The Dark Elf (ダークエルフ Dākuerufu), originally known as the Mother Elf (マザーエルフ Mazāerufu), is an important Cyber-elf in the Mega Man Zero series. Her powers helped end the Maverick Wars, but Dr. Weil also used her to start the Elf Wars. She returns as a minor antagonist in Mega Man Zero 2, and an important element in Mega Man Zero 3.
Appearance[]
Appearing similar to a normal Cyber-elf, the Dark Elf possesses wings similar to those seen on others. In fact, the only real "dark" aspect of her usual appearance is the shell around her normal body, suggesting early on that the curse placed by Dr. Weil is simply a shell to change her functions.
Personality[]
The Dark Elf doesn't seem to have much of a personality other than the fact that it knows little more than destruction and death. She does, however, speak of Zero, and it almost seems that she is calling Zero to do something, perhaps to help her. At the end of Mega Man Zero 2, she turned good briefly to allow Elpizo to survive in the form of a Cyber-elf. This trait in itself shows the Dark Elf's true personality shining past her wretched curse. During Zero 3, more of this personality was shown as the curse was finally broken.
It's implied that the Dark Elf hates or fears Dr. Weil, both for what he did to her in the past and his future plans for her. In the scene where she transforms the Pantheon Aqua into a Dark Elf variant, she shouts "Stooooop iiiiiit!" when it tries to capture her (since it was trying to capture her for Dr. Weil, allegedly for Neo Arcadia's benefit).
History[]
The Mother Elf was created as the ultimate weapon against viruses during the era of Cyber-elf development, towards the end of the Maverick Wars, the conflict that lasted throughout the Mega Man X series. She was created from the Maverick Virus data in Zero's body, as a "Sigma Antibody Program" capable of counteracting the Sigma Virus. This was not the first attempt made to counteract the threat of the viruses; however, it was the first of such attempts to actually be successful on a large scale. According to legend, X used the power of the Mother Elf to finally destroy the Maverick Virus' negative attributes, thus erasing Sigma from existence for good, ending the Maverick Wars.[1] The fighting did not cease, however.
The Mother Elf was stolen from a laboratory by the evil Dr. Weil, who reportedly placed a "curse" on her. Dr. Weil then used her to instigate what came to be known as the Elf Wars. This tumultuous period was so violent that 90% of all Reploids and 60% of all humans were killed. X and Zero together stopped Weil and his Reploid Omega, and after Zero went to sleep for 100 years, X sealed the Dark Elf away at the base of Yggdrasil using his own body as the seal.[2]
Elpizo with the Dark Elf.
The Dark Elf then disappeared into myth and legend along with Zero for 100 years, until the commander of the Resistance, Elpizo, sought to gain the power of the Elf during the events of Mega Man Zero 2. This quest led Elpizo to seek out the two Baby Elves, which in turn led him to an area deep inside Neo Arcadia, where he destroyed the original X's body and released the Dark Elf. After releasing the Dark Elf, Elpizo's mind is taken over, and he express his desire to exterminate humanity and create a world only for Reploids (this similarity to Sigma's ambitions may be due to the Dark Elf's origin from the Sigma Virus). The Elf gave Elpizo powers, but not enough with which to defeat Zero. After the battle, she briefly returned to her Mother Elf form and saved the dying Elpizo by turning him into a Cyber-elf, then returned being the Dark Elf and vanished after faintly saying "...Zero...".
The Dark Elf was seen again in various forms of prominence during Mega Man Zero 3, mostly tying into the mysterious Dr. Weil. It was Neo Arcadia's goal to recapture the Dark Elf, and Dr. Weil, in exile because of his crimes, returned with his creation Omega under false pretenses of helping Neo Arcadia capture the Elf for their benefit, when all he really wanted was to use the powers of the Elf for his own purposes. The Resistance saw through the facade, and Zero defeated Weil's reconstructed Copy X while hunting the Dark Elf. At the end of his journey, Zero encountered the Elf once more, in which it powered up his original body (inhabited by Omega). Upon Omega's ultimate defeat, the curse of Weil was finally broken, and the Dark Elf became good once again. She protected Zero from the explosion caused by Omega's destruction, and took him back to the Resistance Base. What happened to the Mother Elf afterwards is unknown.
Powers and abilities[]
As the "mother" and original Cyber-elf, the Dark Elf's powers are immense, far surpassing those of other Cyber-elves. Developed originally from the Maverick Virus and subsequent anti-bodies of Zero, the original carrier of this epidemic, she was meant to serve as cure for both the Virus and its mutations and so far served as the only effective cure for it. This is achieved through her ability to completely re-write and restructure Reploid DNA codes.
While her original purpose was solely to cure the Reploids, she also displayed other numerous abilities. Due to her ability to re-write Reploid DNA, she can drastically enhance and empower a Reploid's abilities as well as change their physical appearance. Low-level or even non-combat model Reploids (such as Elpizo and a Pantheon Aqua-model) are transformed into extremely dangerous war machines by her powers. She can also repair and recharge a Reploid as seen with Omega during his fight with Zero. (These abilities are similar to those of the three types of Cyber-elves used in the games, though on a much higher level). She can even convert a Reploid into a Cyber-elf as seen with Elpizo after his defeat at Zero's hands. Despite all these powerful abilities, the Dark Elf's most frightening trait is her ability to completely control any number of Reploids within a certain range of it. (Though Zero and X were unaffected by this remote control). It's unknown how much of these powers are by-products of its original power, and how much was caused due Weil's tampering with her programming.
Overall the Dark Elf's powers were extremely difficult to control. Any Reploid who attempted to draw from her powers was corrupted and driven insane as seen with Elpizo during his second transformation. Only Omega (a Reploid constructed from Zero's original body with enhanced abilities) was able to draw out her full powers, not only explosively increasing its already great powers, but also greatly boosting the range of the Dark Elf's remote control powers to turn nearly all the Reploids in the planet into Weil's obedient pawns.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In Mega Man Zero 4, when Dr. Weil uses the attack where he summons his Numbers, the sphere that he was holding bears a resemblance to the Dark Elf.
- According to "The Three Keys to Solving the Mystery of Zero and Omega" section of the Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works, the Mother Elf was created by a female ancestor of Ciel, who used properties and samples of the Sigma Virus to create the Mother Elf. However, the effects of the Sigma Virus also overwhelmed the Mother Elf, causing her transformation into the Dark Elf. This section also includes a disclaimer noting that the information comes from the early concept phases of the Mega Man Zero series and therefore may not be canonical. Therefore, these details may not reflect the final product and future releases.[3]
- Before Capcom revealed that the Mother Elf was created from Zero's DNA, many fans thought the Dark Elf was actually Iris' Cyber-elf, using as evidence how the Dark Elf knows Zero's name and the fact Dark Elpizo paraphrases Iris' final wish (albeit while scooping Zero out of it). However, the fact that Iris died long before the Mother Elf was created debunks this theory.
References[]
- ↑ Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works.
- ↑ Mega Man Zero 3.
- ↑ Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works, page 174 ("The Three Keys to Solving the Mystery of Zero and Omega")
| Mega Man Zero series | |
|---|---|
| Main characters | |
| Zero • Ciel • Cerveau • Alouette • X • Elpizo • Crea and Prea • Dark Elf • Neige Sage Harpuia • Fighting Fefnir • Fairy Leviathan • Hidden Phantom • Copy X • Dr. Weil • Omega • Craft Resistance • Caravan • Four Guardians • Eight Gentle Judges • Einherjar Eight Warriors | |
| Games | |
| Mega Man Zero • 2 • 3 • 4 • Collection • Legacy Collection | |
| Scripts | |
| Mega Man Zero • 2 • 3 • 4 | |
| Related Items | |
| Zero's weaponry • Chips • Cyber-elf (List) • EX Skill • Energy Crystal • Item Box • Secret Disk Locations (Neo Arcadia • Resistance Base • Area Zero • Ragnarok) • Pantheon (List) • Bosses（Mutos Reploid) • Golem • Armed Phenomenon • Variant Mega Man Zero Official Complete Works • RTRZ-Telos Drama Track Translations • Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero Rockman Zero (manga) • Vile's Incident: Eden dome, its sin and rebirth | |