| Wheatley | |
|---|---|
| Portal character | |
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Wheatley.png) Wheatley, as he appears in Portal 2 | |
| First game | Portal 2 (2011) |
| Last appearance | Lego Dimensions (2015) |
| Created by | Erik Wolpaw |
| Designed by |
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| Voiced by |
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| In-universe information | |
| Species | Personality Core |
The Intelligence Dampening Sphere, otherwise known as Wheatley, is a fictional artificial intelligence from the Portal franchise, first introduced in the 2011 video game Portal 2. He is voiced by British comedian and writer Stephen Merchant, and created in part by Portal 2's designer Erik Wolpaw.
In the Portal narrative, Wheatley is one of several spherical "personality cores" developed to restrain GLaDOS, the main artificial intelligence that operates the Aperture Science facility, from becoming rampant, though Wheatley is later revealed to have been built to act as an "intelligence dampener" towards GLaDOS to hamper her capability for thought. Initially serving as a comedic foil to the player-character Chell during the first half of Portal 2, Wheatley becomes the main antagonist of the second half as he takes GLaDOS's place and wreaks havoc on the facility before Chell and GLaDOS cooperate to stop him. In addition to Portal 2, Wheatley has appeared in Team Fortress 2 and Lego Dimensions.
Since his appearance in Portal 2, Wheatley has received overwhelmingly positive reception from critics. Merchant has been praised for his portrayal by critics who cited his fast-talking dialogue. Wheatley has also been described as a contrast to GLaDOS's "slower-speaking and more deliberate" personality.