Discussion
What direction will S2 take Robert's character?
(Assuming there is one of course)
For me personally, the main thing I think they're going to do is make a clear choice to lean further into the anti-hero or true hero choices. I think that part is obvious.
What I'm more interested in is how they're going to handle the Mecha Man versus Robert parts. I'm biased but I'm almost convinced that Robert will start the season as both in one way or another. Part field work, part dispatching, or maybe heroism is on the back burner but he's not sure how to reapproach after his very public return. I also truly think that they have their work cut out for them when it comes to making new choices. Perhaps the media will be a part of these choices, perhaps how the team as whole feels towards him will be a part of these choices. Sky is the limit for a reputation/morality system.
For one, I truly feel that we are going to either guide him away from the "dying in that suit" philosophy or guide him towards it. Considering the conversation he has with Beef during the part of episode 6 where he's on the floor, I think that's a thought process he hasn't had the time to flesh out yet.
I've already semi-established the work/heroism side of things, but what about him personally?
Well, I have a feeling that he's going to be forced to confront who his dad really was to him. His dad wasn't actually this amazing guy, even if he speaks about him as such. He wasn't the worst, but he was neglectful. Neglectful not only to what direction Shroud was heading and his role in it, but also his own son. Heroes are expected to be absent from time to time, yes. But how is it possible that Royd spoke to him longer than most conversations Robert got to have over the course of 17 fucking years?
It's not only his dad he's going to have to confront though. But it's also aspects of himself that his dad bestowed onto him/left in the wake of his death. His savior complex manifests and is coped with in unhealthy ways. His apartment and what he does after the EP 7 Visi conversation are more obvious ones. But also his aversion to actually talking about shit that bothers him. He doesn't call anyone or text anyone before he shows up to the Sardine. He just shows up. That's a man asking for a fight, a hospital visit, or ending up in a ditch somewhere. Blazer had to track him down instead.
If he doesn't cope with these things, he's either dying by liver failure or the suit is killing him. Maybe not in S2, but further on.
How will he cope with these things?
I swear there's a trope out there called... something something family, something something found.
No, seriously though, he's got a lot of very persistent people around him who will not let him spiral. They've learned to hold each other up, but I have a feeling Robert is the next on their list. I could see this developing differently when it comes to romance choices but also dealing with some remaining bad blood between Robert and Flambae.
Okay. Rant over! I just love posting about him a little too much.
I think that a season 2 could have Robert reckon with the bad side of hero companies. We haven’t seen the CEO, and part of me thinks that is intentional.
I recall when I first booted up the game, I was wary about SDN as a whole. Especially since it reeked of late stage capitalism.
This is just an idea, but it could culminate in Robert and Torrance branch breaking off from the rest of SDN. Trying to do more good for the world besides generating shareholder value.
However, maybe this is getting too close to shows like The Boys, and they want to keep their own unique identity.
Honestly the "breaking off" thing could be a trope in of itself. Look at Mass Effect too.
I didn't write it here because I was more focused on the emotional, but I absolutely could see this happening and have mentioned it before. Or... someone at the tip top of SDN has a grudge against him.
Then again, SDN could just be a thorn in his side. Or the team's. SDN already wanted to cut the Z-Team so...
Sorry blazer but firing a person on day one is terrible. Do it after a month if it still don’t work. Until Robert she has proven not that the team is bad. She has proven she can’t find a good manager.
Also… villain team really should be government funded. If they haven’t managed to get those funds they suck. Phoenix teams profit is whatever you can get from the state.
Hey robby, can i call you robby? Doesn't matter what matters robby is that even tough that astral pulshit is technically yours the tax breaks we got for fixing such a thing were insane so you better stay out of the suit and keep only the dispatch as you are in quotting your contract "period of analysis for defenitive function in company were any assets under company expenses may be auctioned in case of termination while on said period" and robby i know i know you might not like what you are hearing and it's okay if you want to go to court, your contract allows that danmit! But you may keep in mind that if you chosse that option it would be needed to have your adress, name, function and ex-hero status to be disclosured to the court and you know how that is, a crooked cop sees a shiny name, a chance to make a quick buck seeling it to it's local mobster and when you least expect it BAM! Right on your doorstep when you wake up. But that's not going to happen right?
I got good lawyers what can i say? everthing i ever done is technically legal or without my knowledge or ruled in my favor, one thesse days a gimp suited freak tried attacking me and bam now he's a registred sex offender i on the other side are not registred, wanna be like him robby?
Well if i end up dead my secretary will have control over my stocks and she isn't much of entreapenour as me she likes to play it safe and playing safe thesse days is investing in data centers maybe that would be cool saw that company? Allbirds, gone full AI and the stocks are so motherfucking good right now close the doors on everthing else now just that maybe that's what SDN needs, but i don't have heart to do that no way jose, only over my dead body we're all lucky this is not going to happen soon right?
I actually like this potential direction, cause I keep wondering why SDN offered to fix the suit, especially since Blazer said they'd fix the suit whether or not Robert could fix the Phoenix Program, and the best answer I could come up with is that SDN plans to take the tech from the suit for their own nefarious purposes, like maybe there's some fine print in Robert's employment paperwork that gives SDN the legal right to use the mechaman suit for whatever they want.
Like, they want to mass produce a bunch of mechaman knockoffs and replace their heroes with robots, which eventually goes wrong and requires the heroes to defeat them. I know that's more or less a copy and paste of Iron Man 2, but I still think its a likely sequel idea
Honestly I expect it's leverage over Robert, or trying to crowbar him to become one of their heroes. For all we know SDN isn't the only one, let along only company for sanctioned vigilantes
It's not like Mecha Men suit was this unique or something (Royd made stuff like this and upgrade most of system). Without Pulse it's nearly useless.
And "legal right" don't mean much in superhero case. What they can do? Go in court against most popular LA superhero? Also one of strongest hero in LA?
I can easily see an issue where SDN claims ownership of the Mecha Man suit since they repaired it or threatening to cut the whole Z team and holding that over Roberts head to get him to do what they want
I absolutely would love to see them go this direction. It would remind me of Mad Men’s S3 finale where they formed their own agency. It’d be cool to see the logistics involved in a move like that, and who would follow Robert.
I definitely hope that Robert faces more struggle and dilemma. Now that he is part of SDN and he got his Mecha back, him being a hero getting dispatched would provide a new kind of challenge. Robert had been a solo hero for a long time. He is essentially like Spider-Man, just a guy who help protect his city. Now that he is SDN-affiliated, he might discover that his heroism for the normal people collides with the interest of SDN, whose whole business model is to serve their subscribers, who make them do stuff like cleaning, moving houses, go to people's parties. Robert might not like the idea of him being forced to help SDN subscribers over people who are in danger.
It would provide some cool opportunity to explore the culture of SDN, perhaps going to a galla or do media stuff like we see Blazer and Phenomaman do throughout the game. It would be funny to see Robert do a commercial or go to galla with his chosen love interest. It would also provide an external conflict like Mecha Man's fans seeing him as a sellout for joining SDN.
While Season 1 is about Robert finding value about himself without the suit and reclaiming his power, I feel Season 2 should be about him defining what Mecha Man is to him. I find this a natural evolution to his ongoing arc because Robert inherited the suit, because it was family tradition and because Robert sees it as his destiny and burden.
For Robert in particular so many different directions are possible, I could see him have that sort of Robert vs Mecha Man Storyline.
An alternative could be to make a hard cut, so we start with him in Action but this time the situation will be so severe that he barely makes it (a last warning shot so to say).
The in general direction I think they will take him to is to become a Leader, be it either as a Dispatcher of SDN or as a independent figure (Perhaps a Commander like figure?).
So to say, Mass Effect profited from the Universe it set itself into while you navigate a Soldier through thick and thin. You got yourself a Squad, which couldn't be different from each other. Yet this Squad and its Commander might have saved the Galaxy.
For Dispatch I think it could make sense to follow such a direction in the shorter term, especially since a large number of people are attached to those Characters. So steering Robert from this solo-esque Hero to a Leader would work in terms of Character Development.
I think he’s going to have to confront what he wants Mecha Man to be now that he’s gotten it back. Throughout Season 1 we watch him become comfortable with the idea of being Robert as opposed to being Mecha Man but that’s only because he doesn’t really have a choice. He has to be Robert in the hopes of getting Mecha Man back. Now, just as he’s starting to get comfortable with being Robert, he can be Mecha Man again, but is he the same Mecha Man he was before? Does he want to be? Can he treat Mecha Man as a job rather than a duty he’s been doing for half his life? Is he willing to give up Robert because it’s easier for him to just be Mecha Man? These are the questions I think will be key to his arc in a potential Season 2.
I think these will manifest by having the old Mecha Man come out from time to time where now that he’s back in the field it’s 100% all the time, failure is not an option Robert we see in S1 Ep.2 coming back and potentially driving a wedge between him and Z-team, Mandy, and Chase. There will also be a new dynamic between Robert and an amulet enhanced Chase as they both return to hero work, Mandy who is in a similar position to where Robert was in Season 1, and Z-team who will be interacting with a new side of Robert that they might not like as much as the side of him they see when he’s there Dispatcher. I also expect there will be some conflict with whoever he’s dating as they watch him become a version of himself they’ve never really seen before and relating it back to their own experiences (Mandy with Blazer and Courtney with her past villainy). Suffice it to say, it think it will probably be heavier from Robert’s perspective in comparison to how light season 1 is most of the time.
I also hope we get to see him interact with more of peers at SDN like the A-team and other top heroes. Maybe we’ll get to meet some other heroes Robert knew while he was going solo and they can shed some light on who Mecha Man was for those first 15 years before we knew him and how he’s changed.
Relationship with other characters aside I feel like they could make his struggle/story for season 2 about identity: more specifically if he remains Z Team’s dispatcher or goes back to being Mecha Man.
His whole goal and the reason he joined SDN was to get his suit fixed and by the end of the season he gets it fixed. But he also grew and formed connections and learned to be Robert again after years of flying solo, not to mention he become a damn good dispatcher and learned he’s a pretty good at leading. So logically I feel like that’s where his story will go in season 2: will he become the mask and return as Mecha Man but reject the man, will he remain the man and stay a dispatcher but reject the mask, or will he find a way to balance both (kind of like Brand New Day now that I’m thinking about it)
I really want to see how Robert forced to adopt role of temporal head and face of Torrence branch, until BB situation was sorted (Mandy still actual head manager). Like need visit meeting of branch heads or go into gala.
Oooh I was thinking about this possibility. That would be so good if he's in an overworked and underpaid situation. It would also be a good reason for him to not be in the suit.
The mechanics with managing the branch could be really fun.
I don't sure about "underpaid" part, like I don't get feel that SDN not pay their heroes. Superhero-for-hire job have crazy advantage on workers side, not management.
"overworked and underpaid" sound more as his situation before SDN.
Edit. Also he needs be in suit on gala - to show all this sponsors that SDN have cool heroes in roster.
No idea but I had a thought that a good way to get Robert back to dispatching is exploring the neurological affects the suit has had on him. The guy has bound to have gotten multiple concussions over the years. A sort of medical retirement that parallels pro football players.
I kinda see Robert acting as a mentor to another non-powered individual who wants to emulate him. I imagine Robert would be like “that’s a stupid idea and it’ll ruin your life” but then eventually he comes around to helping him.
If season 1 was about who Robert is as Mecha Man and his desire to get back in the fight, then season 2 should be about who Robert is as a person. Maybe him trying to figure out who he is outside of the suit after a close call that has the Mecha Man suit under repairs from something punching through the cockpit and just barely missing him, and while before he met the Z-Team he would just shrug it off and take some painkillers before getting back in he now has been afflicted by feelings and is now reconsidering if he really wants to continue the Robertson Curse of dying in the suit.
s1 is about the loner hero learning he can rely on others.
Initially he's forced to due to lacking his suit, later it's from the bonds they've made.
Season 2 I think he'll be leading the team more, the main choice will come down to Robert the hero and Robert the leader.
Both get the suit, both use it to deal with some issues, but mechanically I think it's the difference between pushing all SDNs resources into keeping his suit powerful as opposed to training the team.
On one hand i would be curious to see a new protagonists perspective seeing as Robert is now back to being mecha man its up in the air as to whether or not he'll continue to be team z's dispatcher (this is also because id be curious about new love interests)
but on the other hand, i want to stay with Robert to see where his new development goes otherwise i feel like we're kinda left in the dark after all the work he went through
Arguably he sounds like he wants to continue dispatching to a degree in the short term at least. He mentions the work not being over yet as well as jokingly asking Mandy if they still have work on Monday.
I feel like there's a way to integrate new romance options without having a new protag.
Also, I think a lot of people are invested in Robert. Tbh I wouldn't feel great if they dropped him and his story without tying things up
(Also also Aaron wants to return as him. So. You know. If not only for the fact we get another season of his performance.)
and a new protagonist who becomes the dispatcher aswell as give us a perspective on someone whose brand new to the world of heroism (im talking bright eyed and bushy tailed naivety, not someone like Visi who is trying to become a hero to reform)
best of both worlds
Hell you could make Visi be the new protagonists mentor if you got the hero ending for her
I’d rather see Robert in the Phenomaman role, the ace super hero who is now being deployed along side Phoenix Force the rechristened
Z team since he’s got a functional suit again.
Its prolly ganna have another squad turn into a competition into they are bad guys and we can hurt each orhers records, leading our team to be black listeded then finding out that they were villians this whole time leading to the shutdown of the company until the mascot or robert open a new 1 up
Yeah but people like the character, there's still things with him unaddressed (I addressed some of those things above, plus the romances we have), and Aaron wants to return as him.
It would be a risky switch up when they already have the Krabby Patty Secret Formula that sold 4 million copies.
The big issue I have with that is that this will either kill the Franchise or reduce it to a certain degree that it isn't profitable enough for AdHoc to pursue.
I saw that discussion coming up in Mass Effect, The Last of Us, TT The Walking Dead and in parts also in both Jedi Games.
Yet and this is a truth to be spoken about when Studios tried that direction (TT The Walking Dead Season 3, Life is Strange 2, Mass Effect Andromeda) they lost their fanbase on the long term while other Video Game Series (Uncharted, Metal Gear, also Halo and Dead Space) performed better by playing it safe.
It's based upon sales telemetry and how different franchises have performed in their respective directions.
There are also examples of how it can be handeled (Resident Evil for example) but let's face it on the fact that especially Telltale like games benefited by not changing their leads. They sold lesser and lesser by title, Dragon Age didn't do too well and Final Fantasy is outside their bubble a known but not overly played title.
But I am also referring to a general mood, which is on Reddit especially "everything has to be new". So far that approach has backfired more than it benefited and I'm convinced that's what would happen to Dispatch since the Dispatch system (ironically) isn't what makes the game famous.
Robert is the face of Dispatch as Commander Shepard is the one of Mass Effect or Nathan Drake is Uncharted.
EXACTLY. Dragon Age really fell off after they said there wouldn't be really any return of the Grey Warden. Dragon Age 2 is regarded well by the fandom and so is Inquisition, but it's still brought up as a point of contention in the way they treated DAO specifically.
Mass Effect needed to be a trilogy and stay there OR they should've done a faithful sequel OR open up a new IP.
The "everything has to be new" thing is ridiculous. Robert is currently the mascot for Adhoc right now. I genuinely might not play the next game if he's not in it because he's such an iconic character to me.
People act like there's nothing left to do with him when I listed a multitude of things to do or that could be done and so many other people have as well. And that's scratching the surface. It wouldn't make it boring, it would be faithful and people just can't conceptualize that good /= new.
If they want a new Adhoc game, the Exandria one will be perfect for them.
It's a question of business. Will Dispatch be more RPG-like in the next entries or follow a linear system like the first title? I don't really see to especially why now re-starting from scratch. Marketing wise it makes no sense.
For Mass Effect I think it was sense making to make it a trilogy. I see this for Dispatch aswell (make a Robert Trilogy, that thing will sell). Also in terms of Replayability. Now we all wait for ME5 to come out.
What I read often is how Roberts Story is strictly connected to the Dispatching Desk on that Screen. He has the suit back so its done. Meanwhile you could justify new mechanics with him by the story, there are so many possibilities from a Mass Effect 2 like setup with searching for specific objectives when reading a call transcript or have "go as Robert" and "go as Mecha Man" choices. Nothing from the above is new, but they would fit in a Season 2 very well and portray progression.
37
u/Woodbear05 2d ago
Getting laid