Characters

“

Why did I just-Who is that? What the HELL is going on he----? Click to listen — GLaDOS

”

The Portal storyline is home to a number of richly detailed characters.

Characters

Characters are listed in order of appearance.

Chell

Main article: Chell

Chell is the main protagonist and the character you control during the single player portions of both Portal and Portal 2. She is notoriously tenacious, and is renowned for possessing a "never give up" or "never say die" attitude as highlighted in the Portal: Lab Rat comic. Throughout both games she doesn't speak, but interacts silently with the world around her.

GLaDOS

Main article: GLaDOS

GLaDOS (or Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) is the primary antagonist throughout both Portal and Portal 2. She is a sentient computer that was built to help oversee, and later fully control all aspects of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. Witty and sarcastic, her tone and mode of speech is generally surprisingly human, but with the cold calculating precision only a computer can afford.

Doug Rattmann

Main article: Doug Rattmann

Doug Rattmann is an ex-Aperture Science employee who has gone somewhat insane by lack of medication. He now roams the Aperture facility, setting up dens as he travels and helps Chell, most notably when he risks his own life to insure that Chell's Relaxation Vault had enough power to function.

Weighted Companion Cube

Main article: Weighted Companion Cube

The Weighted Companion Cube is a variant of the Weighted Storage Cube. It is presented to the player in a late test chamber in Portal, and serves as both protector and assistant throughout the level. In the sequel, the Companion Cube has been upgraded, like much of Aperture Science's equipment, most notably with the addition of soft music which plays whenever it is held.

Wheatley

Main article: Wheatley

Wheatley is a sentient personality core that has helped to maintain Aperture Science. Wheatley is described by GLaDOS as a core designed to make poor decisions, and was created in order to make GLaDOS less intelligent and thereby more controllable. He begins Portal 2 as your companion and guide through the early parts of the game, and attempts to help the player escape from GLaDOS. Later, after replacing GLaDOS as the entity primarily in control of Aperture Science, he is corrupted by its power and assumes a more malevolent personality.

Cave Johnson

Main article: Cave Johnson

At some point in his career as a successful shower curtain salesman, and after winning the Idaho award for potato science, Cave Johnson decided to embark upon a venture into science. He then bought a large salt mine to base all of his scientific testing. As a result, he founded and developed Aperture Science Innovations, a testing ground for inventions of a scientific nature. Now presumed deceased, recordings of his voice remain in order to guide test subjects through the many test chambers that can be found throughout Aperture Science.

Caroline

Main article: Caroline

Caroline was Cave Johnson's assistant. At the time of Cave's death, her consciousness was transferred into the core system to become GLaDOS.

Atlas

Main article: Atlas

Atlas is a sentient robot designed by GLaDOS from the remains of a knowledge core for the purposes of cooperative testing with his partner P-body. His eye, and markings on his body are blue, while he fires blue and purple portals from his Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Though incapable of human speech, he is presented as a somewhat nervous masculine robot.

P-body

Main article: P-body

P-body is a sentient robot designed by GLaDOS from the remains of a turret for the purposes of cooperative testing with her partner Atlas. "Her" eye, and markings on her body are orange, while she fires orange and red portals from her Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Though incapable of human speech, P-body is presented as inquisitive and confident, though slightly feminine robot.

Announcer

Main article: Announcer

The Announcer guides the player through the facility early on in Portal 2 and initiates stalemates when core computers become corrupted.