The Illusive Man is the leader of Cerberus in the Mass Effect series, and is largely responsible for Commander Shepard's resurrection in the second game. Shepard works with him when the threat of the Collectors looms, and depending on the choices the player makes throughout the game, they will either have an extremely uneasy partnership with the Illusive Man, or come to agree on his notion of human supremacy, taking the Collector technology for all it is worth. In Mass Effect 3, the Illusive Man turns his focus towards the Reapers, while his general behaviour becomes more erratic and risky, eventually appearing to have become indoctrinated by the Reapers through nanotechnology upgrades. Shepard pleads with him to allow them to stop the Reapers, but the Illusive Man remains resolute that they can be controlled by him. The Illusive Man's death either comes at his own hand after Shepard talks him down, or when Shepard shoots him in self-defense. An iconic and ambiguous icon of the franchise, the Illusive Man's demise was a hugely important milestone, and with a velvety voice performance from Martin Sheen, who couldn't love to hate him?
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