Mad Scientist & Maverick Menace - The Wily Theory

For years Mega Man has thwatted the evil Dr. Wily every time he pop'd up world domination scheme. As time went on, Wily aged and passed away. His legacy lived on in the form of a red warrior, Zero, the strongest robot. But, was Wily really gone? What if he was somehow still around, in a digital manner, influencing the Reploids of the future? What if he made his own reploid bodies? Strap in as we take a dive into this theory on the duality of Wily, the man who became a Maverick!
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[@yeyo3659]

Something extra of note is that by the time of the X series, the use of the word "Robot" is fairly reduced, because it has been replaced mostly by the term "Reploid/Repliroid" (Replica of Android, to the point in which X and Zero, which aren't reploids, but actual Ultimate Robot Masters or Superior Androids in a way, are called reploids as a generalization, conveniently hiding their true origins which are in a need to know basis. In Rockman X6, the term "Robot" is used a lot in ancient context, for example Alia referring to the DNA data of "ancient" robots that Metal Shark Player and Scaravich hunter for, and refers to that ancient technology as "robots" specifically. Alia is one of the superior navigators in rank in the Hunters Base so she knows some data probably others don't, and she is capable enough to receive trust from Light himself that "she should be able to analyze the armor programs and update them to your core" to X. Alia is also a very grounded Reploid, basing her analysis and opinions on data evidence, and says some things out of belief sometimes, which Signas recognizes is unusual for her. So Alia wouldn't use the term Reploid and Robot confusedly, she knows the difference at least in the context of the time she's in. The fact that the mysterious voice spoke to Zero out of Isoc's remains and reminded him that he was the strongest "robot" also speaks volumes on that voice being actually Willy. He has no horse in the race, he doesn't care about Sigma anymore, had no real interest in Gate, nor is interested in saving the Earth, he wants to see Zero destroy the next target, his best creation doing better than X out of his spite for Light, and maybe eventually taking control of him again to destroy X. But in this scenario, he pushed Zero with that specific phrasing, "robot"... as in the strongest Robot Master he has ever created, a concept belonging to his time alive. So even the words chosen pretty much create evidence that it truly IS Willy. The barrier itself stopped Zero to a point in which he was embarrassed to admit he couldn't move a single inch, an impressive feat from someone that apparently knows nothing about Zero, Alia even comments that such a barrier would be extremely difficult (if not impossible) to program, so she's left in awe at the effects of it. Willy being there as a stream of consciousness even more than Sigma is actually scary, that's what makes him a good villain in my opinion.

[@OttoniSaulo]

I'd like to add some points to your top-notch analysis. Before being a Navi, Alia is a top researcher as well, only being politically held behind so Gate can be a star, but the Erasure Incident is where she shone most. There's a philosophical current that states the Sigma Virus was created at the event of X4's flashback. Some say that the W-Virus was Wily's last attempt of being "immortal", and that it was running the Zero hibernation facility. It being an AI, as the lab collapsed, it installed itself in Zero, being then corrupted by the Stronger Robot program and turning into the God of Destruction Virus, that transferred itself into the 1st generation ultimate repli, Sigma, upon the shattering of zero's crystal. There the W-Virus would awaken to self awareness thanks to the Sigma System, and evolve into the Z-Virus at the event of the Shuttle Crash (Zero being weak in a S-Virus riddled area, where Wily could retake his ultimate body), which would then create the Zero Space at the Colony Crash Site later, since the Z-Virus managed to transcend physical barriers (thanka again corrupted Sigma in X2 and his undying will to survive that stems from him being full of Ultimate Repli will power and Serge's engineering). In that way, could there (X2) already be a multiple-avatar scenario for Wily, in the form of W-Ghost (Serge), S-Virus and Z-Program? I've dwelled within this line for about 15 years now.

[@generaljimmies3429]

One minor correction, the term Reploid actually refers to Robots who can fully "Replicate human thought, behavior and emotions" Effectively human in mind and soul, if not in body.

[@OttoniSaulo]

@@generaljimmies3429 actually, this definition is debatable. X is defined as the next generation of thinking robots, not Repli. The Replis can be defined as robots who run on a replica of the X system

[@generaljimmies3429]

@@OttoniSaulo I'm fine with both really

[@Xeno-The-Wanderer]

The terms reploid doesn’t exclude X and Zero, they both function the same and Light has even specified X is a new type of robot but never coined a name which is where Cain comes in to coin the term as he used X to make more reploids but wouldn’t say that X was the first nor special keeping his origins secret to the point that the area X was discovered in was deemed forbidden though what authority instituted that is unknown but it’s enforced by the government. Something else to the classification debate is that robot master doesn’t exist as a term as the original term was boss robot meaning it was more of a gameplay term than an in universe classification. Robots is just the broader term while reploids are a subsection to differentiate human like intelligent robots while mechaniloid was coined for simpler AI robots

[@GribbleGob]

"Hello i'm here to ruin everything" - Dr. Wily personally I like the idea that all the Wily copycats in the X Series are robots infected with some kind of program Wily made to live on into the future. or maybe even the program didn't work which is why they only had aspects of him instead of turning into him. real body snatcher/Thing kind of horror.

[@diegomurcia9387]

Awesome summary, just one more thing to add: if light found his way to this time through the capsules and even saved X in the bad ending of X5, why wouldn't willy find a way to do the same in its own terms?

[@RockmanHQ]

Truth!

[@pablotomasllodra4423]

Senility?

[@darealliljable]

​@@pablotomasllodra4423 no way thanks for playing though lol

[@GribbleGob]

its pretty much canon that Wily, while genius, is incredibly incompetent. so pretty much a skill issue.

[@BrockLee3]

Dr. Light has always been there...the Capsules are simply a means of communicating with X, and giving X the Upgrades he needs. Dr. Light will create Parts Upgrades; then, send Capsules to certain locations in order to help X. Dr. Light is more behind-the-scenes until it's time for him to help X. Those Parts Upgrades weren't created when Dr. Light was still alive...they are being created by Dr. Light's conciousness in its digital-form as a means of dealing with new problems/enemies as new problems/enemies arise. Dr. Wily has always been there, as well. Except, instead of working behind the scenes, Dr. Wily is more out-and-about when it comes to his evil-doings. Dr. Light's conciousness is more like a Cyber-elf (from MegaMan Zero). While, Dr. Wily's conciousness is the true form of the Maverick Virus. All of those Reploids aren't going insane...they're being infected and controlled by Dr. Wily's conciousness.

[@10191927]

I think something worth mentioning here with the Wily/Sigma connection. Wily and Sigma never physically met, Wily appeared to Sigma as the virus, Sigma only hallucinated that he met Wily face to face. Wily was puppeteering Sigma the whole time, manipulating him against X and Zero to draw out Zeros true potential. I always thought of Wily as the great shadow that loomed over the X series, Wily was the Sigma virus manipulating the events of each game.

[@mateusrp1994]

I always had this theory that both Light and Wily basically turned themselves into Cyber Elves when they digitized their minds to go along with the maverick virus/Isoc and the armor capsules. But I had no idea the Serges connection ran that deep, I never knew his lines in X2 were so different in the original japanese, thanks for the info.

[@vexzel5550]

One of the worst things about being a fan of the series and studying the lore… is accepting that you cannot trust the versions outside of Japan. Japanese is NOT my first language, which means going into the original games in Japanese to translate the original text. Also going to Japanese interviews and websites or forums or anything you can use to pull some kind of data. This I imagine was much harder to do back when these games were made so I'm glad there's so many fans who go out of their way to look into these things. Even asking questions years later. (to themselves or to the developers.*) There's still a lot of mysterious with the Rockman series like what ever happened to Bass or Blues (pro to man) but I imagine they ended up eventually being put out of commission because there's no mention of what happened to the original Rockman series characters outside of Dr. Light

[@Xeno-The-Wanderer]

Thing is, cyber elf is a reclassification of the Maverick virus made once research to better understand it was done post XSeries and yeah the way they acted in X5 and X6 incredibly so paralleled cyber elves as they both powered up (Zero touching viruses) and healed zero (possible reason no one knows who rebuilt Zero as every party seems to not know and possibly made a 2nd Z saber since X and Zero have it in X6) while manipulating reality around them(X5 finale and nightmare effect) So yeah Wily and Light being cyber elves is pretty much canon (Light yes through X5 bad ending where he basically nurse and hacker elf X restoring him but erasing any memories of Zero, Wily more ambiguous but very probable)

[@barrybend7189]

It could be possible that during the Cyberelf project Weil encountered the dormant Wily consciousness and interrogated it to give him the inner workings of Zero from original to current version. It would also make a decent parallel for Ceil to make a perfect X copy.

[@Raniar]

It's long been my theory that the "Sigma" and "Zero" viruses is Wily. Like a digital version of his mind. That sits in the programming of a robot. To most robots he can only slowly edit how they act. Like a voice in the back of their head. But to those more designed by him or those more exposed to him. He'll be able to talk and share more.

[@FrenzyFanboy]

Wily did make the Roboenza virus so it doesn’t seem too farfetched

[@dmariots]

​@@FrenzyFanboywell if they don't use the term "robot"(reploid) anymore they can easily call it the maverick virus.

[@PakornThaipituk]

I agree. Since the Mother Elf is made from Zero's data, ironicly some part of Wily's is inside the Elf - to eradicate marveric virus (himself).

[@OttoniSaulo]

Come to the comment thread of yeyo3659, I'm discussing it with a mettool who can't accept this theory

[@grey8854]

Finally, someone did it right! This is the best connection yet! It was explained subsequentially, very well! Both Wiley and Light were still around and working during those events.

[@vicentegutierrez5496]

It makes sense because the Dr. Light capsules are sentient in a way. If i recall correctly, Zero asked Light if he repaired X and Light couldn't tell Zero the truth, plus the fact that there are so many capsules after his death just shows that he couldn't have created them all during his last days Both Light and Wily became AI ghost's that are still roaming the world, although Wily is most likely the maverick virus in itself

[@Gnidel]

​@@vicentegutierrez5496Capsule Light is capable of discussing current events that couldn't be foreseen during the natural lifetime of Light. It's definitely AI or a communicator, not prerecorded messages.

[@Xeno-The-Wanderer]

@@vicentegutierrez5496the capsules are supposedly only one that moves around, heck the armors for half the series are the same armor being returned and worked on between games which explains why they’re all similar looking up to X5 where it stopped

[@Arcadia_warlic]

Kishimoto did not lie, Obito playing the role of Madara was intentional. It had nothing to do with the twist being discovered early.

[@RockmanHQ]

The lie didn't have anything to do with Madara, it was that people thought Tobi was Obito, which he denied. Now we know that wasn't the case.

[@Arcadia_warlic]

When did he deny it?

[@RockmanHQ]

It had to be ages ago. Easily 2007ish. It was talked about often on old forums and the denial shut down alot of theory talk. I don't remember if it was just a con Q&A or an interview.

[@Arcadia_warlic]

I think it might just be an unsubstantiated rumour...

[@Bakanineinstein]

​@@RockmanHQI remember that being the primary reason so many people assumed it was good as a given fact that Tobi was Donzo for the longest time because of the left eye being the only open vantage point in his mask and Danzo didn't just keep that eye wrapped up but the majority of that half of his face leading some people to assume at one point all three where the same person... Between two Danzo was the one with the appearance and background to have been Tobi especially after he started giving off all that evil mastermind energy...

[@Sprinqgueen]

*shakes fist at Wily, Serges, and Isoc How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?! Great work on this theory. I feel like it’s one we all believe but no one ever takes the time to explain fully. Now we’ve got it all in one video. Also, the editing and the humor were excellent.

[@neaps8418]

How meany times must we teach wily? We teach him as many times as wily’s behind every plot

[@Hei_Darkfire]

It's a real shame that this plot point with Wily being alive never went anywhere. Even if they would have just said it was Weil who was actually Wily, it would have at least given some closure to that plot point. The X series should have ended with a final battle against Wily, showing he was the puppet master the whole time behind the wars in the X series. Imagine if the end of the series had Wily reveal that he basically took advantage of situations to further his own plans. Sure, he didn't create Sigma, but he could have just used him to his own ends.

[@RockmanHQ]

I feel like X5 was suppose to be just that. Wily stepping out and working with Sigma's final body. But alas we got X6.

[@Hei_Darkfire]

@@RockmanHQ Yeah, it seemed like X5 just set up more though. The entire series was building to X vs Zero, but the hints of Zero being created by Dr. Wily seemed to build to something more. X5 definitely was that to a degree, but it felt incomplete without Wily making any physical appearance.

[@Gnidel]

I like to believe that Wily from classics and Legends is the same person who mellowed down over time and decided to settle for simple life. I know it's not confirmed, but I just like this theory.

[@kamenriderovant9676]

​​@@redneckranger2144Inafune wanted the Zero series to be the other half(X series was supposed to stop at X5) of the X series. Which is why I say there will be no X9 due to Zero series just being a time skip continuation of the X series.

[@Xeno-The-Wanderer]

@@RockmanHQx5 was designed to be climactic though looking at the actual substance they still left the whole wily plot hanging in the air if it was the case. Supposedly inafune wasn’t around to supervise everything due to work with Inti on the Zero series least that’s what I heard around through discussions

[@Animeman1993]

I really wish Wily had a bigger presence in the X series. For what was supposed to be the finale with X5 they could've had Wily reveal himself in one way or another since there were obvious clues to him like the Shadow Devil boss. Perhaps be in a shared battle body with Sigma during some final confrontation. Even the fact that game was basically centered around Zero it would make for a satisfying conclusion too by getting rid of Wily once and for all.

[@MegaManNeo]

I really enjoy this whole theory which is made of actual facts (to me anyway). It ties the Classic and X series tighter together than one might think from simply playing the games for fun and yet to us who are more invested, it tells that both Light and Wily are very true still "alive" and continue their work. Plus, that both Light and Wily's replicas understand their rival's final creation at least to some extent shows just what base X and ZERO actually share. Really funny given that Wily originally created Zero to destroy Rock. Not in the Catalyst Theory sense but in the sense that Bass was supposed to do that job, as well as the Killers before him (or R-Shadow in the alternate timeline of Rockman & Forte 2).

[@ThrillerXero]

I always believe Wily is still around during the x series as robotic avatars and the creator himself stated that wily uploaded his consciousness into the maverick virus itself before zero was even complete

[@MortimurGrimm]

Thank you for this thoroughly detailed exploration that Wily was still around (in virus form) after his physical death. It’s definitely not a theory anymore, but I would like for X9 to largely address X and Zero’s history with both of their creators, facing their rivalry with Zero attempting to change his creator’s purpose for him.

[@BlankSpacePub]

I liked your video; it was a good recap of some old fan theories. The speculation of “Serges = Wily” has been around since MMX2’s release. For longtime fans of OG Mega Man and MMX, it becomes pretty obvious that Serges is some kind of facsimile or reference to Wily-he basically looks like a robot version of him. If he was indeed Wily, it’s weird how they basically dropped that Serges storyline after MMX2.

[@ColeFam]

The animation at the end was fantastic. This whole video was great. Ive been on board with this theory for a long time, but you really laid things out really well and made it easy to follow. Also, the editing on thia episode was really great. Keep it up!

[@RockmanHQ]

Serges with the Wily laugh is by far my favorite thing to come out of this video.

[@ColeFam]

@RockmanHQ Also, very familiar intro animation. Hmm..great minds and all that

[@jive238]

He has the appearance of an old man like dr wily He knows alot about robotics like dr wily Particularly about zero a robot we know is made by dr wily More than anyone else like dr wily Has a competitive grudge against dr light and dr light adjacent things, similar to dr wily Isn't shy about running away when confronted by dr light's robot as a dr wily does Comes to final confrontations piloting a massive death machine straight out of the wily hand book Is know to disguise himself as "totally not me" characters because it totally isn't him guys, like dr wily. You might look at all this and think he must be dr wily, you FOOL!! You've been duped this was all a ploy by dr x the real brains behind dr wily!

[@RockmanHQ]

This is genius, and I'm mad I didn't think to toss a gag like this in video. Kudos! It's always been Mr. X!

[@bazingatronz5114]

Wrong, it was Darkman 4 all along!

[@OttoniSaulo]

Thanks for validating every bit of my thought process. Also, crapcom did a hell of a job not being able to make good storytelling. X was supposed to be a dark, young adulta oriented story. Maybe we'd even have a nice anime adaptation today if they did it right.

[@Skypatroller_BenCD]

17:53 we all know that he is in fact The King of all cosmos in disguise

[@RockmanHQ]

This guy gets it

[@Danielss250]

Pretty cool and in depth video. I think I can add something on Isoc, after he stops functions, that disembodied voice calls zero "the strongest robot", and it's the X series, they're reploids, no one refers to reploids as robots, except maybe someone who lived the era of robots like wily could possibly use the term. In the X series they're only know as reploids nad mechaniloids.

[@radicaldreamer]

In X4's opening for Zero, I feel like most people think Zero was assigned to destroy Light or Mega Man. But Wily says "our rivalry is what gives me motivation in life.". So maybe when he says "now go, destroy him", he is sending zero to destroy a mysterious other enemy to both Light and Wily, or avenging Light and Mega Man. I have always thought this.

[@asteroidrules]

I was never really big on the idea of the characters who resembled Wily secretly being Wily, with the exception of Master Albert in ZX Advent since the entire Sage Trinity are supposed to be the next versions of Light, Wily, and Cossack, but after watching this video I think you've convinced me to reconsider. I took the fact that Serges never returned after X2 as an indication that plot thread/concept was dropped, but Isoc's fate throws an interesting wrench in that works. The seemingly spontaneous death of Isoc, combined with its inexplicable nature and the disembodied voice speaking to Zero suggests that Wily is taking and leaving new forms as-needed. The reason Serges never reappears after X2 could simply be that Wily decided that body had served its purpose, by the time of X6 he's taken the body we know as Isoc, and at the end of X6 he abandoned that body too. Initially I had assumed Sigma's description of seeing an old man speaking to him was purely a hallucination, we saw Zero experience similar visions and I always liked the idea of Wily "becoming" the virus. It's kind of a running theme in the X games that Dr. Light "lives" through his creation, X5 personifying Wily as the virus takes that to its next step: if Light's legacy lives on in X, then Wily's does in Zero and the virus, and the war between the two of them also continues.

[@Gittykitty]

You know MMZ would have been a lot more epic if instead of Weil, we fought a nanites welding Wily or he was still hidden in shadows orchestrating things. Like who told Ciel stories about Zero and he was the only one to stop (copy) X and where to find him.

[@marcosdheleno]

i always considered weil as wily.

[@Gittykitty]

@@marcosdheleno One big difference between Wily and Weil is... Wily doesn't want to just rule; he wants to be recognized and to be recognized people need to be alive. Weil, on the other hand, sees that he if he can't rule than nobody survives, he rather scorch the earth than be defeated.

[@Xeno-The-Wanderer]

@@GittykittyWeil was more embittered by the resolution of the elf wars hating the hypocrisy and hubris of humanity and his original motive hating reploids believing they must be under absolute control to end all conflict in the end deciding all must suffer putting that together (especially since his Project Elpis was completely destroyed in Zero 3 with Omega’s destruction)

[@puppylove3781]

Wily was Serges. He was an extension of Isoc. And furthermore, if you saw Super Rockman Adventure Ep1-3, the origin of High Max was created as an upgrade to Ra Moon (!), as hinted how he displays and presents himself. The same design parallels the upgrade to the Yellow Devil made by Ra Moon, and if the Ra supercomputer and Wily were somehow able to merge out of necessity or survival, then there you go...

[@LamunesADV]

I think it's not a theory anymore. As much so, I don't think those are the last time we saw from Dr. Wily. I know Keiji said "Dr Vile" is not Wily, but i bet there's something more to this plot of Wily being alive in Megaman Zero and ZX. Unfortunate, we will never know for sure how things got together after ZX 2 (advent) had an open ending and ZX 3 got cancelled (and for instance, the sequel to end the whole Megaman legacy story, Legends 3 (Call me crazy, but I always felt some Wily's vibe in the appearance of Barrell Caskett and since He actually gave him his armor and the name of Megaman, most likely he knew the past before the flood. Maybe a redeemed Wily from the future, but that's my personal theory)).

[@Xeno-The-Wanderer]

Considering legends 3’s protag may actually be Barrell but younger due to some Elysium tech (volnutt was able to regress to a baby after all so carbons regressing to prime seems possible if they found the tech) Wily being Barrell doesn’t seem likely

[@NeoPancake_]

I gotta say this is probably one of the best videos talking about this theory. I just wished capcom delved into it a little more.

[@kalil6]

considering that reploids have dna, calling a digitalized version of willy "alive" may be more accurate than it was first though.

[@shadow_man_exe4727]

i like that serges first fight is on a spaceship jumping around shooting orbs almost as if hes alien wily from mm2.

[@sh4d0wfl4re]

I always interpreted Wily’s Roboenza virus as an attempt to make his mind immortal; and that the Nightmare Zero virus that initially jumped from Zero to Sigma creating the Maverick Virus was on a non-trivial level Wily possessing Zero and Sigma. While the eventual Sigma Virus was a mutation due to Sigma overtaking the Wily possessing him

[@lRealRed]

Took me too long to find this channel. Great work, subscribed, it's gonna be a megaman week now!

[@RockmanHQ]

Enjoy the lore!

[@TurquoiseStar17]

Awesome job on this! I truly believe Wily became Serges and you stated the proof in the best way I've ever seen. I like to think MM10 is another game that bridges the classic and X series. Wily created Roboenza, which is basically a prototype to the Maverick Virus.

[@brynshannon6692]

I've known and believed this theory for a long time (largely because all the evidence makes it basically impossible to refute, and it's AWESOME), but this video has shed light on so many facts I didn't know pertaining to it before. Thank you.

[@ryjoy]

Really appreciate the sources you bring forward, from translating the original Japanese to using the wayback machine to pull up lost websites. Also loved Springqueen's Wily-Sergei illustration!

[@Gaia_BentosZX5]

Also note that both the localization and original text are -technically- correct. The unification prophecy could just refer to Zero's awakening. Zero's body and mind have been seperated for too long, and the awakening IS the unification prophecy coming to fruition as we all know that american english is a lot more wordy than the japanese language, and with a text box that size, you have to be conservative of what's being written in the text box on a super nintendo game.

[@marco_voltage]

A shame that after x6 this storyline was almost completely dropped. Had Inafune managed to go about his original plans for the Zero series we probably would have the payoff for this mistery already.

[@eramferguson1701]

I think Albert of the sage trinity in ZX Advent is another Dr. Wily avatar

[@MrMartellSincere]

I appreciate the dedication and effort into making this videos

[@joshuaponsler6591]

Wily made serges as a back up/ replacement. That's the only way Sigma would've been able to "meet" wily prior to issoc in x6. Especially since Sigma wasn't even fully functional in x6. And the issoc theory would also explain WHY Sigma wasn't fully functional in x6. Gate was the only one working on him. And since being infected, Sigma was only a distracting pawn for our digitally hidden wily, who continued observing and testing zero through the entire series until seemingly the end of x6. Almost as if the ?? voice was bidding zero farewell with the reminder that he's the strongest. Which, depending on personal playstyle preferences, is showcased in zero's playability afterwards, even outlasting x as you get into the zero series.

[@jessefinnegan1719]

I really was hyped how X5 seemed to really imply they were bringing back Wily to the fore front. Then x6 happened...

[@Bakanineinstein]

I know it's confirmed that Weil isn't Wily but besides for his looks & a very similar pride in his humanity it's extremely realistic to think of Weil as more or less a reincarnation of Wily... Not the same man but built/born from the same stuff in a roundabout way... My head cannon on this comes from how Weil just appeared one day and was given arguably the single most important job for anyone born in his time with being tasked to work with X directly to find a cure for the virus... X probably out of time & options found & dismantled that teleporting capsule that Light had built to assist X with upgrades & modifications as well as try to be there with him as a form of support long after Thomas's death... This would explain how X obtained advanced scientific knowledge about machinery in order to subdue Maverick threats, but more importantly Weil's appearance and appointed role to help X... X himself never really got to be around Thomas back when he was alive, but we as the audience know he's got a storied history of blind optimism in his hopes for a better tomorrow despite the danger's his technology could bring... X probably assumed if he where to come across any such data like DNA records that they must've belonged to Thomas and where likely equivalent to a prototype DNA Soul found in himself & other reploids... But Thomas Light was the sort of man who would have tried to give his old friend a second chance and would have assumed only the best despite a lifetime of seeing the worst so at the same time failed to warn anyone about a potential outcome just to not set a child's life in stone... Whenever it became obvious the child couldn't be from Thomas's DNA at the very least such records being kept safe in tha Capsule would have been more than enough to cement Weil's place very close in X's life... Finally after studying Zero enough as well as connecting the dots himself Weil probably decided to see if he could somehow learn something about himself by interacting with the virus... Thus his "soul" reunited with a compatible body...

[@TheOmegaDragon]

Sigma did fight Zero in Wily's secret lab so getting blueprints/data on Zero wouldn't be too hard. They also failed to make a copy of Zero (the black one) which was considerably weaker than the original. Wily's genius is very much comparable to Light in every way. I think he does exist as an AI or through the virus.

[@johnboats9075]

Ok my theory is this: Serges is Dr Wiley's physical body just upgraded with robot parts as his body began to fail him. Hence the prosthetic eye and what looks like a heart module. He was afraid to leap to pure data like light did. But perhaps he after fighting and upgraded x he learned about the capsules and as a last ditch effort to survive uploaded himself after his defeat to x in x2. He then uploaded himself into issac unwilling to not interfere in history as light had done. Wily needs a physical form because of his ego. But can now hop from body to body.

[@barrybend7189]

One thing that may be interesting. Weil may not be Wily but it would be interesting if during the project to purge the maverick virus he is able to learn of Zero's core workings( not just his simple exterior components) and the true personality by Weil Interrogating Wily. I think the main Wily personality went dormant after Isoc but much like Bass and other machines his virus is still a separate entity.

[@RockmanHQ]

Wiel communicating with Wily during research is a new one. Interesting idea! Goes along with Omega being, more or less, the Zero Wily envisioned.

[@barrybend7189]

@@RockmanHQ it would also make Weil into more of a reprehensible monster and be a hypocrite by him killing Wily and afterwards being treated the same after he gets his android body.

[@neaps8418]

wily being around during the X series as a theory? COUGH COUGH SERGES COUGH COUGH

[@Ghaleonh41]

Good video! Can definitely vouch for how poorly the games were translated, since I helped with some fan translation projects. What I didn't know about Zero was that Serges/Wily created the Z-Saber for him, so that's good to know! Cheers!

[@JewelMaidenMusic]

Great video ! Happy New Year !! ✨✨

[@bardinblue9830]

Excellent video! I also have to add that when I first played X6, I was highly disappointed that Isoc was not a boss. The ONLY time Dr. Wily would ever back away from a fight would be when his Wily Machines were destroyed. As Serges, he fought X twice and didn't hold back. Isoc has some signs of being another Reploid avatar for Dr. Wily... but to just shut himself down without a fight, that seems kind of out of character! Unless... Alia mentioned a similarity to the "Erasure Incident" on Laguz Island from Xtreme2 for the Game Boy Color. If that did indeed happen to Isoc... who or what could have taken Isoc's Reploid DNA Soul? Gate and High Max were defeated, Sigma was incomplete and bordering on incoherent...

[@RockmanHQ]

Preaching to the choir man. Isoc was under utilized and it's sad.

[@DuoDynamo]

Starting the year with good content!

[@GCJACK83]

With Wily's knowledge of programming, granted this being his area of expertise is only mentioned in the Ruby Spears cartoon as well as why he most often steals Robot Master-class robots instead of building his own, it'd be understandable if he somehow digitized his mind as the Maverick virus and has been body-hopping between reploid bodies each time one of them gets destroyed. He starts off in Zero's head, transfers briefly to Sigma. Sometime during X he transfers into Serges and right before Serges is destroyed he jumps and eventually ends up as Isoc. Since we know Isoc was found as a vacant body at the end of X5, he, Wiley, is still out there.

[@Megaman-2407]

I need some good ol Megaman theory and you deliver lol

[@Dragon66898]

Wouldn’t surprise me if Willy made multiple robot doppelgängers of himself and/or digital copies of his mind/memories. If I was a smart as him, I would. Might explain how he was able to get so much work done on his own.

[@KibarBartzy]

Thanks for your hard work. I really want to believe Wily is out there somewhere.

[@wiffmastermase]

I'd love to see somebody do a theory video on why Capcom chose to debut the Zero series on the Gameboy Advance instead of the PS2. My theory: Quick answer: Killing off X on the PS2 would have also killed the company. Long Answer:Capcom lost $1.2 billion/ -80% of their market value and bottomed after Zero 3. I firmly believe Capcom had to nerf Zero's debut from the flashy, new AAA console to the GBA for damage control. the PS2 is still the world record holder for most consoles sold, and if the Zero series was so easily accessible; could have forced Capcom into bankruptcy. But they took this chance to have their dream come and getting the 'Red Bomber' they wanted since the development of X1. Capcom did everything they could to soften the blow with the limited technology they chose. But this is why the story is so well written. The dream of a 'Red Bomber' was blindingly important to Capcom. Which is rather insane, but makes for a great example why developers as of late have listened to their shareholders more than they do the fans. I can play a devils advocate with the continuation of the X series on the PS2, but I personally find that with it's release date so close, it too was a part of the damage control. The culture these games stem from was not dependant on technology the same way we are now. Nor did leaks or rumors spread the world like a BC wildfire. So it was most likely the biggest fans who learned first. It was also exceptionally possible that most of these fans didn't go very far out of their way to tell the world Capcom killed off a main character (something kind of memed they don't have the nads to do). Capcom's lifetime Market cap says it all. They never recovered from it. All that new money from 2019, thats 'printer-go-burrrrr'. Fast forward to today and apply the Bitcoin-Pizza-Theory to the losses; Capcoms decision to kill X has costed them a whopping $14 Billion. Whats your thoughts?

[@surge123456789]

21:20 One reason I think this is wilys voice is in what he says. "You're the strongest ROBOT" No one in the world of MMX calls reploids "robots", technically X and Zero are robots...advanced robots if anything but thinking and feeling machines are called Reploids and non sentient ones are called macaniloids instead of robots. My point is it is not out of place for wily to call zero the worlds strongest robot instead of the worlds strongest reploid (he might even resent that all intelligent robots are based on X and not Zero)

[@Kuudere-Kun]

I was finding it really arbitrary why there are only two X games with a Robotic avatar of Wily, but then as I was thinking about it I realized there is another common denominator, both those Games are the one where Zero has died at the end of the prior game and so is partly about Zero's Resurrection. So there must be a system in place as a failsafe whenever Zero dies.

[@RedReploid.Z.C.88]

very informational, thorough video I enjoyed it,

[@kemshreddy]

Excellent work

[@RockmanHQ]

Thank you!

[@dansmith16]

I want to throw around that Dr. Wily may be an anti-villain or anti-hero, considering how humanity ended up being corrupted by power to the point they digitized themselves in the hope of reaching immortality in Legends. Maybe what happened to Wily during the flashback of MM11 showed him that humanity was heading in a bad direction and he wanted to stop it. Considering how airing his grievances about elevating robots were ignored by the government, they only responded to violence. Some time during Rock Man's era, humanity ended up outlawing all robots, which may be why you don't have any of the old cast, cause they were disposed of. Wily might have made one last attack and Light's lab was destroyed, but not his secret lab that housed X. Maybe Proto Man's reactor exploded when Light went to replace it. In any case, Wily stopped fighting since robots got removed. Would a villain just give up now that he would be the only one with robot masters? We know that during the time of X, humanity created a literal slave race of machines to do their bidding and even created a police force to dispose of malfunctioning machines, violently, and humanity is entirely hands off in providing support. They were apparently too lazy to fight the terminators. This keeps going with each new era.

[@BrockLee3]

Great video! Here's something no one has noticed (except me). But, because you created a great video, I'll give you another piece of the puzzle which I've never told anyone: After King was defeated in "MegaMan and Bass," Dr. Wily started working on King 2...but, ProtoMan showed up and destroyed the computer with King 2's design on it. HERE'S WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO: Do an Image Search for King...then, do another Image Search for High Max...and, look at their designs. You'll noticed how VERY similarly they're designed to each other, aren't they? That's because High Max is a "Reploid-inspired design" version of King 2's original Robot design. And, since it was Isoc (Dr. Wily) whom created High Max...it means High Max isn't actually a Reploid...High Max is actually a VERY powerful Robot directly created by a Roboticist...just like X and Zero.

[@luckysix1015]

To quote SomecallmeJohnny “Doctor Wily is always watching.” But yeah this is definitely a theory I’ve believed in for a long time. It just makes sense all of the pieces are there and Wily is up there with the best when it comes around to Villain stubbornness. Of course he found a way to survive, for all we know he could still be lurking in the legends era.

[@Xion_Toshiro]

Some say, that Dr. Wily is still around; in the Mega Man Zero Series

[@Mr.sosmog]

i love how this video is different then most because it has more evidence then just the Japaneses script even if the point is still there.

[@sammylane21]

Simply put, Sergis IS Dr. Wily. No doubt about it.

[@SilverPhantomX]

Great explanation and theory here!

[@RockmanHQ]

Whoa, a superchat! Thank you so much!

[@shatterhandofthenakedtruth8111]

Okay I am a old fan of this game series. And I first I was going to roast in the comments section Rockman HQ. This theory is about Serges and Wily is at least 15 years old and I can remember arguing it when I was in my early 30's. So yeah I was going to roast you for being young and not knowing how long this has been around, and not knowing very much. But I have to say you proved me wrong. You do know all the background of the discussion and you do know what you are talking about. The newest thing you brought to the table is the hinting that Inafune gave all those years ago. Even I didn't know this That proved to me that you weren't just some young buck fan spouting nonsense, but a person who had done the research and knew what you were talking about. So kudos to you. You actually helped solve a mystery that has plagued the MM community for well over a decade now. You have my respect and my thumbs up.

[@RockmanHQ]

Whoa, that's quite the compliment! Thanks! Feel free to roast anytime though, I enjoy a good laugh and can take a joke.

[@edward18517]

I've always figured I'd be a pretty fitting way to end the X series by having Wily's continued consciousness finally dealt with in some way in the final game.

[@mylam658]

Great video

[@vginsprdsobepr9698]

I heard there was a theory like this running around but this is the first time anyone has accurately explained it. This video convinces me now that it presents all the evidence.

[@Chrisezo]

Nice job with the video, I've always thought of the Wily connection in the X series being as in these theories, the plot just wouldn't make sense otherwise, I just wish that Maverick Hunter X hadn't been a "profit failure" for Capcom, because I would have loved a Maverick Hunter X2 and if they had done the same approach as in Megaman Powered Up, where they would make the bosses playable while also giving us a playable Zero, and maybe even make a stage builder, that would have legit become the best X game as it would have been on a handheld. Sadly though Capcom is always making bad decisions when it comes to Megaman, when they pulled the plug for Rockman X Dive for the asian servers that was the last straw for me, because Nebulajoy managing Global says that they will be on indefinite, but after Capcom killed the asian server and ported Offline for a quick cashgrab, I know that they don't really care for Megaman as they do for their other series, because otherwise they would have done a better job with Megaman X Dive Offline, where they would have actually fixed the crazy bugs it had, fixed up the grammar problems in the dialogues and a bunch of other stuff, as that was the least they could have done since it hadn't been released as a free product.

[@ArcaneEther]

A single use of that Dr. Light Armor upgrade ability will take out Serges's entire tank, leaving him fully exposed.

[@bardinblue9830]

12:56 - "Charging, and a Variable Weapon System"... uuumm... Alia uses both when she become playable in Mega Man X8...

[@RockmanHQ]

The playable nav's are non-canon unfortunately. That would also mean Layer has Zero's learning technique which we know is unique to him. According to the Compendium of Rockman X, Axl is able to make his special weapons in relation to him being a new-gen reploid. Palette is not, yet she can also create weapons. These are some major contradictions, and the nav's not having cutscene dialog I would argue speaks volumes on their canon status. While Layer and Palette are both new to their job and freshly graduatied, it is hard to say how much combat skill they have or what they are equipped with. Alia at least has taken out some reploids prior to X6 so she could at least have a buster. Maybe an X9 will give us closure on this.

[@That1GuyXIII]

What theme did you use during the intro? i know i heard from somewhere but i cant remember where.

[@RockmanHQ]

The capcom jingle or after that?

[@That1GuyXIII]

@@RockmanHQ it was after the capcom jingle.

[@RockmanHQ]

Wily Stage 2 from Mega Man Powered Up

[@That1GuyXIII]

@@RockmanHQ thank you so much.

[@Yamigata]

I think the story writers were onto something and then completely dropped the ball as the series progressed

[@archmagetyler]

2:30 i thought that was called gamma sigma cannoicly. whoops

[@williamzeo2493]

It would be cool if depending of events Willy could corrupt a Light capsule and install a virus armor on X.

[@DougFantasy]

If I remember correctly, X is not capable of being infected despite not being immune like Zero.

[@chimericalical]

“This purple guy who’s name no one remembers.” Do you mean Mac from the intro stage of X3?

[@HenshinFanatic]

Surprised you didn't go with "What a nice young man she was" from BN4 for the lolcalization.

[@IAMTHESTARMAN]

Hey there! I wrote the fan theory for Fandom titled “Mega Man Fan Theory: Dr. Wily Is Actually a Robot Seeking Redemption”. I believe Serges to just be an acolyte of Wily. He, along with the other X-Hunters, are merely imitating Wily. They want to rebuild Zero to bring back Wily. Thats why they speak of the “prophecy”! Zero was born to house Wily, giving him a chance to redeem himself. (This is further backed up by the timeline the devs created where Wily dies and Zero is created). Finally, X and Os is basically Tic-Tac-Toe. X was built to check Wily. That’s why one becomes active when the other does. X was Built to remind Wily/Zero of Mega Man. Notice that most games end with Dr. Wily asking for another chance. Especially MM10 where he actually helps MM/Dr. Light cure Robenza.

[@Gittykitty]

That's interesting, I actually do like a Wily redemption arc as much as I like him being the big bad behind the scenes.

[@rual9822]

I dont remember where i saw this or the source, but i remember someone mentioning once that the maverick virus is a evolution of the roboenza

[@tajoncannella9848]

Wow so Isaac was a robot vessel for dr Wiley

[@Zolothepug]

Willy would be pulling a William afton

[@burner555]

Albert William Afton

[@vicenteeus8432]

What a good video. I miss megaman x I think the last we saw X was mvc infinite ugh

[@TheKnizzine]

In theory you can trace wily existing in some form all the way up to ZX just with less influence and pressence of mind. Not saying he is Dr. Weil but Weil was a cyborg the virus could effect him and the virus could be Wilys digitized consciousness, kinda a strech but fits with stuff that starts happening in Zero 3 on.

[@Drachenhannes]

I don't see either of these Reploids as Wily. It's just total off-character. Wily wants to rule the world, not destroy it. In no incarnation of the character i ever saw him letting harm come to humans. He is very willing to use and destroy robots, because they are just tools. Even Mega Man himself just follows his programming. So Wily targetting them is on a whole different level than creating Mavericks and let them go on a rampage among humans. There's a great moment in a Sonic Mega Man Crossover where Wily and Robotnik team up. Robotnik wants to get rid of a captured Light and throws him out of an airship. Wily is appaled and shouts that he wants to best Light, not kill him. Their relationship sours over that one act. I know the comic is non-canon but i think it's a very well fitting moment for Wily. So in my headcanon the 2 reploids are copies of Wily. Programmed with his technical knowledge and memories, but without his character. So at one point the original Wily created Zero and embedded the Zero virus within him. He obviously died before Zero was found so he never knew about the virus mutating and becoming dangerous to people. If he was still alive he would be among the first to work on counter measures. His robot copies however never shared his regard for human life and only knew to ruin Lights legacy which are the reploids. They also copy him without ever reaching his ingenuity. Wily did not simply copy previous efforts. He always came up with new stuff. So the black devil reusing an old Wily machine might be important. Edit: Just thought of something. It also would make for a great way to show for the last time that Light was Wilys better. Light managed to program his capsule holograms with his sense of compassion and kindness. Wilys copies lack that spark of humanity.

[@BrickChick]

I would love if control chips look like battle chips omg

[@megatroidvania9285]

Great video fam! I feel bad for Ariga. He wanted to please a fan only for the said fan to back stab him and post it everywhere. What a jerk!

[@New2RetroReviews]

I bet its Wumbo. Love it! Always appreciate a good Spongebob reference

[@BigRed3000]

9:06 Ok I know that that's what the collection says but how does X not know that Light created him? I figured the message at the beginning of X1 was Dr Light's final message and that was found with X. In X1 the Light capsule in Chill Penguin's stage (which is the one I assume they wanted people to get first) he says "I gave you the ability to chose your own path in life" who would say that but his creator? This mysterious hologram that's able to give X all these crazy upgrades when no one else can even fully analyze him like what?

[@Xion_Toshiro]

"NO....!! MAH PROPHECY!!" ~ Serges; MM X2

[@RockmanHQ]

Pretty much lol

[@juancrossone2404]

Good Afternoon, Rockman HQ. I'm glad that You upload better content to your videos. I'm SO proud of You. 😍❤️ You are a real fan of Megaman and a true man of culture. 🥰💜 Thank You for every megaman video that you created with love, effort and dedication. Take care. Stay with your Friends and family who love You SO mucho and they are SO proud of your art. ☕🗿 Happy new year 2024 for You, man. And don't Forget: "I always come back" (in The coments, XD). 🎄🎉 Sayonara. Bye.

[@RockmanHQ]

Thank you for the kind words! They mean alot!

[@TempestJet]

I don't know why I never noticed the similarities before between X5 Sigma and Gamma, showing those bosses side by side is really helpful. Also that bit about Bass not having hair because he's a serious combat robot, when Wily's masterpiece has the longest most luxurious locks in the whole series. I refuse to believe Wily would make Zero that way and not give Bass any hair at all. I wish they'd continue this storyline in a future game, I think it's pretty clear that Isoc was Wily and simply abandoned that particular body once it had served its purpose. Then they just seemed to forget about this plot thread in X7 and X8.

[@bazingatronz5114]

That's the thing, wily actively dislikes bass. Zero is like the favourite younger sibling of the two lol

[@Xeno-The-Wanderer]

Not sure if it was a joke theory or true but I heard Zero may have been modeled after wily in his younger days, also long hair can have use after watching enough mecha, one instance had them be cooling fibers so the mecha could use more output of its engine, another was each strand being a string of batteries that when activated activate a hyper mode… I personally lean towards cooling fibers

[@vexzel5550]

I wish I could get a new Mega Man X/Zero style of game. Beautiful art style Difficulty levels Deep lore and story Fast-paced gameplay, action, adventuring, exploration, tasks, combat, movement, platforming, challenges, mechanics Amazing ost Playable characters Minigames And even online I know Rockman X Dive exists… but I really wanted a new Megaman title that is modernized. We had Rockman, and X (zero/ZX/ZXA) So now I want to see what new way to play the series that advances what we've been playing with for some time.

[@supersonicjc]

so generally speaking x2 and classic 7 were made around the same time... some things were crossed in translation and they didnt know where they were going at the time of the 2 series, serges is an avatar of wily in sense, and x5 was originally going to be the end of that series for the zero series to start up... only for capcom to screw that up and make new stories and isoc really is just another wily avatar, also keep in mind that light at the end of x5 materializes and fixes x, so honestly both drs are still around in some form or another, that and if memory serves isnt dr wiel from the zero series suppose to be wily as well?? in zx series the model w is wily as well... as for the power fighters endings one can argue that they made that to bridge the 2 series together as they goofed up with sergies...

[@RockmanHQ]

I briefly brought it up in the video, but Weil isn't Wily. It was outright denied by Inafune, and the similarly in names is only in the localized version. Weil's japanese name is Dr. Vile.

[@thesmilingman7576]

11:59 Power Fighters isn't canon though it takes place in an alternate universe

[@LordSpleach]

12:25 MAC!

[@ActionGamerAaron]

I love Megaman!! Have a subscribe!

[@user-mc9id8nr6s]

I could so see if Serges came back for a Mega Man X 9 that continues X as an X 4-6 tribute like 9 and 10 where 1-6 tributes in 8 bit. So Zero dies in an area resemling where Zero died Axl was corrupted in X 8 so after Zero dies the final time at the hands of Axl. X 10 the finale X 10 1-3 tribute X defeats Axl at the end Serges then mentions Cyber Elves leading to Elf Wars X a new series filling gaps of X and Zero with X/Zero traits.

[@user-mc9id8nr6s]

Serges/Wily would be the Elf Wars X villain.

[@nospoon3822]

If you didn't make all this up you are BRILLIANT xD

[@user-bn6ju5ip1i]

We never know what happened between mm and mmx, always one of the biggest wtf cliffhangers. If they remake x2 i hope tgey have a dr wily connection

[@clydefrosch]

if serges was wily, what reason does he have to hide it, other than to mess with outside spectators to the series? does he know he's in a game and watched by other people? and if he chose to hide himself, why give himself an old body that still somewhat looks like himself and using machines that somewhat remind people of his old machines? and why go out of his way to actually challenge an even stronger megaman by himself with his own physical body? that seems needlessly risky honestly

[@yeolemillinial8295]

i mean, in later MM games wily machine is generally just as cheap and rough as serges machine fight. only the early MM games wily was stupid easy, but by about mm 7 he was really rough. pretty on point if you ask me