Mega Man is a video game character who went through a number of subtle changes and redesigns over the years before getting to the look we all know and love.
The Blue Bomber appeared on the box art of the early NES games as a strangely burly man with a space suit and a pistol before gradually evolving into the now-iconic anime-inspired look that has stayed with the character ever since.
Seriously, look at the original Mega Man below. Did the guy who drew this actually play the game?
Gross.
Anyway, while Mega Man’s current look is sleek, simple, and fun, there’s no harm in playing around with perfection every now and again. That’s where Artist Marco Plouffe comes in with an unexpected new look for the beloved character.
Plouffe has taken inspiration from God of War’s bold 2018 Norse reinvention of Kratos to create a version of Mega Man that wouldn’t look out of place exploring the harsh wilds of Skyrim, slaying dragons, and generally enjoying a good sit down and a mug of mead.
Check out this impressive new take on the lil blue chap below. He certainly looks a hell of a lot more imposing than he does in Mega Man 11 and Super Smash Bros Ultimate. I really dig the amount of detail that’s gone into the whole thing, especially the redesigned arm cannon and Nordic helmet.
Marco has made it something of a hobby to put together strange and unexpected new takes on Mega Man. Other amalgamations take inspiration from the Alien franchise and Dark Souls, with the latter rendering Zero as the kind of From Software boss that would ram his fiery sword through your face before you could scream.
The most recent game in the long-running franchise was Mega Man 11, which was praised by critics for taking the character back to basics in a fairly simple retro experience. If Cory Barlog proved anything with God of War though, it’s that developers shouldn’t be afraid to take their characters to strange new places and worlds.
Now, I’m not saying Mega Man 12 should be a gritty story driven experience in which we guide our newfound son through a series of intense challenges inspired by Norse mythology, but… well, actually that’s exactly what I’m saying.
Make it happen Capcom, you cowards.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.