The Weighted Companion Cube is an object that appears recurrently in the video game “Portal. It has a circular pink heart logo on each side of the cube. In the backstory of the game, the Companion Cube was given to Chell to help her be able to complete Test Chamber 17.
The cube was dropped into the incinerator to be euthanized, then GLaDOS, the central core of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, taunts Chell during their confrontation. In the end credits, the Companion Cube can be seen next to Cake.
In a follow-up Portal comic, the Companion Cube makes a prominent appearance, which is then followed by a scene in Portal 2 when GLaDOS destroys multiple Companion Cubes in Test Chamber 7, mentioning that the Cubes are sentient beings that have an intelligence comparable to Turrets.
In the Companion Cube theory, there is the idea that a scary secret could be inside the cube itself. What could it be?
Are There Dead Bodies Inside the Companion Cubes?
The primary Companion Cube theory is that the reason why the cubes are never emancipated is because they are filled with bodied. If the cube were emancipated, then the bodies would come out of the cube, and that would be downright horrific.
When GLaDOS is destroying cube after cube, however, this theory tends to not hold up – unless there is a need to get rid of a bunch of bodies at that very moment.
What is a more plausible scenario for the Companion Cube is that each one is given its own consciousness. Think of the cube as more of a robot, given an individual personality, that would then be uploaded into a Cloud-like structure when the cube is terminated for some reason.
When a Companion Cube dies, the memories get uploaded into a new cube, but never more than one at a time.
And, since GLaDOS is human sentience in digital form with the personality of Caroline, it is entirely possible that each Companion Cube is an uploaded human consciousness. When GLaDOS is destroying cube after cube, she is causing either one human to experience death multiple times or causing death to several people, who are then uploaded into a new Companion Cube.
Why Would a Human Consciousness Be Put into a Companion Cube?
The problem with the human body is that it is very frail. There are few backup systems that are in place. If your heart stops working, then you stop working unless there is an artificial heart that can be implanted right away.
Now imagine needing to perform experiments on the human mind. The brain, like the rest of the human body, is quite susceptible to damage. Sure – it’s protected by the skull, but plenty of stuff can penetrate that layer of bone and cause brain death.
To perform experiments on the human mind, you’d need a large group of subjects that wouldn’t mind being expendable. The odds of that happening are virtually zero, so an alternative option would need to be created.
Creating a cube that could contain a human mind, uploaded directly into it for experimentation, would solve that problem. It would also be a cost-effective solution for a company like Aperture Science.
Evidence of Human Consciousness in the Companion Cube
When you listen closely to the Companion Cube when something begins to happen to it, the first thing that is heard is the beginning of the theme for Aperture Science. The end of the sound sequence sounds like a robotic glitch. It’s what can be heard between those two sounds that helps to promote the Companion Cube theory.
Many players have their own take on what is being heard. Some say that they hear, “Get it out of me.” “Get me out of it,” is another common thread. The sound is digital, not human, which would suggest more of a programming element to the Companion Cube than a physical human element to it.
Of course, a combination of these two ideas could also be relevant. The Companion Cube may not contain bodies, but it could contain brains that were removed from humans so that experimentation could occur. The human brain, which is essentially a supercomputer, would then be able to digitally interface with the mechanisms of the Companion Cube to create the digital sounds that are heard in the game.
The fact is that the Companion Cube theory may never really be settled until Valve Corporation decides to finish the story. Until that happens, more theories like these are bound to appear.