Michael Altman
Martyr of Unitology
Michael Altman was the geophysicist who in 2214 revealed the Black Marker to humanity as the first proof of alien life, and whose murder was twisted into the founding martyrdom of the Church of Unitology.
Michael Altman was a geophysicist and the central figure of the Church of Unitology, credited as the man who in 2214 first revealed the proof of alien life to humanity: the Black Marker. The Church held that he was assassinated by the government to suppress knowledge of the Marker, while the government maintained that his death was an accident and that he had been no more than a hoaxer. (Dead Space 2; Dead Space 3; Dead Space (2023); Dead Space (comic))
Revealing the Marker#
Altman became a respected geophysicist who came to understand the power of the Black Marker. Believing the government meant to bury all knowledge of it, he escaped from the facility where the artifact was studied and went public, claiming the Marker proved beyond doubt that alien life existed and accusing the government of covering it up. The government dismissed him as a crank. Soon afterwards Altman was apprehended and brought back to the research facility. (Dead Space: Martyr; Dead Space (2023))
Outbreak and capture#
At the facility, Altman bore witness to a Necromorph outbreak that ravaged the compound and killed most of the staff. Though he escaped both the creatures and the sinking facility, he was captured by Markoff and Stevens, a psychologist who had worked alongside him. The two revealed themselves as believers in the Marker's power to grant eternal life and in its supposedly benevolent intention of leading humanity to Convergence. Needing a way to make the rest of the world share that faith, they resolved to use Altman's death and apparent martyrdom to found a new religion that would prepare mankind for the coming Convergence. (Dead Space: Martyr)
Martyrdom and the Church#
Stevens and Markoff ultimately murdered Altman, then began publicly posing as his acolytes, leading the people to found the Church of Unitology in his name despite the government's efforts to cover up the entire disaster. They twisted the truth of his fate, declaring his martyrdom and publishing books in his name. Their work fueled interest, civil unrest, and demands for action against the government. From then on, Unitologists worshipped the geophysicist as a martyr of their faith and revered the Black Marker as a sacred relic. (Dead Space: Martyr; Dead Space 3; Dead Space (2023))
Legacy and remains#
Altman's body came into the possession of the Church. Centuries later it had been placed in one of the many stasis capsules sent into deep space aboard the massive ships of the Church's Mausoleum Fleet, the long voyage that the faithful believed would carry them toward Convergence. In this way the man who had tried to expose the Marker as a danger became, against his own intent, the founding saint of the religion built around it. Nearly three centuries of the Dead Space timeline separate his death from the Ishimura's voyage to Aegis VII. (Dead Space (2023))
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Michael Altman?
- Michael Altman was a geophysicist and the central figure of the Church of Unitology, credited as the man who in 2214 first revealed the Black Marker to humanity as the first proof of alien life. The Church held that he was assassinated by the government to suppress knowledge of the Marker.
- What did Michael Altman reveal about the Black Marker?
- Altman went public with the Marker, claiming it proved that alien life existed and accusing the government of a cover-up. Soon afterward he was apprehended and brought back to the research facility.
- How did Michael Altman die?
- After escaping a Necromorph outbreak that killed most of the staff at the ocean research facility, Altman was captured by Markoff and Stevens, a psychologist who had worked alongside him. The two believers in the Marker's power murdered Altman to use his death and apparent martyrdom to found a new religion.
- How is Michael Altman connected to the Church of Unitology?
- Stevens and Markoff posed as Altman's acolytes and led the people to found the Church of Unitology in his name. They twisted the truth of his fate, declared his martyrdom and published books in his name, so that Unitologists came to worship him as a martyr.
- What happened to Michael Altman's body?
- Altman's body came into the possession of the Church. Centuries later it had been placed in one of the stasis capsules sent into deep space aboard the massive ships of the Church's Mausoleum Fleet.
Gallery
Images via Dead Space Wiki
Sources
- BookDead Space: Martyr, B. K. Evenson, 2010
- GameDead Space 2, Visceral Games, 2011
- GameDead Space 3, Visceral Games, 2013
- GameDead Space (2023), Motive Studio, 2023 (remake)
- ComicDead Space (comic), Antony Johnston and Ben Templesmith, Image Comics, 2008
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Stevens
Stevens was a psychologist on the floating facility that held Michael Altman and the other Black Marker scientists in 2214. After the outbreak there, he and the military officer Craig Markoff murdered Altman and founded the Church of Unitology in his name.
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The Black Marker was the alien artifact discovered in the Chicxulub crater on Earth in 2214, believed to have guided human evolution and to have served as the template for every Red Marker copy that followed. Its public exposure by Michael Altman gave rise to the Church of Unitology.
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The Black Marker was the alien artifact discovered in the Chicxulub crater on Earth in 2214, believed to have guided human evolution and to have served as the template for every Red Marker copy that followed. Its public exposure by Michael Altman gave rise to the Church of Unitology.
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The Church of Unitology was the most influential religion in human space, born from the death of Michael Altman and built on the belief that the Markers promised rebirth and unity in death. Its faith in Convergence ultimately served the very forces that meant to consume humanity.
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Craig Markoff was a Sovereign Colonies military officer who led the extraction of the Black Marker in 2214. After the outbreak that sank the artifact, he and the psychologist Stevens murdered Michael Altman and used his name to found the Church of Unitology.
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