11 Halo Storylines That Won't Happen After Paramount Canceled Season 3 (2024)

Now that Paramount+ has officially axed its Halo adaptation, there are several storylines viewers will never see come to fruition in live-action. While Paramount was evasive on why Halo was canceled after two seasons, it's safe to assume that the series' ballooning costs — reportedly, it cost $200 million to make — and mixed reviews were at the root of the company's decision. Although the show's sophom*ore outing was much more well-received than its abysmal first season, swapping out showrunners and leaning harder on the source material just couldn't salvage the story of Pablo Schreiber's Master Chief.

Unless Halo season 3 is picked up by another willing streamer, the cliffhangers from Halo season 2's ending will go frustratingly unresolved. After losing his Spartan comrades to Halo's iconic Fall of Reach storyline, harrowing injuries, and key sacrificial plays in Halo's Human-Covenant War, Master Chief (a.k.a. John-117) became more of the lone wolf character players know and love. Ultimately, the Chief reunites with Cortana (Jen Taylor), pursues Makee (Charlie Murphy) and the Arbiter Var 'Gatanai (Viktor Åkerblom) to the ring world, and enters the Forerunner structure on Installation 04. And that's where the story ends.

11 Miranda Keyes' Mission To Find A Cure For The Flood Infection

Dr. Halsey Was Cryogenically Frozen In Halo Season 2's Finale

The final episode of Halo season 2 sets up Combat Evolved's story — and that includes the appearance of The Flood. Often thought of as the franchise's definitive story, Halo: Combat Evolved was Master Chief's first-ever outing. Before the first season of Paramount+'s show dropped, fans assumed that the TV series would tackle Master Chief's journey to Installation 04. Although the Halo TV show attempted to chart its own path, the sophom*ore season corrected course, bringing the Silver Timeline closer to the canon of the games and novels. In the finale, The Flood decimate the base on Onyx.

Ahead of Halo's last episode, Miranda Keyes (Olive Gray), the daughter of Dr. Catherine Halsey (Natascha McElhone) starts investigating a strange Forerunner object she, her mother, and Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha) found deep inside Onyx. Unfortunately, the device contains Flood spores, which lead to an outbreak at the ONI/UNSC base on Onyx. Everyone from no-name personnel to Halo's dangerous Admiral Parangosky (Shabana Azmi) become infected by the parasitic organism. When Halsey is infected, Miranda decides to thwart the Flood's takeover of her mother by cryogenically freezing her. Now, being a Flood-infected popsicle is Halsey's forever fate.

10 The Story Of Halo's Monitor Won't Ever Be Explained

The Halo Series Finale Teased 343 Guilty Spark

When the Monitor appears in Halo season 2's finale, it more than confirms the exciting direction season 3 would've undertaken. A recurring character throughout the franchise, 343 Guilty Spark is a Forerunner Monitor tasked with maintaining Installation 04. In the game, the Monitor immediately recognizes Master Chief as a "Reclaimer" — one who has inherited the Forerunners' Mantle of Responsibility and become a custodian of life in the galaxy. Able to activate Forerunner tech, the show's John would've likely been a means to an end for the Monitor, who would've tried to activate the Halo once the Flood outbreak spread.

9 Halo Season 2 Hinted At Onyx Being A Secret Shield World

The Forerunner Planet's Lore Was Cut Short

Halo season 2 only skimmed the surface of Onyx's importance and secret Forerunner connection. In the canon, Onyx isn't really a planet at all. Instead, it's a planet-sized Forerunner shield world. While the Halo array is one means of combating the all-consuming Flood, the shield worlds are a more defensive-minded notion. Massive habitats that are cradled safely in slipspace bubbles, shield worlds protect their inhabitants from the Halos' life-ending pulse and hide them from the Flood. While Halsey, Miranda, and Kwan get a glimpse into Onyx's true nature, it would've been crucial in Halo season 3.

8 Paramount+'s Halo TV Show Never Introduced Johnson

The Fan-Favorite Halo Character Hasn't Been Portrayed In Live-Action

One of the characters that should've been introduced in Halo season 3, Sergeant Major Avery Junior Johnson never made it to the live-action adaptation's party. Even though the tough-as-nails Marine serves in the core canon's Battle of Reach, Halo's cast of characters was too over-stuffed to include Johnson. In the games, he makes his debut alongside Master Chief in Combat Evolved, so including him in Halo season 3 would've been perfect, especially since many of the show's central ONI and UNSC characters were killed. For now, however, the cigar-smoking soldier isn't joining the fight.

7 James Ackerson's Change Of Heart Is Meaningless

Halo Season 3 Might Have Set Up A Redemption Arc For The Former ONI Official

Played by Joseph Morgan, James Ackerson, Halo season 2's Halsey replacement, was one of the best new characters added to the series. Lifted from the games, Ackerson is Halsey's rival and the creator of the Spartan-III program. While the show used some of those attributes, and transformed him into season 2's primary ONI antagonist, Ackerson's TV variant was definitely a more nuanced character. Evidently, his hatred for Halsey stemmed from the fact that his sister was one of the failed Spartan-II subjects. Ultimately, Ackerson has a change of heart, but viewers will never quite know his intended arc.

6 Soren & His Son's Story Won't Receive Any Closure

Kessler Was Fathered By A Theoretically Sterile Spartan

One of Halo season 2's weaker plots revolved around the UNSC taking Kessler, Soren's son. Played by Bokeem Woodbine, Soren is a Spartan deserter who, despite supposedly being sterile, fathered a boy named Kessler (Tylan Bailey). In season 2, Soren finds himself torn between his past as a galaxy-defending Spartan and a family man who's left the fighting behind. It's revealed that the UNSC may have abducted Kessler to train him as a Spartan, likely because of his father, but the plot is pretty underdeveloped. Unfortunately, it will stay half-baked without a Halo season 3.

5 Cortana & Master Chief's Halo: Combat Evolved Dynamic Is Absent From The Show

Halo Season 3 Was Poised To Deliver On The Franchise's Best Dynamic

In its final episode, Halo season 2 finally delivered a team-up between Master Chief and Cortana — a proper team-up, that is. Long considered one of the best video game duos in history, the Chief and his AI ally just weren't done justice in Halo season 1. The second season cleverly retconned some of the first season's dubious choices, paving the way for Cortana to become integrated with Master Chief's armor in the season 2 finale. It's a promising season 3 set up for these beloved characters, but, sadly, the Halo show's vision won't ever be fully realized.

4 Paramount+'s Halo Teased The Friction Within The Covenant

The Arbiter Wasn't A Full-On "Heretic" But An Internal Conflict Was Brewing

In season 2, Var 'Gatanai is the Halo show's Arbiter. At one point, he even brands himself with Halo's iconic Mark of Shame. Although he isn't the Arbiter of Halo 2, Var's storyline helps set up the concept of the Convenant's Arbiter, and, by teaming up with Makee, Var also goes against the Covenant's higher-ups. Instead of following his sacred mission, Var chooses the "Blessed One," even killing several Elites in the process. Although Master Chief kills Var in the finale, it seems like Halo was setting up the inner-Covenant friction that defines later Halo games.

3 Makee's Plan Will Never Be Fully Realized

The Covenant's "Blessed One" Wanted To Use The Halo

After Master Chief slays Var 'Gatanai with an energy sword, Makee reveals her big plan: She wants to bring peace to the galaxy by activating the Halo. Designed by the Forerunners, the Halo array is a galaxy-sterilizing superweapon that's meant to combat The Flood. The parasitic being would consume all sentient life in the galaxy without end, so the Forerunners felt starving The Flood was their only option. It's unclear if Makee knows about the history of The Flood, but she does understand the array's power. In season 3, Master Chief would have had to stop Makee for good.

2 Halo: Combat Evolved's Flood Storyline Was Just Starting

The All-Consuming Parasitic Foe Was Meant To Be Halo Season 3's Core Story

From the very beginning, Kwan Ha's visions in Halo season 2 teased the looming threat of The Flood. Although the Human-Covenant War is a key part of Halo's lore, The Flood serve as an enemy to all life forms. The introduction of this seemingly unstoppable enemy would have seen the formation of new alliances, marking a great change of pace in the series' third season. In the finale, Halo definitely favors style over substance as The Flood wreak zombie-movie-like havoc on Onyx. Yet again, viewers won't see the show's vision of The Flood fully realized.

1 Kwan Ha's Role Is Never Fully Explained

Prophetic Dreams Of The Flood & A Link To The Mother Suggested Kwan Had Geas

In the finale, the mysterious figure known as The Mother (Olwen Fouéré) reveals The Flood's intentions to Kwan, who has long been positioned to inherit a meaningful destiny. The finale does provide a little insight into that grand purpose when The Mother dubs Kwan a "Protector," suggesting she and her ancestors are meant to stand against The Flood. "We knew you would deliver us," The Mother says. Given the cryptic nature of the message, one brilliant Halo theory suggests The Mother is a manifestation of the Flood Gravemind. Yet again, Halo viewers will never know the truth.

All 2 seasons of Halo are streaming on Paramount+.

Halo

3.0

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Action

A live-action adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name, Halo follows Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 (Pablo Schrieber) as he fights his part in a war between humanity's United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and the Covenant, an alliance of multiple hostile races of aliens intent on destroying the human race. The Master Chief is supported by Cortana (Jen Taylor) - an AI construct based on the personality of Dr. Catherine Halsey, who created the Spartan supersoldier program - implanted in his brain.

Cast

Jen Taylor , Bokeem Woodbine , Charlie Murphy , Shabana Azmi , Kate Kennedy , Natascha McElhone , Yerin Ha , Bentley Kalu , Pablo Schreiber , Danny Sapani , Olive Gray , Natasha Culzac

Release Date

March 24, 2022

Seasons

2

Franchise(s)

Halo

Writers

Kyle Killen , Silka Luisa , Richard Robbins , Steven Kane , Justine Juel Gillmer

Directors

Otto Bathurst , Jonathan Liebesman , Roel Reiné , Dennie Gordon , Debs Paterson , Craig Zisk , Jessica Lowrey

Showrunner

Kyle Killen

Creator(s)

Kyle Killen , Steven Kane

Where To Watch

Paramount+