So you want to depict a Spartan-II? Check out the Venerance: Sigma Octanus IV's guide to creating Spartan-IIs characters in your media. Written by The Lionheart (https://venerance.net)

1. So you want to depict a
SPARTAN-II?
This content creation guide put together by The Lionheart.v 1.0

2. DISCLAIMER:
This is an internal document that has been adapted for your consumption.
We found nearly all of these images on the internet.
It would take forever to cite and attribute individually, so just be assured
that we are not claiming anything as our own work that isn’t our own.
This is an internal document, but we are sharing it with the Halo fan
community because we realized that many would likely find it very helpful;
therefore there are no citations or attributions to external references, since
internally, we would (typically) just link to that stuff via chat.
Among ourselves, we understand our intentions and trust our integrity;
we hope that you’ll do the same.

4. Those of us working on VENERANCE are endeavoring to visualize
things at a level of detail that can be described as being
“as close to hyperrealism as is beneficial.”
Our intent is to take into account the greatest level of
detail while conceptualizing & visualizing the Halo universe
so that as graphics technologies continually increase in
power and fidelity via games and VR, our articulation of the
details that said technology seeks to depict will not need to
be similarly updated.
In other words, we want the value of our discoveries and our
efforts to continue long past our particular need of them.
So, with that said: when you are attempting to conceive of or
visualize the VENERANCE interpretation of the physique of a
veteran SPARTAN-II male as they appear in July 2552
(what they look like while wearing MJOLNIR comes later),
the following steps should prove handy:

5. …actually, you know what?
Before taking any steps towards visualization,
it is absolutely critical for the average person to
discard all preconceptions that they might have
about the limitations of the human body,
especially in regards to the shapes that it can take
if it’s pushed hard enough --
-- in other words, they need to discard
their understanding of where they think
the absolute boundaries are located.

6. The average person needs to take what are likely extremely outdated,
20th-century, highly media-influenced, and underwhelming notions of
"the uppermost limits of the human body's genetic potential”
and they need to firmly place those notions behind themselves.
Only after this act of humility has been risked is there any real hope for their
minds to be open to the visual that is being worked towards here.
SPARTAN-II Reclaimers are not merely "really fit versions of normal human beings.”
They are essentially an entirely different subspecies of humanity.
They are literally the definition of “genetically superior,” and their appearance
reflects this fact.
Their unique genes cause their uppermost limits to be far higher than ours.
And so, to aid in this pre-visualization process of discarding the familiar, here
are some of the most common arguments brought up in online conversations about the
human body, it's potential, and the appearances that it can take:

8. Yes, if the physique's sole design goal were raw strength,
to the detriment of all other physical characteristics,
then the male body would look something like these
examples culled from "The World's Strongest Man”
competitors:

12. And, if the sole goal of the physique's design
were to be to appear very large and masculine,
as it is with many traditional bodybuilders,
then the following examples show what that can
result in:

16. To contrast, here are some examples of
statistically average bodies
from the early 21st century
(adapted solely to Earth’s gravity):

20. And yes, many people throughout history have
made observations about average human bodies
and the shapes that they tend to typically
take when they develop:
- exclusively under Earth’s gravity
- exclusively in Earth’s atmosphere
- under normal, non-augmented conditions
...etc, etc.

23. That is not what is being imagined here.

24. Now, lastly, here are several different Olympic bodies affected by weight training
next to each other.
From left to right, we have:
a pair of brothers who aimed for what is called Natural Bodybuilding,
we have a powerlifting-oriented body type,
we have a traditional-bodybuilding-oriented body type,
and finally a technique-oriented weightlifting body type.

25. Now, with that out of the way,
and hopefully with the most common objections
and expressions of uncertainty dealt with at the start,
we can move on to the first step of visualizing
the VENERANCE interpretation of
the physique of a veteran SPARTAN-II male
as they appear in July, 2552.

26. 1.) To start with, visualize
someone from the here and now
that has the outward appearance
of meeting the criteria of being
genetically ideal (as in,
*THE* most ideal genes possible);
this person that you start off
with should look like they are
literally one of the best 75 sets
of human genes out of a
population of 39,000,000,000
(that's 39 billion) in 2511.
These are the people already
given an extreme advantage in
every physical & cognitive
endeavor. Our genes directly
affect countless aspects of our
physical lives, including things
like how well and how much the
body responds to physical
training/conditioning/building.
No photographs of such a
genetically ideal person are
known to exist today, but we can
still seek out the best examples
of what exists today, combine
their upsides together, and then
build upon and develop the ideas
about the appearance of actual
genetic ideality from there.

29. 2.) Next, remember while visualizing what this
genetically ideal being looks like that there is
something unprecedentedly special about these genes;
that they are far more than just "great genes.“
...That they seem to point towards some unknown
...benevolent agenda...
which grants priceless gifts to humanity.

30. These genes have the goal of
The Reclamation of The Mantle
built into them.
These genes have a central role to play in
the universe - a high and noble calling to
protect, nurture, and guide all life;
to uplift it, teach it, guard it. This
merits the need for humanity to eventually
become the smartest, strongest, fastest,
etc.
Given that this is the highest calling on
any species, to say that the bodies and
brains built by these genes would exude
majesty would be a criminal understatement:
These bodies are corporeal glory.

31. To view the body of a SPARTAN-II
is to view a very strong resemblance to
humanity's former and future glory as
the appointed stewards of all life.
However, at the same time,
it is visibly evident that:
1.) This strong resemblance is only
able to be what it is because of
“shortcuts” or “cheats” that were
implemented,
and
2.)...that these shortcuts were costly.
Even though the physiologies of
SPARTAN-IIs are only possible because
of the supernatural genetics within
their bodies, this does not change the
fact that their bodies are heavily
modified, altered, enhanced, augmented,
and pushed to a state of
“absolute maximum overclock.”

32. Now, it is helpful at the onset of
conceptualizing/visualizing a male
SPARTAN-II’s physique to realize that
you should probably start with how
their genes affect the phenotypes of
their SKELETAL STRUCTURE or “frame.”
For example, in the male skeleton, the
contrast between the broadness of
their rib cage and of the upper areas
of their torso, to their lower torso
(ignoring everything else attached to
said skeleton, and just focusing on
the skeletal frame).
While their hips and waist would
appear to be less wide than normal
human waists and hips, they are
actually wider than a normal human
being’s waist and hips.
The reason that they appear less wide
is because of the way that our brains
are used to viewing the human body.
Our brains often use proportional
relationships to determine scale, and
when something outside of the brain’s
range of past experiences occurs, it
gives a false impression.

38. Now, those familiar with somatotypes/bodytypes
will recognize SPARTAN-IIs as intensely mesomorphic
(more so than normal human beings) but with what
appears to be a step towards ectomorphism.
(Notice the shapes behind the men in the
top graphic – for those who don’t realize, those shapes
are specifically referring to the torsos & hips.)
This apparent step towards ectomorphism is due to the
height of a SPARTAN-II, and the explanation for this
lies in how the human body scales differently at
different heights. Proportions tend to not stay the
same when going from 3 feet tall, to 6 feet, to 8 feet.

39. 3.) Now take the image in your mind that you’ve been developing so far during this presentation, and update it to reflect
that this (supernaturally) genetically ideal person is pushed to their absolute maximum physical potential from ages 6-14
by a highly motivated genius that allowed herself very little distractions (a.k.a.: "life”) outside of her work
(Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey), and a 26th-century master of military science (CPO Franklin Mendez) that had access to
both the entirety of mankind's military history and a way of presenting that information in a supremely educational format
(the AI known as "Déjà"). These two highly focused individuals fully utilized the best nutrition, chemicals, equipment,
training, and data that 26th-century science could provide as they attempted to max out these "freaks" of nature. Halsey
knew that the value of the knowledge being revealed by the SPARTAN-II program transcended the immediate needs of getting
the human race through yet another civil war. These bodies & brains were assets, and were thus monitored closely.

40. 4a.) Visualize present-day Olympic sprinters, martial
artists, and gymnasts:
4.) So now, in order to best move forward, move your mental image
backwards along the timeline of this SPARTAN’s life to the point
immediately prior to the time when they underwent some outrageously
dangerous surgeries: in the novels, at a mere 14 years of age, they
are subjectively described in appearance as having a body like that
of an 18-year-old 26th-century Olympian, while still actually only
being 14 years old.
Now, mind you, that's not a 21st-century Olympian... that's a 26th.
In order to visualize that aspect of their appearance:

57. 4b.) And then, while still visualizing them at 14 years old, try to imagine how such an
Olympian might look after about 511 fictional years of progress in science and
sports medicine as we more increasingly fathom the complexity of the human body.
Update your mental image to reflect such progress.
(Keep in mind that the Halo universe was not created with the requirement that it be a
scientifically accurate projection of what the 26th century will ACTUALLY be like – it
has always been a projection of our present-day conceptualizations upon a fictional
canvas. It’s no coincidence that the 26th-century UNSC Marines are so thematically
similar to existing depictions of the late-20th-century United States Marine Corps.)
As such, the following images are meant to both kickstart your mental imaging of
various aspects of the human body AND guide your mind’s focus regarding how what each
image draws attention to could be improved by science and medicine in the future.
You will likely find it helpful to imagine them as being in motion, perhaps in a way
similar to an “idle” animation from a video game.
You will also likely find it helpful to focus on viewing it in your mind as a 3D
object, rather than as a 2D image.
Rotate it around in your mind -- visualize the various aspects of the body and how they
are relevant to the topic at hand: absolute maximization of the human body’s physical
potential, within the context of creating “supersoldier” stealth operatives.
In other words: the uppermost limits of bodily speed, bodily power, and bodily control.

62. (Also keep in mind that any
interplanetary military force would be
absolutely required to institute
substantial full-body weight training
as part of its physical training, in
order to aid its servicemen/women in
serving on planets with a gravity
higher than the gravity of the planets
that their bodies were acclimated to;
this would need to be true even with
the aid of micro-exoskeletons and
other load-bearing equipment.)

64. 5.) Now update your mental image to reflect that:
While still only 14 years old, (though they certainly don't look like they're only 14),
this person underwent surgeries meant to augment their *already incredible* physical existence in every way;
surgeries that utilized bleeding-edge 26th century science from all relevant fields (chemical, physical,
cybernetic, etc.).
These surgeries are so intense and extreme that they result in the deaths of the majority of the 75 strongest,
healthiest human beings in recorded history.

68. The surgical risks were extreme, but so were the
potential payoffs:
The primary purpose of the surgeries was to
augment the patients so that they could experience
reality in both a persistent super-slow-motion
state and in an augmented sensory state, so that
they would be able to (…successfully) operate
humanity's other great technological achievement:
M J O L N I R M a r k 4 c y b e r n e t i c
p o w e r e d a s s a u l t a r m o r
This cybernetic exoskeleton would become a core
part of their physical existence in the field.
At which point, their journey into trans-humanism
will have reached its plateau:
They will have become true cyborgs.

70. Of particular note to visualizing what it would be like
to look at them after their surgeries:
6A.) Carbide ceramic ossification:
Bones become virtually unbreakable, and also
likely somewhat more dense.

72. 6B.) Muscular Enhancement Injections:
Muscle tissue density is increased to unprecedented levels.

75. 6C.) Catalytic Thyroid Implant:
The growth of skeletal and muscle tissues is boosted by a human growth hormone catalyst,
implanted in the thyroid via a platinum pellet.

77. 6.) Now: move your mental image forward along the timeline of this SPARTAN’s
life to the point at which they have fully recovered from their surgeries.
Update your mental image to reflect that this ultra-athletic cyborg’s body
is now about seven feet tall, give or take a few inches.

80. Dwight Howard: 6’ 11”

84. 7.) Now update your mental image so that it reflects that these beings have, over the course of the 27 years following
their surgeries, optimally adapted to all of the nuances of their (completely unprecedented) augmented physical
existence. They have mastered their new bodies, and continually push themselves against their limits in speed, power,
and precision motor control.
This update should account for how they've adapted to the nuances of their aforementioned physical existence while
they're not wearing their MJOLNIR, but it should also account for how they've adapted to their physical existence
while engaged in that cybernetic union – they wear that armor a lot, and that has interesting side-effects.
Consider the specifics of what EXACT differences you would see between what they looked like the first day that they
used MJOLNIR, and what they would look like in July, 2552. Are there scars? Why are those scars where they are? How
did they get there? Shouldn't it be pretty hard to merely scar the body of a MJOLNIR-user? Shouldn't the MJOLNIR make
it so that any damage that was sufficient to get through the armor itself would be substantial enough to more than
just leave a scar on the person inside? Wouldn't almost all of their battle scars be from when they were still being
brutally trained? Before they gained their ultra-tank exoskeletons?
Do they have a cloned limb or kidney?
Are there old burns from where sustained plasma fire managed to eat a hole through their armor’s layers, a la Sam-034?
Over those 27 years, these people also became more knowledgeable and more experienced with what worked best for them
in regards to diet, exercise, supplementation, and substance utilization (whether injected or ingested).
The surface of their pale, testosterone-tinted, deceptively young-looking, and slightly flushed skin should reflect
what damage their amazing healing abilities have endured and overcome during the past 27 years of warfare.

85. These beings' depiction should reflect the state of their veterancy as operators
(and specifically their veterancy as SPARTAN-IIs, since that would affect what kinds
of situations that they were deployed against).
They have engaged in combat with (and consistently defeated) countless hordes of highly
motivated, successfully brainwashed, and blindly ruthless hostiles, which were both
technologically superior and far more numerous than the forces allied with the SPARTANs.
And yet these people just got better and better at their jobs with every engagement. The
more that was thrown at them, the higher they soared as they rose to the challenge.

86. One factor to remember while visualizing the effect of their veterancy on their appearance is the impact of
the SPARTAN-IIs' first encounter with Jiralhanae: 9-foot-tall, 1500 lb rhino-gorillas, who can close a gap
quickly and change the nature of a firefight from one that occurs at range to one whose outcome becomes
dependent upon close-quarters combat. They would certainly have adapted their training goals in response to
this new information. Whereas technique would still reign supreme, being prepared against these new aliens
by increasing their sheer brute strength (no pun intended) would suddenly have become a lot more relevant.
That such a creature originated on a planet whose gravity is 2.1 times that of Earth’s is… terrifying.

90. Now that you have all of that information loaded into your focus, and now that you have your mind filled with all of
that visual reference material, the following text is designed as a thought exercise to help you reach the pinnacle of
your ability to visualize these people in the greatest amount of detail that you can. It is designed to aid you in
reaching a trance-like state of focus and imagination.
Read each line separately, and figure out exactly what that statement means to YOU, in YOUR imagination, given the
visual information you’ve just been supplied with. It’s not a race: sprinting to the end won’t help you depict in
greater detail.
Assuming that you are a fan of the Halo fiction, use each line as an opportunity to savor that fandom: remember why
you fell in love with this stuff in the first place, and then USE that, so that the utmost heights of your fandom will
exude from what comes out of this experience for you.
So… without further ado:

91. (Visualization goal: Out-of-armor, 2552)
You are dreaming.
In this dream, you are a person living in the Halo universe,
completely immersed in a reality as detailed as your own.
You rise out of cryosleep alongside many others.
What various feelings, descriptors, and thoughts pass through your mind
as you unexpectedly notice a freshly thawed-out SPARTAN-II, for the very first time?
They are standing right next to you, while you are still sitting down on the side of your cryopod.
Terrifying.
Towering; just... so... HUGE!
So much power in one place
Transcendent
"Beyond"
Ultimate
Breathtaking
"Mankind, ascended"
"Man, in glory"
Triumphant
The highest physical achievement
The absolute maximum of the capability of the body of a man
Unnatural -- Unfamiliar
Heavily augmented (So heavily augmented that most did not survive.)
Scars all over the body, almost all of them laser-precise and laser-thin.
Overclocked
Physicality pushed to the extreme
"Inhuman"
"Running hot" (as in: "We've pushed the engines to 150% capacity, sir! We're only able to do this because we're venting all of our reserve coolant into them! At this rate, we'll run out of coolant in 25
seconds and counting, sir!")
Highly sinewy, highly striated
Extreme contrast of thickest-to-thinnest areas in the torso and in the limbs
Ultra, ultra dense
Extremely firm flesh, the absurdly distant opposite of sagginess and jiggliness
Just SO much muscle fiber packed into the same amount of space that you are used to seeing when looking at normal human fitness models & competition sprinters
Long-legged (proportionally)
Aesthetically favorable; not weird or sickly or hulking or otherwise unfavorable
Despite their thick, healthy skin, their striations show through and define their every minute shape
Extremely, extremely healthy. The greatest conceivable avatar of corporeal health

92. Something beautiful, scarred for the sake of mankind.
Every single real-world example that exists (or has existed) of past bodily achievement is made to look as though it were the epitome of mediocrity when compared with what I see before me. Every
single one.
Bright, clear, powerful eyes.
Eyes that indicate extreme awareness of every minute detail in their surroundings. “Sherlock Holmes”-surpassing.
A way of breathing that indicates full alertness… full lucidity… that indicates that their brain is completely online & awake.
Both a level of bloodflow and a heart-rate that indicate likewise.
A stance and posture that displays their augmented body's unmatched potential for split-second explosive power, at all times reflective of the fact that they are engaged in some sort of cognitive
activity, betraying their hyperintelligence and its incessant curiosity and eagerness to further sharpen itself. A stance completely absent of disconnected/distracted idleness.
A style of motion, whether they are walking, conversing, or doing anything else, that indicates supernaturally fluid grace and precision, one that consistently seems to make you feel like you are a
lethargic and sluggish Neanderthal by comparison. (The way it makes someone feel might be sorta like the way someone might feel when first seeing/hearing Dr. Mordin Solus thrive in his element,
conversationally, while trying to grasp the high-minded concepts about which he is rapidly speaking.)
A manner of speech that varies greatly based on context, but that always involves well-enunciated and clearly spoken statements. Almost always supremely concise, communicating the full,
disambiguated measure of the thought while maintaining brevity.
A physical presence that, after the initial shock, is all at once encouraging, intimidating, worrying, and comforting: you get the sense that they are wholesome, well-intentioned personalities;
unshakably confident (and justifiably so), yet simultaneously courteous & thoughtful.
To experience their emotions during particularly intense combat (according to their definition of "particularly intense combat") is to be shown that as the level of combat difficulty rises past a certain
threshold, so does a hope to experience authentic challenge manifest in the SPARTAN-II -- a desire for the vast ocean of all that they have to give to finally be demanded of them; for all that they
have to give to be truly tapped into and bled dry; for all that they have to give to finally be wrested out of them by the circumstances that they face, perhaps even reaching the apex of this hope,
where they can finally know what it is like for all that they have to give to finally be expended in the most absolute sense. Within their intense-combat mental state exists an undercurrent of hope for
and voraciousness for exploring the uppermost limits of their capacities via the challenges of combat -- rarely do they find themselves presented with an opportunity where they can be pushed to the
actual absolute limits of their abilities. It is as though they have an "adversity engine" as part of who they are, down at the deepest levels of their core: this engine is fueled by difficulty itself, and as
the noise that this engine makes once the S2 enters combat goes from a low, chugging idle to a deafening, full-throated roar, one would observe that instead of experiencing intimidation in response
to the fact that the level of difficulty is sharply rising second by second, the S2 is actually being made more hungry, more thirsty by the sharpness of the difficulty's ascent, and that an increasingly
intense emotion comparable to desperation is practically screaming within them for ever more intense sensations of having their very best forcefully demanded of them as the will behind each threat
around them predictably and disappointingly vaporizes in the face of the SPARTAN-II answering that call for their very best. If the sensation of sharply increasing authentic challenge can be
sustained long enough, then the S2 begins to experience a natural high, and that high, like all highs, demands to be either sustained or intensified. The perfection of their internal self-discipline ,
however, ensures that these experiences will never be able to overpower their ability to remain tethered to the context within which these experiences occur.
To see a SPARTAN-II is to come awe-inspiringly close to seeing "the very concept of a human being, fully realized."

93. The following images represent the VENERANCE team’s
best efforts to depict these beings 2-dimensionally,
starting with the very first rough-draft-sketch
and ending on the present iteration.
(We’ve had a lot of help along the way.)
Credit for these images goes to Tekka-Croe.

102. This next exercise is meant to aid you in visualizing the SPARTAN-II in motion, while still out of their armor.

103. (Clothed in training apparel, 2552)
Your dream now takes you
to where you see these beings
maintaining the sharpness of their skill.
What descriptors & thoughts enter your mind, as you see a clothed SPARTAN-II sprinting, sparring, & shooting?
Sprinting:
From dead stillness to ~35mph in an extremely brief period of time. By the time it registers in my brain that they've started, they're already over a meter and a half into it.
"My... God."
*stunned silence*
"...what? ... I don't un--... how is that ev--... WHAT did I just SEE...? ...are those dents in the floor?!"
"How is that even possible? Is the gravity set to something different? It doesn't feel like it is..."
*persistent genuine confoundment*
"Do they have exoskeletons attached to their legs, hidden under their pants?"
"HOW are they doing that? NOTHING should be able to accelerate that fast. I don't..."
Sparring and weapon disassembly/reassembly:
"It's just a... blur… I've watched a lot of fights; tracked countless punches and kicks with my eyes, but this... my eyes can't keep up...“
"So many thuds. Thuds and thunks. Like a freakin’ woodpecker on a dead old tree trunk or something.“
"They're like one of those cup-stacker kids, but... strung out on drugs, and seen in fast-forward. Jeeeeeez...“
The two sparring partners stare at each other for a few seconds, there's this tense silence and a few tiny positioning movements, and then everything just... explodes. Someone's on the mat within
seconds.
"Never heard of anyone being that fast. Ever.“
"Robotic speed and precision. They've gotta be robots underneath those clothes. Gotta be. No way that's possible naturally.“
"I think this is called kinesthesia... What did they call it? Proprioception...?“
"That's not even fair."
Shooting moving targets while on a timed obstacle course:
"Wait, he just reloaded, right? Was that a reload? Wait, did he just do it again while I was asking that? Dangit! Wait, he's done already?! Where are the targets? Did they not pop up??? I don't
understand, why is he acting like he's done?"

104. Congratulations!
You have now received all of the information that we have been able to gather together into one convenient place
regarding the physiques of veteran male SPARTAN-II Reclaimers.
We hope that this presentation has benefitted you in some way, and that you have enjoyed this experience.
Please, if you find yourself creating anything in response to this, we’d love to see it, so hit us up!
We have a Twitter account (@VeneranceMod) and a Facebook page (VeneranceMod), so either of those would be
convenient ways of sending us a shout-out or linking us to something that you have made. (And please pardon our dust!)
Until next time fellow Halo fans, please do take great care of yourselves, and keep on being awesome!