Halo TV series has a moment "20 years in the making": the reveal of Master Chief’s face

The upcoming Halo TV series will reveal Master Chief’s face, a first for the franchise.

Speaking to IGN, Halo producer Kiki Wolfkill has set out the reasons behind why we’ll see John-117, played by Pablo Schreiber in the show, up close and personal very soon.

"I think we set out to tell a character story and a personal story. And once we really got into what that story was, it became clear that you really needed to see the person in the armor and under the helmet," Wolfkill said.

The show’s creators are also eager to respect those who feel that Master Chief keeping his helmet on is one of the series’ sacrosanct rules.

"For some people, it’s been a moment 20 years in the making, and for other people it is something that feels very hard to imagine," Wolfkill said. "We absolutely respect both sides of that fence, those who really want to see Chief’s face and those who really don’t. But for the nature of this story, it felt really important to connect with the Master Chief in a different way, and that meant showing the face."

Previously, Halo players had only seen a glimpse of Master Chief’s eyes – and only if you completed Halo 4 on the hardest 'Legendary' difficulty.

Given the rarity of the occasion, fans are (much like with AI companion Cortana’s design in the first Halo trailer) airing their opinions on social media and are understandably divided.

"Not a fan of seeing Master Chief’s face. IMO game or television it should always remain a mystery," Kinda Funny’s Parris Lilly wrote on Twitter, echoing the thoughts of many. Some, though, can see the merits of the upcoming reveal. "I expected this. Faceless soldier works in gaming, not so much in live-action," one said.

The Halo TV series is set to debut on Paramount Plus on March 24. While you wait, relive the Spartan’s greatest adventures with our ranking of the best Halo games.