Prior to this ARG there were a relatively large group of people who were under the impression that the humans were the forerunners, only dumbed down, messed up, the past version, etc.

But as the comic showed us earlier on, there were us primitive humans and the 'gods' (forerunners as people have interpreted it), which makes it seem that there is no relation between the two.

So the question that I believe I'm trying to get at is, does the evidence from this ARG draw the line and end the human=forerunner theory?

no, because humans could be something the forerunners created in an image of themselves

I think that the only relation is that humans were 'saved' by the Forerunners from the Halo activation, like they saved other species.

Perhaps the Forerunner saved specimens not only of Flood, but humans and Covenant species, too...

It helps explain why, after seeing Jenkins' video in Halo: CE, the Flood that come at MC in the containment chamber are all infection forms, and only after you've killed most of them do the human and Elite combat forms bust through the door and come after you.

(OT: On my most recent Legendary play though of Halo: CE, I finally saw one of the elusive Flood Elite combat forms that Bungie's mentioned can be seen before you enter the underground structure during "Well Enough Alone." It was as cool as the lost marine at the top of the level. /OT)

Alright, I'll take the bait.

Humanity=Forerunner is dead, dead, dead. Deader than fried chicken. Why I say this:

- the comic, showing humanity in it's primitive state, watching the Forerunners machines
- Episode 4 video, indicating that the Forerunner confronted the enemy while shielding the weak
- the fact that in every occasion, monitors draw a distinction between Reclaimers and their creators

But surely the Forerunner messed with our DNA? Yes - in order to direct our course, push us forward, and of course, to give us the keys to the Galaxy. How else would the index "know" who was pushing it in? It's their fingerprints on our DNA that make us Reclaimers.

Then what the hell was 343GS talking about in H1? There was a human there when it was fired. Or many. There must have been. How else did the Flood/Ark mythology make it into the mythology of humanity (I'm talking within the Haloverse, of course)? The Forerunner must have brought some people in to pass the information down to those that would follow. However, it appears as if only the informal information was passed. Through legends and myths. Father to son, mother to daughter. The formal channel (i.e. Reclaimer College taught by a Forerunner AI) got sabotaged. Or otherwise derailed.

I would bet my left testicle that Humanity is not Forerunner. Or the right, if you prefer. It does not matter.