MJOLNIR battle armor


 * MJOLNIR redirects here. For other meanings, see Mjolnir (disambiguation)

MJOLNIR battle armor is a fictional suit of battle armor in the Marathon Trilogy and Halo franchise, both in the novels and the video games.

Role in the 'Halo' Franchise
In Bungie's franchise, Halo, the MJOLNIR battle armor is worn by the SPARTAN-II soldiers, inclusive of the protagonist known as 'Master Chief' (also known as SPARTAN-117 in the Halo novels). The sole origin and first public encounter with the MJOLNIR battle armor, however, took place in a previous video game series by Bungie, titled Marathon. The suit's name, 'Mjolnir' (myohl-nir, IPA:[Mjolnər]), is derivative of Norse Mythology. Mjolnir was the hammer of the thunder god, Thor. The MJOLNIR armor was developed alongside the SPARTAN II project.

Armor versions
The versions of the MJOLNIR Armor in the Halo universe are completely separate from those in the Marathon series. There are currently six iterations of the MJOLNIR armor depicted in the Halo games and the novels.

Mark I
The Mark I battle suits were one of the Navy's first experiments with powered exoskeletons. The Mark I battle armors were bulky exoskeletons that improved strength and stamina of the user's muscles. A person in the suit can lift two tons (4,409 pounds) and run at 32 km/h (19.88 mph). The armor is nearly impervious to standard light weapons. It could have a 30-millimeter minigun that fired on self-targeting armatures that had stun rounds for training and live bullets for actual combat. They could also be equipped with motion sensors and infrared scopes. The suit used a hydraulic system with hydraulic fluid which moved the suit. The suit consumed enormous energy, so it required a large cable to run between it and a generator, which hindered movement, or the use of inefficient broadcast power, and was thus never seen in battle. It was, however, used to carry heavy equipment in docking bays, and dozens of others were dumped in Reach's titanium mines. Dr. Halsey's team had to scrap this concept and redesign the battle armor from the ground up for Project: MJOLNIR. The Spartan IIs, unarmed and unarmored, proved themselves superior to the Mark I in every respect.

Mark II
The Mark II battle armor incorporated a much more slimmed-down profile, but still required a direct link to a fusion reactor for power. Although the Mark II prototype has this flaw, it is the strongest type of armor in the entire human arsenal.

Mark III
The next prototype, the Mark III, incorporated a power transmission-receiver so that power could be transmitted to it much like the Orbital Defense Platforms in orbit of major UNSC colonies. This design was quickly rejected for two reasons, the main reason being that the armor still had a limited operational range, as the power generator could not be moved easily. The second reason was that if the generator was destroyed somehow, the users would become trapped in worthless, metal shells.

Mark IV
The MJOLNIR Mark IV was chronologically introduced in Halo: The Fall of Reach, and is a radical redesign of the suit taking advantage of many technological leaps as the Mark I-Mark III armors required massive power consumption by being plugged to a generator, which was rendered impractical and prevented both movement and range. Its outer plates were reinforced to provide better protection. The battle under suit was replaced by a rubber under suit and a gel layer which could be adjusted to protect from blunt force injury and maintain a suitable climate for the wearer. The armor was powered by a small fusion pack. However, when an unaugmented Marine attempted to wear the armor, their body could not handle the speed and reaction times of the armor, which would injure or kill the unaugmented wearer. Therefore, only a SPARTAN could wear the armor due to their durability and biological enhancements.

The helmet of the MJOLNIR Armor was new due to the redesign of the suit. It contained a successful air filter/provider which allowed the user to travel into space, water and into environments with high levels of deadly gas for a period of 90 minutes.

The HUD of the Mark IV was different from previous armors due to the redesign as a suit of armor. This HUD contained an onboard computer system which was powered by the generators in the power pack. The HUD monitored health via using a health monitor in the upper right corner along with the flashlight battery. It also monitored weapons in terms of ammo and rounds left in the magazine and also generated a targeting reticle which could tell the difference between an ally and an enemy. The HUD also contained acknowledgement lights and status monitors for teammates.

The Mark IV Assault armor was fielded from November 27th, 2525 to August 29th, 2552.

Mark V
Prior to the Covenant attack on Reach, the Mark IV suits were upgraded to Mark V, which allowed SPARTANs to house A.I. inside their armor (allowing faster reaction times as well as real-time mission intel), as well as carry full-coverage energy shields as a result of reverse-engineering Jackal shields. The Master Chief demonstrates the full lethality of the suit by defeating several armed ODSTs on an obstacle course. The Mark V was also used in Halo: Combat Evolved.

Mark VI
Upon arrival at Cairo station, the Master Chief's heavily damaged Mark V suit was replaced with a Mark VI, which was even more expensive than the Mark V. It was used during the events of Halo 2. The armor was slimmed down even more which increased movement. The utility belt and grenade belt were eliminated due to a new development in which they were actually integrated onto the waist piece. The grenades were clamped onto the belt while the ammo and other such utilities were placed in two large storage compartments on the side of the waist. The flashlight was redesigned to be functional longer and recharge faster and the HUD was simplified, eliminating the health monitor due to the new design of the suit.

The shield system of the suit is more powerful, eliminating both fire and falling damage. It also is stronger and has a faster recharge time, eliminating the risk of injury to some degree during a firefight.

The Master Chief is shown to be wearing a near identical suit in Halo 3 Promotional Videos, but with slight alterations, which imply some form of upgrading or replacement, or it could easily be a simple artistic change.

CQB Variant
In Halo 3, the MJOLNIR Mark VI/C variant is available as a specialized suit of MJOLNIR armor. Developed in Essen, Germany and tested in Songnam, Korea, the armor is intended to improve combat survivability in close combat beyond what even the standard Mark VI armor is capable of, particularly through methods of kinetic energy dispersal and joint mobility.

EVA Variant
Also available in Halo 3 is the MJOLNIR Mark VI/V variant, a model designed to improve performance in zero gravity and vacuum conditions. Developed at the UNSC Low/Zero Gravity Testing Facility on the moon of Ganymede, the EVA armor is intended to create a high degree of maneuverability in zero gravity without the use of thrusters and to increase exoatmospheric survival.

Marathon - The MJOLNIR Mark IV Cyborg
During the course of the Marathon games, various text terminals mention ten MJOLNIR Mark IV cyborgs, which represent "all of the destructive knowledge of mankind." The identity of the protagonist is never solidly stated in the games. The manual states that he is a security officer aboard the UESC Marathon. However, in the Marathon 2 preview, the AI Durandal reveals the following:
 * "Were you ever curious about the tenth cyborg which was supposed to be on the Marathon? Why could Leela find only nine? Was it ever activated? Was it destroyed during the defense of the colony? You are right to be curious."

This and other clues have led many fans of the series to the conclusion that the player is the tenth MJOLNIR Mark IV cyborg, though as with all Bungie games, speculation is common. One possible clue is Durandal's statement itself. "...Was it destroyed in defense of the colony?" could be a reference to the defense of Reach, or any other of the numerous colonies encountered in the Halo Universe.

Real-life MJOLNIR Replicas
Many replicas of the MJOLNIR armor can be identified, such as the work of Nightmare Armor Studios, 'Chris Bryan', the site 'MjolnirArmor', and of the website 'Briar's Armor'.