: So, I don't really have a problem with this in general (Halsey = boogey man),
: but it kinda bugs me that it's the banner 343 and the Haloverse has chosen
: to fly into the future. Especially because it pretty much contradicts the
: fact that Halsey was very much a sympathetic character in all the
: pre-Evolutions books. Yea, she was still an ice queen at times and was out
: for herself (and by extension her spartans), but for the most part she
: felt bad for what she did to the Spartans. Now it seems to be the entire
: narrative universe has realized she is so terrible, like all at once.

I don't believe Halsey was a sympathetic character at heart, merely that Nylund and later the Bungie writers tried their best to make her one - and succeeded. It was because of these shining perspectives that allowed us to forgive her for her monstrous sins.

Halsey's portrayals from 2001's The Fall of Reach to 2010's Reach painted her in the light we needed to see - a woman who would stop at nothing to safeguard humanity. From 2011's Glasslands to the present, the universe has mostly put the Great War behind them, and the writing has reflected that. We've gotten over the shock that necessitated the use of Spartans against the genocidal foe and look to the past for answers.

Catherine Halsey has not changed one bit in the past 13 years, but our perspective has. We were being mislead for a decade about this woman when the evidence to the contrary was still there. Nylund was used by Bungie as their propaganda agent. 343i is utilizing Traviss to make us question everything that led up to this moment.

Regardless if you think Bungie was wrong, or 343i is being irresponsible, you must admit that these arguments have brought to light serious flaws with societies in the Haloverse. We've argued over the capabilities of the Covenant military to the UNSC and vice versa, but never have we truly taken the time to conduct moral analysis of the universe at hand.

: At any rate, maybe I should've read these books. I mean they have Brutes in
: them right?.... RIGHT?!... please....

Stop trying to make Brutes happen, Padraig. They're NOT going to happen!

Okay, yeah, they're prominently featured in The Thursday War. :P