Marcus Stacker

"You heard the man, boys! It's time for some hazard pay!"

- Gunnery Sergeant Stacker during the Battle of Mombasa.

Master Sergeant Marcus P. Stacker (service number 41009-31545-MS) is a veteran UNSC Marine and Orbital Drop Shock Trooper who fought during the Human-Covenant War and the subsequent conflicts. As of July 2557, he was stationed on the.

Fall of Reach
"Kilo 26, this is Kilo 40; Covenant corvette's raining hell on us. Final protective fire one, danger close, my command, over."

- Gunnery Sergeant Stacker

Stacker served during the Siege of New Alexandria on the 23$rd$ of August, 2552, under the call sign "Kilo 40". He participated during the Siege of New Alexandria, communicating with Kilo 26 and Kilo Dispatch, and along with several other units, assisted in the evacuation of civilians from Traxus Tower. Stacker was in charge of managing the elevators and ordered Kilo 26 to fire on an overhead SDV-class corvette.

A week later, on the 30$th$ of August, 2552, Stacker was on-board the as it fled Reach via slipspace, on a supposedly random course which would ultimately lead them to Installation 04.

Battle of Installation 04
"Gunnery Sergeant Stacker"

- Carol "Foehammer" Rawley

When the Pillar of Autumn arrived at the Soell system and discovered Installation 04 (better known as Alpha Halo), it quickly came under attack by the Fleet of Particular Justice, who had pursued it to the system. The ship was soon boarded by innumerable boarding craft, and Captain Keyes was forced to give the order to abandon ship. Stacker was among those who made it to the surface of the ring alive and intact, and was able to link up with other surviving elements of the Pillar of Autumn's crew and complement, who went on to mount a guerilla resistance against the Covenant.

Stacker would later go on to lead a beachhead alongside a fellow Gunnery Sergeant named Waller, during a skirmish for control of Installation 04's Cartographer - a structure housing a map of the entire installation. After the landing zone was secured, Echo 419 delivered a Warthog LRV to the group, prompting a brief, good-humoured exchange between Stacker and its pilot, Carol "Foehammer" Rawley. Following this, Waller was placed in charge of maintaining control over the captured landing zone while John-117 departed with the Warthog and two Marines to locate the map room. The role Stacker played in the battle after this is unknown. However, he was among the survivors of the engagement, and successfully escaped the island. Waller and his forces were able to repel at least two Covenant attacks, but were ultimately slain defending the captured landing zone.

The Gunnery Sergeant was also involved in a number of other engagements on the ring.

Ultimately, Stacker survived the destruction of the ring and returned to Earth, along with a handful of other UNSC personnel. However, the method of his survival is unknown, as he was not on-board John-117's Longsword or Shiela Polaski's Pelican, the only two known UNSC craft to escape. Private First Class Chips Dubbo and Sergeant Thomas Chang also both survived and were not on-board either craft, indicating that the three may have escaped together, although there is no decisive evidence to support this.

Battle of Earth
"Cook the bastard..."

- Stacker instructs Butkis to drain the shields of a Sangheili who held Lance Corporal Jones hostage with an energy sword.

A clean-shaven Stacker was present at the October 20th awards ceremony on Cairo Station, minutes prior to the Battle of Earth beginning. Outfitted in his official Naval uniform, he aided SPARTAN John-117 and Sergeant Major Avery Johnson in defending the station's command center from Covenant forces. While accompanying Johnson and Commander Miranda Keyes to board the frigate, the party was ambushed by Covenant and pinned down. John-117's timely arrival and aid allowed the In Amber Clad's leadership to board safely.

During the Battle of Earth, Gunnery Sergeant Stacker served in the 7th Battalion of the 105th Shock Division. He was dispatched from the In Amber Clad under the command of Sergeant Major Johnson, leading a squad of ODSTs in a Pelican. Upon entering a section of the city under heavy assault by the Covenant, Stacker's Pelican was shot down by a Scarab over Old Mombasa and crashed landed on an open beach near Hotel Zanzibar, killing the pilots and one of Stacker's squad. The surviving four ODSTs were immediately engaged by a Covenant patrol led by a Special Operations Sangheili. During the brief assault, the Sangheili held one of his troopers hostage momentarily before Stacker shot the Sangheili in the head.

Stacker and his squad then holed up in the nearby Hotel Zanzibar, following the instructions of UNSC AI Cortana while Spartan John-117 cleared a path to them. They were soon attacked by another group of Covenant infantry, and were pinned down in the hotel's lobby by a plasma cannon by the time John-117 arrived. Stacker then assisted the Chief in clearing the nearby beaches and tunnels of Covenant.

Later in the battle, Stacker once again crossed paths with John-117 in New Mombasa. Separated from his squad and caught alone behind enemy lines, Stacker was driving a Gauss Warthog through a Covenant-filled park when he encountered the Chief and a squad of Marines emerging from the nearby tunnels. He suggested the SPARTAN-II commandeer the Gauss cannon, and assisted him in liberating the nearby Marine command post, which was under the bombardment of several Wraiths, reinforced by waves of Ghosts. Clearing out the attacking Covenant, they reached the command post, where Stacker remained as John-117 lead survivor Staff Sergeant Banks and a squad of marines in pursuit of the Scarab walker.

Stacker was evacuated to In Amber Clad along with John-117, Banks, and Johnson. Minutes later, the Ship pursued the Prophet of Regret's Carrier through a slipspace portal that inflicted heavy damage upon the city.

Battle of Installation 05
Stacker was one of the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers leading the attack on Installation 05. A strike force of SPARTAN John-117, Stacker and several other ODSTs managed to secure several Forerunner ruins, allowing for vehicular support and Armor to be delivered via Pelican. Stacker and his men supported the SPARTAN-II as he pushed through heavy Covenant defences on the way to his target; the Prophet of Regret.

Later in the battle, Stacker was among the UNSC force lead by Commander Keyes and Sergeant Major Johnson in an attempt to get the ring's Activation Index. Despite ongoing reinforcement from the UNSC In Amber Clad throughout their assault on the Quarantine Zone, the force suffered almost total casualties attempting to retrieve the index. A significant number of Marines were killed and infected by the Flood, strengthening its presence. Johnson, Keyes and what remained of their force were ambushed by the Arbiter minutes before retrieving the index, and subsequently captured by arriving Jiralhanae forces. The captured humans were brought to High Charity as prisoners, leaving the In Amber Clad to be overrun by the surging Flood forces.

As High Charity was overrun by the Flood-infested In Amber Clad, Stacker, Johnson and Staff Sergeant Banks were brought to a series of structures held by the Jiralhanae. The three were moments away from being executed when the Jiralhanae were attacked by Sangheili forces lead by the Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee. Taking advantage of the confusion, Johnson managed to board the nearby Scarab walker, and forged a hasty alliance with 'Vadamee in order to stop Tartarus from activating the installation. The UNSC-operated Scarab cleared a path to the Installation's Control Room, while the Arbiter provided air support. After the neutralization of Installation 05, Stacker was presumably evacuated by the Arbiter and his allies alongside Johnson & Miranda, returning to Earth around November 15, 2552.

Back to Earth
"Marines in Voi really needed my supplies, Chief. But I'm pretty sure they'll be plenty happy to see you."

- To John-117, after the SPARTAN rescued the survivors of Stacker's destroyed supply convoy.

Stacker remained under the command of Sergeant Major Avery Johnson, serving as his second-in-command as they were stationed back on Earth. Late in the Battle of Earth in Kenya, Johnson, along with Stacker, led a Marine force that recovered John-117 after his atmospheric landing. Stacker led First Squad, acting as scouts for Johnson's company, before Covenant Phantoms forced Johnson to divide his forces. Stacker and First Squad followed John-117 and Thel 'Vadam through the jungle and saved Bravo team's only survivor, Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds. After rescuing a captured Sergeant Johnson and the remains of Second Squad, Stacker was evacuated to Crow's Nest.

Stacker led a squad of Marines defending the Operations Center during the Covenant's assault on Crow's Nest. During the battle, he was sent to lead a supply convoy escaping the base en route to nearby Voi. Halfway to their destination, the convoy ran into a Covenant blockade, with Choppers, Shade turrets and large numbers of infantry decimating the convoy and pinning the survivors down in several small structures. Having received Stacker's distress call, John-117 arrived to assist, accompanied by Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds and other Marines fleeing the fallen Crow's Next. Stacker rallied his survivors and assisted the larger UNSC force in liberating the Covenant-held position. He proceeded with John-117 and Reynolds towards Voi, breaking through several more Covenant roadblocks.

Stacker supported John-117 in the assault on Traxus Factory Complex 09 in South Voi. There, they eliminated a heavy Covenant presence, including a Scarab. After fighting through the interior of the factory and rescuing multiple civilians, the large UNSC force was able to neutralize an anti-air battery, paving the way for what remained of Lord Hood's Home Fleet to engage the Forerunner Dreadnought above the Portal.

Moments later, when a Flood-infested CCS-class battlecruiser crashed in the area, Stacker and his men were pinned down in a warehouse while masses of Flood combat forms and infection forms assaulted them. Stacker valiantly used a shotgun against the parasitic creatures until the Master Chief and the Arbiter returned and cleared out the attacking Flood. He was evacuated to the Forward Unto Dawn, before the Covenant Separatist Carrier Shadow of Intent glassed the city and surrounding area. .

Battle of Installation 00
"Bravo, flank and cover! I want everybody supportin' the Chief; he'll take it down!"

- Stacker, leading an armored UNSC force against a Scarab on The Ark

During the Battle of Installation 00, Sergeant Major Johnson organized a makeshift UNSC armored unit from the for an assault on the Ark's Cartographer. Stacker commanded the platoon of Scorpions against a battalion-sized Covenant armored force outside of the complex and managed to eliminate a Scarab with John-117's help.

Later in the battle, he led an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper squad accompanying John-117 in the three-pronged assault on the Citadel's shield generators. The small force were able to storm the Covenant-held beach, mount vehicles, and fight their way into the highly-fortified generator tower high in the hills. After clearing the structure interior of a pack of Jiralhanae, Stacker and his men fell back to guard the entrance while the SPARTAN ascended the tower. After disabling their target, John-117, Stacker and his ODSTs boarded Hornets and helped the Arbiter's force liberate the third and final tower.

After the plan to destroy the Citadel from orbit failed, John-117 lead the combined force of ODSTs, Marines and Sangheili in a desperate assault on the Citadel. They fought through heavy Covenant fortifications and destroyed 2 Scarab Platforms, clearing the way for John-117, the Arbiter and 343 Guilty Spark to enter the citadel and stop the Prophet of Truth from firing the rings.

Stacker escaped back to Earth aboard the Shadow of Intent along with Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds and the rest of the Forward Unto Dawn's surviving crew. He was last seen attending the memorial for the UNSC fallen and was in charge of a three-volley salute, in tribute to his fallen comrades.

Conflict on Requiem
"I'm reading Sierra One One Seven on-sensor. Everyone form up on the Chief!"

- Stacker during the assault on Requiem's gravity well.

In the years after the Human-Covenant war, Stacker's service throughout the conflict was recognized with a promotion to Master Sergeant.

When the ship was caught by the gravity well of the shield world Requiem in July 2557, Stacker survived the ship's impact, as well as the subsequent assault on the crashed ship by Promethean and Covenant forces.

Later, during the Infinity's assault on several particle cannons and the gravity well generator, Stacker remotely commanded a platoon of armored vehicles making a ground assault on Covenant forces. The group had taken heavy losses when Master Chief John 117 arrived, and Stacker ordered his troops to rally behind the SPARTAN. With John-117's aid and Stacker's direction, the force was able to push through multiple waves of Covenant armor and clear a path to the generator.

Personality and traits
"I can see myself in your visor! Pretty..."

- A line from Stacker's usable firefight voice in Halo Reach

Identified by his strong southern American accent, Stacker is a tough, charismatic soldier who is easily able to inspire confidence in his troops, often with jests or taunts at the enemy. Despite his boastful demeanor and tendency toward recklessness, he is a dependable leader who served important roles in countless major battles. Having combat experience against pre- and post-Great Schism Covenant, Flood, Promethean and Covenant Remnant forces, Stacker is one of the more hardened Veterans in the entire UNSC.

Stacker has served alongside SPARTAN John-117 on many occasions, often providing assistance in vital situations. Whether it be offering a vehicle, weapon, or compliment, Stacker harbors great respect for the SPARTAN. After surviving the Battle of Installation 00, and thus the end of the Human-Covenant War, he was one of the few surviving members of the UNSC able to say they fought beside the Master Chief. He is also notable for being one of the few humans to both face the Arbiter Thel Vadam in combat, and survive to later fight alongside him as an ally.

Gameplay
In-game, Stacker behaves and acts just as any other Marine NPC would. The player can trade weapons with him (in games where it is possible), and unlike other plot-critical NPCs such as Thel 'Vadam, 343 Guilty Spark and Avery Johnson (excluding CE), he can be killed during the course of gameplay. The player can even betray him without any consequences besides those that come with killing a normal Marine. However, if he is killed, he will still reappear in later levels as if it hadn't happened.

Production notes
Stacker takes his first name from Marcus Lehto, after whom his face was modelled in Halo: CE and Halo 3, and his middle initial and surname from Pete Stacker, the voice actor who plays him in every one of his appearances. Pete Stacker also voices a number of other characters in the Halo universe, including Jacob Keyes, Echo Four, Gunnery Sergeant Waller and a number of unnamed NMPD officers and UNSC Marines in Halo 3: ODST. Pete was not credited for playing Stacker in Halo: CE; instead, he only receives credit for his portrayal of Jacob Keyes. The character was first named in Halo 2's credits, where Pete Stacker is credited for portraying "Sergeant Stacker". Halo 3 lists him as a generic sergeant. In Halo: Reach, he is credited as "TROOPER SGT 1". Reach also established the character's true rank to be Gunnery Sergeant, since he is listed as thus in the The Armory. The characters first name and middle initial were revealed in the Halo 4 level Reclaimer.

Stacker appears outfitted in both standard Marine attire and ODST Armor at different points in Halo 2 and 3. Strangely, he is depicted as a regular Marine during the Halo 2 level Outskirts, yet he and his fireteam wear ODST armor in the cutscene Another Day at the Beach. This could be a symptom of to Bungie's early hesitance to include Orbital Drop Shock Troopers in Halo 2 despite pressure from the Microsoft Franchise Development Group. He and his squad's appearance as Orbital Drop Shock Troopers in the remastered version of the cutscene confirms the cutscene as the canonical version of events.

Trivia

 * In Halo: Combat Evolved, Stacker's in-game texture bitmap, "Marcus", is modelled after the game's Art Director Marcus Lehto. He retains a similar appearance throughout the first three games. His first name, revealed in Halo 4, appears to be a reference to Lehto, whereas his second initial, "P." is most likely referring to his voice actor, Pete Stacker.
 * In Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3, he has a scar under one of his eyes; he does not have it in Halo: Reach. It is possible that he received it during the Fall of Reach.
 * On the level Cairo Station, Stacker is seen wearing his service uniform with a major emblem instead of a Gunnery Sergeant emblem, like any other Marine (e.g. Avery J. Johnson and Banks) wearing his/her service uniform.
 * Occasionally in Halo 2, mainly on the level Regret, a glitch occurs in which Stacker will appear, but will have Banks' voice and vice versa. A similar glitch occurs on Halo 3 on the level Tsavo Highway with Sergeant Reynolds.
 * Stacker's voice is usable in Halo: Reach's Firefight mode. Stacker has the least expensive Firefight voice, costing only 5,000 credits.
 * In the campaign level New Alexandria, if played on co-op, an army trooper with Stacker's voice will appear as the gunner on the second Falcon.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Combat Evolved
 * Halo 2
 * Halo 3
 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
 * Halo 4
 * Halo 2: Anniversary