really is just a vindictive bastard/vindictive god guy playing with planet earth like a giant disgusting sims game

 

[Woodsey]

I still like the idea of him being Gordon (they do look really similar) from the future or whatever, despite it being denied by Valve years ago.

 

[Timmaaaah]

I think he's a manifestation of Gordon's schizophrenia.

... Which put him in a stasis for 20 or so years?

He didn't put him in stasis-- he dominated his other personality and then quit at the beginning of HL2 because he gets his jollies from watching Gordon in danger. I say that because, if you'll notice, he only appears immediately before Gordon encounters a new threat for the first time.

That makes absolutely no sense unless he really is just a vindictive bastard/vindictive god guy playing with planet earth like a giant disgusting sims game

Oh wait you mean like pretended to be Gordan until the beginning of HL2? I suppose that makes sense, but the Gordan would still be in stasis

 

[Timmaaaah]

Another thing though... Fully don't get how it's a 20 year gap. I find it hard to believe some of the scientists would still be alive and healthy by then, and Kleiner talks about being "more free than they have been than in the last decade" and it can't have been because of a 10 year war because the Combine conquered earth in 7 hours, and the combine came through on the same day of the Black Mesa incident ("The world went to hell that day"). Man that would make one hell of a 24 season part.

 

[Whitenail]

Ah yes, the old G-man. There are two theories I like to accept:

*First is the G(ordon Free)man theory, it gives a good explanation as to why Gordon rarely talks (stuttering and slurred speech), they have rather similar models (though is probably because the dev team just re-used some models) and if it was someone from the future who knew what happened in the present it would explain why the G-man pushes things along

*He's a stand-in for God as when you analyze the half life games (notably the second one and the subsequent episodes) there is alot of symbolism and similarity to the story of Moses and the Exodus, Gordon Freeman is Moses, his people are enslaved, he is told what he must do by the G(od)man, Eli Vance...

 

[Timmaaaah]

He clearly refers to employers; an extra-dimensional being, or one with access to extra-dimensional technology, whose employers have a stake in the future development of humanity, to whatever level suits them. He's a facilitator for an unknown and possibly incomprehensible regime, outside of the normal human perception of space-time.

Also, he's left intentionally vague so they can pile more crap onto the back story. There's no truth here, or real answer.

That's exactly what I thought, except see I didn't word it quite a nicely. I really hate when writers don't plan things though. Leaving things vague too long can result in a million loose ends and just annoy people... like Lost. I think that the G-Man mystery should be alright so long as they don't get too out of hand with his mystery

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

I like to think he's Slender Man (if you don't know what that is, look it up at once). He's omnipresent and seems to have control over space and time when he wants to. And his physique is tall and slender-like, but I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine.

I don't know if that makes G-Man more scary or Slender Man less.

And thanks for the Slender Man thoughts. I needed to get to bed tonight...

From what I can tell though, he's definately not human. Something along the lines of Slendy does make sense. Although a little less horrifying (at least at first glance). Interesting idea.

 

[Radoh]

I think that he could possibly be Gordan from the future. He seems to know most things that are going to happen, he looks like a skeletal gordan but with no beard or glasses. I know it's far fetched, but it does kinda make sense. He rescues Alyx from Black Mesa even though "his employers" didn't want him too. He makes sure Freeman survives, he seems to be pulling Vance's strings, and even communicating with a Vortigaunt (seen on one's TV, then the Vort says "We both serve the same mystery"). I know his hair is a different colour but that could have been changed by years spent in stasis or some reason or another.

I've heard this theory before and it is easily explained away by the hair, not the colour mind you but the fact that the G-man has a widowed peak and Gordon does not, this is not something that can change for a person.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

G-man is just an inter-dimensional hero contractor. He's always going on about how he hires out Gordon, so it's pretty damn obvious.

 

[tthor]

I think that he could possibly be Gordan from the future. He seems to know most things that are going to happen, he looks like a skeletal gordan but with no beard or glasses. I know it's far fetched, but it does kinda make sense. He rescues Alyx from Black Mesa even though "his employers" didn't want him too. He makes sure Freeman survives, he seems to be pulling Vance's strings, and even communicating with a Vortigaunt (seen on one's TV, then the Vort says "We both serve the same mystery"). I know his hair is a different colour but that could have been changed by years spent in stasis or some reason or another.

I've heard this theory before and it is easily explained away by the hair, not the colour mind you but the fact that the G-man has a widowed peak and Gordon does not, this is not something that can change for a person.

that is a very good arguement~

personally, i think he is sorta like a interdimensional contractor for some very powerful people in another dimension who have some sort of stake in the fate of humanity. after that, i don't think the writers have come up with anything beyond that, which really saddens me, because that means episode 3 will probably be a huge letdown because they will have no idea where to go with it

 

[mParadox]

He's Shepard. O_O

It would be awesome if he was though.

 

[Riddle78]

He's a transdimentional contracting agent and broker,serving godlike individuals with his own godlike powers. His mortal enemies are the vortigaunts,and does his best to avoid them. He's also the most active and direct of his organization,directly contacting three individuals (Eli Vance,Gordon Freeman,and Corporal Shepard) within a 20 year timeframe,and ensuring his investments pay off (re-arming the nuke in Opposing Force,putting Gordon in stasis for future application,giving Eli the sample that catalyzed the entire series),and doesn't care if he's spotted (Let's play a game...How many times can you spot the G-Man throughout the entire series and all of it's expansions?) because he knows it won't affect things.

That enough of a fank wank? Or do I need to go deeper?

 

[A Weary Exile]

The only explanation I can come up with is that he's a way for the Advisors to speak to Gordon directly through thought, although I have no idea why they would be working towards the destruction of the Combine. Maybe it's all part of some overly-elaborate plot to get their hands on that Borealis thing? I dunno, I don't think Vavle even knows what he's supposed to be.

 

[II2]

Deus Ex Machina?

The notion is contested somewhat by the revelation that he is, in fact, fallible in Ep 2 when

Spoiler

the vourtegants prevent him from recollecting Gordon Freeman as he wishes to

Pretty much your ultimate Machiavellian, MIB, Illuminatist, conspiracy head, omniscient, alien anti-hero, or villain, as remains to be seen.

 

[Ponce Master-General]

I like to think he's Slender Man (if you don't know what that is, look it up at once). He's omnipresent and seems to have control over space and time when he wants to. And his physique is tall and slender-like, but I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine.

I don't know if that makes G-Man more scary or Slender Man less.

And thanks for the Slender Man thoughts. I needed to get to bed tonight...

From what I can tell though, he's definately not human. Something along the lines of Slendy does make sense. Although a little less horrifying (at least at first glance). Interesting idea.

Well I heard Slender Man can turn his tentacle things into anything, so it's possible.

Oh yeah, have you seen the Marble Hornets videos?

 

[IBlackKiteI]

I like to think he's Slender Man (if you don't know what that is, look it up at once). He's omnipresent and seems to have control over space and time when he wants to. And his physique is tall and slender-like, but I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine.

I don't know if that makes G-Man more scary or Slender Man less.

And thanks for the Slender Man thoughts. I needed to get to bed tonight...

From what I can tell though, he's definately not human. Something along the lines of Slendy does make sense. Although a little less horrifying (at least at first glance). Interesting idea.

Well I heard Slender Man can turn his tentacle things into anything, so it's possible.

Oh yeah, have you seen the Marble Hornets videos?

They the guys who do that sort of, 'Hunting the Slender Man' mockumentary thingy?

The G-Man is...G-Man...

Solving the mystery would suck, even if it shuts up all the speculation, (OP's take on it was pretty good though) most of which is as bad as those random dudes takes on what they think is gonna happen in Mass Effect 3...

...man I've been hating that game lately.