'Halo' Executive Producer Explains Why Master Chief Reveals Face So Early In Series

The long-awaited Halo live-action adaptation has finally premiered on Paramount+, and one thing that stood out for fans was Master Chief’s face reveal at the end of the episode, removing his helmet to reveal actor Pablo Schrieber. The decision to unmask the Chief has been controversial among diehard fans of the franchise ever since it was announced, but there are even more mixed feelings now that they’ve chosen to do it in the very first episode already. Now, executive producer Kiki Wolfkill has explained the decision.

Speaking to Comicbook, Wolfkill says that the series very much centers around John’s character, and it would be difficult to flesh out his arc without showing his face early on.

“I think when we set out to make the show, our focus was, we wanted to tell a character story, and we wanted to tell a character story with the Master Chief. And ultimately, that meant telling a story about John, the man inside the armor, who isn’t somebody that you experience as a player in the games as much. We’ve  described him in extended fiction and he exists in that form, but this is really a chance for us to spend nine hours taking John on this character arc. And so understanding that, and once we got into the story, it was very clear that we needed to be able to see who that person was, and we needed to be able to watch his journey and watch him on his journey as he grapples with his role as the Master Chief and as a person.”

As to why the chose the moment to reveal his face with Quan, Wolfkill explained that Master Chief needed an important reason to unmask, and that moment was appropriate because he needed to earn her trust.

“And so with this, doing it in the way that we did in this moment with Quan, in the same way there was a story reason for him to take his helmet off, we also wanted it to feel meaningful for the audience. We wanted him to take it off for a reason that was important. And as you pointed out, that moment with Quan, it’s a moment where he’s trying to earn her trust. And trust isn’t something that he, as the Master Chief necessarily needs. It’s not a critical tool in his toolbox because he’s the Master Chief, and he takes orders and he does what he needs to do. And this is a moment where you start to see him responding in a very human way. And so, having that moment tied to the helmet coming off felt like a good complement.”

For fans of Halo, the series’ first episode is now streaming over on Paramount+.

Elsewhere in entertainment, a live-action Voltron film is currently in the works.