Sergeant Avery Johnson famously survived the explosion of a Halo ring. He helped broker a tenuous peace between humans and elites. And now, thanks to the efforts of one enterprising modder, he’s cloned himself a bajillion times.
Halo: Campaign Evolved, Xbox’s latest rerelease of Bungie’s 2001 shooter Halo: Combat Evolved, has only been out for a few days of early access and has already seen its modding community rev up. One of the funniest early-days mods is “Everyone is Sgt. Johnson,” which comes from the modder Kaleidescoop and does exactly what it sounds like: replaces every human NPC with Sergeant Johnson.
And yes, “Everyone is Sgt. Johnson” replaces literally every human NPC, including major, plot-critical characters like Captain Keyes and Lieutenant Williams. Master Chief, however, does not get replaced, despite technically being a human, albeit a biologically enhanced one. Also, “[a] lot of voice lines break because, well, they’re all Sgt. Johnson,” Kaleidescoop noted. “I haven’t tested every level but it should be fine otherwise.”
It’s of little surprise that one of the first major mods for Halo: Campaign Evolved is centered around Sergeant Johnson. Beside Cortana and maybe Master Chief himself, Sergeant Johnson is one of the most beloved characters in Halo canon. He first appeared in Halo: Combat Evolved as the tough unit commander of the soldiers who fight alongside Master Chief. That game’s Legendary ending showed Johnson stuck on the Halo ring, grappling with an Elite as the ring explodes; the two of them embrace when they realize they’re about to be turned into smithereens.
But Johnson was so beloved by fans that Bungie found a way to keep him in the series. He miraculously appeared at the start of Halo 2 with no acknowledgment of how he escaped the ring. (Johnson’s survival was explained in the 2003 Eric Nylun novel Halo: First Strike.)
Throughout Halo 2 and Halo 3, Johnson fired off more one-liners than an episode of Veep, and even landed on Polygon’s list of the best video game quotes of all time. Though he was killed (spoilers!!!!) in Halo 3, Johnson has remained a fan-favorite character since 2007. And his revival through cloning is a reminder of Halo’s truest rule: The best soldiers never die, they’re just missing in action.