10 Hidden Video Game Characters You Weren’t Supposed To See
6. Mel - Portal 2
The original Portal was a brilliant blend of innovative puzzle-solving with great writing and voice performance. A sequel seemed like a sure fire thing, but how could you possibly continue a story that ended so perfectly?
Originally, Portal 2 was going to let Chell live a presumably peaceful life after the events of the first game and instead was going to pick things up with a new protagonist. Through concept art we are introduced to Mel. Likely to have just as much dialogue as her predecessor (that is, zero), she would’ve just been another player avatar.
However, Portal 2 needed more than just any old player avatar. It needed Chell specifically. The writers for the game found that without her usual foil, GLaDOS just wasn’t as fun. The dynamic that she and the player had formed in the original Portal was via Chell and there was to be no “oh, it’s you” moment without her.
Mel was then relegated to being the player two character for the game’s co-op mode but then hit the cutting room floor completely when Peabody and Atlas were designed. Essentially, it made more sense to use robots for these tests who could die over and over and respawn, without needing to justify how Chell and Mel were apparently suddenly invincible.