Mega Man 2

Proof that sometimes the most memorable and beautiful endings are also the simplest, Mega Man 2’s closing cutscene doesn’t have any big story revelations or explosive action. It’s just an image of Mega Man, having successfully destroyed several of his fellow robots and thwarted the plans of Dr. Wily once again, walking toward the screen while the seasons change and a bittersweet tune plays. Finally, Mega Man himself disappears, leaving only his helmet in the bucolic landscape.

I’m not kidding when I say I think there’s something existential about this somewhat abstract sequence of images. Watching it as a kid, I always felt that Mega Man must be conflicted about the fact that he’s so often called upon to destroy his own kind, and the abandoned helmet at the end spoke to me of a desire on his part to leave it all behind and go live his own life. That theme music imbues the whole thing with deeply felt emotion, making it impossible to see Mega Man as an unfeeling machine himself. (The tune clearly left a lasting impression on others as well. Here’s a lovely piano rendition of it someone posted to YouTube some years ago.) Unfortunately, come 1990 and the release of Mega Man 3, Dr. Wily would once again be up to his nefarious antics and the Blue Bomber would be called back into action. But I’m still hoping for that day when, his duty done, he can go live his own life at last.—Carolyn Petit

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