Maverick (Mega Man)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Maverick, in the video game series Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero, is a Reploid who generally defies the will of the Maverick Hunters or of the human governments. In the Japanese games, they are called Irregulars.
Contents |
[edit] Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics
It should be noted that Reploids, although technically not 'robots' are still governed by the three laws of robotics. This was first noted in the Megaman X introduction in Dr. Thomas Light's notes about X upon opening the capsule containing the soon to be Maverick Hunter. The three laws are in this order:
- 1. A Robot shall not harm a human, or by inaction allow a human to come to harm
- 2. A Robot must obey humans, unless it conflicts with law 1.
- 3. A Robot must preserve itself unless it conflicts with laws 1 and/or 2.
The Reploids are, however, not robots at all, they have free will. This prevents the laws from being as effective and may, for example, cloud a Reploid's judgement as to which option is more effective should one attempt to save a human. Robot Masters were not programmed, or had programming removed that enforced the three laws.
[edit] Maverick causes
There is no single cause for a Reploid to "go Maverick", but generally a Maverick will fall into one of three categories.
[edit] Viral Mavericks
Main article: Maverick Virus
The major cause of Mavericks is a computer virus called the Maverick Virus. The virus usually causes the infected Reploid to become very violent and irrational, though this is not always the case (such as the Maverick Sigma). Viral Mavericks lose their inhibitions and generally succumb to the belief that the human race is limiting the potential of Reploids. Viral Mavericks often deliberately try to injure or kill humans. They will also attack other Reploids that try to defend humans.
Mavericks in this category include the infamous former head of the Maverick Hunters, Sigma, and Reploid scientists Dr. Doppler and Gate.
[edit] Free-will Mavericks
Some (though relatively few) Mavericks are called such because they actively choose to go against the will of the humans. They usually are petty criminals or rebels against the government. These Mavericks usually do not act irrationally (at least not as irrationally as viral Mavericks).
The best example of free-will Mavericks would be the Resistance in Mega Man Zero. Another example is all of the new generation Reploids - Lumine reveals in Mega Man X8 that they can go Maverick at will, because their copy chip contains Sigma's DNA (although technically, all Reploids in existence are able to go Maverick due to their ability of free will). Another example is Vile, an ex-Maverick Hunter that turned evil to become more powerful.
A much more notable example of a free-will maverick would be Boomerang Kuwanger in Maverick Hunter X for the Playstation Portable. The game manual states that Kuwanger sided with Sigma after looking over the facts rationally.
[edit] Political Mavericks
Not all Mavericks try to harm humans or the government. Because the distinction of who is or is not Maverick is decided by the Maverick Hunters, sometimes a group will be unjustly called Maverick for political reasons or misunderstandings, such in Mega Man X4.
Most notably, this happened with the Repliforce, a Reploid army which was crushed by the Hunters. After realizing the mistake, the leader of the Maverick Hunters resigned, appointing Signas in his place.
The "Liberion Rebellion" led by Epsilon in Command Mission is another prime example, as Epsilon only wanted to create a place where Reploids could live free of world politics, but his plan to induce Reploid evolution through Supra-Force Metal was interpreted as Maverick activity by the authorities. After learning of Epsilon's true motives, as well as learning of the betrayal of the Hunter Commander, Colonel Redips, the authorities chose to remove the "Maverick" status from Epsilon, although the Hunters had already destroyed him by that time.
[edit] Maverick Mechaniloids
Mechaniloids are true robots, they follow orders given by humans and Reploids. Mechaniloids are to Mavericks as animals are to humans. Each mechaniloid has a basic AI and programming to make it obedient. Mechaniloids, like Reploids, can be infected and carry a Maverick virus, usually with the intent of spreading it onto a network. (It can be assumed that this is the reason why entire mining sites are taken over by Maverick mining units.
[edit] Problems caused by Mavericks
Mavericks present a large problem to the governments in the Mega Man X series. They actively fight against the governments and the Maverick Hunters, causing large amounts of collateral damage during their attacks.
Mavericks are usually the most destructive when they group together. This is usually hard for viral Mavericks to accomplish, but numerous times Sigma has been able to use them for his elaborate schemes against the Maverick Hunters.
[edit] Responses to Mavericks
[edit] Maverick Hunters
- Main article: Maverick Hunters
Due to the many problems posed by Mavericks, the Maverick Hunters were formed by Dr. Cain. The Hunters enlist Reploid soldiers to fight the Mavericks and perform rescue operations on their victims. On numerous occasions, this organization has stopped Maverick attacks on human cities, but it has also failed to prevent some large-scale damage, such as the destruction of Doppler Town, the Sky Lagoon, and the space colony Eurasia.
[edit] Mercenary groups
Also combating the Maverick threat are various mercenary groups, most notably the Red Alert Syndicate and solo mercenaries like Dynamo. The mercenaries and their organizations tend to be illegal and are also targeted by the Maverick Hunters. Some mercenaries have even been known to work for the Mavericks, making them all the more dangerous to the Hunters.
[edit] Neo Arcadia
In the Mega Man Zero series, the government of Neo Arcadia has strict anti-Reploid laws designed to protect the human populace from Mavericks. This results in much oppression of Reploid workers who are often executed for petty crimes or other false pretenses. A Maverick group called the Resistance, led by the human Ciel, is attempting to overthrow the Neo Arcadia government, which they believe to be unjust.
[edit] Maverick Bosses
Most fans often use the term "Maverick" to describe the boss characters seen throughout the X series. They are similar to the Robot Masters of the Classic series. Instead of being based of off humans (or "men") like the Robot Masters, they are based on animals and nature (to a greater extent than animal and plant-based Robot Masters, like Mega Man 4's Toad Man and Mega Man 6's Plant Man) and are anthropomorphic.
