Illusive Man
The Illusive Man is a male video game character who features in Mass Effect.
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Biography
The Illusive Man was the identity taken by a male human who operated in the 22nd century. Originally, he was an normal civilian with a job and family where he was a citizen of the Systems Alliance. Events changed though following the discovery of alien life and the Battle of Shanxi during the First Contact War of 2157. Following the battle, an email circulated throughout the extranet that called for humanity to take its rightful place in the galaxy and assert its power on its new alien neighbours. Alliance intelligence was unable to locate the source of the email but came to refer to this figure as the 'Illusive Man' in press releases where they attempted to dismiss his humancentric speeches. In time, the name came to fully adopted by the person who later founded Cerberus that as a human-centric splinter group that operated separate from the Systems Alliance and broke away from its military. To cover its operations, Cord-Hislop Aerospace was built up to help Cerberus function in the shadows.
After the destruction of the SSV Normandy by the Collectors, the Illusive Man used his contacts and resources to obtain the badly damaged corpse of Commander Shepard. He then devoted significant Cerberus resources into the Lazarus Project that was an initiative tasked with resurrecting. The project was overseen by Miranda Lawson and took two years to complete where in this time Lawson suggested that a control ship be placed in the COmmander's brain to ensure compliance. However, the Illusive Man refused this suggestion as he specifically wanted Commander Shepard as he was prior to his death.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, the Illusive Man was a male human whose most distinctive feature was the unique patterns on his irises that were seemingly prosthetic. Typically, he was dressed in an impeccable futuristic-style suit which when combined with the casual swagger gave the feeling of a charming billionaire.
He believed the ends justify the means at any cost and that nothing was more important than ensuring not only humanity's survival in the galaxy but also its dominance.
According to him, salvation ultimately came at a cost that needed to be paid. Ultimately, the Illusive Man believed that a person's methods should not be judged but rather what they sought to accomplish.
He had stated that information was his weapon.
The Illusive Man came to see the Reapers as a means of way to control and looked to dominate as well as harness their power for humanity's interest.
It was shown that he had a love of his homeworld of Earth. In his final moments, he claimed that he had wished Commander Shepard had seen it the way he did as he so it as being perfect.
Powers and abilities
The Illusive Man was an ordinary human being with no special powers. However, he came to have a talent for convincing others to align with his cause. He was able to establish himself as a shadowy mastermind who operated in hiding whilst influencing galactic politics.
He commanded Cerberus which was a pro-human organisation dedicated to protecting mankind's interests in the galaxy.
Notes
- The Illusive Man was created by BioWare where he was voiced by actor Martin Sheen and featured in the setting of the Mass Effect universe.
- In an interview at SDCC 10, John Jackson Miller commented on the character, "I look at the Illusive Man as a searcher, someone plumbing the mysteries of the galaxy—but with a specific mindset to his approach. He's sure there's a darker side to some of the great things humanity's discovered, and he's rushing to find what that is before it's too late. His adventures force him to be a jack-of-all-trades—part xenobiologist, part intelligence agent, part archaeologist."
In other media
Comics
- In Mass Effect: Evolution v1 #1 (2011), the Illusive Man's origins were shown in the Dark Horse Comics written by Mac Walters and John Jackson Miller. The story depicted the characters true name as being Jack Harper and detailed his experiences in the First Contact War.
Appearances
- Mass Effect 2: (2010)
- Mass Effect 3:
External Links
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