Illusive Man
Leader of Cerberus and a human nationalist.
The Illusive Man, whose real name is Jack Harper, is a character in BioWare's Mass Effect franchise. He first appeared in the tie-in novel Mass Effect: Ascension before making his video game debut in Mass Effect 2 as the leader of the pro-human organization Cerberus. Voiced by American actor Martin Sheen, the character is known for his morally ambiguous nature and his eventual indoctrination by the Reapers in Mass Effect 3.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Mass Effect
- First
- Mass Effect: Ascension (2008)
- First game
- Mass Effect 2 (2010)
- Last
- Mass Effect: Foundation (2014)
- Voice
- Martin Sheen
- Full name
- Jack Harper
- Affiliation
- Cerberus (Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3), The Reapers (Mass Effect 3)
Facts from the source article.
Concept and design
The Mass Effect 2 art team created the Illusive Man's face using a catalog model as a base. Although designed as a smoker and hard drinker in his fifties, the team decided he would show no signs of aging due to in-universe medical advancements. His eyes were made to appear slightly inhuman, with an in-universe explanation later provided in the comic series Mass Effect: Evolution. The suit was intended to be futuristic yet not tied to any particular decade, combining an impeccable futuristic style with the casual swagger of a charming billionaire.
The suit was left open to convey that he could do whatever he pleased. Producer Adrien Cho described the design as almost perfect and very symmetrical. During early development of Mass Effect 3, the Illusive Man was considered as the final boss, transformed into a Reaper-controlled creature. This idea was discarded because the design team wanted players to have the satisfaction of fighting a known character, implying his greatest weapon was intelligence, not strength.
Producer Michael Gamble stated the decision was made to differentiate Mass Effect 3 from other games with similar endings. For his final appearance, facial concepts were made to show the level of indoctrination, with some designs referencing the villain Saren Arterius from the first Mass Effect game.
Reception and analysis
In April 2016, a propaganda video supporting Donald Trump's presidential campaign appropriated audio from Mass Effect 2, including Martin Sheen's voice performance as the Illusive Man. The video, stylistically similar to a Mass Effect 2 trailer, was shared on Trump's Twitter and Instagram before being taken down for copyright infringement by publisher EA, which condemned the use of its intellectual property for political campaigns. Former BioWare staff member Manveer Heir expressed bemusement, noting the irony that Trump might see himself as the Illusive Man, who is verifiably the bad guy.
Sheen himself was a vocal critic of Trump. The Illusive Man was well received, with IGN naming him the best PC character of 2010, calling him an enigma and a crusader. Game Informer ranked him 27th in a vote for top 30 favorite characters of the 2000s. Giant Bomb's 2010 Game of the Year listed him as the character with whom they would most like to party, praising his singular vision and strong personality.
Game Informer's Joe Juba cited his appearance in Mass Effect: Retribution as a reason to read the book. Dan Ryckert suggested Bruce Greenwood for a film adaptation. IGN's Christopher Monfette compared him to the Smoking Man from The X-Files. GamesRadar+'s Sam Loveridge praised his moral sense, noting he was one of few antagonists who did not underestimate good characters' strength.
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