Back with some more info about a new au I made up yesterday, here's the link to that post if you want a deeper understanding: Part 1
The basic idea of the au is what if Zero was built by Dr. Cossack instead of Wily?
That question led me to this design I drew up.
When it came to the appearance I think Cossack would keep some of the more striking details that make Zero so iconic. Say what you will about Wily, but you can't convince me he didn't come up with some banging robot master designs. I figured I could use Over 1's design as a base because he was co-developed by Light and Cossack. Not only that but Over 1 also had a Zero inspired armor, though I leaned more heavily towards its concept art than I did the official one. The end product still looks kinda off I think, but it works for now. Next time I'll probably draw a pose with more personality to it instead of just Over 1's default.
Now onto the story. It might seem weird for Dr. Cossack to built a robot using Wily's blue prints. I wouldn't be surprised if he hated the guy and would want nothing to do with him after Kalinka got kidnapped. However, what if I told you Kalinka was the one to convince her father to build Zero as a way of overcoming Wily's ambitions?
It'd be the best way to stick it to Wily by not only yoinking his magnum opus, but also building and teaching it to be a better person than Wily himself.
Not to mention Dr. Light's newest son would have a friend in the world they'd wake up in together. Both of them would have someone to relate to and rely on. Dr. Cossack knew Dr. Light well enough to know that if X would be anything like his father, he and Zero would be really good friends and could learn a lot from each other.
With all that said though, Cossack being Zero's creator brings up a lot of changes. Primary being, the Maverick virus. To that I say that Wily still managed to finish it but was arrested before he could start on Zero. (I know it's stated in a questionably canon source that Zero and the virus were made at or around the same time, but we'll just have them be built one at a time in this particular au). However the virus very likely got confiscated when authorities were cleaning out Wily's warehouse, potentially even destroyed. Unless Wily somehow created a backup, I just don't see the virus coming into contact with Sigma or any other reploid. Zero isn't the source of the virus here and isn't insane because of it, so there's no "red Maverick" for Sigma to dispatch and come into contact with the virus. So no Day of Sigma.
There's also the problem of there being no mentor for X. The way I see it, Cossack (or Kalinka tbh) convinced Dr. Light to let Zero and X to be awakened together, perhaps both being sealed away in the same lab. Meaning that X and Zero are going to be Maverick Hunters at the same time. Which leaves an empty spot for someone to fill the mentorship role. Perhaps this could work if I include more themes about brotherhood and familial ties instead of the fight for peace.
There's more to think about, but I'll leave it there for now. If this idea peaks anybody's interest, you're free to throw in your own ideas as to how Zero being a Cossack robot changes things. I'd love to read what you guys come up with, all I ask is that you be respectful.
