History Characters / Portal

* HeroicMime: [=GLaDOS=] even complains about her lack of response in the final chamber. [[AC:"Are you even listening to me?"]] In the sequel, Wheatley seems to think that overexposure to the stasis process left her unable to talk.

* [[RequiredSecondaryPowers Required Secondary Gadgetry]]: Chell wears a pair of ankle-springs in order to ensure her legs aren't shattered when she comes flying out of a portal. [[WordOfGod The commentary bubbles]] indicate early on that the reason was that playtesters complained that Chell could survive falls that would kill [[HalfLife Gordon Freeman]]. Despite the fact that the springs are patently insufficient to protect her, [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief they stopped the complaints]], so mission accomplished! \\
\\
In ''Portal 2'', these have been updated to full shoes, called the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX9Sc88qreg Aperture Science Long Fall Boot]], a "foot-based suit of armor", which makes their ability to protect the wearer slightly more justifiable.

The artificial intelligence that seems to run Aperture Science. [=GLaDOS=] portrays herself as a helpful friend to Chell, but soon unveils a oddly sociopathic side to the testing protocols and a cruel side to her personality. As the game goes on she becomes more and more sadistic, culminating in a violent confrontation as Chell attempts to escape the testing center. Chell apparently destroys [=GLaDOS=], but at the end of the game she is revealed to have a backup memory and Chell is dragged back to Aperture Science. Possibly hundreds of years later, she's rebuilt herself and the centre for more testing.

* BadBoss: We learn in the PAX demo that [=GLaDOS=] treats her custom robots the same way she treats everyone:

* ForScience: If you pay attention in the game you can see a slide presenting [=GLaDOS=] originally as a competing bid for an airplane Fuel System Icing Inhibitor. (Cheaper, a fully functional disk operating system, and, arguably, alive.)
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The boss fight. "[[AC:Huh. That core may have had some ancillary responsibilities. I can't shut off the turret defenses. Oh well. If you want my advice, you should just lie down in front of a rocket....]] *BOOM*

* [[GreenEyedMonster Sour Grapes]]. [=GLaDOS=] is ''full'' of this after you escape from her fire trap, up through and including the end credits.
* TimeLimitBoss: [=GLaDOS=] pumps the room with poison gas during your fight with her.

!! [++''Portal 2''++]

* BritishAccents: Wheatley, a personality core introduced in a preview for Portal 2, used to have a northern accent due to the placeholder voice clips being done by animator Richard Lord. Valve considered [[ThrowItIn keeping the voice]] due to people's positive reaction, but in the end went with Stephen Merchant, best known as the co-creator of ''TheOffice'' (UK original).

* OhCrap: In a trailer, when he learns of [=GLaDOS=] and Chell's history.

Two robots - one adapted from a personality core (Atlas), the other from a turret (P-body) - created by [=GLaDOS=] to run tests in the Enrichment Center for an unknown purpose. Atlas is assumed to be of masculine personality, and P-body to be feminine. See them in action [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkATYz_tF-U here]]

-->'''[=GLaDOS=]:''' [[AC:Don't disappoint me - or I'll make you ''[+wish+]'' you could die.]]

* RedOniBlueOni: ColorCodedForYourConvenience.

The founder of Aperture Science, originally as a shower curtain manufacturer. The company's more esoteric inventions came about following Johnson's descent into madness.

** Also, [Beginning of video] "Cave Johnson here".
* ComedicSociopathy: It's said that a corporate culture is shaped by its leader, and if that leader is completely out of his tree, then...you get Aperture Science.

* PosthumousCharacter: [[spoiler:Via BrainUploading]]

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: In the casting call for him, was described as being based on Ted Turner.

** Also, [Beginning of video] "Cave Johnson here"

* PowerBornOfMadness: How else can you create a device which holds a miniature black hole, and can warp all laws of space-time, when you're just trying to ''make a shower curtain???''

* MoeCouple: From what the trailers suggest, Atlas is paranoid and focused, while P-Body is more happy-go-lucky.

* BadAss: Just [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX9Sc88qreg look at her moves in this trailer]] and try to claim otherwise. Then again, [[ActionSurvivor being put through 20 chambers of testing hell]][[hottip:*:00 to 19 inclusive]] will make anyone into a chiseled badass.

* BadAss: Just [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX9Sc88qreg look at her moves in this trailer]] and try to claim otherwise. Then again, [[ActionSurvivor being put through 20 chambers of testing hell]][hottip:*:00 to 19 inclusive]] will make anyone into a chiseled badass.

* BadAss: Just [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX9Sc88qreg look at her moves in this trailer]] and try to claim otherwise. Then again, [[ActionSurvivor being put through 19 chambers of testing hell]] will make anyone into a chiseled badass.

* HeroicMime: [=GLaDOS=] even complains about her lack of response in the final chamber. [[AC:"Are you even listening to me?"]] In the sequel, Wheatley seems to think that it's because a side effect of overexposure to the stasis process left her unable to talk.

* HeroicMime: [=GLaDOS=] even complains about her lack of response in the final chamber. [[AC:"Are you even listening to me?"]]
** Wheatley seems to think that it's because a side effect of overexposure to the stasis process left her unable to talk.

* BadAss: Come on, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX9Sc88qreg look at her moves in this trailer]] and admit that Chell has the skills of an Olympic gymnast.

In Portal 2, these have been updated to full shoes, called the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX9Sc88qreg Aperture Science Long Fall Boot]], a "foot-based suit of armor", which makes their ability to protect the wearer slightly more justifiable.

* BadAss: Come on, [[http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=wX9Sc88qreg look at her moves in this trailer]] and admit that Chell has the skills of an Olympic gymnast.

In Portal 2, these have been updated to full shoes, called the Aperture Science Long Fall Boot, a "foot-based suit of armor", which makes their ability to protect the wearer slightly more justifiable. Though considering the [[http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=wX9Sc88qreg Investment Opportunity video featuring her]], which takes place before the first game, has her wearing that same outfit, it may be possible that Chell was given the ankle-springs by GLaDOS during the tests in Portal 1, only to now regain her "pre-Portal" boots.

* Badass: Come on, [[http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=wX9Sc88qreg look at her moves in this trailer]] and admit that Chell has the skills of an Olympic gymnast.

* Badass: Come on, [[http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=wX9Sc88qreg look at her moves in this trailer]] and admit that Chell has the skills of an Olymic gymnast.

The silent main character of ''{{Portal}}''. Chell is a young woman in an orange jumpsuit with with springs attached to her legs and no shoes. This is all we know for sure about her. [=GLaDOS=] awakens her from stasis at the beginning of the game to run a series of tests in the Aperture Science testing center for mysterious reasons.

In Portal 2, these have been updated to full shoes, called the Aperture Science Long Fall Boot, a "foot-based suit of armor", which makes their ability to protect the wearer slightly more justifiable.

* BadassLabcoat: Subverted. Although he certainly looks the part, he's not particularly badass. He is, however, a lot more important to the game's storyline than one might think.

Small white machines placed throughout the facility [[strike:to kill you]] ''[[DummiedOut to provide you with product.]]''

* ObviouslyEvil: At the beginning of Portal.

** PropheticName: A name so convenient, you'd expect him to be a ''{{Spiderman}}'' villain.

* AllThereInTheManual: Or rather, A Little More There In The ARG and Comic: He was a programmer at Aperture Science who managed to survive [=GLaDOS=]'s release of the neurotoxin, only to be made a test subject. His knowledge and clearances meant he was able to manipulate the test chambers and make dens for himself, living in these nooks and losing his sanity.

* AudienceSurrogate: [=GLaDOS=]'s unreliable comments aside, Chell has no definable personality, to prevent it getting in the way of the player putting themselves in the role. That was later confirmed by Valve (in an interview about ''Portal 2'', the writers say they were surprised by how popular Chell became, as there was virtually nothing to her).

* FountainOfMemes
* GannonBanned: [=GLaDOS=]'s name is often misspelled [="GLADUS"=] on message boards. Even the end credits get the capitalization wrong.
* HellIsThatNoise: [=GLaDOS=]' voice. (May also count as AudioErotica.)

* MemeticMutation: TheCakeIsALie! Although [=GLaDOS=] is the game's FountainOfMemes, the Rat Man gave us the major one.
* PropheticName: A name so convenient, you'd expect him to be a ''{{Spiderman}}'' villain.

!!'''Chell'''

* [[RequiredSecondaryPowers Required Secondary Gadgetry]]: Chell wears a pair of ankle-springs in order to ensure her legs aren't shattered when she comes flying out of a portal. [[WordOfGod The commentary bubbles]] indicate early on that the reason was that playtesters complained that Chell could survive falls that would kill [[HalfLife Gordon Freeman]]. Despite the fact that the springs are patently insufficient to protect her, [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief they stopped the complaints]], so mission accomplished!
** In Portal 2, these have been updated to full shoes, called the Aperture Science Long Fall Boot, a "foot-based suit of armor", which makes their ability to protect the wearer slightly more justifiable.

!!'''Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System ([=GLaDOS=])'''

* VillainousBreakdown: When you try to invoke ThisIsMySide [[hottip:* :Refers to a DummiedOut line that still remains in the source files.]] ''during the final boss fight'' and spend most of said fighting making petty insults, you're broken. It doesn't help that Chell spent the fight ''ripping her mind to pieces and setting them on fire.''
** She goes especially berserk during the final battle, when she follows through on her "threat" to delete Chell's brainwave backups. Her voice starts warping into deeper tones that haven't been heard anywhere else in the game. It's probably not a coincidence that these are her "last" words, before the game starts looping her battle dialogue.

!!'''The Weighted Companion Cube'''

!!'''Doug Rattmann, a.k.a. "The Rat Man"'''

* [[AllThereInTheManual A Little More There In The ARG and Comic]]: He was a programmer at Aperture Science who managed to survive [=GLaDOS=]'s release of the neurotoxin, only to be made a test subject. His knowledge and clearances meant he was able to manipulate the test chambers and make dens for himself, living in these nooks and losing his sanity.

!!'''The turrets'''

!!'''Wheatley'''

!!'''Atlas and P-body'''

!!Cave Johnson

* HeyItsThatVoice: [[SpiderMan J. Jonah Jameson]].
* PosthumousCharacter: Probably.
** [[spoiler: BrainUploading]]

* KillItWithFire: Alas, poor Cube...

His identity in the game is unknown, but the promotional [[ViralMarketing Alternative Reality Game]] to promote ''Portal 2'', as well as the new comic to bridge the gap between the two games, gives us more about him.

* AdorableEvilMinions: [[AC:Hi. Target acquired. Dispensing product. Firing.]]

* GrotesqueCute: The turrets -- such cute voices. Such infantile dialogue. So polite and apologetic while they [[strike:machine-gun you to bits]] [[DummiedOut dispense product]]. So much [[MoreDakka dakka]].
* InsistentTerminology: [[AC:[[MoreDakka Dispensing product.]]]]

* BashBrothers / BattleCouple: Depending on how one views them in terms of gender. They can also choose to [[RoboShip hug each other.]]

** The ''Portal 2'' team say this is a major reason for using robots as the co-op mode characters. They wanted [[TheManyDeathsOfYou your (many) deaths]] at the hands of badly-planned maneuvers, incompetent or jerky co-players, and just larking about to be funny and more consequence-free than showing humans being crushed, shot, or falling in acid and so forth.

* HeyItsThatVoice: [[SpiderMan J.Johna Jameson]].