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[[File:Chell.png|thumb|right|150px|Chell as seen in ''Portal 2''.]]
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{{Quotation|'''GLaDOS'''|You really are doing great... Chell.|sound=GLaDOS_sp_sphere_2nd_encounter_completion01.wav}}
'''Chell''' is the protagonist of both ''[[Portal]]'' and ''[[Portal 2]]''. Little is known about her past beyond her being abandoned at birth and her stubborn will to live. She wields only the [[Handheld Portal Device]] throughout her entire quest for freedom.


== ''Portal'' ==
'''Chell''', documented as '''Test Subject #1''' but previously as '''#1498''',<ref>[[Portal 2: Lab Rat]], page 21. https://www.thinkwithportals.com/comic/#22</ref> was a test subject of the [[Aperture Science]] computer-aided Enrichment Center, and was involved in the testing of the Company's [[Handheld Portal Device]] (commonly known as the Portal Gun).
{{Main|Portal}}
In Chell's first adventure, she awakens in a Relaxation Chamber, seemingly naturally. There she is introduced to [[GLaDOS]] for the first time, albeit more sane. During her first exposure to the facility, Chell is subjected to a number of tests that push her mental capacity to solve, as well as her physical body as she must to endure being shot at by the number of [[turrets]] and other hazards around the facility. During the testing, {{spoiler text|GLaDOS tempts Chell into completing the chambers for some cake at the end. As Chell finishes the last test, GLaDOS indicates that she must now be eliminated as per protocol}}.  


The player must act quick on their feet if they want to escape{{spoiler text| the pit of fire that GLaDOS tries to send Chell down into. From there, the player guides Chell through the inner workings of the facility, avoiding the different pieces of machinery that would otherwise kill her outright. As the player progresses, GLaDOS will chime in and attempt to coax the player into ceasing their escape with more cake or death, as nonthreatening as she sounds at the moment. As the player progresses, they will be exposed to the inner workings of the facility, coming to the conlcusion that there is no one else here, either dead or just gone, while the technology is still alive}}.  
She is the silent protagonist of ''[[Portal]]'' and the single-player campaign in ''[[Portal 2]]''. Very little is known of her past, beyond {{spoiler|her possible abandonment at birth}} and her stubborn will to live.


As Chell nears GLaDOS, the chambers become more dangerous with the introduction of the [[Turrets#Rocket Turret|rocket turrets]] that appear, meaning certain death if a rocket hits Chell in any way.{{spoiler text| After overcoming the final obstacles, the player is met face to face with GLaDOS herself. Some dialogue is spoken from GLaDOS before her Morality Core drops from her being. After sending it into the furnace, GLaDOS turns more sinister and explains that core regulated her thoughts, meaning she can now perform even more vicious actions, such as flooding the room with deadly neurotoxins. From there, the two do battle until there is one victor.}}
Throughout the series, Chell is {{Spoiler|antagonized by the central core and facility overseer [[GLaDOS]]}} during her testing courses. Wielding only the Handheld Portal Device, she eventually utilizes this device as a means of avoiding hazards and {{Spoiler|bypassing various sections of the facility in order to escape.}}


== ''Portal 2: Lab Rat'' ==
According to one timeline, she likely has soulless clones made from her DNA.<ref>[[Portal 2: Lab Rat]], page 21. https://www.thinkwithportals.com/comic/#22</ref>
{{main|Portal 2: Lab Rat}}
''Portal 2: Lab Rat'' is a comic that follows the elusive and schizophrenic Doug Rattmann, responsible for the odd murals and scibblings on the walls of the inner parts of the facility. The comic takes place during the time after Portal and before Portal 2. {{spoiler text|After Chell had destroyed GLaDOS for the first time, she remained unconscious from the resulting explosion and actions afterwards. During this time, Doug Rattmann is seen running through the facilities, watching Chell perform during GLaDOS' tests, while at the same time, the reader learns more about Doug's past and his interaction with GLaDOS. He is accompanied by a Companion Cube that talks to him, indicating his mental instability. }}


{{spoiler text|He tests his luck in a scenario between turrets and his destination, but is harmed in the process. Despite hs wounds, he pulls himself to the nearby terminal, only to realize that the cryo-chamber Chell was placed in, by the Party Submission Position device, as well as the other test subjects, were offline. In a desperate choice, he places Chell's cryo-chamber back online, at a date set well into the future. After his work, he crawls into a Relaxation Chamber and goes to sleep. It is unknown what became of Rattmann aftwards.}}
== Overview ==
Much of Chell's past remains a mystery. {{Spoiler|During the final events of ''[[Portal]]'', [[GLaDOS]] mentions numerous times that Chell was abandoned at birth, and also mentions that she was adopted, and such references continue throughout ''[[Portal 2]]'', although the credibility of GLaDOS' word is unclear. Many of GLaDOS' comments throughout ''Portal 2'' and the latter stages of ''Portal'' are in an effort to belittle, annoy or distract Chell from achieving her goal, and whether or not statements of her adoption and orphan status are true or not is up for debate}}.


== ''Portal 2'' ==
During the events of Portal 2, {{Spoiler|it is implied that Chell may be the daughter of a scientist who worked at Aperture Science, due to a science project in the [[Portal 2 Chapter 4 Test Chamber 21 (Escape)|pre-takeover escape sequence]].}}
{{Main|Portal 2}}
''Portal 2'' is the official continuation of Chell's story. Set in a distant future, she awakens to a rather decaying room, with the frantic sounds of someone pleading outside the room she's in. {{spoiler text|From here, the player is introduced to a loose personality core, named [[Wheatley]]. He begins to explain that he was put in charge to look over those set in stasis in the cryo-chambers, but he had forgotten to check up on the test subjects. This is drawn from the comic, ''Lab Rat'', where all the cryo-chambers but Chell's was offline, meaning everyone was dead. Panicking, he takes control of the room and begins to move it out of that area of the facility in hopes to avoid the imminent explosion announced by the intercom. Moments later, he rams the room into a different section of the facility, launching the player inside.}}


The player finds themself back inside the testing facilities of Aperture Laboratories, where the player must navigate their way around to find a way out of the facility, {{spoiler text|until they're confronted with the remains of GLaDOS. Wheatley attempts to find a way out by leading the player to a large chamber of switches, attempting to find the one that unlocks the escape pod out of the facility. This causes the unfortunate revival of GLaDOS, who takes the player back to the testing chambers once more, built under GLaDOS' own mechanical hand. The player will be subjected to even more tests this time around, involving new mechanics such as [[Aerial Faith Plate]]s and [[Thermal Discouragement Beam]]s. During the testing, GLaDOS will constantly taunt and torment the player with words and even affecting the testing environment.}}
=== ''Portal'' ===
{{Spoiler|Some time after GLaDOS' takeover of Aperture Science, Chell is awakened in a [[Relaxation Vault]] after being unconsciously placed into it. Curious, she explores the Vault, and within only ten seconds of awakening, Chell is greeted by a robotic and seemingly automated female voice who informs her that she is a test subject. A voice, (later to be revealed as GLaDOS) then states that Chell will be undergoing testing for the benefit of Aperture Science's research program.}}


{{spoiler text|Wheatley, previously assumed to be destroyed by GLaDOS during her revival, appears time and again to tell you of his tale of escaping GLaDOS and how he plans to break you out of the facility. Much later, he appears once more, hurrying the player into the inner workings of the facility, where he guides them to different sections. The player will have to guide Chell deep within the bowls of the factories and turret production line to get back to the upper levels, given the opportunity to sabotage the facility production and even the neurotoxin that GLaDOS holds in high regard as her tool of destruction. There they will find themselves in a situation where GLaDOS traps them and attempts to kill them, but fails from the work that was performed within the inner sections of the facility. After some time, the player will be given the option to make Wheatley the new overseer of the entire laboratories. Upon doing so, Wheatley is put onto GLaDOS' body while her core is left on the assembly machine.  Unfortunately, the power goes to his head and turns against the player. After further taunting from GLaDOS, he mangles her core onto a potato and shoves both of them deep within an ancient salt mine, housing Aperture's hidden history.}}
GLaDOS then generates two oval-shaped teleportation fabrics ([[portals]]) on a solid flat surface, with an entrance portal in the Relaxation Vault and an exit just in front of the exterior of the Vault. Chell exits from the Vault, however {{Spoiler|she notices empty observation rooms which lack the staff that should be recording her performance.}} After completing her first test and acquiring an understanding the [[Cubes|cube]]-and-[[Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button|button]] based mechanic, she is put through a series of tests to further explore and understand the use of portals.


{{spoiler text|As the transition takes place, they player will find them self and the now potato-based OS GLaDOS falling down what seems to be like an endless shaft, before cratering at the bottom. Moments later, the player awakens to see the massive salt-mines before them, witnessing GLaDOS being carried off by a crow. The player will have to guide Chell through the new envrionment and progress through the forgotten world of Aperture and learn of creator himself, [[Cave Johnson]]. The testing facility takes place in "test spheres", which are literally gigantic spheres molded from asbestos and steel that contain all sorts of tests within. This section of the story progresses through the timeline of Aperture's first steps into the world of science, and exposes the player to Cave's ingenious, and rather crackpot, ideas to revolutionize the science industry. This will also be the place where the player will learn of the first mention of [[Black Mesa]] and Cave Johnson's increasingly desperate struggle to find willing subjects for his experiments.}}
[[File:Portal Chell.png|thumb|right|100px|Chell as seen in ''Portal''.]]


{{spoiler text|Nearing the end of the older facility, the player will reunite with GLaDOS and learn of the story of Cave and Caroline, and the possibility that Caroline was merged into machine, namely GLaDOS. From here, GLaDOS becomes more willing to work with the player and helps them through the rest of the story. When the player guides Chell back to the modern Aperture Laboratories, they find it in a wreck under Wheatley's command, along with the core overheating and creating the possibility of a massive explosion, destroying the entire laboratory. The player will have to navigate Wheatley's increasingly demanding testing demands while trying to find a way to his chambers and stop him from destroying the facility. After defeating Wheatley and reuniting GLaDOS with her mainframe, the player will see [[Atlas]] and [[P-body]] looking over Chell. GLaDOS will explain how discovering Caroline changed a few things about her, then promptly deletes Caroline's memories from her memory banks. After much contemplation, she decides Chell isn't worth the trouble and sets them free on the elevator to the surface. Chell will find herself on the surface moments later, amidst a field of wheat, free at last.}}
{{Spoiler|Having completed two tests, Chell reaches a test chamber in which she acquires the [[Handheld Portal Device|Portal Gun]]. Later on during the testing course, she is put through a series of more dangerous tests including hazards such as [[Goo]] and [[High Energy Pellet]]s, among others. Skillfully avoiding these hazards, Chell is assisted by the [[Companion Cube]] and by the Aperture Science [[Advanced Knee Replacement]] components applied to the back of her lower legs to her ankles, which allow Chell to avoid injury when falling from great heights. Eventually, the single-portal variant of her Portal Gun is upgraded to create a set of linked portals. As an incentive to complete the tests, [[GLaDOS]] promises Chell that [[cake]] will be served once all tests chambers have been completed.}}
 
As the testing progresses, Chell {{Spoiler|stumbles across various areas with defunct [[Panels|wall panels]], and manages to sneak into them. As she enters these maintenance areas, she finds refuge areas commonly known as the [[Doug Rattmann|Rat Man]]'s Dens, previously used as hiding places by Aperture technician Doug Rattmann. The scribblings on the walls in these Dens appear to be warnings for Chell, telling her that "the cake is a lie" and that "she's watching you". Chell, now made more aware of her situation, is forced to continue testing and play along with GLaDOS' plans. The Rat Man's warnings are eventually revealed to be correct, as GLaDOS attempts to murder Chell upon her completion of the final test chamber, despite earlier promises of cake.}}
 
{{Spoiler|Chell successfully escapes the dramatically slow death trap, and is informed by GLaDOS that pretending to kill Chell is simply part of the test. Dubious as to the veracity of this claim, Chell escapes the testing course, and travels through the Aperture Science Facility in an attempt to reach the surface and escape. Eventually however, Chell realizes there there is no chance of escape as long as GLaDOS is in control of the Facility, and is forced to confront GLaDOS in the [[Central AI Chamber]].}}
 
{{Spoiler|Upon entry to the chamber, Chell is greeted by the passive-aggressive rogue AI. GLaDOS claims that she will provide Chell with a surprise, however a [[Cores#Morality Core|Morality Core]] unexpectedly detaches from GLaDOS' chassis. Chell destroys it using a nearby [[Emergency Intelligence Incinerator]], however the Core is revealed to be a safeguard designed to inhibit GLaDOS' homicidal tendencies. With the Core destroyed, GLaDOS releases [[neurotoxin]] into the chamber in an attempt to kill Chell. At the same time, a [[Turrets#Rocket Turret|Rocket Turret]] emerges from a core hatch beside GLaDOS and begins to target Chell. Using the Portal Gun, Chell redirects the projectiles through linked portals, causing the rockets to strike GLaDOS, each of which detaches more Personality Cores from the chassis. Although inflicting damage, the loss of the Cores merely increases GLaDOS's desire to kill Chell. After destroying each detached Core one-by-one, Chell destroys the final Core (the [[Cores#Anger Core|Anger Core]]), and GLaDOS is sent literally spiraling into her demise, as the destruction of her generators triggers a gravitational vortex, which deposits Chell on the surface.}}
 
{{Spoiler|Chell slowly regains consciousness in the parking lot of the Enrichment Center, with with a lifeless GLaDOS beside her. As Chell's vision clears, the [[Party Escort Bot]] thanks her for "assuming the party escort submission position", and begins dragging her back into the now-ruined Aperture Science Facility. As Chell is dragged away, it is revealed that the destruction of the Central Core (GLaDOS) resulted in the automatic activation of other Personality Cores, tasked with the management of the Enrichment Center while GLaDOS is offline. The final scene depicts the Companion Cube and a cake deep within the bowels Facility, waiting for Chell to claim them.}}
 
=== ''[[Portal 2: Lab Rat|Lab Rat]]'' ===
During the course of the comic, we are introduced to former Aperture scientist, Doug Rattman. {{Spoiler|He witnesses the apparent destruction of GLaDOS, and later, {{Spoiler| after escaping from the facility himself,}} witnesses the recapturing of Chell by the Party Escort Robot. Following the robot, he finds that Chell has been placed into an [[Aperture Science Extended Relaxation Center| Extended Relaxation Vault]]. However, as a result of the explosion {{Spoiler|at the conclusion of Portal}}, all of the relaxation vaults' life support systems are offline. Doug patches Chell's vault onto a reserve grid (as he was unable to open the vault), allowing Chell to survive the years prior to her reawakening in Portal 2.}}
 
=== ''Portal 2'' ===
{{Spoiler|Many years after the events of the original games, Chell is revived by [[Wheatley]], a [[Personality Core]]. After a brief introduction, he convinces Chell to escape with him from the ruined facility. The pair eventually find themselves in the remains of GLaDOS' chamber. Wheatley then inadvertently reawakens GLaDOS, who immediately recognizes Chell. Discarding Wheatley, GLaDOS plunges Chell back into the depths of Aperture, to resume testing.}}
 
{{Spoiler|Chell finds herself testing in the ruined facility with GLaDOS, but after several chambers, Wheatley rescues Chell to help him sabotage GLaDOS' weaponry, allowing for a coup to take place later. GLaDOS eventually manages to trap Chell and bring her into her lair. After finding that her preferred methods of murder are unusable, Chell and GLaDOS find themselves at a standstill. Wheatley reappears, and after Chell initiates a core transfer, replaces GLaDOS as the Central AI of Aperture. However, he goes mad with power, dismantles the remains of GLaDOS' head and reconfigures it into a potato battery, and accidentally sends both GLaDOS and Chell to the decomposing underbelly of the facility, "Old Aperture," which had been sealed off for many decades.}}
 
{{Spoiler|In Old Aperture, Chell is introduced to [[Cave Johnson]], the now-deceased founder and CEO of Aperture and his assistant [[Caroline]]. Throughout the tests, Chell finds and re-activates the [[Repulsion Gel|Repulsion]], [[Propulsion Gel|Propulsion]] and [[Conversion Gel|Conversion Gels]]. She is reunited with GLaDOS during her travel through Old Aperture, and the two forge a plot to overthrow Wheatley in exchange for Chell's freedom.}}
 
{{Spoiler|After departing from Old Aperture, the duo locate a test chamber that Wheatley is overseeing and attempt to disable him via a logical paradox. This fails, however, and they quickly find themselves solving Wheatley's own cobbled-together tests. Much like in the first game, Wheatley tries to kill Chell and GLaDOS, saying that he had found the [[Cooperative Testing Initiative| perfect replacements]] for Chell. After a lengthy chase through the upper facility, Chell and GLaDOS are again in the Central AI Chamber with Wheatley. Chell furthers Wheatley's "corruption" by attaching corrupted cores to his frame, allowing for a second core transfer. Before Chell can do this, however, Wheatley detonates bombs that he had "booby-trapped the stalemate button" with in a last ditch effort to maintain control. However, Chell fires one last set of portals above and below Wheatley. These portals link together the Moon and the Central AI Chamber, and both Chell and Wheatley are sucked through into outer space. Seconds afterward, GLaDOS regains control of her chassis, rescues Chell, and closes the portals, leaving Wheatley to be lost in space. After a monologue, GLaDOS (supposedly) makes good on her promise, and delivers Chell, via high-speed elevator, to the surface above Aperture Science. As the elevator ascends, it enters an ampitheatre-like space, where a [[Turret Opera|choir of turrets]] sing [[Cara Mia|a farewell song]] to Chell. Chell's elevator emerges in a shed in a large field of wheat. Chell's [[Weighted Companion Cube|Companion Cube]] is also sent up moments afterword, presumably as a token of "thank you" from GLaDOS. After expelling the Companion Cube, the elevator door slams violently, probably to indicate that GLaDOS does not want Chell to return to the Enrichment Center again.}}


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<gallery>
{{Gallery
File:Chell first person.png|Chell first-person view.
|lines=5
File:Portal Chell.png|Chell in ''Portal''.
|title=Chell
</gallery>
|height=150
|width=150
|File:Alésia Glidewell Chell reference pose.jpg|alt3=[[wikipedia:Alésia Glidewell|:Alésia Glidewell]] posing for a Chell reference shot.|[[wikipedia::Alésia Glidewell|Alésia Glidewell]] posing for a Chell reference shot.
|File:Chell_from_Personality_Test.jpg|alt4=Chell image from the official Aperture Science Collaborative Disposition Test.|Chell image from the [http://www.thinkwithportals.com/coop_survey.php official Aperture Science Collaborative Disposition Test].
|File:Chell_-_Audiosurf.png|alt5=Chell from the Audiosurf part of the Valve Potato Fool's Day ARG.|Chell from the Audiosurf part of the Valve Potato Fool's Day ARG.
|File:Chell_Valentine.png|alt6=Chell Valentine from Valve's official Portal 2 blog.|Chell Valentine from [http://tinyurl.com/3pt4d34 Valve's official Portal 2 blog].
|File:Chell Icon.jpg|alt7=Avatar of Chell from the official Steam Portal 2 group.|Avatar of Chell from the [http://steamcommunity.com/games/portal2/Avatar/List official Steam Portal 2 group].
|File:Lab Rat - A Page From Chell's File.png|alt8=One of the pages from Chell's file in Lab Rat.|One of the pages from Chell's file in the comic, ''[[Portal 2: Lab Rat]]''.
|File:Lab Rat - Ratman With Chell's File.png|alt9=Doug Rattmann holding Chell's file in Lab Rat.|[[Doug Rattmann]] holding Chell's file in ''Lab Rat''.
|File:Lab Rat - Chell's File - Stubborn.png|alt10=Chell's file showing her high level of tenacity from the ''Lab Rat'' comic.|Chell's file showing her high level of tenacity from the ''Lab Rat'' comic.
|File:Lab Rat - Chell's Name on the List.png|alt11=Chell on the test subject list when Rattmann sabotages the list from ''Lab Rat''.|Chell on the test subject list when Rattmann sabotages the list from ''Lab Rat''.
|File:Chell on the Cover of The Sacrifice.png|alt12=The cover of "The Sacrifice" featuring various Valve characters, including Chell.|The cover of "The Sacrifice" featuring various Valve characters, including Chell.
|File:Full Zoom of Chell on the Cover of The Sacrifice.png|alt13=Full zoom of Chell on the cover of "The Sacrifice".|Full zoom of Chell on the cover of "The Sacrifice".
|File:The_Sacrifice_Concept_Art.jpg|alt14=Concept art for "The Sacrifice".|Concept art for "The Sacrifice".<ref>http://www.destructoid.com/dark-horse-publishing-valve-steam-powered-comic-205623.phtml</ref>
|File:Chell and GLaDOS Gelaskin.png|alt15=Artwork of Chell and GLaDOS on an iPad gelaskin.|Artwork of Chell and [[GLaDOS]] on an iPad gelaskin.
|File:GLaDOS Lithograph Aperture's Requiem.png|alt16=Chell and GLaDOS on the "Aperture's Requiem" lithograph.|Chell and [[GLaDOS]] on the "Aperture's Requiem" lithograph.
|File:Red-Nosed P02.jpg|alt17=Chell in the "Randolph the Red-Nosed Turret" comic.|Chell in the "[[Randolph the Red-Nosed Turret]]" comic.
|File:LEGO Minifig Chell.jpg|alt18=LEGO Chell minifig|LEGO Chell minifig.
|File:LEGO Dimensions Chell.png|alt19=Chell in LEGO Dimensions|Chell in [[LEGO Dimensions]].
}}
 
== Trivia ==
* {{Spoiler|One of the ''Bring Your Daughter to Work Day'' science-fair entries within ''Portal 2'' is signed, "by Chell"; indicating Chell was the daughter of an Aperture Science employee. The entry seemingly began as a potato, interacting with "an element from daddy's work" and has now grown massively out of control and taken up roots in the structure. This is also hinted at by GLaDOS at the end of the third test chamber of the first Portal where she says "Well done, remember, the Aperture Science Bring Your Daughter to Work Day is the perfect time to have her tested." and in the sixth chamber in which she states "Unbelievable. You, SUBJECT NAME HERE must be the pride of SUBJECT HOMETOWN HERE."}}
* Chell is modeled after actress {{W|Alésia Glidewell}}, and appears to be of mixed-race white European and East or Southeast Asian background, with dark hair and blue eyes.
* In ''[[Portal]]'', Chell may sometimes emit small screams when hurt. However, these voice clips are simply archive recordings from [[Half-Life 2]]'s female citizens, who were voiced by Mary Kae Irvin. This was then one of many things that received a retroactive continuity in ''[[Portal 2]]'', as Chell no longer emits any pain groans whatsoever.
* Chell used to be the second partner seen in Co-Op. She was replaced by [[P-Body]] early in development.
* In the original ending sequence, {{Spoiler|the Stalemate Resolution Button was to be destroyed by Wheatley, in which the Announcer would say the stalemate would be resolved if the Stalemate Resolution Associate would say "Yes." This led to a blackout in which, upon pressing a button, Chell would say "Yes." This was cut due to playtesters finding it hard to find out who was actually saying yes. <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vboI7UUziHk</ref>}}
* Chell appears alongside several other ''Portal 2'' characters in the ''Portal 2 Level Pack'' for [[LEGO Dimensions]].
* GLaDOS states to Chell {{Spoiler|that she had found two test subjects in cryogenic storage with her last name, implying that her parents may have worked at Aperture, and were not killed upon the Bring Your Daughter to Work Day disaster.}}
* Though she is who the player is playing as her name is almost never said in [[Portal]] or in [[Portal 2]], presumably to allow the player to feel as it is them.
== See Also ==
* [[Portal 2: Lab Rat]]
* [[Collaborative Disposition Test#Chell|Collaborative Disposition Test]]
* [[Audiosurf Flag]]
 
== References ==
<references/>




{{CharactersNav}}
{{CharactersNav}}

Revision as of 03:36, 14 February 2024

Achievement Door Prize.jpg“This is just a thought experiment, just to see how much time you'll waste thinking about these worthless documents. The correct time is zero seconds.”
This page is SPOILER HEAVY.
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Chell as seen in Portal 2.
“
You really are doing great... Chell.
Click to listen
— GLaDOS
 ”

Chell, documented as Test Subject #1 but previously as #1498,[1] was a test subject of the Aperture Science computer-aided Enrichment Center, and was involved in the testing of the Company's Handheld Portal Device (commonly known as the Portal Gun).

She is the silent protagonist of Portal and the single-player campaign in Portal 2. Very little is known of her past, beyond her possible abandonment at birth and her stubborn will to live.

Throughout the series, Chell is antagonized by the central core and facility overseer GLaDOS during her testing courses. Wielding only the Handheld Portal Device, she eventually utilizes this device as a means of avoiding hazards and bypassing various sections of the facility in order to escape.

According to one timeline, she likely has soulless clones made from her DNA.[2]

Overview

Much of Chell's past remains a mystery. During the final events of Portal, GLaDOS mentions numerous times that Chell was abandoned at birth, and also mentions that she was adopted, and such references continue throughout Portal 2, although the credibility of GLaDOS' word is unclear. Many of GLaDOS' comments throughout Portal 2 and the latter stages of Portal are in an effort to belittle, annoy or distract Chell from achieving her goal, and whether or not statements of her adoption and orphan status are true or not is up for debate.

During the events of Portal 2, it is implied that Chell may be the daughter of a scientist who worked at Aperture Science, due to a science project in the pre-takeover escape sequence.

Portal

Some time after GLaDOS' takeover of Aperture Science, Chell is awakened in a Relaxation Vault after being unconsciously placed into it. Curious, she explores the Vault, and within only ten seconds of awakening, Chell is greeted by a robotic and seemingly automated female voice who informs her that she is a test subject. A voice, (later to be revealed as GLaDOS) then states that Chell will be undergoing testing for the benefit of Aperture Science's research program.

GLaDOS then generates two oval-shaped teleportation fabrics (portals) on a solid flat surface, with an entrance portal in the Relaxation Vault and an exit just in front of the exterior of the Vault. Chell exits from the Vault, however she notices empty observation rooms which lack the staff that should be recording her performance. After completing her first test and acquiring an understanding the cube-and-button based mechanic, she is put through a series of tests to further explore and understand the use of portals.

Chell as seen in Portal.

Having completed two tests, Chell reaches a test chamber in which she acquires the Portal Gun. Later on during the testing course, she is put through a series of more dangerous tests including hazards such as Goo and High Energy Pellets, among others. Skillfully avoiding these hazards, Chell is assisted by the Companion Cube and by the Aperture Science Advanced Knee Replacement components applied to the back of her lower legs to her ankles, which allow Chell to avoid injury when falling from great heights. Eventually, the single-portal variant of her Portal Gun is upgraded to create a set of linked portals. As an incentive to complete the tests, GLaDOS promises Chell that cake will be served once all tests chambers have been completed.

As the testing progresses, Chell stumbles across various areas with defunct wall panels, and manages to sneak into them. As she enters these maintenance areas, she finds refuge areas commonly known as the Rat Man's Dens, previously used as hiding places by Aperture technician Doug Rattmann. The scribblings on the walls in these Dens appear to be warnings for Chell, telling her that "the cake is a lie" and that "she's watching you". Chell, now made more aware of her situation, is forced to continue testing and play along with GLaDOS' plans. The Rat Man's warnings are eventually revealed to be correct, as GLaDOS attempts to murder Chell upon her completion of the final test chamber, despite earlier promises of cake.

Chell successfully escapes the dramatically slow death trap, and is informed by GLaDOS that pretending to kill Chell is simply part of the test. Dubious as to the veracity of this claim, Chell escapes the testing course, and travels through the Aperture Science Facility in an attempt to reach the surface and escape. Eventually however, Chell realizes there there is no chance of escape as long as GLaDOS is in control of the Facility, and is forced to confront GLaDOS in the Central AI Chamber.

Upon entry to the chamber, Chell is greeted by the passive-aggressive rogue AI. GLaDOS claims that she will provide Chell with a surprise, however a Morality Core unexpectedly detaches from GLaDOS' chassis. Chell destroys it using a nearby Emergency Intelligence Incinerator, however the Core is revealed to be a safeguard designed to inhibit GLaDOS' homicidal tendencies. With the Core destroyed, GLaDOS releases neurotoxin into the chamber in an attempt to kill Chell. At the same time, a Rocket Turret emerges from a core hatch beside GLaDOS and begins to target Chell. Using the Portal Gun, Chell redirects the projectiles through linked portals, causing the rockets to strike GLaDOS, each of which detaches more Personality Cores from the chassis. Although inflicting damage, the loss of the Cores merely increases GLaDOS's desire to kill Chell. After destroying each detached Core one-by-one, Chell destroys the final Core (the Anger Core), and GLaDOS is sent literally spiraling into her demise, as the destruction of her generators triggers a gravitational vortex, which deposits Chell on the surface.

Chell slowly regains consciousness in the parking lot of the Enrichment Center, with with a lifeless GLaDOS beside her. As Chell's vision clears, the Party Escort Bot thanks her for "assuming the party escort submission position", and begins dragging her back into the now-ruined Aperture Science Facility. As Chell is dragged away, it is revealed that the destruction of the Central Core (GLaDOS) resulted in the automatic activation of other Personality Cores, tasked with the management of the Enrichment Center while GLaDOS is offline. The final scene depicts the Companion Cube and a cake deep within the bowels Facility, waiting for Chell to claim them.

Lab Rat

During the course of the comic, we are introduced to former Aperture scientist, Doug Rattman. He witnesses the apparent destruction of GLaDOS, and later, after escaping from the facility himself, witnesses the recapturing of Chell by the Party Escort Robot. Following the robot, he finds that Chell has been placed into an Extended Relaxation Vault. However, as a result of the explosion at the conclusion of Portal, all of the relaxation vaults' life support systems are offline. Doug patches Chell's vault onto a reserve grid (as he was unable to open the vault), allowing Chell to survive the years prior to her reawakening in Portal 2.

Portal 2

Many years after the events of the original games, Chell is revived by Wheatley, a Personality Core. After a brief introduction, he convinces Chell to escape with him from the ruined facility. The pair eventually find themselves in the remains of GLaDOS' chamber. Wheatley then inadvertently reawakens GLaDOS, who immediately recognizes Chell. Discarding Wheatley, GLaDOS plunges Chell back into the depths of Aperture, to resume testing.

Chell finds herself testing in the ruined facility with GLaDOS, but after several chambers, Wheatley rescues Chell to help him sabotage GLaDOS' weaponry, allowing for a coup to take place later. GLaDOS eventually manages to trap Chell and bring her into her lair. After finding that her preferred methods of murder are unusable, Chell and GLaDOS find themselves at a standstill. Wheatley reappears, and after Chell initiates a core transfer, replaces GLaDOS as the Central AI of Aperture. However, he goes mad with power, dismantles the remains of GLaDOS' head and reconfigures it into a potato battery, and accidentally sends both GLaDOS and Chell to the decomposing underbelly of the facility, "Old Aperture," which had been sealed off for many decades.

In Old Aperture, Chell is introduced to Cave Johnson, the now-deceased founder and CEO of Aperture and his assistant Caroline. Throughout the tests, Chell finds and re-activates the Repulsion, Propulsion and Conversion Gels. She is reunited with GLaDOS during her travel through Old Aperture, and the two forge a plot to overthrow Wheatley in exchange for Chell's freedom.

After departing from Old Aperture, the duo locate a test chamber that Wheatley is overseeing and attempt to disable him via a logical paradox. This fails, however, and they quickly find themselves solving Wheatley's own cobbled-together tests. Much like in the first game, Wheatley tries to kill Chell and GLaDOS, saying that he had found the perfect replacements for Chell. After a lengthy chase through the upper facility, Chell and GLaDOS are again in the Central AI Chamber with Wheatley. Chell furthers Wheatley's "corruption" by attaching corrupted cores to his frame, allowing for a second core transfer. Before Chell can do this, however, Wheatley detonates bombs that he had "booby-trapped the stalemate button" with in a last ditch effort to maintain control. However, Chell fires one last set of portals above and below Wheatley. These portals link together the Moon and the Central AI Chamber, and both Chell and Wheatley are sucked through into outer space. Seconds afterward, GLaDOS regains control of her chassis, rescues Chell, and closes the portals, leaving Wheatley to be lost in space. After a monologue, GLaDOS (supposedly) makes good on her promise, and delivers Chell, via high-speed elevator, to the surface above Aperture Science. As the elevator ascends, it enters an ampitheatre-like space, where a choir of turrets sing a farewell song to Chell. Chell's elevator emerges in a shed in a large field of wheat. Chell's Companion Cube is also sent up moments afterword, presumably as a token of "thank you" from GLaDOS. After expelling the Companion Cube, the elevator door slams violently, probably to indicate that GLaDOS does not want Chell to return to the Enrichment Center again.

Gallery

Chell
Alésia Glidewell posing for a Chell reference shot.  
Chell image from the official Aperture Science Collaborative Disposition Test.  
:Alésia Glidewell posing for a Chell reference shot.
Chell from the Audiosurf part of the Valve Potato Fool's Day ARG.  
Chell image from the official Aperture Science Collaborative Disposition Test.
Chell Valentine from Valve's official Portal 2 blog.  
Chell from the Audiosurf part of the Valve Potato Fool's Day ARG.
Avatar of Chell from the official Steam Portal 2 group.  
Chell Valentine from Valve's official Portal 2 blog.
One of the pages from Chell's file in the comic, Portal 2: Lab Rat.  
Avatar of Chell from the official Steam Portal 2 group.
Doug Rattmann holding Chell's file in Lab Rat.  
One of the pages from Chell's file in Lab Rat.
Chell's file showing her high level of tenacity from the Lab Rat comic.  
Doug Rattmann holding Chell's file in Lab Rat.
Chell on the test subject list when Rattmann sabotages the list from Lab Rat.  
Chell's file showing her high level of tenacity from the Lab Rat comic.
The cover of "The Sacrifice" featuring various Valve characters, including Chell.  
Chell on the test subject list when Rattmann sabotages the list from Lab Rat.
Full zoom of Chell on the cover of "The Sacrifice".  
The cover of "The Sacrifice" featuring various Valve characters, including Chell.
Concept art for "The Sacrifice".[3]  
Full zoom of Chell on the cover of "The Sacrifice".
Artwork of Chell and GLaDOS on an iPad gelaskin.  
Concept art for "The Sacrifice".
Chell and GLaDOS on the "Aperture's Requiem" lithograph.  
Artwork of Chell and GLaDOS on an iPad gelaskin.
Chell in the "Randolph the Red-Nosed Turret" comic.  
Chell and GLaDOS on the "Aperture's Requiem" lithograph.
LEGO Chell minifig.  
Chell in the "Randolph the Red-Nosed Turret" comic.
Chell in LEGO Dimensions.  

Trivia

  • One of the Bring Your Daughter to Work Day science-fair entries within Portal 2 is signed, "by Chell"; indicating Chell was the daughter of an Aperture Science employee. The entry seemingly began as a potato, interacting with "an element from daddy's work" and has now grown massively out of control and taken up roots in the structure. This is also hinted at by GLaDOS at the end of the third test chamber of the first Portal where she says "Well done, remember, the Aperture Science Bring Your Daughter to Work Day is the perfect time to have her tested." and in the sixth chamber in which she states "Unbelievable. You, SUBJECT NAME HERE must be the pride of SUBJECT HOMETOWN HERE."
  • Chell is modeled after actress Alésia Glidewell, and appears to be of mixed-race white European and East or Southeast Asian background, with dark hair and blue eyes.
  • In Portal, Chell may sometimes emit small screams when hurt. However, these voice clips are simply archive recordings from Half-Life 2's female citizens, who were voiced by Mary Kae Irvin. This was then one of many things that received a retroactive continuity in Portal 2, as Chell no longer emits any pain groans whatsoever.
  • Chell used to be the second partner seen in Co-Op. She was replaced by P-Body early in development.
  • In the original ending sequence, the Stalemate Resolution Button was to be destroyed by Wheatley, in which the Announcer would say the stalemate would be resolved if the Stalemate Resolution Associate would say "Yes." This led to a blackout in which, upon pressing a button, Chell would say "Yes." This was cut due to playtesters finding it hard to find out who was actually saying yes. [4]
  • Chell appears alongside several other Portal 2 characters in the Portal 2 Level Pack for LEGO Dimensions.
  • GLaDOS states to Chell that she had found two test subjects in cryogenic storage with her last name, implying that her parents may have worked at Aperture, and were not killed upon the Bring Your Daughter to Work Day disaster.
  • Though she is who the player is playing as her name is almost never said in Portal or in Portal 2, presumably to allow the player to feel as it is them.

See Also

References

  1. ↑ Portal 2: Lab Rat, page 21. https://www.thinkwithportals.com/comic/#22
  2. ↑ Portal 2: Lab Rat, page 21. https://www.thinkwithportals.com/comic/#22
  3. ↑ http://www.destructoid.com/dark-horse-publishing-valve-steam-powered-comic-205623.phtml
  4. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vboI7UUziHk


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