Characters / Halo: SPARTAN-IV Program

WARNING: UNMARKED SPOILERS BELOW. CONTINUE?

ENCRYPTION CODE: [CLASSIFIED]

CLASSIFICATION: TVTROPES
SUBJECT: SPARTAN-IV PROGRAM

Index

• Main Index
• UNSC (Miscellaneous Personnel)
  • Artificial Intelligences
  • SPARTAN-I Program
  • SPARTAN-II Program
    • The Master Chief
  • SPARTAN-III Program
  • SPARTAN-IV Program
  • Navy
  • Marines and ODSTs
  • ONI
• The Covenant
  • Sangheili/Elites
• The Banished
• Forerunners
• UEG Civilians
• Other Factions

In General

SPARTAN-IV Program

Created in the immediate aftermath of the Human-Covenant War by SPARTAN-II washout Musa-096, the Spartan-IVs are the UNSC's fourth generation super-soldier project, made up of adult volunteers taken from the best veterans and recruits among the UNSC armed forces. By 2557, they make up the majority of the UNSC's augmented personnel.

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• Bio-Augmentation: While their enhancements are somewhat inferior to those of their predecessors (and require far more frequent "tune-ups" to maintain), the IVs do get some new perks, like being able to survive breathing methane for nearly an hour.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Unlike the IIs and IIIs, who were child soldiers and oftentimes psychologically scarred, the IVs were inducted into the program as adults. They are significantly more animated and casual than the IIs.
• Empowered Badass Normal: The program recruits primarily from soldiers who have already distinguished themselves in combat.
• Going Native: As per their military pact; the Swords of Sanghelios have a large detachment of Spartan IV Fireteams under the Arbiter's personal command at all times. What initially started as a purely professional relationship, has ended in genuine camaraderie with these Spartans fully integrating with their alien units as brothers; taking on customs and the Elite's warrior-code, learning the Sangheili language, and even taking on Sangheili names. It's noted many within the UNSC command are very disturbed by this development.
• Jump Jet Pack: The latest iterations of MJOLNIR GEN2 include an integrated set of thrusters, as seen in Halo 5: Guardians.
• Last-Name Basis: Spartan IV's tend to call each other by their surnames.
• Powered Armor: MJOLNIR GEN2, a superior version of the Spartan-IIs' MJOLNIR armor designed to fully compensate for the IVs' inferior augmentations.
• Quantity vs. Quality: Zig-zagged. Since the Spartan-IV program pulls from active service members opposed to raising kidnapped or orphaned children, they're in a way more expendable than the IIIs were as they boast a much wider recruitment pool and receive a less potent mix of drug enhancements to minimize wash outs. However the training facilities they have are among the best the UNSC has to offer and even their iteration of MJLONIR is on par to early versions of the Spartan II's MJLONIR.
• The Spartan Way: Averted, given that the candidates are not trained from childhood like the IIs and IIIs. It's implied that in part because of this, they're less badass and more likely to defect than their predecessors, though much cheaper and easier to mass-produce without raising unfortunate questions among the public.
• Stealth Expert: The Headhunters program, which originally consisted solely of SPARTAN-III infiltration specialists, was expanded to include select Spartan-IVs as well.
• Super-Soldier: They may not have been the kind of candidates that Halsey or even Ackerson would have chosen, but they're still more than capable of plowing through most enemy forces.
• Super-Strength: When fully armored in MJOLNIR GEN2, their physical strength is equal to that of a Spartan-II wearing GEN1.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The SPARTAN augmentations that could cause some serious Body Horror if they failed have been replaced by much safer augs combined with a much more streamlined and productive means of turning any Badass Normal into an Empowered Badass Normal. This results in a score of new-generation soldiers that are rather arrogant, often lack the weight on their shoulders that surviving SPARTAN-II and IIIs carry, and despite all their hype, ultimately tend to be considered as inferior to the veterans behind the scenes as the new fresh meat not unlike what the IIIs had to go through. As at least one character loosely puts it, "they're souped-up ODSTs in special armor", and to someone like Halsey, most of them are considered not truly SPARTAN material compared to the real deal.
  • This actually reaches its inevitable conclusion in Infinite: the vast majority of SPARTAN-IV soldiers are either in hiding with what few pockets of the UNSC are left, or were rapidly wiped out by the Banished because of superior numbers and strategy versus super soldiers starting on the backfoot that simply weren't ready or able to keep up with the conflict like Master Chief can. What little we do see or hear of their fights tend to result in being wiped out to the last.
• Training from Hell: While their training is more high-tech and not quite as arduous as what the IIs and IIIs went through, being comprised in part of an elaborate holodeck simulation program known as War Games (which is also the multiplayer mode for the 343i-era games), it's still rough enough to make even a seasoned special forces veteran like Buck nearly collapse.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: In Halo Infinite, the dead SPARTAN-IV strewn about Zeta Halo are all new characters, and even the few multiplayer cutscenes there were had original cast members. All of the pre-existing soldiers, along with most other characters of the series in general, are unaccounted for, leaving them in Uncertain Doom territory given how brutal the Banished attacks were.

Fireteam Osiris

Jameson Locke

Jameson Locke (73808-3153-JL)

Homeworld: Jericho VII
Birthdate: March 15, 2529
Debuted in: Halo: Nightfall
Portrayed and voiced by: Mike Colter (Halo: Nightfall, Halo 2: Anniversary), Ike Amadi (Halo 5: Guardians)

"The light is green."

Once a freelance tracker and assassin before being recruited by ONI, Locke served as an Acquisitions Specialist with great skill in retrieving enemy-held objects and tracking and eliminating high value targets, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander as one of ONI's top agents before becoming a Spartan. In Halo 5: Guardians, he is the second main player character, leading Fireteam Osiris in a mission to track down the Master Chief.

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• Badass Normal: Single-handedly takes down a Zealot in the first episode of Nightfall, despite still being an unaugmented human at that point.
• Bald of Authority: A man with a shaved head who leads an ONI team in Nightfall and Fireteam Osiris in Halo 5: Guardians.
• Consummate Professional: While he's privately troubled about some aspects of the organization he serves, he never lets it show, treating each assignment as just another job. He's also particularly well-served by his ability to not hold grudges or let things get too personal:
  • Despite advocating assassinating the Arbiter during the war due to him "killing millions of our people", Locke in Halo 5 shows nothing but respect to him and is immediately ready to have their people work together.
  • Despite having a physical altercation with the Chief during their last encounter, Locke's first action when they reunite on Genesis is requesting their teams work together to deal with their new threat.
  • In fact, his willingness to work with former/potential foes is implied to be part of the reason he's so effective; in Nightfall, he plays nice with both Axl and the Alerian smugglers to get their much-needed help, despite being fully aware of their contributions to a major bioweapon attack on Sedra City.
• Crazy-Prepared: His preparations to hunt down the Master Chief includes assigning an AI to analyze said Spartan-II's MJOLNIR Armor for potential weaknesses and digging through SPARTAN-II psyche profiles to take him down both physically and mentally.
• Cunning Linguist: Knows at least one Covenant-affiliated language as part of his ONI work.
• Deuteragonist: Of Halo 5: Guardians, similar to how the Arbiter was in Halo 2. Though he receives a greater number of missions and focus, the Master Chief nonetheless holds more importance in the grand scheme of the series, although it is Locke's squad who manages to save Blue Team from being kidnapped at the end.
• Determinator: Like all Halo player characters, he's exceptionally tough and won't stop until the objective is complete or he's dead. Exemplified when he's struggling to reach the Genesis comm relay while being bombarded with a Guardian's energy pulses. His armor is barely functioning and he's absorbing blasts known to knock spaceships from the sky, but he still manages to crawl on his hands and knees to deactivate the relay.
• Doomed Hometown: As a child, he was evacuated from Jericho VII only minutes before it was glassed, losing his parents in the process.
• The Dreaded: To a small degree, Thel 'Vadam himself would regard Locke as this. By unknown means, he recognized him as a [former] ONI agent who volunteered to execute him, even if this was well before he would become Arbiter.
• Empowered Badass Normal: From a regular ONI agent in Nightfall to a Spartan-IV in Halo 5: Guardians.
• The Face: All Spartan programs are known for producing soldiers who are excellent at combat, but Locke is much more diplomatic compared to the norm, likely due to his background as a tracker for ONI. He consistently makes efforts to reach out to and work with distrusting parties, and stays polite and cordial even as his teammates advocate a more blunt approach; in Nightfall, he's much more civil to the Sedrans and Alerians than his ONI subordinates are, and tries to get them all to work together.
• Former Teen Rebel: In a sense; he became a freelancer precisely because he blamed the UNSC for being unable to save Jericho VII. He later let go of his resentment and joined ONI.
• Headbutting Heroes:
  • Despite his general cooperativeness with the Sedrans on the Alpha Shard mission, he still has his disagreements with their colonel Randall Aiken. Fortunately, they come to fully respect each other by the end.
  • Despite his respect for the Chief, they do end up butting heads in Halo 5, though their mutual realization of a new common threat leads to them settling their differences fairly amicably.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Almost; his appearance in Halo 5 is an exact match◊ for his original VA Mike Colter, but he resembles his current VA far less.
• Large and in Charge: The tallest member of both his old ONI squad and Fireteam Osiris.
• The Men First: Seems to be a personal creed of his, as we see in Nightfall that he does not like abandoning allies, even those who aren't technically part of his team; when his Number Two Horrigan sacrifices Haisal (who was technically a mere captive) to the Thanolekgolo, Locke goes off on him, berating him for "playing God".
• Nice Guy: Has a pretty upstanding moral code for a guy who used to do black ops for ONI; even back during the mission on the Alpha Shard, he refused to sacrifice anyone else to save his own skin, not even the captured smugglers.
• Not So Above It All: His stoic professionalism only cracks a couple of times.
  • When Buck jokes that Locke should buy drinks before the first mission, he retorts that if Buck asks, Buck can buy.
  • In an Easter Egg in "Meridian Station", he can take some time to goof off and play soccer with Buck.
• Sole Survivor: The only member of his old ONI team to survive the Alpha Shard mission.
• The Stoic: He's a very even-tempered and professional man who never loses his cool.
• Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: He spends most of Halo 5 attempting to apprehend Blue Team for desertion, but still respects them a great deal and is quick to ally with them once he realizes who the real threat is.
• Team Dad: Of Osiris. He's very serious and focused on mission success, but offers praise and thanks to his subordinates freely, and he's typically the one pulling his comrades out of the fire in cutscenes. He seems to have been the same with his old ONI squad as well, though we don't get to see as much of it.
• Uncertain Doom: Hyperius, one of the Banished's Spartan Killers, is wearing bits of his armour when fought in Halo Infinite, though Locke's exact fate has yet to be revealed. He was said to have been sent on a different mission six months prior to the game in a UNSC audio log.
• Vigilante Man: What he formerly was before ONI noticed his skills and recruited him.

Holly Tanaka

Holly Tanaka (93312-28001-HT)

Homeworld: Minab (Kynur)
Birthdate: July 9, 2530
Debuted in: Halo: Escalation
Voiced by: Cynthia Kaye McWilliams

A former sergeant in the Army Corps of Engineers, Tanaka was recommended to the Spartan branch for her outstanding performance during a major rescue operation on Cleyell. Shortly after her first few deployments as a Spartan-IV, she joins Fireteam Osiris on its mission to locate the Master Chief and the rest of Blue Team.

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• Action Girl: Even as a young civilian, she was good enough with a shotgun to fight off Jackals.
• Daddy's Girl: Was very close to her father, and worked alongside him in the family mining business.
• Disaster Scavengers: Spent roughly three years scratching out a living on Minab after it was glassed, alongside a dwindling party made up of her father and other survivors from the family business.
• Doomed Hometown: Her mother and brothers were lost during the Covenant's initial bombardment of Minab, and her father was killed by Jackal scavengers a year later.
• Early-Bird Cameo: Indirectly; her background information mentions that she was deployed with Fireteam Domino on Requiem, and said fireteam is mentioned in both Chapter One of Spartan Ops and some of the supplementary material from the Limited Edition of Halo 4.
• The Engineer: Retains this role even as a Spartan, with her armor basically being a mobile tech support center.
• Gadgeteer Genius: Has a natural knack for reverse-engineering just about anything; even when she was a young civilian, her father could trust her to help him build a fusion reactor.
• Had to Be Sharp: Not surprisingly, a lot of her badassery, resourcefulness, and cunning comes from her having to live on a glassed world, particularly after Jackals discover her initial hideout and kill most of her fellow survivors, forcing her to wander the surface alongside two former Insurrectionists willing to give her further survival lessons.
• Informed Loner: Her background states that her traumatic experience surviving Minab left her rather quiet and unsocial, to the point where even Locke knows little about her. But in Halo 5, she seems more than able to keep up with the rest of Osiris's banter, though to be fair, we don't get to see much of her off-duty persona.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Very much so◊.
• The Scrounger: Her hard-learned scavenging skills still serve her well in the UNSC, giving her a notorious ability to obtain luxuries in battlefield situations.

Olympia Vale

Olympia Vale (44482-91201-OV)

Homeworld: Luyten
Birthdate: January 20, 2536
Debuted in: Halo: Hunters in the Dark
Voiced by: Laura Bailey

A former signals intelligence operative employed by ONI whose linguistic skills led her to become a diplomat to the Sangheili after the war, Vale joined the Spartan-IV branch after an impressive performance on Installation 00 during Operation: FAR STORM. She joins Jameson Locke's Fireteam Osiris when it is assigned to locate Master Chief John-117 and the rest of Blue Team.

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• Action Girl: Even before becoming a IV, her combat instincts and training were enough to impress Spartans, despite her minimal field experience and noncombat orientation.
• Ambadassador: Was required to study martial arts while training to become an ONI Special Liaison to the Swords of Sanghelios.
• Child Prodigy: While stuck on a ship with a failed slipspace drive while eleven-years old, Vale spent the six-month trip learning Sangheili, producing translations that were better than those done by AIs.
• Constantly Curious: During a six-month trip through space when she was eleven, the same drive that led to her learning Sangheili also led to her nearly driving the ship's crew mad with her incessant questioning. Even becoming an adult hasn't dulled her sense of curiosity one bit; much of her fascination with Sangheili culture comes from how challenging she finds fully understanding it to be.
• Cunning Linguist: She is able to speak perfect Sangheili, despite a having completely different mouth structure (e.g. two jaws instead of four mandibles).
• Damsel in Distress: During Operation: FAR STORM, Vale is kidnapped by 000 Tragic Solitude, a lonely and insane monitor who activated the Halos, so half the team splits off to search for her.
• Defiant Captive: Even after getting captured, Vale's decision to continually argue against Solitude's plan does a good job at keeping the monitor somewhat off-balance and distracted, allowing the others to eventually defeat it.
• Improbable Age: Only nineteen-years old during the events of Operation: FAR STORM, and even younger when she became a diplomat to the Sangheili and wandered across one of their rougher frontier worlds on her lonesome.
• Interspecies Friendship: Forms a bond with Sangheili Ambadassador Usze 'Taham during Operation: FAR STORM.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Like the rest of Osiris, she looks almost the exact the same as her voice actor◊.
• Military Brat: Her mother worked in Navy signal intelligence.
• Omniglot: Implied, given how quickly she learned Sangheili as a child.
• The Xenophile: She was eager to learn about the Sangheili even when they were enemies of the human race. After the Human-Covenant war, she becomes a diplomat to them, and still retains a great deal of respect for their culture.

Edward Buck

Edward Malcolm Buck

See the Halo: UNSC Marines and ODST page for more details.

Fireteam Majestic

Gabriel Thorne

Gabriel Thorne (83920-91083-GT)

Homeworld: Earth (New Phoenix, Arizona, United Republic of North America)
Birthdate: July 5, 2534
Debuted in: Spartan Ops
Voiced by: Ethan Peck

A former member of the UNSC Army, Thorne was the newest member of Fireteam Majestic during the Infinity's second tour on Requiem. Following the events of Spartan Ops, Thorne is given command of Majestic.

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• Birds of a Feather: Seems to be the closest with Grant out of all of Majestic's original members, as the two share similarly sensible demeanors.
• Doomed Hometown: Lost his remaining family and friends when New Phoenix was Composed by the Ur-Didact at the ending of Halo 4's single player campaign.
• Empowered Badass Normal: His pre-Spartan exploits include single-handedly saving his entire platoon during the Battle of Criterion, and surviving both the Fall of Reach and the Covenant invasion of the Solar System.
• Hard Head: Gets a boulder slammed on his head, and is fine not too long after. However, he is a Spartan.
• Heroic BSoD: He has to walk out of a briefing to have a moment to himself when he finds out that some of the Prometheans he's been fighting used to be New Phoenix residents.
• Hidden Depths: Knows how to play the violin, due to his grandmother being a professional violinist.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Not to the extent of Fireteam Osiris with their actors, but Thorne does resemble Ethan Peck a lot◊.
• Military Brat: The son of two Army officers.
• New Meat: Played with; he's the newest and youngest member of Majestic in Spartan Ops, being a newly-enlisted Spartan with basic gear (standard-issue Recruit armor and an Assault Rifle). That said, the Spartan-IVs are chosen from among the best of the other branches of the military, with Halo 4's Essential Visual Guide noting that Thorne himself is a distinguished veteran who served in the last year of the Human-Covenant War and fought on both Reach and Mars.
• Nice Guy: He's even polite to Dr. Halsey, whom the rest of the Spartan-IVs aboard Infinity consider to be a war criminal and seem to be just waiting for an excuse to shoot.
• Parental Abandonment: Both of his parents were killed by the Covenant at Alluvion when he was eight.
• Past Experience Nightmare: Gabriel has recurring nightmares about the attack on New Phoenix, which only end after he finally revists his old home.
• The Protagonist: Is essentially the main character of Spartan Op's cutscenes, getting by far the most characterization out of all of Majestic's members.
• Rank Up: Following DeMarco's transfer to Fireteam Bailey, Thorne is promoted to leader of Fireteam Majestic come Halo: Escalation.
• Rookie Red Ranger: Despite being the newest member of Majestic in Spartan Ops, he more than holds his own during the Requiem campaign (even managing to go blow for blow with Gek, Jul 'Mdama's second-in-command, despite having already been injured), so much so that he's promoted to team leader afterwards.
• Raised by Grandparents: After his parents' deaths.
• Turn Out Like His Father: His grandmother taught him violin in the hope that he wouldn't join the Army, which clearly didn't work.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Has trouble trusting Ayit 'Sevi during Operation: ATHENA, due to a previous mission where Ayit captured and sold him to Kig-Yar pirates as part of his cover.
• Use Their Own Weapon Against Them: His default is an Assault Rifle, although he has often been seen using Covenant tech against them, such as jacking a Banshee to blow up an enemy Phantom, and killing several Elites with their own Energy Swords and Storm Rifles.

Paul DeMarco

Paul DeMarco (76283-34092-PD)

Homeworld: Algolis
Birthdate: August 24, 2532
Debuted in: Spartan Ops
Voiced by: Travis Willingham

A former ODST, DeMarco was the leader of Fireteam Majestic during the Requiem campaign. Following the end of Spartan Ops, DeMarco was given command of Fireteam Bailey.

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• Amazon Chaser: Tries hitting on Commander Sarah Palmer, who he already knows is a Spartan-IV like him. He shuts upon realizing who she really is.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Is rather coarse and irreverent, but a very capable soldier nonetheless.
• The Casanova: Implied to be something of a ladies' man in the opening cutscene of Spartan Ops, though he stops flirting with Palmer once he finds out she's his commanding officer.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Is very close to Madsen.
• Heroes Prefer Swords: Invoked. As the leader of Majestic, he gets gifted with Gek's Energy Sword by Thorne, and proceeds to make excellent use of it.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Dies on Ealen IV while covering the escape of a cargo tug carrying most of the surviving UNSC delegation, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, and Chieftain Lydus.
• The Leader: Of Fireteam Majestic. Halo: Escalation shows him leading Fireteam Bailey after being transferred from Majestic.

Carlo Hoya

Carlo Hoya (90302-89202-CH)

Homeworld: Asmara
Birthdate: December 15, 2533
Debuted in: Spartan Ops
Voiced by: Isaac C. Singleton Jr.

"Gonna take a lot more than this to kill me, Commander."

A former ODST who served with distinction at the Battle of New Jerusalem, Hoya is a member of Fireteam Majestic.

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• The Big Guy: Is Majestic's close-quarters combat specialist.
• Doomed Hometown: Grew up as a refugee on Circumstance after Asmara was glassed.
• Great Escape: His backstory states that despite being captured at New Jerusalem, he was able to escape and rescue a bunch of Naval officers in the process.
• Leeroy Jenkins: He has a reputation for being reckless. In Episode 2 of Spartan Ops, he charges out of cover during a firefight with Prometheans, and needs to get stretchered of the battlefield because of it.
• Shotguns Are Just Better: He has a preference for shotguns.

Tedra Grant

Tedra Grant (95984-78393-TG)

Homeworld: Arcadia
Birthdate: November 4, 2533
Debuted in: Spartan Ops
Voiced by: Elle Newlands

A former Navy military police officer, Grant field-tested early versions of MJOLNIR GEN2 before becoming an active Spartan. She is the only female member of Fireteam Majestic in Spartan Ops.

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• Action Girl: More than capable of keeping up with the rest of Majestic.
• Birds of a Feather: Quickly forms a fairly close bond with Thorne, as the two share a similarly sensible demeanor.
• Brave Scot: Has a heavy Scottish accent.
• Doomed Hometown: Grew up on Arcadia after the Covenant's original attempted invasion, and was only 16 when the Covies returned to finish the job.
• One of the Boys: Is quite comfortable hanging out with the rest of Majestic.
• The Smart Guy: She is a quick thinker whose best talents are mentioned to be "sharp insight and clear decision making".
• The Squadette: The only female on the team until Ray joins.

Anthony Madsen

Anthony Madsen (75283-56282-AM)

Homeworld: New Llanelli
Birthdate: October 19, 2530
Debuted in: Spartan Ops
Voiced by: Braden Lynch

A former Marine, Madsen is a member of Fireteam Majestic, serving as the team's sniper.

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• The Casanova: Implied to be something of a ladies' man in the opening cutscene of Spartan Ops.
• Friendly Sniper: Is rather chatty and likes cracking jokes.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Is very close to DeMarco, and is the member of Majestic who has the most trouble adjusting to DeMarco's transfer to Fireteam Bailey and subsequent death.
• Military Brat: His father and grandfather are both Marine Corps generals.
• Nepotism: Despite being the oldest member of Majestic, his career as a Marine was fairly undistinguished, especially when compared to the pre-Spartan exploits of his younger squadmates. Nonetheless, he still got into the SPARTAN-IV program due to the influence of his aforementioned relatives.
• Number Two: Is effectively DeMarco's second-in-command.

Naiya Ray

Naiya Ray (73993-54580-NR)

Homeworld: Heavensward
Birthdate: Unknown
Debuted in: Halo: Escalation

A former Air Force operative, Ray is a Spartan-IV from Fireteam Jackknife. She befriends Thorne and is eventually transferred to Fireteam Majestic.

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• Action Girl: She is an extremely skilled Spartan who is adapt at frontline combat, commando raids, and undercover fieldwork.
• Communications Officer: She spent four years in Signals Intelligence before becoming a Spartan.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: In Issue 12 of Escalation, while pursing a fleeing Sangheili mercenary, she refuses to send her coordinates to Palmer and Fireteam Majestic, in order to force them to rescue Thorne instead of assisting in the pursuit.
• Sixth Ranger: Eventually transfers to Fireteam Majestic due to the rest of Jackknife being dead.
• Sole Survivor: Of Fireteam Jackknife after the rest of the squad is killed on Ealen IV.
• Stealth Expert: Served a stint as an ONI Headhunter before being assigned to the Infinity.

Fireteam Shadow

Bonita Stone

Bonita Stone

Homeworld: Komoya
Birthdate: December 25, 2535
Debuted in: Halo Infinite
Voiced by: Krizia Bajos

Bonita Stone was a SPARTAN-IV reconnaissance specialist.

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• Sacrificial Lion: She's the first of the deceased Spartan-IVs you encounter in Infinite, firmly establishing the Banished (and specifically Jega 'Rdomnai) as Hero Killers.

Nina Kovan

Nina Kovan

Homeworld: Gilgamesh
Birthdate: March 21, 2534
Debuted in: Halo Infinite

A SPARTAN-IV sniper who served in the Zeta Halo conflict.

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• Uncertain Doom: Her fate is unaccounted for after the Banished overran the UNSC Mortal Reverie crash site.

Fireteam Taurus

Hudson Griffin

Hudson Griffin

Homeworld: Lodestone
Birthdate: November 14, 2530
Debuted in: Halo: Shadows of Reach
Voiced by: Andrew Kishino
Motion capture performance by: Verlon Roberts

Spartan Griffin is the leader of Fireteam Taurus, who were active in working alongside Blue Team on many instances both prior to and during the Created Conflict. After the defeat of the Infinity above Zeta Halo, Griffin became the unofficial leader for the UNSC's resistance efforts against the Banished.

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• Almost Dead Guy: By the time he's found, Griffin has been extensively tortured by Chak 'Lok that he's barely clinging on to life while speaking to the Master Chief after being freed, succumbing to his wounds shortly after.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: Upon being freed by the Master Chief from Chak 'Lok's torture, Griffin expires minutes later in the Chief's arms due to the severity of his wounds.
• Electric Torture: How Griffin is found courtesy Chak 'Lok.
• A Father to His Men: The Apocalyptic Logs show that Griffin is a Frontline General who values his team more than himself. His last words to the Master Chief include a plea to find the other Spartan-IVs on Zeta Halo.
• Hero of Another Story: During the six months Master Chief is incapacitated, Griffin is engaging in a Hopeless War, where his sole mission is to stalemate the Banished as long as possible before he's forced to act, knowing time is running out. Also, of the Spartan-IVs you see in Infinite, Griffin's armor is the one that most closely resembles that of Chief himself.
• Humble Hero: Griffin shares Master Chief's attitude about his job as soldier first.
• The Leader: Not just a leader of Infinity Spartans; his lieutenants beg him not to go on a Suicide Mission because he's needed to inspire the remaining UNSC troops on Zeta.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: An interesting case, as Griffin's decision to assassinate Escharum afrer months of toeing the line was absolutely necessary given Escharum's plan with Halo; but, in failing to accomplish this, Escharum proclaims to Griffin that he's done letting them be a passive nuisance and that his bold action now mandates retaliation in kind, leading to the capture and execution of every surviving human left on the Ring rather than routing them as they had. However, it's unknown if Escharum would have done this anyway to begin with or if he was playing a Sadistic Choice against Griffin unbeknownst to the Spartan making it seem like it was his fault.
• Sacrificial Lion: His fate at the hands of the Banished shows how much of a threat their Spartan Killers pose.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Griffin appears in only one scene, but the Apocalyptic Logs show he was crucial in keeping the remaining UNSC troops organized and motivated.
• Take Up My Sword: Before he dies, Griffin asks Master Chief to look for the other Spartans located on Zeta Halo; the Chief's arrival manages to maintain UNSC morale just as it was crashing due to Griffin's defeat.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: He tells Vette that he's good enough to lead the remaining UNSC troops if anything bad happens to himself.

Bertold Vettel

Bertold Vettel (92039-12039-BV)

Homeworld: Earth
Birthdate: September 14, 2532
Debuted in: Halo: Shadows of Reach
Voiced by: Scott Whyte

A member of Fireteam Taurus.

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• The Lancer: To Griffin, enough to that Griffin is happy to appoint him as his successor.
• Uncertain Doom: He evidently failed in his attempt to rescue Griffin from The Tower, though what happened to him is unknown.

Infinity Command Staff

Sarah Palmer

Spartan Commander Sarah E. Palmer (65287-98303-SP)

Homeworld: Luna
Birthdate: April 13, 2527
Debuted in: Halo 4
Voiced by: Jennifer Hale

The leader of the SPARTAN-IV units on board the UNSC Infinity. Palmer was one of the first Spartan-IVs recruited into the project, having spent more than a decade fighting the Covenant during twelve tours of duty as an ODST, making her a natural choice to take command of the Spartans on the Infinity.

She is a competent commander and takes pride in the work of her Spartans, but is also snarky to the point of arrogance, and quite distrustful of Dr. Halsey. She works with Captain Lasky in overseeing Infinity's operations at Requiem, and acts as high-level Mission Control for Crimson and the other Spartan teams, together with a large support staff that includes Spartans Miller and Dalton, as well as the AI Roland.

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• Action Girl: Not just the toughest soldier among Infinity's command staff, but one of the most capable Spartan-IVs in the entire program.
• Bad Boss: Minor example. While she does care about her subordinates, she snarks at them and delivers backhanded compliments towards them somewhat frequently. She also yells at subordinates for things like pointing out that they are exceeding their equipment's safety parameters and even informing her of serious issues (such as enemy ships preventing Pelicans from performing extractions) with carrying out her orders. She also does not warn her subordinates when she's going to be out of contact, leaving others to oversee her operations without any idea where she is or what she's doing while they attempt to reach her.
• Break the Haughty: Done rather brutally in Escalation Issue 16. Instead of killing an Elite carrying the half of the Janus Key when she has the chance, Palmer - against the objections of Thorne and Ray - deliberately allows the Elite to bring the key to Dr. Halsey, so that she can capture/kill Halsey. Even though her plan actually works and she captures Halsey, the two get into an argument, in which Halsey berates Palmer for doing Admiral Osman's dirty work. Palmer is distracted, allowing Halsey to escape. Palmer tries to give chase, only to be ambushed by a Harvester, which nearly kills her, while Halsey and Jul 'Mdama get away WITH the key. In the end, Palmer is in hot water with ONI, who promptly send two agents to Infinity to interrogate her. Her fellow Spartan-IVs (who just wanted to recover the key rather than go after Halsey) are unsurprisingly pissed as hell. Palmer herself is quite humbled and ashamed (looking to be on the verge of tears in one panel). Afterwards, she mellows out considerably, something which Thorne explicitly points out in the Official Spartan Field Manual.
• Commanding Coolness: Her rank being specifically "Spartan Commander".
• Continuity Snarl: Most sources mentioned that she was a lieutenant before becoming a Spartan, but Issue #1 of Halo: Initiation has her as a corporal. See the Over Ranked Soldier section for how the discrepancy was eventually settled.
• Deadpan Snarker: Has a generally sarcastic demeanor.
  • Her first reaction to seeing John-117, hero of all the numbered Halo games and a 'literal living legend' among the UNSC?
    Sarah: I thought you'd be taller.
  • This is also particularly apparent in Spartan Ops, mostly towards Miller. She seems to grow more and more snarky with each episode.
• Empowered Badass Normal: Was already exceptionally capable as an ODST, having single-handedly taken down at least one Brute Chieftain.
• First-Name Basis: Occasionally with Thomas Lasky, though they usually address each other by rank (albeit in friendly tones).
• Glory Hound: Musa calls her out for this during a training exercise against Marines where she cost her fellow trainees their "lives" by rushing ahead to the objective on her own.
• Headbutting Heroes: Palmer is suspicious of Halsey the very moment the latter steps foot on Infinity, and is constantly rude to her as a result (though some of this might be because of Halsey's own open disdain for the Spartan-IVs). As such, she doesn't hesitate when ONI gives the order to hunt down and assassinate Halsey, though it's indicated that she's mostly doing it to prevent Lasky from being court-martialed.
• Guns Akimbo: He's often seen wielding a Magnum. Or two.
• Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Zig-zagged in Halo 4. She never wears hers while aboard the Infinity, and doesn't seem to have time to put it on when the Covenant and Prometheans manage to board the ship in Spartan Ops. She also goes helmetless while groundside during the Halo 4 campaign, but she does wear it when she's deployed again in Episodes 9 and 10 of Spartan Ops. However, all other media show her wearing a helmet during combat situations (or even when she's just groundside in potentially hostile territory).
• Hypocrite:
  • When Captain Del Rio orders the arrest of John-117 at the end of the mission "Reclaimer", Palmer, like everyone else, doesn't move a muscle. ONI orders the death of Halsey, for whom Palmer has shown nothing but contempt for ever since she came aboard Infinity? "Orders are orders." On the other hand, it's implied that she's doing it to protect Lasky from the legal repercussions of ignoring that order, which is confirmed to indeed be the case in Escalation.
  • Palmer is very proud of being a Spartan, yet she treats Dr. Halsey like crap and considers her a war criminal (which she is, admittedly). However, Halsey created the basis for the Spartans' bio-augmentations and Powered Armor. Halsey actually calls her out on this in Escalation Issue 16:
    Halsey: I'm the only reason that armor even exists! You can't have it both ways, Commander.
  • In Halo: Initiation, Palmer hates people for viewing themselves as better than her. She particularly seems to dislike Spartans for making her and her fellow Marines feel inferior. Fast-forward to after her augmentation, and Palmer is happy to gloat about how Spartans are dozens of times better than regular Marines. Particularly jarring since she seems to be in charge of said Marine troops as well, while showing virtually no respect for them.
• Informed Ability: In the Halo 4 interactive guide, it says that she became a Spartan-IV, and eventually the commanding officer of all the Spartan-IVs aboard the UNSC Infinity, due to her innate leadership. However, due to the Retcon in Halo: Initiation making her a lance corporal by the time of her transfer to the S-IV program, she shouldn't have any leadership experience to speak of, let alone enough to make her commanding officer of a battalion within the span of four years, which may explain her relative impatience towards others and several rather questionable decisions. Averted a bit in Halo: Spartan Assault, where she's indicated to be leading UNSC defenses fairly effectively.
• The Leader: Of the SPARTAN-IV units on the UNSC Infinity.
• Military Maverick: Palmer is not the type to necessarily follow orders no matter what, but she is considered one of the best IVs for a reason. For example, when Ray and Thorne run into trouble during a secret mission in which they were sent in without backup (as per ONI's orders), Palmer objects to Lasky's initial order to send another two-person team to investigate, as this would only put more lives at risk, telling Lasky point-blank that she'll settle for nothing less than a full force of Spartans regardless of what ONI wants; Admiral Osman turns out to be rather pleased at the results, as it was what she was expecting Palmer to do anyways. However, sometimes her independent tendencies lead her astray...
• Mission Control: Oversees Spartan operations from a high level, leaving micromanagement to her subordinates most of the time.
• One-Man Army: This is particularly apparent in Spartan Assault, where she mows through hordes of Covenant in defense of Draetheus V.
• One of the Boys: Is not at all phased by even the cruder male Spartans, and offers to pay for the first round of drinks when Fireteam Crimson assassinates Parg Vol in Episode 3 of Spartan Ops.
• Over Ranked Soldier: In Spartan Ops and Escalation, Palmer does things like abandoning her battalion-sized command to go do stuff on her own without telling any of her subordinates, turning off transmissions from Miller in the middle of an operation simply because she found him annoying, and screwing up an op because of her grudge against Halsey (infuriating two of her Spartans in the process), none of which are signs of being a particularly great officer, to say the least. This is implied to be at least partly the result of her having only been an E-4 (a corporal) who was in consideration for promotion to sergeant before she got transferred to the Spartan branch. That said, after eating a bunch of Humble Pie in Escalation #16, she shapes up her attitude considerably.
• The Peter Principle: Palmer is an excellent infantrywoman, and shows herself to be a fairly good impromptu field leader during the Battle of Draetheus V, but she's clearly still not used to commanding an entire battalion's worth of Spartans and her instincts are still those of a frontline ODST. Indeed, Grant jokes in the Official Spartan Field Manual that Lasky must have a hell of a time trying to make sure that Palmer stays on the bridge instead of sneaking into a drop pod every mission.
• Platonic Life-Partners:
  • With Lasky. She's on a First-Name Basis with him, addresses him with far more respect than she shows anyone else, and when Lasky's ordered to kill Halsey, she says she'll do it herself to spare him a court martial.
  • She's also very close with fellow Spartan-IV Edward Davis, taking his death particularly personally.
• Player Character: Along with Davis in Halo: Spartan Assault.
• Pride: She feels quite a bit of pride towards her Spartan-IVs, and will not hesitate to engage in some boasting about their combat prowess compared to the other branches of the UNSC military if Crimson Team does well in Spartan Ops.
• Properly Paranoid: She's constantly suspicious of Halsey because she fears the doctor has hidden backdoors in Infinity for her to break out with. Halsey turns out to have a secret override code for Roland, and has been secretly communicating with Jul 'Mdama, even if her duplicity is ultimately ONI's fault for keeping secrets from her as much as anyone else's.
• Rage Breaking Point: After Halsey is kidnapped, Palmer slams her fist on the bridge's holo-map, denting it.
• School Is for Losers: Looks down on doctors and scientists for having more extensive educations than she did.
  Palmer: Soldiers don't act like they're smarter than me just because it took them eight years longer to get out of school.
• Statuesque Stunner: She officially stands at 6'9 and is obviously catching the attention of her fellow soldiers. A Halo 5 audio log reveals that she even has a Sangheili admirer who writes love poems about her!
• Took a Level in Kindness: She is a lot more civil with Doctor Halsey in Halo 5: Guardians than she was in previous installments, and is generally a lot more mellow overall, if still rather snarky.

Jared Miller

Jared Miller

Homeworld: Unknown
Birthdate: Unknown
Debuted in: Spartan Ops
Voiced by: Ben Diskin

A Spartan-IV stationed on the Infinity, Miller serves as Fireteam Crimson's personal Mission Control.

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• Butt-Monkey: A minor example; Palmer will snark at him for saying obvious things often, and Roland seems to enjoy making fun of him.
• Captain Obvious: The timing of his lines means that he'll often state the glaringly obvious, which is Lampshaded by Palmer several times. In particular, he seems to make note of every Phantom that ever approaches Crimson's position, most of which are obvious on the player's motion trackers or in plain view.
• Desk Jockey: Despite being a Spartan, he's never shown engaging in frontline combat himself.
• Mission Control: Is the mission handler for Crimson and several other Spartan fireteams.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: A competent officer, but he's completely outclassed when Roland helps out.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: While the two work together fairly well, Miller will readily voice his annoyance at Roland's continual snark and tendency to butt into his channel.
• Voice with an Internet Connection: Directs and aides Spartan teams from the Infinity. While he never makes a direct appearance in Spartan Ops, a feed of him sometimes shows up on the players' HUDs◊ when he's communicating with them.
• You Are in Command Now: In Episode 5 of Spartan Ops, he's forced to take command of ops himself when he can't get into contact with Palmer.

Robert Dalton

Robert Dalton

Homeworld: Unknown
Birthdate: Unknown
Debuted in: Spartan Ops
Voiced by: Cas Anvar

A Spartan-IV serving on the Infinity's support staff, he arranges for fire support and supply drops to assist Fireteam Crimson.

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• Desk Jockey: Despite being a Spartan, he's not shown engaging in frontline combat himself.
• Mission Control: One of the guys in charge of general air support aboard the Infinity, including calling in for a Broadsword flight.
• The Voice: Doesn't even have an in-game portrait, much less a character model.

Other Spartan-IVs

Fireteam Crimson

Fireteam Crimson

Debuted in: Spartan Ops

The squad consisting of the player characters in Spartan Ops. They have no canonically defined features, except for being highly competent.

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• Always Someone Better: There's implied to be a bit of a rivalry between them and Majestic, with Crimson always coming out on top.
• Badass Crew: Given their extensive track record on Requiem, they are easily among the most competent of the Infinity's Spartan-IVs, and when it comes to Spartans in general, they're up there.
• The Faceless: Being player avatars, they never remove their helmets.
• Featureless Protagonist: Their backstory, name, physical appearance, etc. are all left to personal headcanon, with their only in-game qualities being whatever armor and gender the player chooses for them.
• Heroic Mime: In contrast to John-117 in the main campaign, they have zero dialogue.
• No Name Given
• One-Man Army: Will plow through hordes of Covenant and Prometheans over the course of Spartans Ops. If you play solo, then you're really a one-man army.
• Player Character
• The Squad: Are canonically a four-man fireteam. In-game, Crimson can even be just one person.

Edward Davis

Edward Davis

Homeworld: Unknown
Birthdate: Unknown
Debuted in: Halo: Spartan Assault

A member of the SPARTAN-IV Program's inaugural class, and a close friend of Sarah Palmer.

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• Empowered Badass Normal: Implied to have seen a hell of a lot of action even before becoming a Spartan.
• The Hero Dies: Despite being one of Halo: Spartan Assault's two protagonists, he's killed roughly halfway through the campaign.
• Human Resources: After his death, the X50 Forerunner artifact attempts to use his remains to build an unknown device before Palmer shuts it off.
• Last Stand: Goes down fighting against a horde of Covenant after successfully disabling a Forerunner superweapon.
• One-Man Army: One of the best Spartan-IVs, he almost single-handedly tears through hordes of Covenant during the Battle of Draetheus V.
• Platonic Life-Partners: With Palmer, who regards him very highly.
• Player Character: Along with Palmer in Halo: Spartan Assault.
• Rugged Scar: The roughest-looking member of SPARTAN-IV's first class, with a massive scar over his left temple and a mostly-missing left ear.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Despite their friendship, he and Palmer are not afraid to snark at and compete with each other.

Vladimir Scruggs

Vladimir Scruggs

Homeworld: Unknown
Birthdate: Unknown
Debuted in: Halo: Initiation

One of the first Spartan-IVs recruited into the project, later assigned to Fireteam Jackknife. In 2558, he is revealed to have become a mole for the New Colonial Alliance after helping them sabotage peace talks between the Swords of Sanghelios and Lydus's clan.

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• Character Death: Killed by Palmer after his true allegiance is revealed.
• Defector from Decadence: He appears to have been legitimately loyal to the UNSC during his early days as a IV, but eventually grew disillusioned, having become aware about some of ONI's very real skeletons in the closet. Nonetheless, he seems to be genuinely insulted when Palmer calls him an Insurrectionist.
• Face–Heel Turn: Revealed to be giving information to ex-Covenant mercenaries trying to kill Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Jiralhanae Chieftain Lydus during their negotiations for a peace treaty. He's killed by Commander Palmer before he can say much more, but it's later revealed that he was working for the New Colonial Alliance.
• The Mole: As of 2558, he's secretly working for the NCA.
• Sudden Sequel Heel Syndrome: Helps to foil the New Colonial Alliance's plot to steal the Infinity in Initiation, but is revealed early in Halo: Escalation to have joined the NCA himself.
• Team Killer: Massacres Lydus's and Thel's bodyguards plus two of his Jackknife squadmates while they were still unaware of his true allegiance.

Tomas Horvath

Tomas Horvath

Homeworld: Alluvion
Birthdate: February 3, 2528
Debuted in: Halo: Shadows of Reach
Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore

By the events of ''Halo Infinite, Horvath is the sole known survivor of Fireteam Intrepid.

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• Uncertain Doom: He is still alive from the last we have heard of him, declaring that he will continue to wander Zeta Halo in search of UNSC survivors.

Vedrana Makovich

Vedrana Makovich

Homeworld: Andesia
Birthdate: April 9, 2531
Debuted in: Halo Infinite
Voiced by: Zehra Fazal

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• Ace Pilot: She has a background as a Broadsword pilot. Referencing this, she has an unlockable skin for the Wasp themed after her armor.

Theodore Sorel

Theodore "Theo" Sorel

Homeworld: Forseti
Birthdate: August 2, 2527
Debuted in: Halo Infinite
Voiced by: Imari Williams

A SPARTAN-IV special weapons expert active in the UNSC's resistance efforts in the Zeta Halo conflict.

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Henri Malik

Henri Malik

Homeworld: Unknown
Birthdate: Unknown
Debuted in: Halo Infinite

A SPARTAN-IV of Fireteam Windfall who served in the Zeta Halo conflict. He died in a failed attempt to assassinate Escharum.

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• Mauve Shirt: Of the three Spartans who died in the attempt to assassinate Escharum, he is the only one to get any sort of depth.

Laurette Agryna

Laurette Agryna

Homeworld: Earth
Birthdate: Unknown
Debuted in: Halo Infinite: Multiplayer
Voiced by: Suzie McGrath

A SPARTAN-IV stationed at the Avery J. Johnson Academy of Military Science, serving as a mentor for new recruits.

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• Artificial Limbs: She has a prosthetic left leg, the cause of which hasn't been revealed so far.
• I Owe You My Life: She was inspired to join the post-war SPARTAN-IV program after she was rescued by a team of SPARTAN-III's during the Battle for Earth.
• Sergeant Rock: She's a tough, no-nonsense academy instructor, though not to Drill Sergeant Nasty levels.

Sigrid Eklund

Sigrid Eklund

Homeworld: Unknown
Birthdate: Unknown
Debuted in: Halo Infinite: Multiplayer
Voiced by: Unknown

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• La Résistance: Prior to becoming a SPARTAN-IV, she was an Army Ranger responsible for helping to coordinate resistance efforts on Covenant-occupied worlds.

Hieu Dinh

Hieu Dinh

Homeworld: Unknown
Birthdate: Unknown
Debuted in: Halo Infinite: Multiplayer
Voiced by: Unknown

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• Ace Custom: His MJOLNIR armor incorporates kneepads, a chest piece and a shoulder piece taken from Banished armor.
• Mirror Character: His armor's designs emphasises earthly brown and grey tones with red highlights and a penchant for blades, along with slightly battle-worn features and pieces taken from Banished armor sets. His design thus bears a few similarities with that of Brutes, as well as being an inversion of the Banished's love for salvaging UNSC equipment.
• Rugged Scar: Has one on his right cheek.

Taylor Miles

Taylor Henry "Dutch" Miles

See the Halo: UNSC Marines and ODST page for more details..

Kojo Agu

Kojo "Romeo" Agu

See the Halo: UNSC Marines and ODST page for more details.

Michael Crespo

Michael "Mickey" Crespo

See the Halo: UNSC Marines and ODST page for more details.

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