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During the game's production, the various characters of Halo: Combat Evolved went through significant iteration. This article predominantly focuses on the creation of the named characters and human allies in Combat Evolved. For a breakdown of the evolution of the Covenant, Flood and ambient life in Halo, see here.

John-117
https://twitter.com/docabominable/status/1538050280092315648

Another design done by Paul Russel some time after 1999 involved a combat medic Spartan with a chest plate capable of unfolding to reveal a medical scanner and a surgical tool tray. Currently, the design remains MIA.

RTS Cyborg (1997-1998)
The earliest sketches were done by Marcus Lehto, based on his experiences with BMX biking - which influenced the helmet design.

First person Master Chief (2000-2001)
Early revisions of the Mark V armour were covered in the emblem of the Shriners. Their concepts date back to early 2000, with a sketch produced by Marcus Lehto of the earliest recognisable Mark V produced at the beginning of April in this year.


 * First revision
 * The first major versions of the Mark V armor, as it would come to be known, were fairly finalised from their first creation. The major differences from the final design are the massively redesigned backpack - which takes the form of a single "hump" instead of the two distinctive shoulders as in later revisions. As such, it has a slimmer and less bulky silhouette. Some screenshots from this era showcase the armor as covered in the logos of the Shriners - presumably a placeholder emblem not intended for final release.


 * The texturework on this design has some more detail than the final iteration, with more (and different) segmentation patterns on the boots and legs in particular. The colours are deeper and more saturated than their final counterparts, with the model as a whole taking on more of a matte painted appearance (complete with scratches and chips) rather than the iridescent sheen seen in later builds. The forearms have some light secondary blue colouration.

Cortana
https://twitter.com/docabominable/status/1544962571375153152 https://twitter.com/docabominable/status/1544883413869641729 The character of Cortana was another concept originating well before the acquisition of Bungie by Microsoft. Early ideas for Cortana were considered in reference to Marathon, with her name originating from a famous literary trio of French swords. Marathon had used Durandal, and the third alternative Joyeuse sounded "lame". As such, Cortana was chosen, named after the legendary sword.

In early storyboards, Cortana was depicted as having shoulder-length hair and minimal clothing - as opposed to her final game's naked appearance with fairly short hair. In the final game, Cortana was modelled in 3D by artist Chris Hughes, with her design based on the ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti. An early model showcased by Hughes depicts Cortana with a face tattoo and green eyes - both features that were removed for final release.

Pilots
https://twitter.com/docabominable/status/1538048205564387328 One design concepted and built in 3D by Paul Russel depicts a pressurised vacuum suit intended for use by the pilots of the 's GA-TL1 Longsword complement. The designs were not intended for much use in-game, as they were instead meant to be mainly seen in cutscenes. The pilots were ultimately wholly unused in Combat Evolved, though later restored by the Digsite team at 343 Industries for use within the Master Chief Collection.