This picture, yanked from the BTS at Valve special, “Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar,” is the supposedly the earliest character model for protagonist Gordon Freeman.
They seemed to be REALLY into the beard idea, first opting for a “Gimli” look before toning it down to the goatee we see today. They also apparently wanted him to be a bit paramilitary as well, which is why he has the world’s flatest flat-top, which is so flat, it actually spread to his head making it square.
I wonder what the final catalyst was for giving him those iconic glasses?
They probably gave him glasses because, after the final review of the model and realizing a blockhead Zangief in a space suit probably doesn’t make the most relatable and realistic physicist, they needed something. And what do ALL brilliant scientists have? That’s right: myopia. Thus, the glasses.
Seriously, look how much smarter Mediterranean Dr. Ivan Drago looks now:
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7240/freemanv.jpg
Looks like either a futuristic berserker or a crazed lumberjack turned deep sea diver.