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"Look, we both know how this is going to end. If they found a way to stop the Markers 200 years ago, don't you think we'd all be safe by now? It doesn't add up!"
—Norton tries to convince Isaac Clarke to leave Tau Volantis.

Robert H. Norton was the captain of the USM Eudora and an officer of EarthGov's Earth Defense Force.[1] He helped Ellie Langford during her mission on Uxor and Isaac Clarke in his quest to destroy the Markers on Tau Volantis in 2514.

History[]

DS3 Robert Norton Concept Art

Norton in his EDF flight suit.

Almost nothing was provided on Robert Norton's military career or personal life prior to the events that took place on Uxor, Keyhole Station and Tau Volantis. At some point, he served alongside John Carver on Haven Prime. A brief conversation with Clarke suggested that Norton and Carver stood as the "last battalion" of EarthGov's Defense Force in the wake of the relentless attacks committed by the Unitologist group called the Circle led by Jacob Danik.[1]

Working with Ellie Langford[]

Ellie Langford and Robert Norton met during the time that he and Carver were stationed on Haven Prime. Following her break up with Clarke, the two became romantically involved. When Damara Carver discovered information on Marker research from the Sovereign Colonies, Ellie and Robert chose to help the archaeologist unearth more information. Some time after her discovery, Uxor was attacked by the Circle and Jacob Danik. Norton and Ellie arrived on the planet too late to save Damara or her son, Dylan, but persuaded Carver into getting the doctor's compiled data to safety.

Norton and the USM Eudora descended from high orbit to get Ellie and Carver off Uxor before Danik could apprehend him. When Carver demanded to know what was going on, Norton was quick to tell him that the information was "need-to-know" only. Regardless, Ellie told him what Damara was doing and how she planned on helping them destroy the source of the Markers. Once Carver decided to help them, the Eudora landed at Ptolemy Station where they used the station's triangulation system to locate the source of the "master signal" of the Markers. Realizing that they needed a shock beacon and a station to get there, they headed for Keyhole Station.

In transit, Ellie tried and failed to decode the Marker language found in Damara's research. Ellie suggested that they should contact Clarke as he was the only person that she knew who could decipher the language of the Markers. Norton objected, believing that Clarke's status with the Unitologists and insanity would merely complicate their mission further. Ellie, believing that Norton was merely jealous, stormed off to speak with Carver.

When they arrived at Keyhole Station, Norton decided to take the lead despite his lack of familiarity with the environment. It was not long before the crew was attacked and separated by the combined forces of the Unitologists and the Necromorphs already aboard the station, resulting in the loss of everyone but Norton, Carver and Ellie. Norton led himself and Carver into further danger when he continued to refuse Carver's requests to lead, despite the soldier's firsthand knowledge of the station. When he was saved by Carver, the sergeant told him to take his advice next time. Unable to reach Ellie, Norton grudgingly agreed with her plan to go ahead to Tau Volantis without them. Before she traveled through the ShockRing, the two apologized to each other over the dispute about Isaac.

Norton used the Eudora's armament to destroy the station and the ShockRing, preventing Danik from following her. Without hesitation, he told Carver that their next move would be finding Isaac Clarke.[2]

Working with Isaac Clarke[]

"Clarke hasn't exactly made himself easy to find, and I can't say I blame him. He's been on the run from EarthGov since he escaped Titan Station with those Marker secrets stuck in his head. If it weren't for Ellie's help, we wouldn't have known where to look. We set a course for New Horizons Lunar Colony this morning. Now the trick is to find him before Danik does. He'd better be worth it."
—Norton in his personal log.[3]
201333

Norton convinces Isaac to join him.

Norton, accompanied by Carver, located Clarke at his apartment on the New Horizons Lunar Colony. They infiltrated and subdued the engineer at gunpoint, and Norton demanded Isaac's expertise in a mission involving the Markers. Following Isaac's refusal, Norton persuaded him by telling him that Ellie requested them to find him. When he explained that she was missing, Isaac grudgingly accepted the task and the three set out through the streets of the Lunar Colony.

As the Unitologists overwhelmed them in an attempt to murder Isaac, a suicide bomber destroyed their car, separating Norton and Carver from Isaac, who landed in the sewers below. Norton and Carver fought to regroup with their target. Not long after another Necromorph outbreak was triggered by the Moon's Marker, Norton and the USM Eudora arrived to extract Isaac from the top of a train and shocked out of the system.[1] With the three on board, Norton plotted a course for Tau Volantis.

Arriving in the planet's system, Norton and his crew discovered the remains of the Sovereign Colonies warships with an SOS signal transmitting from the CMS Roanoke. Moving closer, the Eudora strayed into a minefield and sustained heavy damages. Isaac went to acquire an EVA Suit while Norton and Carver sealed off a ruined doorway. The destruction of the Eudora hurled the group into space through the debris field.[4] Norton and Carver guided a boxlike container holding Rosen and Locke through the debris toward the distress signal.

Guiding the box into a cargo bay in the Roanoke, Norton and Carver stayed behind to open the box and release Rosen and Locke while Isaac searched the ship for Ellie. His crew was eventually ambushed by an ancient swarm of Necromorphs that were sealed in the abandoned ship for two centuries.

They narrowly held the monsters off and barricaded the room while Isaac restored the power to the ship. Norton and Carver arrived at the sealed room moments after Isaac, finding Ellie, Jennifer Santos and Austin Buckell.[5] Overjoyed to see her, Norton embraced and kissed Ellie. Assuming that the mission was completed, Norton declared that they were all leaving, but Ellie told him otherwise: she believed that there was something important in the admiral's quarters that needed to be investigated.

Discovering a decommissioned shuttle, the CMS Crozier, Norton once again tried to persuade Ellie into leaving Tau Volantis, but she remained determined to see her mission through. Frustrated, Norton contacted Isaac privately, imploring the engineer to get Ellie to see reason. He exposed his jealousy to Isaac, reaffirming that Isaac and Ellie's relationship was over and she was in love with him.[6] Once the Crozier was repaired, the crew made a break for the planet. The debris field quickly damaged the shuttle, shattering the windows and igniting the shuttle as it plummeted into the atmosphere. The shuttle split apart, separating Isaac from the others.[7]

Norton and the team searched for shelter from the freezing environment of the planet. They managed to find snow suits, but there were only enough for Norton, Ellie and Santos, and they were forced to leave an injured Buckell behind.[8] Norton and the others made their way to a research facility where they were attacked by a swarm of Necromorphs.

After an unspecified time after crashing on Tau Volantis, Norton made a deal with Jacob Danik, handing over Isaac in exchange for the safety of the rest of the crew; Danik would supposedly give him a ship and allow them to leave Tau Volantis unharmed.[9]

Robert Norton contacting Jacob Danik in the warehouse with the Nexus.

Robert is seen contacting Jacob Danik.

When Isaac reunited with the group, Norton openly questioned Ellie's feelings for himself and Isaac, which almost resulted in open conflict between the two men.[10] On the way to the warehouse complex, the group was attacked by Danik's men and separated from Isaac again. Norton remained dubious about the team's efforts to find the Codex and the Alien Machine, citing that their knowledge on the device was not greater than his own.[11] During their examination of the Nexus corpse, Isaac caught Norton contacting someone, but when he was questioned, Norton said that it was nothing important. Norton then begrudgingly aided them in their search for the Marker signal within the Nexus' body. He lowered Isaac down into the opening of the creature's body, and the experiment was a success: Santos managed to locate "a thousand" signals beneath the planet's surface. However, the only way to reach the signals was to climb to the second dig site further up the mountain.[9][12]

Norton waited until Ellie and Santos headed off to set up the climbing gear before he left Isaac trapped in the elevator, determined to take control of the mission and "save" Ellie. However, Norton and Carver were ambushed outside the complex by Danik and his followers moments before Isaac joined them, having escaped Norton's trap. Danik revealed that Norton had allowed them to track the team to the planet through ShockSpace.

Death[]

Norton: "You made us come down here! You encouraged her! Now look where we are! Between Danik shooting at us and... whatever the fuck that was, what chance have we got?"
Isaac: "You betrayed us!"
Norton: "No! I tried to save us! You are the real problem here, Clarke! But not anymore."
—Norton decides to kill Isaac.
YOU ARE DEAD, NO BIG SURPRISE

Norton is shot in the head by Isaac.

When Danik decided to kill them, Norton rebelled, telling Danik that he was going back on his promise to allow him and the others off the planet if Isaac was captured. Isaac then intervened, preventing Danik from executing Norton. The three engaged in combat with the Unitologist soldiers until the Nexus appeared. Carver and Isaac managed to keep Norton out of danger, almost at the expense of Isaac, who was nearly devoured by the creature. Isaac killed the Nexus from within its body, and after he escaped, Norton attacked him in a fit of rage. He blamed Isaac for dragging them to the planet and tried to kill him, finally telling Isaac that Ellie did not love him. Isaac retaliated in self-defense, shooting Norton in the head with a semi-auto SMG.[9]

Despite everything Norton did, Isaac showed genuine remorse for killing him, while Carver deemed it necessary as he had turned into a threat for the whole group. His death briefly shattered the trust of Ellie and Jennifer Santos; Santos even had an emotional breakdown, shocked at an ally dying by infighting rather than by the hands of the enemies. After the initial grief, Ellie recomposed herself and resumed guiding Isaac, stating that she did not want to lose Norton and Isaac in the same day.

Norton was later mentioned once by Isaac when he was pursuing Danik with the Codex; Carver noted that Isaac was chasing after Danik vengefully, with a blind rage, thinking that Ellie was dead. Isaac promptly answered Carver, saying that Norton was right at least in one thing: that going to Tau Volantis was a one way trip, and if he was going to die, he was taking Danik with him.

Hallucination and Necromorph Form[]

"Norton? No... You're dead... Hey... Hey Norton!!!"
—Isaac upon seeing Norton's ghost.
DS3 Awakened Norton Ghost

Isaac sees a hallucination of Norton.

Later, Norton reanimated as a Necromorph and appeared as a hallucination of his former self. When Isaac called out him and approached the hallucination, it turned out to be the real Norton who had reanimated as a Slasher, which promptly attacked Isaac and Carver alongside several Enhanced Pregnants.

DS3 Awakened Norton Slasher

Norton reveals himself as a Slasher.

As a Necromorph, one of the reanimated Norton's bladed appendages had mutated out of his left arm while the other sprouted completely from his right shoulder, dislocating and pushing his right arm to his back. The bullet wound from Norton's final confrontation with Isaac was still visible on his forehead. The reanimated Norton also boasted a ridiculous amount of hitpoints, even higher than that of Enhanced Slashers, easily becoming one of the hardiest non-boss Necromorphs in Dead Space 3.

Death Scenes[]

Robert_Norton_(Killing_Isaac)_Death_Animation_-_Dead_Space_3_(HD,_60_FPS)

Robert Norton (Killing Isaac) Death Animation - Dead Space 3 (HD, 60 FPS)

If the player fails the button sequence, Norton will shoot Isaac in the head with his pistol, killing him instantly. If the sequence is completed, Isaac will place a shot right in the middle of Norton's forehead, killing him instead.

In Dead Space 3: Awakened, Norton appears as a Slasher and attempts to execute the player if they stand too close to the Necromorph. If the player fails the button sequence, the reanimated Norton will use the default Slasher death scene. 

Trivia[]

  • Norton is voiced by and modeled after Robert Gant.[13]
  • Robert Norton shares the same last name as Karrie Norton, the protagonist of Dead Space (mobile). They also share similar physical characteristics (skin color, hair color, eye color). However, it is currently unknown if the two are related.
  • The player can carry Norton's body to where Ellie is using Kinesis, but this does not change the cutscene where Ellie asks where Norton is. Norton's corpse can also be dismembered, but becomes a Slasher anyway.
  • Norton is the first character to be turned into a Necromorph in-game to possess a unique Slasher model that clearly identifies whom he used to be. It uses the animation of the civilian Slashers from Chapter 1. Aiden Chen and Benjamin Mathius would later become the second and third characters in the franchise with a unique Slasher model.

Gallery[]

Sources[]

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