WMG / Halo Wars 2

Anders did not properly disable the Halo

At the end of Halo 5 we see a cutscene of Cortana seemingly activating a Halo. At the end of Halo Wars 2 Anders has her Halo hijacked by one of Cartana's guardians. They could be the same Halo and future plots may revolve around trying to destroy or deactivate it before it can be used. The Halos are advanced Forerunner weapons. Humans still have not fully replicated most of the forerunner's technology so it is conceivable that Anders unknowingly missed something that could reactivate it. Matti 23

Future Leader speculation

During the Halo Wars 2 launch livestream, it was revealed that a new free leader would be added to the roster every third Wednesday of each month for several months. Since the first two leaders that have been revealed are Sgt. Forge (An as of now deceased character from the first Halo Wars) and Morgan Kinsano (a hellbringer and an original character), the potential for possible leaders is limitless. Each new Hero will have unique/news units released alongside them.

• UNSC Leaders
  • Sergeant Avery Jr. Johnson: Johnson actually has a high possibility of becoming a leader in the game; while previously deceased characters like Forge have a chance of returning, the other reason for Johnson's return was sourced from one of the original Halo Wars 2 vidocs. During said Vidoc, a labelled picture was shown of Johnson piloting a mech resembling an updated version of the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark I Prototype Armor Defense System, which itself was a prototype version of the Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor to be used by Spartan I Is (which is appropriate, considering Johnson was a SPARTAN-I of the ORION Project, which was eventually supplanted by the Spartan II program)
    • Confirmed! As of the May 2017 update, Johnson has returned to the fray.
  • Captain Jacob Keyes: (Reason, Units and abilities)
  • Commander Miranda Keyes: (Reason, Units and abilities)
  • Captain Thomas Lasky: (Reason, Units and abilities)
  • Commander Sarah Palmer: (Reason, Units and abilities)
• Covenant/Banished Leaders:
  • Prophet of Regret: One of the Covenant leaders from the original Halo Wars, Regret could very much make his return alongside Forge.
  • Prophet of Truth: With his resting place being on the Ark, Ord Casto could very much turn up as a leader. His forces would exclusively feature Brutes instead, reflecting the enemies fought during Halo 3
  • Ripa 'Moramee: Another Covenant leader from the original Halo Wars.
    • Confirmed during the reveal of the "Awakening the Nightmare" expansion.
  • Thel 'Vadam: (Reason, Units and abilities)
  • Rtas 'Vadum: (Reason, Units and abilities)
  • Xytan 'Jar Warrinree: (Reason, Units and abilities)
  • Thrallslayer: The Brute Chieftain leader from the original Halo Wars. However, unlike Regret and 'Moramee, his fate is not listed as deceased, so he could very much end up alive, either as a commander within the Banished or as a separate leader.
  • Tartarus: (Reason, Units and abilities)
• Forerunner/Other Leaders
  • Cortana: (Reason, Units and abilities)
  • Warden Eternal: (Reason, Units and abilities)
  • 343 Guilty Spark: (Reason, Units and abilities)
  • 032 Mendicant Bias: Being set on the Ark, it would be no surprise to see Mendicant Bias show up in one form or another.
  • Ur-Didact: (Reason, Units and abilities)
  • The Flood: (Reason, Units and abilities)
    • Confirmed! They are to be the main focus of the upcoming "Awakening the Nightmare" expansion, but as an AI-only faction.
  • An Insurrectionist Leader: (Reason, Units and abilities)
  • A Jackal Pirate Shipmaster: This would be an excellent way to both introduce the Jackals into Halo Wars 2 (who are mysteriously absent) and to show how these oft-talked about Jackal pirates operate as a faction. Most of their units would consist of the three Kig-Yar subspecies, with the Ruutians (the more birdlike Bungie-era Jackals) as marksmen, the Ibie'shans (the reptilian 343-era Jackals) serving as Regular infantry alongside grunts, and Skirmishers as Scout units.