Halo Actor Has Blunt Words For Fans Who Don't Want Master Chief's Helmet Removed

gamerant.com:

Halo season 2 actor Pablo Schreiber responded to criticism about Master Chief's helmet being removed and explained why the show chose this approach. In Halo season 1, Schreiber's Master Chief removed his helmet during the first episode, breaking tradition with the games.

This approach continued throughout Halo season 1, as Master Chief was regularly seen without his helmet. Some fans were surprised by this, seeing that Master Chief is famous for never removing his helmet during the Halo games. This criticism and others led Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto to pan the show by stating that it's «not the Halo I made.» Following the backlash, some fans wondered whether Paramount would adjust its strategy with Halo season 2. However, that may not be the case, as Schreiber doubled down on Master Chief's face being shown.

During an interview with GamesRadar's SFX Magazine, Schreiber defended the decision to remove Master Chief's helmet in the Halo TV series. «People who don’t feel the helmet was necessary to come off, they’re at such an early conception of what the show could be,» he said. «In order to examine the discrepancy between these two versions of the character [Chief and John-117], you can’t tell that story without taking the helmet off. If you don’t agree with the helmet coming off in the show, you don’t like our show. So, there’s no point discussing it.»

During a previous interview with SFX Magazine, Halo showrunner Steven Kane claimed this can't be done in a visual format without removing Master Chief's helmet. He drew a parallel between the show's helmet approach and the books' unfettered access to Master Chief's emotions, explaining that both seek to tell the story of the man inside the helmet. However, some fans believe the Halo show has taken this approach too far.

Fans have requested many changes for future Halo seasons, including reducing Master Chief being put in vulnerable emotional scenarios. The Halo games mostly saw Master Chief as a stoic, determined super