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Cave Johnson is a fictional character from the ''
Portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...
'' franchise first introduced in the 2011 video game ''
Portal 2 ''Portal 2'' is a 2011 puzzle-platform video game developed by Valve for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The digital PC version is distributed online by Valve's Steam service, while all retail editions were distributed b ...
''. He is voiced by American actor
J. K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
and created in part by ''Portal 2''s designer
Erik Wolpaw Erik Wolpaw is an American video game writer. He and Chet Faliszek wrote the pioneering video game website Old Man Murray. He subsequently worked for game developers Double Fine Productions and Valve, and is known for his work on video games incl ...
. He is referenced by a computer username in the first game and appears indirectly in ''Portal 2''. Johnson serves as a guide to the player-character Chell as she explores an abandoned part of the
Aperture Science The ''Half-Life'' video game series features many locations set in a dystopian future stemming from the events of the first game, ''Half-Life''. These locations are used and referred to throughout the series. The locations, for the most part, a ...
facility, though all of his messages are pre-recorded from before the events of the ''Portal'' games.


Concept and creation

Cave Johnson was created by designer
Erik Wolpaw Erik Wolpaw is an American video game writer. He and Chet Faliszek wrote the pioneering video game website Old Man Murray. He subsequently worked for game developers Double Fine Productions and Valve, and is known for his work on video games incl ...
and is voiced by
J. K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
. He is described as an "eccentric dead billionaire" and "extroverted, enthusiastic, and opinionated." He was the founder and CEO of
Aperture Science The ''Half-Life'' video game series features many locations set in a dystopian future stemming from the events of the first game, ''Half-Life''. These locations are used and referred to throughout the series. The locations, for the most part, a ...
. He was also a "
shower curtain A shower is a place in which a person bathes under a spray of typically warm or hot water. Indoors, there is a drain in the floor. Most showers have temperature, spray pressure and adjustable showerhead nozzle. The simplest showers have a ...
visionary." He was initially considered to be the main character of ''Portal 2'', where players were in control of him as he was trapped inside a computer. This idea was scrapped however. They later envisioned Cave Johnson as the primary antagonist, but this was also scrapped. This idea was revealed as a result of leaked quotes from the character. Johnson was envisioned since ''Portal'' as an "industrial, Southern guy" who would contrast with the "anti-septic" and "politically correct" nature of Aperture Science. Though the idea of the character underwent several changes over the development, the selection of J.K. Simmons helped solidify the character. Pictures of Cave Johnson appear throughout ''Portal 2'', and though
Valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...
used a casting call to try to find someone to use as a template, they turned back to their own lead animator, Bill Fletcher, for Cave's face. Though comparisons have been made between Cave and
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, the wealthy industrialist who created the fictional underwater city of Rapture in ''
BioShock ''BioShock'' is a 2007 first-person shooter, first-person shooter game developed by 2K Boston (later Irrational Games) and 2K Australia, and published by 2K Games. The first game in the BioShock (series), ''BioShock'' series, it was released f ...
'', Wolpaw claims they had not considered this character in their creation of Cave.


Appearances

Cave Johnson's only full appearance to date is in the 2011 video game ''
Portal 2 ''Portal 2'' is a 2011 puzzle-platform video game developed by Valve for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The digital PC version is distributed online by Valve's Steam service, while all retail editions were distributed b ...
'', having been referenced by a login username in the first ''
Portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...
'' game in 2007. Johnson's voice actor,
J.K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
, spoke original lines for various trailers for ''Portal 2'', including at the
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exposition in 2011. Cave Johnson does not appear directly in ''Portal 2'', but his image is seen in paintings and heard in pre-recorded messages as Chell traverses abandoned parts of the
Aperture Science The ''Half-Life'' video game series features many locations set in a dystopian future stemming from the events of the first game, ''Half-Life''. These locations are used and referred to throughout the series. The locations, for the most part, a ...
facility. These messages explain the area the player character has entered, as well as some of the backstory of the company. In these pre-recorded messages, he is sometimes accompanied by or makes reference to his personal assistant, a woman named Caroline. As Chell progresses through this area, the messages appear to indicate a decline in the company as well as in Johnson himself. The recordings reveal that Johnson eventually contracted a deadly illness after grinding up moon rocks to turn into Conversion Gel (in keeping with a previous comment that Aperture's research policy is to "throw science at the wall and see what sticks"); he explains that the dust was deadly poisonous, and begins discussing the prospect of putting a person's mind inside of a computer. Johnson indicates that if the process isn't able to be done on him before he dies, Caroline should be put in charge, by force if necessary. This leads the player to find out that Caroline is, in fact, the personality on which the
GLaDOS GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) is a fictional artificially superintelligent computer system from the video game series ''Portal''. GLaDOS later appeared in ''The Lab'' and ''Lego Dimensions''. The character was created by ...
computer system, which controls Aperture Science's testing course, is based. An alternate version of Cave Johnson, known as "Cave Prime of Earth-1" appears in the Perpetual Testing Initiative update. This Cave's assistant is Greg rather than Caroline. Cave Prime sends the player once again to fulfill the role of test subject - this time as silent stick figure Bendy. After proving the multiverse theory, Cave Prime decides to send test subjects to test in other universes so he can avoid the cost of building test rooms in his own universe, while also asking the player to watch out in case he finds "Moneyverse", a universe made entirely of US Dollars, and to avoid a "Pesoverse". After overhearing Caves from other universes, Cave Prime asserts his identity by adding the codeword "chariots chariots" at the end of his sentences. Cave Prime watches as Bendy travels through several universes, like the Cat Universe, where everyone is a cat; the Dancing Universe, where everyone is required by law to never stop dancing, even while testing; the Light Universe, where everyone was transformed into beings of pure light, as part of a failed experiment, as their goal was to turn everyone into pillars of pure salt; and a Universe where the Earth is run entirely by women. Cavina Johnson, this universe's Cave, insists that she and her assistant, Sally-Sue-Greg, are women, being strongly implied that they are actually men. Cave Prime cancels the GLaDOS project after seeing a universe where Cave uploaded his consciousness onto a computer, but gone mad after getting bored of being Pure Intellect. Another universe has Cave buying out Black Mesa and renaming it "Blapature Mesa", and canceling the experiment that would eventually lead to the alien invasion seen in
Half-Life Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable at ...
. Cave Prime comes at odds with his evil self, known as "Dark Cave", who has the codeword "chariots chariots chariots", and comes from a universe where people breathe methane, eat only asparagus, and have a portal gun which can portal in any surface. Dark Cave tries bribing the player into giving him the Moneyverse. When two Moneyverses are discovered, Cave Prime and Dark Cave decide to split the findings, meaning that they're both wealthy enough to no longer need to test in alternate universes. J.K. Simmons returned to the role for '' Lego Dimensions'', and is able to be heard throughout the ''Portal 2'' adventure world and bonus level. In his ''Lego Dimensions'' appearance, Cave Johnson has put his own consciousness in a Personality Core. In 2022, Simmons once again reprised his role as Cave Johnson for the
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tech demo ''
Aperture Desk Job ''Aperture Desk Job'' is an action game developed and published by Valve for Windows and Linux. A spin-off of the ''Portal'' series, it was released concurrently with the Steam Deck as a tech demo showcasing the Steam Deck's controller functions ...
''. The game takes place some years after Cave's body has died, but his personality has been implanted in a giant computer encased in a stone carving of his own head.


Reception

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's Steve Watts compared Cave Johnson to the industrialist
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. A writer for ''
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'' wrote that the "surprise star turn" was J.K. Simmons as Cave Johnson. The editor described him as a "gruff and acid alpha male who set up Aperture, who performs with real brio and bite" and that while it would be hard to quote him, his lines were "perfectly pitched, and funny to the bone". ''PALGN''s Adam Ghiggino wrote that the dialogue of ''Portal 2'' was funny and cited Simmons as an example. GamesRadar's Tyler Wilde called Cave "bombastic" and praised Simmons for "perfectly" portraying him. GameSpy's Will Tuttle wrote that it is "hard not to feel oddly honored to take part in some of the experiments that ranged across his entire career". He also wrote of Simmons that his voice "adeptly blend gravitas and silliness, and I found his segment to be just as great the second time I played through the game". '' GamePro''s Will Herring wrote that Valve should be "commended" for the introduction of the character. '' Official Xbox Magazine''s Jon Hicks described Cave as a "cigar-chewing, damn-the-expense-and-particularly-the-health-restrictions" type. Computer and Video Games' Andy Robinson described Cave's personality as "loud" and that Simmons is "on form here". GameZone's Ben PerLee described Cave as "the typical tycoon mastermind/crazy man, so stubborn in his ways, government and basic human rights be damned" and that "his suggested history with
GLaDOS GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) is a fictional artificially superintelligent computer system from the video game series ''Portal''. GLaDOS later appeared in ''The Lab'' and ''Lego Dimensions''. The character was created by ...
provides an amazing focal point for the second entry". ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
''s Dan Stapleton wrote that Cave's "comically sociopathic approach to science is second only to GLaDOS’". He also praised Simmons for his portrayal of Cave because of his "fittingly cantankerous voice".
Giant Bomb ''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news, and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by '' Time' ...
's Ryan Davis called Simmons' portrayal "terrific" and described Simmons as a "perennial tough-talker and boss-man-type".
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's Larry Frum praised Cave's "sarcastic, shoot-from-the-hip attitude" for its contribution to the game's dialogue.
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' Lou Kesten wrote that Cave was a "memorable" character, and that Simmons helped in portraying what he thought was one of the three "most distinctive characters in video games" along with
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and GLaDOS. ''
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''s Ryan Kuo wrote that Cave's "gruff proclamations are somewhat more grating than his synthetic counterparts" and that "for better or worse, it’s also impossible to un-see J.K. Simmons once you know it’s him speaking". Professor G. Christopher Williams discussed the relationship between Caroline, the form she held before she became GLaDOS, and Cave Johnson. He wrote that the relationship of Caroline and Johnson fulfilled the "adage that 'behind every good man is a good woman,' since he depends on Caroline to fulfill the role of executing his directives as well as providing comfort and support for the man in charge, himself". He added that "while Johnson warns his listeners jokingly that 'pretty as a postcard' Caroline is off limits because 'She’s married. To Science,' he may as well be simply warning off potential suitors for personal reasons" and wrote that "he is the 'science' that she has married herself to."


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Cave Fictional American people in video games Fictional con artists Fictional businesspeople in video games Fictional inventors in video games Male characters in video games Portal characters Video game characters introduced in 2011