Megaman and the Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics

Isaac Asimov a science fiction writer wrote these laws

• A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
• A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
• A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The Megaman series has the Asimov's Law of Robotics or limits to the robot's intelligence.  However Dr. Light apparently has decided to try and increase its level but some of them end up violating the Asimov's Law of Robotics:

To understand the Asimov's Law of Robotics, one should go back to the original Megaman series.  One may think about Protoman's change of heart after Megaman 3 who became good at his own free will, rather than following Dr. Wily (but he hasn't shown a greater power of free will).  But there's one scene in the original Megaman that still bothers me until today...

In Megaman 7, one can see the introduction of Bass but also one important part.  Now in the Japanese version, Megaman willingly puts his buster down after he attempts to kill Dr. Wily.  But you cannot deny that he already has thought of KILLING Dr. Wily which violates the first law of robotics by Isaac Asimov.  He is also shown to have feelings about killing Dr. Wily as well.  At this point, Bass as a villain still had loyalties to Dr. Wily but it didn't last long.

Bass is another case of a robot who had his own free will.  Remember that Dr. Wily wanted to create a robot similar to Megaman... so he created Bass.  But Bass just opposes Dr. Wily post-Megaman 7, I mean first he doesn't fear Megaman then... he opposes his own creator for his own purposes.  He has decided his sole existence was to outrank Megaman.  So he does acknowledge robots as important to King (who by the way, was just a Dr. Wily set up).  I just thought that Bass not even going berserk after using the Evil Energy on himself in Megaman 8, may prove that he may exist somewhere out there in the X series as Axl.  

Zero was another robot Dr. Wily made.  He wasn't able to use him because Zero had some flaw or what, which forced Dr. Wily to seal him.  But one thing was certain, Dr. Wily's precious work was all loaded into Zero's brain which may explain Zero's ability in mechanics.  After all. Dr. Wily created Zero to succeed him.  Zero was only a cameo to the original Megaman series but became a good guy in the Megaman X series.

The Megaman X series serve as an official sequel to the Megaman series, unlike Megaman Legends which was an uncontinued spin-off (curse you Capcom).  Megaman X was featured at the beginning of the Megaman X game's intro as a new generation, able to think by himself.  Though the testing was supposedly 30 years but it added extra 70 years.  Megaman X was found by Dr. Cain and so was Zero, who at that time was a rampaging Maverick, but not known what activities he did back then.

So here's my theory- Megaman X is the original Megaman totally rebooted and rebuilt, at the cost of his memories.  Nothing of the original Megaman was mentioned, hinting that at that point, people knew the original Megaman was sealed off and upgraded (note that Archie Comics aren't canon).  Megaman X carried the personality of the original Megaman but matured.  I mean, Megaman from Megaman 4 onwards started to think more as a teenager and then an adult... and Megaman X has a more adult personality in a way.  Dr. Light fearing Megaman's new decision system was too risky, sealed him off for now and to test him for 30 years but it reached 100 years instead.

If anybody in the Megaman universe violated the Asimov's Law of Robotics one too many times, it IS Megaman X's archenemy Sigma and his cronies.  Yes Sigma.  Sigma was Dr. Cain's most advanced robot who was supposedly immune to the Maverick Virus.  The Maverick Virus contained Dr. Wily's influence carried on by Zero.  Whether or not Dr. Wily intended that to be so, is a mystery but his influenced lived on through the virus.  After Zero's battle with Sigma, things started to change.

Dr. Cain in Megaman X was a human scientist who existed in the 2100s.  He created the Maverick Hunting robots in hopes of suppressing any robots who violated the Asimov's Three Law of Robotics.  At this point, robots with human abilities were called Reploids.  Sigma did mention that in Megaman X4 that the Maverick Hunters are tasked to hunt anyone who violates the Asimov's Three Law of Robotics, namely the second Law which a robot must do what a human commands unless the first law is violated.  Sad to say, but some Maverick Hunters have become Mavericks themselves either by the Maverick Virus OR at their own free will.

At first, Sigma didn't feel like he was corrupted.  He was probably able to resist the virus but remember, advanced programming can have bugs aside from the virus.  So my theory is when Sigma supposedly got infected by the Maverick Virus inside Zero, he already decided to go Maverick.  Sigma's actions all look like he does it at his own free will.  He doesn't go berserk like other Mavericks go berserk... he is berserk at what is is his OWN FREE WILL!   Plus, Sigma's minions have no qualms about harming humans which violates the first and second law.  Many Maverick Hunters who were supposed to uphold the Three Laws of Robotics like Storm Eagle, Chill Penguine, Electric Spark Mandrill and Vile all joined Sigma's cause.

In Megaman X3, he was responsible for the events of Doppler Town.  Dr. Doppler was yet another advanced Reploid scientist but was most likely not immune to Sigma's influence.  Sigma managed to influence Dr. Doppler to help him one way or another.  The effects started to go crazier when Dr. Doppler started to violate the Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics.  However it was Sigma's influence all along.  

Megaman X4 had the Repliforce and the Asimov's Law of Robotics explored again.  The Repliforce were banded as Mavericks.  Their only aim was to create a nation for Reploids who were accused as Mavericks but never to go against their human creators.  This was however Sigma's plan so he can have the Final Weapon, a weapon he can use to wipe out all humans allowing Reploids to take over.  Ugh, Sigma how sick can you be?

Megaman X7 presented Axl who is revealed as some prototype Reploid.  Remember the keyword is PROTOTYPE hence Protoman was named after that (but why his original name in Rockman was Blues is something).  He was an arrogant jerk, dirty mouthed vigilante who was part of Red Alert.  He was also immune to viruses.  Going back to Megaman 8, Bass uses the Evil Energy on himself and doesn't even go berserk, even helps Megaman on occasion to beat Dr. Wily but his own purposes which suggests Axl is Bass remodeled into a stronger, better robot though there is no official word.  In Megaman X8, Axl shows he can't be infected by the virus either.

Megaman X8 shows the penultimate boss Lumine.  While Sigma masterminded all the events, Lumine already planned betrayal since the start.  So the whole staged plan where Sigma and Lumine agreed to help each other, Sigma was backstabbed by his ally in the end.  Lumine revealed that he also possessed Sigma's chip and that they can go Maverick at will. Sigma most likely went Maverick at will with or without the Maverick Virus from Zero's body.  In the end, Megaman X, Zero and Axl all destroyed him.