"For the longest time, fans thought they had the origins of Zero sussed out, along with the truth behind Mega Man X's connection to the original series. But last year saw the Japanese debut of Mega Man Zero: Official Complete Works, an art book with a "definitive" timeline that basically exists to say that everything you know is wrong.

For years, the Mega Man/MMX connection seemed fairly clear-cut: X was a new model robot based on the original Mega Man, and Zero was created by Dr. Wily to destroy everything good in the world. That much is still true, but the common belief was that the Maverick virus was created by Dr. Wily and given to Zero. The prevailing theory: Wily figured that if Mega Man were able to destroy Zero, he'd absorb the virus when he did his usual program-copying. It's very clever! Mega Man's greatest strength would be his downfall.

Surprise: That's not how it was at all. The truth is that the Maverick virus was created by Dr. Light. That's right -- the champion of all that's good in the world was responsible for the greatest evil it ever knew.

Well, not quite. The virus was in fact a subroutine designed for X as part of his moral programming. Called the "suffering circuit," the "virus" was intended to pacify X and make him abhor violence. And it worked just fine for X; the problem was when Dr. Cain created flimsy X knockoffs. Apparently, their cut-rate circuits just weren't up to snuff and had a negative reaction to the suffering circuit's effects, making them unruly and fond of violence. Whoops!

Due to X and Zero's similar designs -- Doctors Wily and Light developed their technology together -- the suffering circuit is actually what helped Zero to reform. Meanwhile, Sigma caught the "virus" from his exposure to X -- not from Zero.

Footnote: Ciel (who created Copy X and restored Zero and passed along the technique for the creation of Biometal to her protégé Prairie) and Weil (the guy behind all the bad stuff that happened in Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX) are rumored to be descended from Light and Wily, respectively. Which means that, at some point in his life, Dr. Wily had sex. Yuck."

Source from 1Up


I'd personally like to see this Mega Man Zero: Complete Works timeline.

So, evidently it was Sigma's exposure to X that made him go Maverick, not his original fight with a Maverick Zero.

This is why MHX was released, to clear this up. This is why Sigma provoked X's worrying. To trigger the "suffering circuit" (or virus) to supposably influence Reploids based off of X' design to distinguish all their true power and potential, which is the essence of the virus. Because Dr. Light had set diagnostics tests on X for so long, X alone seemed to be the only one to have any sort of immunity to the negative effects of the suffering circuit. This is why X' true potential is absolute, when compared to other Reploids. A mixture of his strong sense of justice, his sympathy for the weak and innocent, his true emotion, and the negative effects of the suffering circuit taken out of the fraction, is what makes this potential his strength.

During X and Sigma's fight at the missile base in MHX, while Sigma's saber is struck inside of X' torso, X reminisces his days with Dr. Light and realizes of his capabilities, then and there. The thought of all the ones whom suffered to the missile attack because of Sigma was more than enough to set X off and bring out his true strength (for a time).


Now as for Zero, his programming is identical to X. Zero has this suffering circuit within him too, only difference is, Zero didn't have diagnostic tests run on him to insure his and other's safety. Rather than acting as though he were innocent and having second thoughts on fighting, Zero has the reversed effects, making him a killing machine, which is exactly what Dr. Wily had in mind.

Years later, after the fight against Maverick Hunter Sigma and Maverick Zero, his suffering circuit is damaged (often referred to as gem or jewel on his forehead) and then reprogrammed at Cain's Lab to fight for good based off X' (and every Reploid's) designs. In X5, Sigma tries to reawaken Zero to his former self by exposing the whole planet with the virus Sigma had embodied himself.





Anyone else, feel free to leave your comments.

I've read about this. I don't think what you put down is completely accurate.

There really is a Maverick Virus, due to a certain interaction with the Suffering Circuit. The Suffering Circuit is viralized when it came into contact with the program that made Zero so violent. When the Suffering Circuit was installed in Zero, it pacified Zero, but gave birth to the Maverick Virus, making him a carrier.

When Zero's program was transfered to Sigma during their fateful first battle, he slowly went insane due to the Suffering Circuit's design flaw. This program and the Suffering Circuit merged into the Maverick Virus, which bonded with Sigma into the Sigma Virus.

Zero remained a carrier of the virus, until he realized that he had the virus: this led him to seal himself away while the virus was removed. And people researched on him, including Weil... and, well, you know the rest.

So, because of Zero's violence, the Virus was created when he had the Suffering Circuit installed during his construction. Along with the Suffering Circuit, he was programmed to be violent and destructive, which is what caused the Virus.(Because obviously, the Suffering Circuit was created to attend to robot's moral programming.) Do you suppose Wily had any sort of awareness to the Virus when he created Zero? But why would Zero need a Suffering Circuit, if his only moral was to be total destruction?

I think that, with violence in mind, the Suffering Circuit placed in Zero had the reversed affect, creating the Virus. Rather than abhoring violence as it was attended, the result intensified Zero's destructive power. I think Wily intended this all along with the creation of Zero. The result of the Virus may have been from Zero's desire for destruction, with a Suffering Circuit that would act as a vessel for this power. From then on, the Virus spread, starting with Sigma.

X may have had this happen to him, but since he wasn't created for destruction, he was easier to maintain in a peaceful state. But just to be absolutely sure, Dr. Light , near the end of his life, put X in a diagnostic capsule that would correct any flaws that may result in the Virus and it's affects within X. Dr. Cain had the courtesy of waiting until all signs showed positive before opening the capsule.

I think that the very Suffering Circuit itself, is the cause of all the potential, and dangers that lie within Reploids. But X and Zero seem to be the only ones who can harness this potential, for better or worse.

And also, since Zero was never "rid" of this Virus until Mega Man Zero, which is supposably the same Zero that Ciel awakened, yet turns out to be a Copy of the Original. How can that be justified?

No.

Zero was not built with a Suffering Circuit. That was installed in him after his defeat at the hands of Sigma. That's what created the virus. So ironically, the Maverick Virus was created by Maverick Hunter HQ.

And I see I have to explain Zero, Omega, and Weil all over again.

Zero was rid of the virus after CM, when he placed himself in the capsule. His mind was removed from the body. Various scientists, including Dr. Weil, researched his body and the virus, and that research contributed to the creation of the Mother Elf. After that, Weil stole the body and programmed a new identity into it: Omega. A copy body of Zero was created (free of the virus) and Zero's mind downloaded into it.

You wouldn't happen to have a source for that, would you? I'm not saying you're wrong, I just I don't recall that happening. Gotta play some more Mega Man Zero myself.

But, isn't the reason Reploids become Mavericks in the first place because of the Virus? There were many Mavericks before Zero entered the story.

'Course, my posts don't have much emphasis to the Mega Man Zero story. It was merely a theory. I was mainly focused on the X Series.

And personally, I wouldn't count CM into the mix. I myself, consider that to be a side game that has nothing to do with the main story.

Its in the Rockman Zero Perfect Complete Works.

The scene where he seals himself away is Zero's ending in MMX6.

And actually, before the Virus appeared there were indeed still Mavericks. That was caused by the incompatibility between the Suffering Circuit and the Reploids' programming. It was a design fault of Cain's, as X and Zero are not true Reploids in the actual sense, and their designs are different.

And unfortunately for you, Command Mission is considered a part of the actual timeline and is canonical. It takes place after MMX8, in 22XX. I would imagine it happens shortly before the final uprising of Sigma.

Thats a big shock Ill have to wait for the book when it comes out this winter.

so actually the "virus" never existed in 20XX (not made by Wily in the original series) but by a certain series of unfortunate events the Virus was created.

interesting.

might be a stupid question, but if Zero was a carrier of the virus, how come Alia, Signas, Massimo, Cinnamon, Axl and everyone he knows weren't infected by it?

Two things, RD:

1. If the suffering circuit was installed in Zero after his fight with Sigma, how did that fight lead to the Sigma Virus?

2. Final uprising of Sigma? Does the book mention anything like that? As much as I like the sound of it, I think Sigma, as a single, full body, was done in X8.

But I haven't read anything from this book, so I wouldn't know.

Edited by HighMaxOmega on July 18, 2007 at 10:54:25.

Zero was just that: a carrier. He wasn't able to infect others like Sigma.

@HMO:

1. I imagine that Zero's violence program was copied and transferred into Sigma, which produced the Sigma Virus.

2. The final uprising is mentioned in one of the Zero games, which mentions X defeating Sigma once and for all using the Mother Elf.

Okay, thanks RD.

I wonder how Capcom intends to put out this "last uprising"... better be good.

Probably... never.

That's better than them doing a crappy job.

Too many loose ends, though - it seems that this book is only creating mysteries by solving the ones that existed before.

After playing it again after 3 years, I concur. CM also mentions Axl's origin's traced towards the Supra Force Metal.



So if Capcom decides to continue making X games, they'll need to bring Sigma back at some point. Wasn't the Dark Elf used in order to defeat Sigma permanently? Then, sealed by X personally.

(Man, I have a bad memory...I just finished playing all the Mega Man Zero games too.)

Yes. X beats Sigma with the Mother Elf, and uses his body to seal the Dark Elf away in Neo Arcadia.

So all that right there disproves the fact that axl will die.

Not necessarily.

Well, I've got a new question:

If Axl was a prototype New Generation Reploid, which were created for the purpose of carrying out the Jakob Project, and Redips also has the NG characteristics, where does he fit in?

Maybe becouse of his battle skills?

I don't think Redips was particularly a New Generation Reploid. I think he was just a common Reploid Colonel that just used the Supra Force Metal when he went Maverick, which gave him the ability to shift forms.

So, perhaps Supra Force Metal is much older then we think, before Command Mission's Time anyways. It's possible Axl was constructed with Supra Force Metal when he was created.

As for New Generation Reploids, they were created with Sigma's DNA, embedded in the Copy Chips. I don't think Axl has a Copy Chip, otherwise he'd have gone Maverick too. Of course, there's still much more we must see. Axl shows no apparent appearance in Mega Man Zero, or just near the end of the Elf Wars, so we're assuming Axl dies at some point.

I'd have to play X8 to clear this up. I think the data analyzed in Axl wasn't a Copy Chip but rather, his very own DNA.

If Axl didn't die before that, I'd imagine he'd help X and Zero take down Omega.

People, please keep in mind that Command Mission takes place AFTER X8 and the Jakob Project.

What Axl had was a chameleon chip - but he was only a prototype, and quite possibly the prototype version of the chip was virus-free, unlike the later versions.

I'm guessing right now that Redips was just a leftover NG reploid who went and started his whole thing for CM.

That's true. However, at the confrontation of Redips at the end of the game, he states that Supra Force Metal is the reason he could ever shift forms to begin with. And like you said, he was imitating Spider all along, even before X handed over the Supra Force Metal to him.

I'm guessing that Redips already had enough Supra Force Metal that he could change his form, and was just looking for a larger supply to further increase his abilities, (hence the pursuit of Epsilon and his Rebellion Army).

I never thought of that.