Forum:Gordon Has No Helmet
You have probably figured out that Gordon's suit has no helmet. While it's great for letting us see his incredible beard and disturbingly green eyes, I believe this is a serious design flaw for the HEV suit. In Episode One, Gordon runs around a highly radioactive collapsing Dark energy reactor. Alyx says that he should go in there because he's got a suit, but what does his suit not have? A helmet. What's preventing his brain from being baked by the radiation? What's stopping the headcrabs from mating with his head (aside from a crowbar)? And why doesn't a sniper bullet go straight through his head?
Maybe Gordon Freeman isn't human. Maybe he doesn't have a central nervous system, and he's got a head-shaped tumor growing out from between his shoulders.
I kid. But really, he never should have gotten out of City 17 alive with that much radiation poisoning. My most solid theory: his glasses. These are obviously no ordinary glasses. For one, they never shatter, no matter what hits Gordon. Headcrabs, bullets, grenades, stunsticks, his glasses survive them all. Now, these super-glasses would certainly protect his eyes and the bridge of his nose, but not the rest of his head. If these glasses are so high-tech, perhaps they emit some kind of radiation-repelling, bullet-resistant force field as well. Or maybe his suit does. But you'd think a helmet would have been more practical.
Is there any explanation as to why Gordon's HEV suit is missing this vital piece of equipment? If you have an awesome suit, you gotta have a helmet to go with it. Think of Samus Aran, the Master Chief, and Stormtroopers.
- He can do anything because Valve said so.--Jack Black 04:46, 11 February 2009 (UTC)
- I've often wondered that as well but I figure that he is actually wearing a helmet hence as to why he can see the HUD, which he can, or it's advanced technology we don't know about. It could be a helmet that's just extremely advanced and may be like a force field of sorts. In both games, if I recall right, his suit was always one step advanced of the others which would explain why all of the other people you encounter in places like Xen still have actual helmets to their suits. In the original Half-Life I think he was the prototype user for the Mark IV suit and in Half-Life 2 it was the Mark V which was one of a kind built on his old suit.--YabbaMyIcing 06:28, 11 February 2009 (UTC)
I'm pretty sure that the Helmet is collapsible. Would make much more sense. I mean, do we see somebody strap one on? How do we know that it doesn't just Pop-up" when activated? Maybe gordon dislikes it because it obscures his vision. Food for thought. "Frog blast the vent core!"--Commander Xillian 15:37, 11 February 2009 (UTC)
Gordon has been set apart as not being quite like the others, in my opinion. While other scientists are involved in geneeral friendly banter with one another, they seem a touch annoyed with Gordon at the start of HL1. They are always telling him that they "...can't be bothered right now..." and always seem to have other things to do. Gordon is different. He never speaks. Perhaps Valve wanted to purposefully set him apart from any other scientists and HEV teams by not giving him a helmet. After all, Gordon IS the hero at the end every time. So he needs to be seen as a unique character. BennyTatz 11:35, April 21, 2010 (UTC)
I have always considered something similar to Xillian, that the helmet folds out from the suit. After all, we know that (in half life 2) the suit has its' own zoom function, so it must have some sort of effect around his eyes (don't claim that his glasses do that, he needed them to see when he got off the train, but couldn't zoom then). Any time Freeman is seen without a helmet is either in a promotional picture (which can be discounted as non-cannon), or there are one or two times that he is seen in black mesa by others without a helmet, but these can be argued as being inaccurate portrails (in blueshift he is seen wearing the HEV suit while on the tram, so any appearences of Freeman wearing a headless suit can be discounted as a placeholder model that was overlooked in the final edit, and Freeman can be seen to have a ponytail in opposing force, which he is never seen with at any other time, so this can be argued as being a non-cannon easter egg put in by a whiley level designer), so really the only evidence of him not having a helmet is that when you see his suit on its' own you see no helmet, allowing the theory stated by Xillian to be upheld fully.Dylan Bobson 16:24, 11 February 2009 (UTC)
Yes, and, that said, it is also possible that the lip of the HEV, which seems to keep head-crabs away, might also hold the bars for shields, ammo and health. It is also possible that the HEV could project a cross-hairs onto his eyes, or more likely, the glasses themselves, letting him aim on the fly with-out the helmet. Finally, how does he breath under-water without the helmet We would waist time if we had to strap that doosy on every time we needed to swim for dear life in Route Kannal. "Frog blast the vent core!"--Commander Xillian 19:51, 11 February 2009 (UTC)
Having mentioned the breathing, I have a theory on why it takes suit power (which is also used for flashlight power and sprint power) for Gordon to breath under water. The answer is actually quite simple; That small electric impulses are used for a small level of nuclear fission, separating the oxygen atoms from the carbon atoms they are bonded to within his suit. I am quite pleased with this answer, I'm sure Christopher Livingston is fuming that I've come up with a logical (if rediculously impractical) explanation.212.219.101.90 12:59, 12 February 2009 (UTC)
Sorry, that was me again. I keep forgetting to log in. :( Dylan Bobson 13:00, 12 February 2009 (UTC)
Yeah. That is a good one hehe. But, also, what if it powers a Re-breather instead? More practical, I think. But that nuclear fission one also explains why you never have to charge the suit to use the sprint or flash-light. "Frog blast the vent core!"--Commander Xillian 14:33, 13 February 2009 (UTC)
Yeah, but how would an electric rebreather work? I think my explanation is fundamentally offering a way for an electric rebreather to work.Dylan Bobson 21:44, 14 February 2009 (UTC)
What I think you are all missing is obvious. Gordon is Almighty King of the Headcrab so they refuse to latch to him and secretely run behind him when the player isn't looking to protect him from masses of radiation in the citadel core. Why this hasn't been mentioned before is beyond me 128hoodmario 16:33, 6 March 2009 (UTC)
I think this inconsistency (because yes it's an inconsistency), debated for years by players, is just for aesthetics. Valve never bothered justifying this. I'm pretty sure they don't have a straight answer to that. Klow 01:53, 7 March 2009 (UTC)
I think he may put on the helmet, without the player noticing, or it might be invisible. Signed: Doctor L Weegee
In Freemans mind During the Blast pit section He had to go near a Radiation spill twice, He claims that "I CAN live with Brain cancer" -- Dallenson (Account N/A, Status Terminated By G-Man)
