Gordon Freeman

Dr. Gordon Freeman is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Half-Life video game series. As a theoretical physicist, he finds himself thrust into a battle for survival against both alien and human forces. Throughout the series, Gordon must face hostile situations against overwhelming odds, often without backup. As a means of immersing the player in the role, Gordon never speaks, and there are no cutscenes or mission briefings—all action is viewed through Gordon's eyes, with the player retaining control of Gordon's actions at nearly all times. The images of Gordon are only seen on the game's cover and menu pages, and also in advertisements, making them marketing tools rather than pictures of what Gordon is "really like". Designer Gabe Newell has explicitly rejected giving the in-game Gordon a face or voice.

Gordon is introduced in the first Half-Life as a theoretical physicist working at the fictional Black Mesa Research Facility. There, he is involved in an experiment that accidentally opens an interdimensional portal, releasing confused, hostile beings into the complex. As Gordon, the player fights through the facility alongside fellow employees, engaging the aliens as well as a black-op military unit sent in to contain the situation and silence any surviving witnesses. In its sequel, Half-Life 2, Gordon is introduced to a dystopian world years after the Black Mesa incident, along with an interdimensional alien overlord force known as the Combine, which took advantage of the interdimensional portals and has established itself as the ruling force on Earth. Gordon joins the underground Lambda Resistance, aiding them in their struggle against their oppressors.