Faber as Ancient Evil

Community Halo Universe
1

Apologies if this has been discussed already. If so, please link me to the relevant thread(s). The search function doesn’t seem to work (I highly doubt that there are absolutely no posts containing “faber”).

Anyways, if this hasn’t been discussed, then I would be quite surprised. Faber seems almost like an obvious choice as the Ancient Evil, and the precense of a Cryptum and hostile Forerunner technology/beings (which is pretty inconsistent with post-array-firing Human-Forerunner encounters elsewhere) on Requiem seem to really fit.

In Primordium and and Cryptum, Faber seems like a huge jerk who is concerned about his own power and his own policies above all else.

That the Didact or some remnant of him appears on Requiem (and in the game, Halo 4), actually makes even more sense with the idea as Faber as the enemy because it would give the players who know nothing of the extended fiction a guide and explainer as to the conflict between Faber and other Forerunners (and the Didact too).

This I think would go a long way to explaining the presence of immediately hostile Forerunners and would make a lot more sense than Didact vs Humans.

The ancient conflict between humans and Forerunners was a political one, a conflict that manifested in war, yes, but the punishment of humans by Forerunners seems to be more out of mistrust, fear, and the greater “good” rather than hate (they could have wiped them all out if they wanted too). With this understanding, it wouldn’t make much sense for the Didact or whatever the Didact-thing is to be so hostile (and call him evil) given the depiction of the Didact’s behavior so far. The Didact is angry with humans over the war, but he does not hate them and does not appear to be evil.

Faber, however, fits the bill perfectly IMO, and I could even imagine him allying with the Primordial and or Precursor remnants, if he felt it was to his own selfish benefit, even at the cost of others.

2

I have thought of this as well after reading Cryptum, but I’m not convinced.

3

Why?

I’m not asking because I think you’re definitely wrong; I’m asking because the whole point of this kind of topic is to discuss this just for fun. Obviously, this discussion is not that important because we’ll know the answers in about six weeks anyways. There’s no “debate” to “win” or “lose” per se; I just think it’s fun to bounce these ideas around while we wait for the next game, book, etc.

4

I can see him as an enemy but not the ancient evil i still say precursors and i will until proven otherwise. I could see him under the control of the Precursors.

5

I don’t believe he is the Ancient Evil, nor will he appear in Halo 4, or the Reclaimer Trilogy for that matter. Faber is sort of a -Yoink!- yes, but when I think of an Ancient Evil, I think of an all-powerful consuming force (like the Flood) who has and always will be evil. I’m still betting on the Precursors/Primordial.

6

I personally believe Faber is dead, but that’s me. I also don’t believe the Didact is the Ancient Evil. While the Didact may play the primary antagonist for Halo 4, I don’t see this being the case for Halo 5 and beyond.

7

> I think of an all-powerful consuming force (like the Flood) who has and always will be evil.

Hmm… well I actually don’t really think of the Flood as evil in the traditional sense.

The Gravemind has (or at least appears to observers to have) agency over his actions, an ability to imagine and empathize the feelings of his foes; in other words, he has a complex, sentient intellect, and so we might attribute moral qualities to his behavior, but still he is acting out of his only biological purpose, which is to consume absolutely everything, and furthermore, he believes (or at least claims to believe) that this is truly beneficial for everyone in the universe.

Faber on the other hand, is just a huge -Yoink!-, as you put it (actually, we shall never truly know how you put it, lol), which does make him evil.

Now it sounds to me like the reason most of you think it is unlikely that he is the Ancient Evil is because you don’t think the term Ancient adequately applies to him. Ancient makes you guys think of the Precursors or the Primordial and such, and I think that makes a lot of sense.

However, in terms of the marketing of the game, and the mass market target audience, I think the term “Ancient” is perfect for describing either the Didact or Faber.

I also just think that having Faber as the Ancient Evil would make for a better story and one that is easier to relate vis-a-vis his relationship with the Didact and ancient humans then it would to introduce yet another new entity and deeper layer in Halo to the mainstream such as the Primordial or Precursors. I’m not saying it wouldn’t work at all, but I just think that, given the confines of Halo game and trying to tell a story that is mostly relatable to people who have maybe played a Halo game, a Forerunner antagonist make sense. Forerunners have a direct relation to things many players have seen in the previous games and Halo 4; they built the Halos and other things seen, and they are mentioned by name several times throughout the series.

The Primordial and/or Precursors only have an indirect relationship to anything seen in any Halo game, so relating a good story and explaining what is going on will be that much more difficult, and don’t forget, they want players to be interested in the next three games. IMO, I’m not saying 343i is not smart enough to pull it off, but I think making an out-of-the-blue invented enemy (which is how it will seem to casual players) relevant is much more difficult than introducing something new that is still directly related to something players should know. Forerunners are directly related to: Halo (the series namesake), major game locations such as Ark, Halos, etc, Guilty Spark (major series character), and they are mentioned by Spark, Cortana, and Covenant many times throughout the games.

Primordial or Precursors would seem like completely random additions. A lot of players were confused by the Arbiter’s appearance as an ally in Halo 3. Some random new enemy will be more confusing IMO.

I also don’t think that the Flood is the Ancient Evil mainly because that would be such an uninteresting tease. Why make such a big deal about this mysterious Ancient Evil if it’s really something we’ve already seen in four other games? You would think they would play it up as something more along the lines of “The threat is not over/The enemy is back/They’re back for revenge/etc.” not, “There’s a mysterious Ancient Evil that we won’t reveal yet”.

8

Well I think more advanced Flood could be considered ancient evil. Or it evolved to the point it is named differently… which I doubt.

And I am sure 343I will make it easier to understand Precursor for those who did not read Forerunner novels.

I have feeling that Faber is alive… maybe his mind is transferred to AI or something? Just like Forentcho. That could bring more sub plot conflict along with Ur-Didact vs Bornstellar.

9

> I personally believe Faber is dead, but that’s me. I also don’t believe the Didact is the Ancient Evil. While the Didact may play the primary antagonist for Halo 4, I don’t see this being the case for Halo 5 and beyond.

Faber could be though, he was in bed with the supposed Precursor and he was the last one to have seen the original Didact… He may have not simply killed him off but corrupt him, I forget the specifics but weren’t they kinda messing with those humans at the end of Primordium? They were using the composer for something nefarious it seemed, atleast that’s what I remembered.

That scene to me was slightly confusing, it didn’t help that it was super late and I basically did a marathon read but that’s what I thought from that part of the book.

10

I read an article today and found something interesting, “343 are staying tight-lipped about the fourth instalment’s story, and guests at the previews were sternly counselled against revealing even the (silly) name of the main antagonist ahead of release”

I thought Didact is not a silly name then a saw this thread and thought Faber has diffently got a silly name.

Not saying Faber is the acient evil just found it interesting that the Didact has been mentioned in a Frankie interview. Also not saying the Didact is the ancient evil because even Frankie didnt say the Didact is the ancient evil. Guess we will find out sometime on November 6 an not a minute before.

Not sure if posting a link to the recent article is against the rules.

11

> I read an article today and found something interesting, “343 are staying tight-lipped about the fourth instalment’s story, and guests at the previews were sternly counselled against revealing even the (silly) name of the main antagonist ahead of release”
>
> I thought Didact is not a silly name then a saw this thread and thought Faber has diffently got a silly name.
>
> Not saying Faber is the acient evil just found it interesting that the Didact has been mentioned in a Frankie interview. Also not saying the Didact is the ancient evil because even Frankie didnt say the Didact is the ancient evil. Guess we will find out sometime on November 6 an not a minute before.
>
> Not sure if posting a link to the recent article is against the rules.

I’d like to read it.

12

Got a link to that article? I’m interested in reading it.

13

I found it.

14

Everything about the ‘Ancient Evil’ has been made singular, meaning the Ancient Evil is one individual. We could all be wrong and the Ancient Evil is actually a group, but I doubt that.

Additionally, I don’t think the Didact or Faber will be the Ancient Evil. Why? Because it’s too easy. Bungie was awesome in delivering the story with a “What?!? I never even thought of that.” mindset. And I expect 343 to do the same. The Ancient Evil cannot be the Didact or Faber because they are the two easiest answers.

So then what do I think will be the Ancient Evil? Something else. Possibly an individual Precursor, or a super-advanced Gravemind, I don’t know.

15

> I can see him as an enemy but not the ancient evil i still say precursors and i will until proven otherwise. I could see him under the control of the Precursors.

This. Loved the ending to cryptum. Definitely was a wtf moment :slight_smile: I loved it

16

> > I can see him as an enemy but not the ancient evil i still say precursors and i will until proven otherwise. I could see him under the control of the Precursors.
>
> This. Loved the ending to cryptum. Definitely was a wtf moment :slight_smile: I loved it

I want H4 to have a similar like ending i want the Ancient Evil introduced like the flood were in Combat Evolved.

17

Roadblocz, when you first heard about the Ancient Evil, you told me that it had something to do with Precursors. I believe that in Halo 4, we will see the Didact but controlled by Faber. Faber may be the Ancient Evil or be influenced by a precursor. This is just my theory but I believe this is the case. To me, it makes no sense as to why the Didact would wage war on humans for no reason, it fits Faber’s personality much more. If the Didact truly believed in the Mantle, then he would not wage war with humanity. There is however, a possibility that the memories of Bornstellar transfer to the Didact’s mind and that the Didact become crazy because he killed his lover using the Halo Array which was also against his morals. This seems likely too.

18

> Apologies if this has been discussed already. If so, please link me to the relevant thread(s). The search function doesn’t seem to work (I highly doubt that there are absolutely no posts containing “faber”).
>
> Anyways, if this hasn’t been discussed, then I would be quite surprised. Faber seems almost like an obvious choice as the Ancient Evil, and the precense of a Cryptum and hostile Forerunner technology/beings (which is pretty inconsistent with post-array-firing Human-Forerunner encounters elsewhere) on Requiem seem to really fit.
>
> In Primordium and and Cryptum, Faber seems like a huge jerk who is concerned about his own power and his own policies above all else.
>
> That the Didact or some remnant of him appears on Requiem (and in the game, Halo 4), actually makes even more sense with the idea as Faber as the enemy because it would give the players who know nothing of the extended fiction a guide and explainer as to the conflict between Faber and other Forerunners (and the Didact too).
>
> This I think would go a long way to explaining the presence of immediately hostile Forerunners and would make a lot more sense than Didact vs Humans.
>
> The ancient conflict between humans and Forerunners was a political one, a conflict that manifested in war, yes, but the punishment of humans by Forerunners seems to be more out of mistrust, fear, and the greater “good” rather than hate (they could have wiped them all out if they wanted too). With this understanding, it wouldn’t make much sense for the Didact or whatever the Didact-thing is to be so hostile (and call him evil) given the depiction of the Didact’s behavior so far. The Didact is angry with humans over the war, but he does not hate them and does not appear to be evil.
>
> Faber, however, fits the bill perfectly IMO, and I could even imagine him allying with the Primordial and or Precursor remnants, if he felt it was to his own selfish benefit, even at the cost of others.

What you say here is correct and I agree too that Faber is more likely the person to wage war with humanity than the Didact. I feel its kind of weird that 343 is telling us that we will fight the Didact in Halo 4. But probably they are just trolling us and maybe, we are in for a HUGE SURPRISE!

19

> Apologies if this has been discussed already. If so, please link me to the relevant thread(s). The search function doesn’t seem to work (I highly doubt that there are absolutely no posts containing “faber”).
>
> Anyways, if this hasn’t been discussed, then I would be quite surprised. Faber seems almost like an obvious choice as the Ancient Evil, and the precense of a Cryptum and hostile Forerunner technology/beings (which is pretty inconsistent with post-array-firing Human-Forerunner encounters elsewhere) on Requiem seem to really fit.
>
> In Primordium and and Cryptum, Faber seems like a huge jerk who is concerned about his own power and his own policies above all else.
>
> That the Didact or some remnant of him appears on Requiem (and in the game, Halo 4), actually makes even more sense with the idea as Faber as the enemy because it would give the players who know nothing of the extended fiction a guide and explainer as to the conflict between Faber and other Forerunners (and the Didact too).
>
> This I think would go a long way to explaining the presence of immediately hostile Forerunners and would make a lot more sense than Didact vs Humans.
>
> The ancient conflict between humans and Forerunners was a political one, a conflict that manifested in war, yes, but the punishment of humans by Forerunners seems to be more out of mistrust, fear, and the greater “good” rather than hate (they could have wiped them all out if they wanted too). With this understanding, it wouldn’t make much sense for the Didact or whatever the Didact-thing is to be so hostile (and call him evil) given the depiction of the Didact’s behavior so far. The Didact is angry with humans over the war, but he does not hate them and does not appear to be evil.
>
> Faber, however, fits the bill perfectly IMO, and I could even imagine him allying with the Primordial and or Precursor remnants, if he felt it was to his own selfish benefit, even at the cost of others.

Olan I think that Faber died just like the multitude of Forerunners at the capital city when Mendicant Bias attacked. In my belief, if you remember the captive talking about the Forerunners time has ended and now it is time to test the Humans. Maybe the Didact, or Bornstellar turned Didact I should say, holds resent towards humans because of this or the fact that the majority of his species was wiped out by the deeds of its own creation meant to protect them. I think the only reason the Didact survived is because his shield worlds, such as Requiem, were the only effective plan against the flood once the Halo’s struck. The even bigger question is, is the Librarian alive. In the saga the detail that the Didact’s one saving grace is the Librarian. She was always there to reign him in. Whose to say she isn’t still alive pulling some strings, because the only reason the humans and the other species were left to flourish were because of the Librarian’s clemency.

20

@Chief8177, the captive was the Timeless One, a precursor who believed that it is time to test all of the species in the Universe. The Forerunners were about to wiped out by the Precursors. The Precursors created the Flood and the Flood was their idea of eliminating the Forerunners. The Flood nearly wiped out all the Forerunners, but I don’t believe this is why the Didact would be mad at humans. The Didact believed in the Mantle. The Mantle states that one species like the Forerunners, must protect and keep peace in the Galaxy. The Didact would not wage war with humanity unless they did something wrong which I cannot think of. The Didact probably would not be mad over the destruction of Halo since he was originally against the Halos. After the Human-Covenant War, an ONI ship encountered a damaged duplicate of 343 Guilty Spark who stated that he is not rampant anymore and that he knows where the location of the Librarian, his friends Riser and Vinnevra, are. 343 then sets the coordinates of their location into the ONI ship and we see the ship headind towards thay mysterious location. So it appears that the Librarian may be alive and well. And maybe the Didact we see in Halo 4 is either flood infected or controlled by Faber or else WE’RE IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE!