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* [[Authority Equals Asskicking]]: {{spoiler|Being a Reaper and all}}.
** He's also apparently {{spoiler|the oldest and most powerful Reaper.}}.
* [[Badass Boast]]: '''"I WILL SHOW YOU TRUE POWER."''' '''"THIS IS WHAT YOU FACE."''' and many, many more
** You can listen to it [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re9C1-CdKUE here], at the 58 second mark.
{{quote|'''Harbinger:''' Human, you've changed nothing. Your species has the attention of those infinitely your greater. That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction.
'''Harbinger:''' [[You Have Failed Me...]]... we will find another way! Releasing control. }}
* [[Big Bad]]: Prime antagonist for the main storyline of the second game, controlling the actions of his surrogates in much the same way as Sovereign did. In ''Mass Effect 3'', it is revealed that he leads the Reapers, being the most powerful and oldest of them all.
** [[Big Bad Ensemble]]: While he's the top dog, the [[Arc Villain|Shadow Broker]] (in ''Mass Effect 2'') and the [[The Heavy|Illusive Man]] (in ''Mass Effect 3'') are still separate threats in their own right.
* [[Boss in Mook Clothing]]: Taken very literally. He doesn't appear in person, but [[Demonic Possession|takes over]] regular [[Mooks]], turning that particular [[Mook]] into a hyper-powered biotic killing machine. What's more, it doesn't take a lot out of him, so even if you beat his host, he just possesses one of it'sits buddies.
* [[Catch Phrase]]: "'''ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL'''" and all variations thereupon.
* [[People Puppets|Collector Puppets]]
* [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]]: Think you're safely in cover? Think again. He can knock you out of it at will.
* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: {{spoiler|Towards the end of ''Mass Effect 3'', Harbinger comes down to Earth to annihilate the Alliance ground forces. The battle is over in a minute, with most of Hammer Company dead and Shepard left severely injured.}}.
* [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]]: Nearly won several times both in and before the game. Shepard and Coco. only survive one particularly devastating assault through sheer luck.
** To be clear on how [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]] Harbinger is, he [[Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him|attacked and destroyed the Normandy with as much overwhelming force as he could muster, short of showing up personally, at the first opportunity]]. He was perfectly content to let his minions do his work for him while not risking himself at all. And he wanted [[Never Found the Body|undeniable proof]] that Shepard was dead, and would have gotten the body had the Illusive Man not intervened. Throughout ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'', he lays several traps for Shepard, first deliberately attacking Horizon, then using a 'disabled' Collector ship as bait, and finally {{spoiler|with the Reaper IFF virus}} (and that last one got ''damn'' close). He refuses to even ''enter'' the same galaxy as Shepard until the Collectors are dead, and even then he had one last ace up his sleeve in the form of the Alpha Relay.
** He keeps it up in ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'';: the first move the Reapers make is to steam straight towards Earth in the hopes of killing Shepard. {{spoiler|And then he slips up at the very end, when he forgets to check if Shepard is dead after [[Beam Spam|BeamSpamming]] Hammer Company to death}}.
* [[Demonic Possession]]: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
* [[Demoted to Extra]]: He's still the apparent leader of the Reapers and thus the [[Big Bad]] of the game, but his only appearance in ''Mass Effect 3'' is {{spoiler|showing up at the very end to attempt to stop Alliance soldiers from beaming up to the Citadel.}}.
** To further emphasize this, remember how much he loved to speak and just wouldn't shut up in the second game? {{spoiler|He gets nary a peep in ''Mass Effect 3''. Odd, considering you will hear Keith Szarabajka's voice in other parts of the game}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Dragon-in-Chief]]: Since it's revealed that the Citadel is home to the AI that controls all of the Reapers, that would imply that Harbinger is its second-in-command. However, the Catalyst itself doesn't seem to do much, while Harbinger is the driving force of much of the invasion. It isn't even clear if he knows about the Catalyst at all.}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Eldritch Abomination]]}}: {{spoiler|He's a Reaper, and, like Sovereign, just loves reminding you of how far beyond your comprehension he is.}}.
* [[Evil Gloating]]: Less so than Sovereign, but still.
* [[Evil Sounds Deep]]: Almost on par with {{spoiler|Sovereign.}}.
* [[Fantastic Racism]]: Sort of. He's very interested in humanity in general and Shepard in particular, but makes dismissive comments about any non-human party members and their species.
** [[It Gets Worse|It's a lot worse]] when you find out the reasons {{spoiler|why their species weren't picked to be made into reaper babies.}}. The drell and krogan were dismissed out of hand due to lack of numbers, while the quarians were actually considered due to their aptitude for cybernetics.
* [[Fighting a Shadow]]: His favorite tactic.
** '''"YOU ONLY DAMAGE THE VESSEL, YOU CANNOT HURT ME."'''
* [[Fireballs]]: He's capable of shooting them. They're kind of like the Warp power that Shepard and co. can use, except it's colored differently and also lights things on fire.
* [[Glowing Eyes of Doom]]
* [[Hero-Killer]]: After humanity proved itself a threat, he sent the Collectors to target them specifically. First on the list: that upstart who got Sovereign blown up...
** In actual gameplay, whenever he gets on the screen, and you're on a higher difficulty, wave goodbye to your squadmates. Their AI tend to make them hide behind cover while periodically popping out and shooting, which doesn't work so well when Harbinger has the ability to knock them out at will while at the same time setting them on fire. Also, half the squad powers don't even hurt him because he has armor instead of health.
** At the climax of ''[[Mass Effect 3]]'', Harbinger ''personally'' comes down and {{spoiler|blasts Shepard, who is ''on foot''.}}. Amazingly enough, {{spoiler|''Shepard lives and keeps on going''.}}. However, if your military score is too low, {{spoiler|both of the squadmates with you are killed.}}.
** Also, in the [[Suicide Mission]], if you pick the wrong tech expert, squad leader, or both, then Harbinger kills your tech expert with a fireball.
* [[Hopeless Boss Fight]]: {{spoiler|When he appears in London, all you can do is dodge his attacks. There is no way to defeat him, and he'll get you eventually.}}.
* [[I Am Legion]]: Alternates between using "I" and "we"; not only does he have an entire species worth of potential vessels, but {{spoiler|Harbinger himself is an entire organic species uploaded into a Reaper shell.}}.
* [[Implacable Man]]: '''"I WILL FIND YOU AGAIN."'''
* [[Incoming Ham]]: '''"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."'''
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* [[Large and In Charge]]: The largest and oldest of the Reapers, and unquestionably their leader.
* [[Large Ham]]: Harbinger doesn't emote that much, but his ''lines'' on the other hand...
* [[Man Behind the Man]]: The first time you fight the Collectors, you'll be shown the Collector General possessing lower ranking minions. {{spoiler|At the end of the game, when the Collector General dies, you see the actual Reaper, Harbinger.}}.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: {{spoiler|It's the spokes-monster of the Reaper fleet, and claims that the ''real'' war is coming all too soon.}}.
* [[Mind Over Matter]]: Possessed Collectors gain advanced biotic abilities.
* [[Non-Standard Character Design]]: {{spoiler|He's the oldest of the Reapers, and his design reflects this: the "tentacles" are shorter and fewer, his "eyes" glow yellow and his "tail" section is doubled by a crest.}}.
* [[Powers Via Possession]]: He can apparently force this upon those he controls. Includes heavy shield/armor upgrades and biotic-singularity-throwing as a package deal.
* [[Reality Ensues]]: {{spoiler|Hammer Company attempts an all-or-nothing dash towards the Conduit as he's blasting them to pieces; not surprisingly, [[Curb Stomp Battle|they're all but completely annihilated.]]}}.
* [[Recurring Boss]]: Every time a Collector level rolls around, you'll encounter him again. And again. And again. [[Demonic Spider|And again...]]
* [[Resistance Is Futile]]: '''"YOU CANNOT RESIST."''' '''"WHY DO YOU RESIST US, SHEPARD?"''' '''"EVOLUTION CANNOT BE STOPPED."''' And so on.
* [[The Reveal]]: {{spoiler|He's a Reaper and the [[Man Behind the Man]]}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Sapient Ship]]: Like all Reapers}}.
* [[Scripted Battle]]: {{spoiler|His single appearance in ''Mass Effect 3'' is less of a battle and more you frantically trying to dodge his lasers while you run to the Conduit. No matter what happens, [[Failure Is the Only Option|he ends up hitting you]]}}.
* [[Spell My Name with an "S"]]: It's Har'''binger'''. Not Har'''bringer'''. There is no R in the middle.
* [[Transformation Is a Free Action]]: Averted. His [[Transformation Sequence]] is several seconds long, and he doesn't do anything else in the meantime. Since the sequence causes him to briefly rise into the air and out of cover, this is always the best time to attack him.
* [[Transformation Sequence]]
* [[The Unfought]]: Not counting the innumerable fights with possessed Collectors, you never directly confront Harbinger. {{spoiler|Subverted in ''Mass Effect 3''. [[Curb Stomp Battle|Harbinger confronts the alliance ground team directly and destroys them in less than a minute.]]}}.
* [[Villain Override]]: '''I WILL DIRECT THIS PERSONALLY.'''
* [[We Have Reserves]]: '''"KILL ONE AND ONE HUNDRED WILL REPLACE IT."'''
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** (after having its current vessel destroyed) '''"THIS FORM IS IRRELEVANT."'''
* [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?]]: Has his Collector goons simply destroy the ''Normandy'' and kill Shepard in the first ten minutes of the game. [[Dangerously Genre Savvy|No drama, no gloating, just surprise and overwhelming firepower]]. [[Batman Gambit|Of course, there's not really much of a way that Harbinger could have seen his/her resurrection by Cerberus coming...]]
** To be completely fair, [[Dangerously Genre Savvy|Harbinger has clearly read]] the [[Evil Overlord List]] as he attempted to verify Shepard's demise when he attempted to buy Shepard's body from the Shadow Broker. It didn't pan out, but he wanted proof and [[Never Found the Body|didn't just assume Shepard was dead]].
* [[Worthy Opponent]]: Gives a backhanded compliment that he considers Shepard to be one in ''Arrival''.
{{quote|'''Harbinger''': Shepard. You have become an ''annoyance''.}}
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In addition, the General appears interested in human biotics, as well as Shepard in particular and the human race in general. Just as Saren used Husks to support his army of geth, the General also uses Husks to support his Collectors in a battle, but with three new types: Abominations (suicide runners), Scions (long-range bazooka men) and Praetorians (crab-like bosses).
 
The General appears to be the leader of the Collectors, using his drones as intermediaries to make contacts in the seedy criminal underbelly of the Terminus system. His most notable accomplishments include sending Golo to capture Paul and Gillian Grayson in ''Ascension'', ordering the Collector Cruiser to destroy the ''Normandy'' and murder Commander Shepard in the prologue of ''Mass Effect 2'', consorting with the Shadow Broker to acquire Shepard's body in ''Redemption'', and ordering his drones to personally kidnap entire colonies of humans throughout the rest of the second game.
 
Apart from a brief holographic image appearing in Joker's cockpit and a possible encounter with him on ''Arrival'', you never confront the General face-to-face, but you hear his taunts ''constantly'', and he possesses various Collectors to fight you off. {{spoiler|Turns out to be just another puppet and [[The Dragon]] of Harbinger}}.
 
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** This also happens to be {{spoiler|the very reason why he even exists}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Bait and Switch Boss]]: Played up as the [[Big Bad]] behind the collectors, but is really just a puppet to Harbinger}}.
* [[Big Bad]]: {{spoiler|Seems to be this at first, but he turns out to be [[The Dragon]].}}.
* {{spoiler|[[The Dragon]]: To Harbinger, being used as a mouthpiece.}}.
* [[Eye Lights Out]]: Just before he dies {{spoiler|because Harbinger has abandoned him}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Mouth of Sauron]]: An unusual case, in that we never meet the mouth in person either.}}.
* [[Nightmare Face]]: There's something unsettling about its face.
* [[Red Herring]]: {{spoiler|He's not the real villain, just a vessel Harbinger uses, and he was under Harbinger's control for 99% of his life.}}.
* [[The Reveal]]: {{spoiler|He's [[The Dragon]]}}.
* [[Shout-Out]]: He looks an awful lot like [[Babylon 5|a member of another race of]] [[Abusive Precursors]].
* [[Tragic Villain]]: {{spoiler|Since he was just being controlled by Harbinger the entire time.}}.
* {{spoiler|[[The Unfought]]: Shepard never even sees him directly, and possibly never sees him at all}}.
 
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[[File:human-reaper 3122.jpg|frame]]
 
{{spoiler|A new Reaper that was being constructed by the Collectors. It was the reason for the Collectors abducting human colonies in the Terminus systems and taking the colonists to the Collector base. The colonists were broken down into genetic material and pumped through tubes that lead to the Reaper itself. The Reaper was destroyed by Commander Shepard while it was largely incomplete.}}.
 
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* {{spoiler|[[Background Boss]]: Pops in and out of the background to make his attacks}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Breath Weapon]]: Has a cannon in his mouth}}.
* {{spoiler|[[The Cameo]]}}: {{spoiler|Appears towards the end of the Cerberus Base in ''Mass Effect 3'', though it's inactive and heavily damaged. Depending on whether you left the Collector Base intact or not, you'll salvage either its heart or its brain as a War Asset.}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Eldritch Abomination]]}}: {{spoiler|Being a Reaper.}}.
** {{spoiler|[[Humanoid Abomination]]}}: {{spoiler|Though it is actually part human genetically. It is enormous, but is also the same shape as a human.}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Fetus Terrible]]}}: {{spoiler|In Reaper terms, it hasn't even come close to being born yet.}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Final Boss]]}}: {{spoiler|Of the second game.}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Go for the Eye]]: Its eyes are two of its weak points. The other points are in its mouth and on its stomach}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Humongous Mecha]]: And it's still mostly incomplete}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Load-Bearing Boss]]: The area it resides in starts falling apart after you defeat the Reaper}}.
* [[Nightmare Face]]: Take the infamous Terminator skull coming through the flames, add a few extra bits and pieces, and bump up the size to a ten story skyscraper. That's this thing.
* {{spoiler|[[Powered by a Forsaken Child]]}}: {{spoiler|Millions of them, actually.}}.
* {{spoiler|[[The Reveal]]: The very existence of this thing is a reveal in itself, but specifically, it reveals the reason why the Collectors do what they do.}}.
* {{spoiler|[[Skele-Bot 9000]]: Even looks a lot like the Terminator}}.
* [[Walking Spoiler]]: {{spoiler|Although "walking" may not be the best term, considering that it's only a torso.}}.
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