Zero

Zero (referred to as Darkman by his siblings) is an elite Maverick Hunter and undoubtedly Dr. Wily's greatest creation. He's a die-hard warrior who doesn't hesitate to take action. However, behind his cold and emotionless attitude lies a wounded soul.
== Appearance ==
Zero prominently sports a red color scheme. Originally, Zero's armor was round for the most part with a red, black and white color scheme and white shoulder guards with a stylized "Z" insignia on his left shoulder. His helmet is horned and features a sharp blue crystal in contrast to his partner, X's smoother red gem. Perhaps his most striking feature is his long blond hair that flowed freely about in a samurai-like hairstyle, making Zero appear fiery in comparison to X's more cool and consistent blue scheme. The gem on his head apparently acted as a restraining bolt originally, as during his battle with Sigma, the gem had a "W" appear on it and proceeded to cause Zero to freeze up and yell in agony, as well as his having a similar reaction when he tried to interact with Wily in his dreams.
When Serges of the X-Hunters reconstructed Zero's parts, he upgraded the body, including reinforced shoulder plates and Z-Saber. Other enhancements were the improved arm guards (in contrast to the original streamlined ones) and leg joints, with improved mid-air dash thrusters and gold-plated covers, along with thicker and bigger chest armor. A small "backpack" device is also added as both storage and recharging unit for the Z-Saber.
Like X, Zero's power source is solar energy. His body material is comprised of a Titanium Z alloy, and is equipped with peculiar mechanisms called the Z-Brain (the head lens) and the Z-Heart (the chest lens), which conceal an unknown power.[1] In addition, Wily claimed that Zero was powered by a power source that was even stronger than Bassnium.
== Biography ==
=== Versus Sonic Man ===
Zero, on his original name Darkman V, was Dr. Albert W. Wily's final plan in destroying Rock Light and proving that he's superior to Dr. Light, plan known as Project:Zero.
When Dr. Robotnik sent Sonic Man and a roboticized Rock in Rock's time to ensure the future will be under his control, Wily installed a failsafe, in the form of his Maverick Virus, inside the two: if they shoot each other, Wily should be able to undo Robotnik's roboticizing onto Rock and Sonic. Unfortunately, Sonic Man was faster than Rock, leaving Wily with no choice but to unleash Darkman V. Before Darkman could defeat Sonic Man and disable him for over 12'000 years, unfortunately, Sonic Man already killed Dr. Light and Auto and destroyed Roll's, Protomans', Rush's, Eddie's and Beat's bodies. Even worse, when Rock arrived on the scene, he thought it was Darkman who killed them all. In grief, Rock committed suicide. Wily, realizing that people won't know the name of Darkman, sealed Darkman for 100 years, claiming that, when Darkman will be unleashed, he'll be known to everyone as "Zero".
From this point to the climax of Megaman Zero 4, Zero's history is nearly identical to his canon counterpart, with the mentioning that Megaman Unlimited is canon to Freedom Fighters NEO, taking place between Megaman 8 and Megaman and Bass.
=== Xorda attack ===
Unbeknownst to everyone, Zero survived Ragnarok's crash, with his helmet being completely destroyed, though, but Area Zero, above which Knothole Village was built, became his graveyard, as, just like everyone, Zero was a victim of the Xorda Attack.
=== Attack of the NEO Mavericks ===
In 3230, Zero, alongside X, Rock, Alia and Commander Signas were revived by Bowser Jr., under the alias of Dr. Koopa, due to Robotnik summoning a new army, the NEO Mavericks, to take out the Freedom Fighters. However, due to Metallix causing a surge of Chaos Energy which made Sonic remember Rock, X and Zero, Dr. Koopa betrayed X and Zero, under the excuse that "one of Robotnik's men was controlling the Maverick Hunters." Most likely he was referring to Dr. Wily, as the fact that Zero was unwittingly infecting the Maverick Hunters with the Maverick Virus was allowing Wily to turn them into his puppets, but Bowser Jr. didn't know that Wily was sabotaging Robotnik's plans ever since he figured out Robotnik would destroy the Multiverse rather than admit defeat, and Zero trying to stop Robotnik was part of Wily's plans.
Originally, Rock hated Zero for Sonic Man's crimes. However, thanks to double agent Double's repentance, he figured out Roll was alive, but Robotnik was about to brainwash her. He did save Roll, but he got himself brainwashed in the process. X and Zero then helped an upgraded Roll to rescue Rock from Quint, the personality Robotnik was forcing into him. Rock forgave Zero afterwards, realizing that Zero was wanting to change for the better and that Sonic Man, the one truly responsible for Dr. Light's death, was killed on the inside by Dr. Koopa, and then Rock joined the Maverick Hunters. In the meantime, X and Zero also saved Commander Sigma from himself, as he was corrupted by Wily and, furthermore, by Gate and Robotnik.
After saving some of Dr. Light's and Dr. Wily's Robot Masters (including Protoman, whose faulty reactor was replaced with a Chaos Emerald, referred to as "The Stone of Chaos", due to Rock, X and Zero's memories being hazy), as well as many of the Maverick Hunters, who were all turned into NEO Mavericks by Robotnik, Peach's Castle started falling towards Knothole Village. Realizing Sonic was in danger, The Maverick Hunters planned to stop the castle. Unfortunately, they had no weapons, no defenses and no plan, so they decided to hunt down Dr. Doppler, as he was revealed to be one of the NEO Mavericks. On the way, they collect a bunch of Chaos Emeralds, which, after defeating 4 of the NEO Mavericks from Dr. Doppler's group, were taken by Dr. Koopa to fire Space Colony ARK's Eclipse Cannon. Unfortunately, The Maverick Hunters failed to collect the seven emeralds required to give the Eclipse Cannon the power to destroy an entire planet, and the castle is only destroyed by 52%. After a comedic moment in which Dr. Koopa reveals that the Eclipse Cannon was his Plan B (Plan A was the Genesis Wave), the Hunters start regretting that they destroyed the Repliforce, which reminded Roll that Dr. Koopa rebuilt the Colonel after he betrayed X and Zero, as he was believing the Colonel is more trustworthy than X and Zero. At the Colonel's advice, the Hunters rebuild the General, whose parts were held by the other four NEO Mavericks from Dr. Doppler's group. The General then destroys Peach's Castle by 86% and deviates the course, causing debris to fall on Robotropolis, damaging it without affecting Knothole or any other Freedom Fighter base. After Zero and Gravity Beetle save Comet Woman, the sister Zero never knew he had, from Jet Man, a free-willed NEO Maverick, Zero goes to take on Dr. Doppler, only to figure out Doppler was kidnapped by Mario, Dr. Koopa's archnemesis. Despite losing to Mario, Zero was saved by Metallix, who was designed to be the ultimate Mario killer.
Non-canon scenarios include: the Hunters getting no Chaos Emeralds, case in which Peach's Castle is intact and destroys Knothole Village, Metallix goes Maverick and destroys the whole world; the Hunters collect all Chaos Emeralds, case in which Peach's Castle is completely destroyed by the Eclipse Cannon, but Dr. Koopa informs about a "Zombie Mushroom Apocalypse" and they rebuild the General because he'd have the strength to stop the "Zombie Mushrooms"; the Hunters fail to rebuild the General, case in which Peach's Castle, in its damaged state, destroys Knothole and Metallix goes Maverick. If Metallix goes Maverick, all the Freedom Fighters are dead and the General can't be rebuilt anymore.
Dr. Koopa then turned most of the Repliforce into his own robot army, as part of the so-called "Project:Iris". Realizing the project was about Iris, he kills his own creator, blaming him for everything, (as Wily was revived in a robot body by Robotnik, with help from the Maverick Virus) and then he faces Dr. Koopa and then Metallix, bringing Dr. Koopa by his side. Then, he saves Iris from Layer, who had a crush on Zero, but wasn't rebuilt by Dr. Koopa, but by Robotnik, and then she joined the NEO Mavericks when learning about "Project:Iris", out of jealousy. The Maverick Hunters and the Repliforce then officially become Freedom Fighter groups, as Iris was the key to their alliance, and Iris retakes (with Signas' agreement) the job of being Zero's navigator.
Later on, Bass reveals himself to be Zero's other long-lost brother, but Bass only wanted from his life to destroy Rock. This caused Zero, who didn't want to betray X or Iris, to label Bass as a Maverick. Rock then killed Bass, when he remembered Sigma's words when the Darkman Series nearly killed him:
After saving various other Reploids from Robotnik's control, the Endgame Incident takes place, and the Maverick Hunters had to deal with a massive Maverick outbreak into Knothole, outbreak led by King.
=== Role in the Second Robotnik War ===
Zero, alongside the Maverick Hunters and the Repliforce, had an important role in the Second Robotnik War as well. Events include:
* Hunting down the Nightmare Animatronics, led by Nightmare, The Epitome Animatronics, led by Simon, and Nightmare's double agent, Music Man, as they all were labeled as Mavericks as soon as Freddy's Animatronics realized Music Man was a traitor.
* The early antics of the Brotherhood of Metallix during Metallix's decay into madness.
* The return of the Order of Ixis.
* The attack of the Iron Queen, albeit only when Sigma realized he can bend the Maverick Virus, which was still existent within him and Zero, to his will.
Despite their many heroic deeds, The Maverick Hunters and the Repliforce were deemed, alongside the Brotherhood of Metallix and, in fact, all machines, as outlaws by Naugus. When Metallix went insane, the General decided to fight alongside Team Mario, despite Naugus forbidding him to, in order to convince all Reploids to fight against people who believe that "all machines are Mavericks", as well as build their own nation of Reploids:
Although Zero was originally against the General's idea of a Reploid-only nation, Metallix made him realize he had no choice, since, at the end of the day, as long as there are organic lifeforms on Mobius, those organic lifeforms will either fear or abuse Reploids. The Repliforce then built Elysium from the ruins of New Megaopolis, with help from Emperor Metallix's invention, the Alpha Device.
The Maverick Hunters, including Zero, helped the Brotherhood of Metallix kill Naugus, fulfilling the so-fittingly named Zeroth Law of Robotics: Robots can only kill humans if it's for the sake of the whole world.
=== Simon Saga ===
After the war ended, Zero married Iris, fully uniting the Maverick Hunters and the Repliforce. When Funtime Freddy wanted to convince the Freedom Fighters that Ballora was purely evil, Zero was one who voted against Ballora being labeled as a Maverick. (In fact, all Maverick Hunters and everyone in the Repliforce voted against Ballora being labeled as a Maverick.) The Hunters did hunted the Mavericks they hunted at Uncle Chuck's Diner, which were revived by Dr. Golden and Dark Bowser. Then, they participated in the Olympic Games held in Disneyville.
Zero, the Maverick Hunters and the Repliforce all fought alongside the rest of the Freedom Fighters in the Third Robotnik War, as well as the Zombot Crisis and the Multiverse Crisis.
== Megaman: The Mega Return table ==