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“What the heck is that thing?”

-Amy to Alex in Entry 26

The Operator

This faceless figure, called The Operator in the Entry’s, is what is presumed to be the main antagonist of Marble Hornets, although there is evidence supporting that he may not be what he initially seemed.

Of tall stature and dressed in a business suit, The Operator is nevertheless a very inhuman being; his face is a complete, featureless blank, and his arms have an almost tentacle-like quality to them. He also may have supernatural powers.

The Operator first appeared in Entry #1. He is acted by Joseph DeLage. Joseph stated that in the first entry, he is wearing “platforms,” made up of 5 pairs of flip-flops glued together.

The Operator seems to be a malicious being, appearing at seemingly random to scare or attack Alex and later Jay. Chronologically, his first physical appearance thus far was in Entry #12, although Entry #37 shows that he has been active in the characters' lives since at least 1991.

Events occurring near the end of Season 2 show him possibly allying with Alex, although the circumstances remain unknown.

Background[]

We do not have much information on The Operator’s background, but we do know he has been around much longer than the filming of Marble Hornets.

Alex blames Tim for the encounters that took place during the filming, and Tim even worries he’s the cause in Entry #66. Tim has experienced hallucinations since early childhood and considers The Operator may have been one of these “hallucinations.”

The Operator has appeared in Alex’s life long before the filming of Marble Hornets. It is revealed in Enttry #37 that Alex had encountered The Operator during his birthday party on April 4th, 1991. This information could mean Tim is not the cause, because Alex hadn’t met him at this time.

Appearances[]

Season 1[]

  • Entry #1 has The Operator standing around outside Alex's House.
  • The Operator runs past Alex's camera in Entry #4.
    Entry 1

    The Operator as seen in Entry #1

  • The Operator looks through Alex's windows in Entry #1
  • When Brian moves his head in Entry #7, Alex (and the viewer) can see The Operator standing in the distance, where he wasn't prior.
  • Alex shines his flashlight on The Operator twice in Entry #10.
  • The Operator is seen in the right-hand corner of the screen as Alex approaches a set of blinds in Entry #11, then after he returns to bed, his shadow is seen passing over Alex.
  • Alex mistakes The Operator for Tim in Entry #12 when he sees him in the background of a filming of Marble Hornets.
  • In Entry #13, The Operator can be seen standing behind a fence, and then he appears next to a building Alex is outside of.
  • The Operator opens the door to Alex's room with one of his tentacles in Entry #14 and walks off-camera.
  • Throughout most of Entry #17, The Operator can be seen standing outside of the window behind Tim.
  • The Operator walks through a hall, past a huddled Jay, and toward the camera, in Return.
  • What seems to be The Operator walks past the open door in Admission.
  • Jay encounters The Operator at the very end of Entry #23.
  • After Amy turns on Alex's camera in Entry #26, The Operator appears in their house.

Season 2[]

  • The Operator stands at the exit of a tunnel in Entry #29.
    Screen Shot 2013-04-28 at 6.01

    The Operator as seen in Entry #43

  • When Alex blows out the candles on his birthday cake in Entry #37, The Operator can be seen in the distortion on the camera.
  • In Entry #39, The Operator is seen walking past Jay's car, peering through the window to the trunk where Jay is presumably sleeping.
  • The Operator suddenly appears before Jay in Rosswood Park in Entry #40.
  • In Entry #43, Alex walks back into Rosswood Park and encounters The Operator, seemingly contracting The Sickness, before standing up and marching towards him.
  • The Operator approaches Alex in his room in Entry #44, seemingly whisking him off elsewhere.
  • The Operator appears in the distortion at the end of Entry #45, as Alex yells the word "kill".
  • In Entry #46, Jay sees The Operator outside Alex's window as he leaves his closet. After Alex and Jay argue in the darkness, Jay pans the camera upward and The Operator can be seen approaching behind Alex.
  • After Alex kills the Bearded Man in Entry #49, The Operator appears and whisks away his body.
  • In Entry #51, Alex and Brian go to the abandoned hospital, Brian leans his head against the wall and The Operator is seen at the end of the corridor and after this The Operator appears in the doorway with Tim and Brian.
  • The Operator appears in Jay's hotel room in Entry #52.

Season 3[]

  • Set back when Alex was shooting marble hornets, The Operator is in Brian's house standing by the door in Entry #54  and then later The Operator's arm appears next to Alex in the doorway.
  • In Entry #56, at the abandoned hospital Alex attacks Tim and the camera falls down showing The Operator standing there.
  • Jay sees The Operator in a small tunnel which then is seen again in front of the camera in Entry #60.
  • The Operator appears at the end of the tunnel and Tim collapses, every time Jay points the camera at it it is closer, that is in Entry #64.
  •  In Entry #67, Hoodie is about to shoot Alex but sees The Operator in the doorway of the abandoned hospital.
  • On a burnt tape, in Entry #70 Alex is at the park and sees The Operator to then yell at it and run towards it but it teleports closer and then just when Alex runs into it, The Operator teleports away.
  • In Entry #72, Jay and Tim search Alex's house and Tim asks Jay to help open a door so Jay puts the camera on the window ledge showing The Operator standing in the field, later The Operator appears in the basement trying to attack Jay and Tim and then finally outside Alex's house The Operator is standing there while Jay lies on the floor coughing and while Tim stands up to The Operator trying to attack it but failing.

Origins[]

In 2009, Something Awful forum user, Eric "Victor Surge" Knudsen, created the character known as “Slenderman.” This character inspired many others to create various forms of fanmade artwork and stories of the creature.

Marble Hornets was created as the first attempt of an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) surrounding “Slenderman,” but The Operator has become his own character with many differences.

Abilities[]

The Operator is suspected to have many abilities, including teleportation and electronic interference. These two have the largest amount of evidence. Other presumed abilities include mind control and The Sickness.

After encounters with The Operator, people usually have little to no memory of the encounter.

He also can bring back the dead as seen in the comics, in which he brings back the Hooded Man a.k.a Brian. - Reflection

Nomenclature[]

The name "Slenderman " has this far never been used in the series; the name was ascribed to the character in interviews by Troy and Joseph. Other than the name of the character The Operator was based on (The OG Slendy Boi), the character has been referred to by fans as all sorts of permutations of the names, including Slendy, TO, and El Hombre Alto (Spanish for "The Tall Man").

The Operator is commonly mistaken as Slenderman, due to their similar appearances. While The Operator was based on Slenderman, creators of the series have stated that The Operator and Slenderman are different beings.

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