Remember the moment in Superman Begins where the movie teases that the impossible may have happened, with The Man of Steel himself possibly meeting his demise? Well, it looks like another never-say-die icon may be kicking the bucket, as the latest TV commercial hints that Halo’s Master Chief, aka Spartan 117, has shuffled off his mortal coil.

The TV commercial for Halo 5 Guardians, launching on the 27th October, doesn’t exactly pull punches, but then again, neither did the standard bearer for the Halo series. It’s grim, really grim, the kind of grim that would bring a smile to George R.R. Martin’s face.

The citizens to whom the news is announced look like they have just heard that not only has Xmas been cancelled, but all public holidays henceforth. And that there is no more chocolate.

Of course, the trailer doesn’t tell the whole story, other than to say the Master Chief died in the line of duty (well, it was never going to be from an overdose of Big Mac’s, was it?). We think though, that it is a setup for a broader story, maybe a miraculously re-emergence. The Master Chief can’t really be dead, can he?

Take a look at the trailer below and decide for yourself.