[u][b]It has been confirmed that the character is male, and is brand new. Check out this link though - This theory seems pretty awesome:[/b][/u]http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post?id=64954595&path=1 Now I'll begin by saying that in all honesty, Halo 4 was the greatest flop I've experienced in my gaming history. Not a good way to put a lot of faith into the start of the next Halo trilogy, that's for sure. Anyway, that being said, I'm definitely willing to give it a chance, and will continue to buy the new Halos, as Halo was the game that brought me into serious gaming. (Though by no means do I consider Halo 4 to be a true 'Halo,' or at least not of Halo quality.) Just seeing the cover does excite me, though I meet it with a healthy amount of skepticism. The cover raises a question though, perhaps overlooked by most of you: who is the Spartan that mirrors Chief? Many of you probabaly didn't put much thought into it, perhaps just thinking it to be nobody really, but Halo has always included their main characters on the cover art, soooo. Judging by the proportions, it's quite possible that it's a female. [b]Main Idea:[/b] The first thing that catches my eye about the new Spartan is the sweet-looking helmet. (I won't get into how terrible Halo 4's armor was) And as you observe the helmet you should notice that there's a distinct blue glow emitting from the visor. And who glows blue better than Cortana? [b](If you haven't played the Halo 4 campaign and care about any spoilers, stop reading.)[/b] Anyway, you should recall that in Halo 4 the Didact effectively transports a fair portion of Earth into what I'll call "the digital realm." (Simply put, they are digitized as were the Prometheans, who are simply malformed humans) Annnnd you also know that Cortana was 'lost' as the Didact's digitizing-vessel was destroyed, though she saved Chief. As I finished the campaign, the immediate thought was: "Oh, well I guess she's most likely been transported within the digital world along with the humans in (L.A?), so we can be expecting a sequel where Chief finds a way to be converted, and searches for her. [b]End of Halo 4 Spoilers?[/b] Surely enough, the teaser was Chief wandering around and stumbling upon a Forerunner creature...thing, while holding Cortana's chip as something of forget-me-not...treasure..thingy. Memorabilia? Um. Yeah. Anyway. [b]Summary:[/b] So long story short, it would be reallllly interesting if you find that Cortana is the 'Spartan' pictured on the cover. I mean, that COULD be a long stretch, but seeing as there's the whole "I've always wanted to do that" (when Chief/Cortana can actually tangibly interact) scene and all, as well as the Didact's digital converter thingymachine, it's pretty much confirmed (in my head) that the Chief will reunite with Cortana, and she may possibly be converted out of her digitized form. So since she's almost positively set up to reappear, and the new character appears to be a female Spartan sporting a radiant blue glow, AND Chief is obviously trekking around Forerunner territory in search of finding her, would it be too much to assume that this new protagonist is perhaps not new at all, but rather Cortana? Idk. Maybe I'm crazy. But one thing I do know: It would be crazy-awesome.