Agent Jameson Locke will be the star of the upcoming Halo live-action series, Halo: Nightfall, but will he also be the main character of Halo 5: Guardians, replacing the Master Chief?
A new interview, Agent Locke actor Mike Coulter implies that may be the case. Speaking with X-One magazine (via Polygon), Coulter talks about his role in Nightfall, which serves as a prequel to Halo 5, as well as the actor's role in the game.
"Once Halo: The Master Chief Collection is released, and then Halo 5 comes out shortly thereafter, you're basically going to be playing a game with me as the primary character," Colter said. "I'll have some cool weaponry, and some cool abilities, because by that time I'll be a Spartan IV."
He goes on to say more about Agent Locke's mission and what his relationship with the Master Chief will be, revealing Locke is searching for the Chief, who is doing some soul searching of his own after the events of Halo 4.
"Is he dead or alive?" Colter says in the interview. "Because that's usually what a manhunt comes down to, dead or alive, but you won't know what the purpose of finding Master Chief is [right away]. Or what will happen if we do find him, what condition he will be in, and where he's at mentally. But I'm sure that'll be a plot twist in Halo 5."
Since Chief and his expensive power armor are technically military property, it looks like the United Nations Space Command isn't happy about his disappearance and is looking to bring him back to Earth by force if necessary.
While Coulter could be mistaken in his choice of words, it does seem developer 343 Industries is pushing Agent Lock to the forefront. He occupies the top half of Halo 5's box art in addition to being the star of the live-action show. If Locke is indeed the main character, it wouldn't be the first time Halo has ditched the Master Chief for a few missions. In Halo 2 players spent roughly half the game playing as the Arbiter, a Covenant Elite who unravels the truth of the Halos and fights against his former Covenant masters. That move, while working from a narrative perspective, proved unpopular with many Halo fans, and the Aribter was only playable in co-op for Halo 3.
Halo: Nightfall launches with Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Nov. 11. Halo 5: Guardians is expected to release sometime in 2015.
