Avalon Centrifuge

Avalon Centrifuge
Full name:	Avalon Centrifuge
Other names:	Face of Science Science Face Mr. Science
First appearance:	LittleBigPlanet 2 (2011)
Latest appearance:	The Journey Home (2015)
Portrayed by:	Colin McFarlane

“	This world needs only one thing. It needs a hero. One man, devilishly handsome, impossibly statuesque: The only hope.	„
— Avalon Centrifuge, "Let's Get You Match Fit"

Avalon Centrifuge is a major character in LittleBigPlanet 2, and the creator curator of Avalonia. An arrogant, self-absorbed, yet skilled creator, Avalon perceives himself as the "Face of Science", the leader of the Alliance, and Craftworld's only hope against the Negativitron.

History

LittleBigPlanet 2

Avalon Centrifuge makes his first appearance in LittleBigPlanet 2, where he acts as one of the de facto leaders of the Alliance. While his companion Larry Da Vinci retrieves Sackboy from the Negativitron's clutches, Avalon interrupts, hijacking Da Vinci's introduction to give a self-indulgent speech and formally introduce Sackboy to the Alliance and their plans to defeat the Negativitron. After Sackboy completes his recruitment, Avalon sends his congratulations via written letter.

Avalon is not present through the two areas following Da Vinci's Hideout, staying within his home and base of operations in Avalonia while the Alliance gathers a Sackbot army. Once enough Sackbots are freed from the Factory Of A Better Tomorrow, the Alliance takes Sackboy's Pod up to Avalonia to get the army prepared for battle. Avalon personally oversees Sackboy's training with his various robotic inventions, including the RoboBun, MechaPup, Hamstertron 2000, and Bee 2.0. After the Negativitron interrupts to wreak havoc, Avalonia is left in ruins, with attempts to salvage the army and escape with Huge Spaceship both foiled under the Negativitron's persistent attacks.

When Huge Spaceship is left stranded in Avalonia's ruins, Avalon sends Sackboy and Clive Handforth to Eve's Asylum For The Mentally Alternative to retrieve genius inventor Dr. Herbert Higginbotham, who was left insane from a Meanie infection. Once Dr. Higginbotham returns to his senses, the Alliance resumes their plans to leave Craftworld in pursuit of the Negativitron. While embarking, however, Avalon organizes one final, self-indulgent speech to his allies; interrupted part-way by the Negativitron's arrival, where Avalon is sucked up into its maw. From the safety of Huge Spaceship's repaired interior, Dr. Higginbotham reassures that Avalon is alive, albeit in grave danger on the Negativitron's surface. The Alliance blasts off into the Cosmos, now with the task of rescuing Avalon from the Meanies.

After crash-landing on its surface, the Alliance scours the Negativitron in search of Avalon, who has been held captive in a cage guarded by Meanie-possessed robots. Avalon's freedom is short-lived, however, as a massive robot traps Avalon in its clutches, taking him on a rampage before the Alliance brings it down in a team effort. Avalon collects himself and coordinates the final push to the Negativitron's heart, before helping Sackboy in the final battle.

LittleBigPlanet Karting

The Space Bass, the sixth theme in LittleBigPlanet Karting, is largely based around Avalonia. Avalon is shown to have connections with creator curator Capt. Sirius Oculus, though is shown to be on vacation away from Avalonia during the events of Karting. He, along with Eve and Victoria, have their outfits in Karting's files, though they are unobtainable.

The Journey Home

Avalon Centrifuge makes his most recent appearance in the Journey Home, where he is one of the guests whose invitation was lost after Newton Pud's Dimensional Doorway overshoots the heroes' reunion party in the Gardens. Avalon's invitation stamps can be collected in Bone-a-Fide Ride, where he arrives in his flying machine, later photobombing a shoot. If Avalon's invitation goes unstamped, Larry Da Vinci presumes he'll show up uninvited anyway.

Development

Avalon Centrifuge's earliest known model.

Avalon Centrifuge was originally conceived as the main antagonist of LittleBigPlanet 2's story. Operating from his home of Avalonia, Avalon would have commanded his army of Popov minions, as well as the Sucker, a massive space vacuum of his creation, with a scheme to take over Craftworld and the Cosmos. While not directly involved in the Alliance and their plan to destroy the Sucker, he would have been an unwilling participant in the early parts of their journey in order to conceal the truth about his evil. On multiple occasions, Avalon would attempt to stall the Alliance's progress — usually to his own detriment — such as in the case of Dr. Herbert Higginbotham. One of the only creator curators knowledgeable about Avalon's true identity, Dr. Higginbotham would have fallen victim to Avalon's Popovs through an injection, inducing a mind-ailing infection to silence him.

While Avalon leads the Alliance on up until Eve's Asylum, Dr. Higginbotham would reveal the truth after being cured of his infection by Sackboy; though, Avalon's cut robot assistant Mona would have relayed his foiled scheme back to him, spying on Dr. Higginbotham from above. While traveling through the Cosmos in Huge Spaceship, the Sucker would have captured the Alliance within its body, leaving them stranded and surrounded by Popovs; this climactic section of the story likely would have comprised the Popov's Domain, one of multiple themes cut from LittleBigPlanet 2. Avalon, controlling a robot or some other machine, would serve as the final boss, before falling to the Alliance and apologizing for his actions, though an unsympathetic Larry Da Vinci would have sent him away for "reeducation".

Avalon's appearance went through around three total revisions to his model before his final appearance was decided. His earliest known appearance depicted him as a distortion pedal accessorized with 3-D spectacles, eyes painted onto his knobs, switch legs, metallic arms with cables for digits, and guitar picks for hair and wings. While not fully moving on from his distortion pedal look, Avalon's later appearance took on a taller build more befitting of Sackboy's frame, depicting him as being assembled from multiple distortion pedals identical to the single one that composed his earliest design. As Avalon transitioned away from his role as the antagonist of the plot, his design became reminiscent of a sackperson, albeit with a slightly different build to his body; no references to his distortion pedal models remain in his completed model. Avalon is depicted in early cutscenes as having a high-pitched voice, bearing an accent. Though, when switching to his evil alter ego, Avalon would switch to his rough, commanding tone.

Avalon was originally planned to appear alongside the other LittleBigPlanet 2 creator curators in early prototypes of LittleBigPlanet 3 when the game was planned to be a direct sequel. This idea seems to have evolved into the Journey Home.

General information

Avalon's appearance in-game.

Physical appearance

Avalon is a Sackperson with white, rounded teeth, a pink nose from which his orange mustache sprouts, and thick, cloud-like orange hair that is concentrated mostly on the sides and back of his head, leaving his forehead bald. He wears a white suit with peaky lapels and an open chest that reveals a hairy torso, along with plastic gloves and boots in a color similar to his skin tone. He also wears glasses with white frames and red lenses that resembles Larry Da Vinci's. In addition, he wears black headphones, with the left earpiece covered by his hair, while the right one features a red-tipped antenna, a microphone pointing toward his mouth, and a spiral cord that connects to a small power box held by the black belt around his waist. His feet are notably small, and although not visible from most angles, underneath his glasses there are the default Button Eyes.

Personality

Avalon is vain and egotistical whenever he's with the Alliance. In nearly all situations involving him, he attempts to become the center of attention, usually with assistance from his booming voice. Despite this, he is a skilled creator, responsible for constructing his large home base, Avalonia. Avalon takes it upon himself to accept Sackboy into the Alliance and train him to harness his many robotic animals.

Gallery

Main article: Avalon Centrifuge/Gallery.

Trivia

• Avalon's earliest appearance is modeled after the Boss DS-1 distortion pedal, with the "Boss" branding spoofed as "The Man".