Just reading up on some of the lore for the precursors and flood and found out that the flood would purposely not infect some humans as a way to trick the forerunners into searching for a cure, just for it’s own twisted pleasure. i think theres a novel that explains how johnson escaped the flood in CE and that somehow it could, or would, not infect him. i also remember reading something about how chief had to decide weather or not to report his “immunity” which may have killed him to find and chose not to, so chief probably just spared johnson an early pointless death. i know theres something that says it could also be related johnson time in the orion program but this just seemed really cool to me and thought id share.
First Strike had him be immune, but Bungie later made it clear they didn’t like this, which is why the comic exists which just shows he was really cool and skilled and thus didnt get infected.
Now yes, in the Forerunner novels it was confirmed the flood purposely didn’t infect some individuals, which might by the 2nd retcon of this to try and make it make sense.
Effectively early halo lore was more of a mess than people realize. What with crystals manipulating itme, halo locations being carved on rocks, and elites, who love a good fight, and according to the CE manual base their ranks on human kills, somehow weren’t seen by Chief until the battle of reach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=724CsXl357s TL;DR Johnson wasn’t infected by the flood because of his involvement in the orion project. The orion project screwed with his biology in such a way that made it harder for infection forms to gain control of him. That gave him just enough time to rip the flood form off of him and escape, but it doesn’t make him outright immune.
Yeah that was true at some point, but as urbanrocket said earlier, Bungie finnaly decided it wasn’t cannon. It’s hard to follow when the studio change the story they made
It was part of a precursor big plan agaisnt the forerunner at this time. During Halo CE, even if the precursor was still in control of the flood, there was no point to simulate a failed infection with johnson or anyone else
the flood would purposely not infect some humans as a way to trick the forerunners into searching for a cure, just for it’s own twisted pleasure
I think this was shown not by Johnson, but by another Marine from his squad in Combat Evolved. One of the Marines that was killed by the door was not infected by the Flood, so that was probably written as the explanation. Originally, I think Bungie didn’t think it through and only put him there to add to the horror atmosphere.
I wouldn’t look too closely. I’d say it’s just meant to be a meme.
If a few genes made you immune then the Flood wouldn’t be a problem. Forerunners are smart.
First Strike probably was written with the idea of the Flood just as something like Alien. Monsters. Whereas Halo 2 onwards leant into them being a Lovecraftian intelligence.
Sure you could say this trick wouldn’t work moment you have even a Proto Gravemind. But it along with Jenkins being half flood should probably just be seen as the writer rolling with an idea for his story.
I’d actually say there’s no harm in letting a single dude not be infected. Provided that individual poses little threat to you, if he survives he’ll only exist to sow confusion. As long a there is an infection, there will be people who try and find a solution.
Create some confusion like that need to be intelligent, but at this time, the flood had only a proto-gravemind, and I don’t think the precursors were in control of the floods during Halo CE, 2 and 3
The simple answer is we don’t know, but probably not.
The most basic, simple explanation is that Johnson isn’t immune, he was just lucky (i.e. the infection forms that went after him were weakened like the ones that got Jenkins, his augmented status just gave him a chance the others didn’t get, or his perception that they “passed him up” is just dead wrong.) Halsey was operating off incorrect information about his possible immunity and gave a flawed diagnosis.
Folding in stuff like “the Flood chose not to infect him” or actually having some immunity that in an entire war the Forerunner couldn’t figure out creates more problems than it solves.