Now I know 343 isn't exactly popular with a lot of you. But here is a fan's idea of what might be happening to the chief's mind in Halo 5. [url=https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm2723502_Our-beloved-John-may-be-going-insane.aspx#post2723502]Our Beloved John might be going insane[/url] [spoiler]Before you attack me for making this statement, just hear me out. I think Halo 5 should (and probably will) touch on John's mental state. I really think he may be going crazy. First of all, there's the trauma of being kidnapped as a little kid. Yes, he has become the perfect soldier, but even Halsey and Deja have noted that it may have a profound effect on the Spartans' psyche in the future, if not kept occupied by conflict. The trauma may have been suppressed a little by having Halsey as something of a mother figure. Imagine the toll it will take on his mind when he finds out she's been branded a war criminal and he may never see her again. Next, I just reread the Fall of Reach, The Flood, and First Strike. John as been sort of "suppressing" a lot of memories. He kind of forced himself to simply ignore the fact that he has killed fellow humans (ODSTs, Insurrectionists) and he has witnessed the death of many of his friends (more like family actually). He's moved on, and done a great job of keeping it together. But how much death and loss can one man, even a Spartan, take? How many memories can one man suppress before they resurface to haunt him? If you've read Glasslands, you know that the Spartan IIs have gotten the chance to read their personal files. I'm sure Osman will give Chief the same choice. If he does read it, what will he find out? Will it make him despise the UNSC, or wonder for the rest of his life what could've been? Or, will he simply suppress those memories too? Either way, it will have some effect on his mental state, minor or otherwise. And then, of course, there's the death of Cortana. Cortana is based off of the mind of Halsey herself (a mother figure and friend). She has literally been inside John's mind. She problably knew him better than he knew himself. She has saved his life in countless occasions. Most importantly, she had brung out the Chief's human (and more comical) side. As seen in Halo 4, her death had a profound effect on him. Imagine if your best friend, someone who was with you for all this time, someone you can always depend on and be yourself around, was suddenly gone. And if the theories of John ditching the UNSC to search for Cortana are true, well, we would see how his judgement may be a little broken. Cortana may have represented more than John's humanity; she may have also symbolized his sanity. Thoughts? NOTE: When I say "going crazy" I don't mean it too literally (i.e straight jackets and all that). I mean kind of like his values and judgement kind of being impaired. The closest example I can think of is Kahn from Star Trek: Into Darkness.[/spoiler] and my response: [spoiler]Bear with me for a second... So, you brought up the point that John is going insane... Like Khan in Star Trek. Wouldn't it be cool if the Chief is the bad guy of Halo 5? and you play as the UNSC's enemy? I guess that wouldn't really make him evil, but from the UNSC's standpoint, he would be the enemy. What if that Forerunner sphinx he awakens in the trailer is his doomsday device (like in Star Trek). 343 did say Halo 5 is darker than any other Halo... IDK, kind of let my thoughts run away with me a little. But still. I want to fight Spartan IVs. and not just in some Easter Egg.[/spoiler]