great thread. Other M's biggest sin is trying to undo what Super and Fusion did, trying (ironically) to uncomplicate the narrative of the series by rewriting the metroids back into their original villain role. But that nuance was what made Metroid so interesting

That's also why she's transgender

Button that reveals a handle for pulling down a keypad...........

for me, Samus' major character themes are those of metamorphosis and survivor's guilt. That's why I love Metroid Fusion

Alien 1979 is about the horror of forced motherhood. That's what the facehugger is. Aliens 1986 is a different story and a different director. It's like a Reaganite reinterpretation. Metroid came out the same year as Aliens 86. I would love it if Metroid were more like Alien 79. But it isn't

Not really. I bought Other M on launch day and hated it

The big bad of Samus' first outing is called "Mother Brain". The game was directly inspired by Alien (1979). The Metroids are literally just legally distinct facehuggers. It's always been about motherhood!

I would argue that Metroid just isn't a feminst series and never has been. It has other qualities that I like about it, it's interesting through a feminist lens, but I don't want to invent feminism on the behalf of the series that doesn't exist. In this case, it's just true that Samus is a mother

When I say she 'becomes a mother' what I mean is that she becomes a Metroid through the DNA of the baby she saved. And throughout Fusion, she's hunted down by the SA-X, which is the embodiment of her "stone cold killer" persona, like a specter of the unquestioning violence of her past.

It's not really a rewrite when the only character material from before that moment is a video game manual from 1986. i understand the desire for a stone cold female badass character but Samus really is more interesting when she has a relationship to motherhood. She's a parallel to Ellen Ripley

I mean. That's literally what they did in The Mandolorian. He's the parent to a baby alien. Boba Fett's show is boring

the earlier games leave a lot up to interpretation but it's pretty hard to deny that the SA-X embodies Samus' violence in the earlier games, and the entire narrative acts as a challenge to her "shoot first, ask questions later" narrative

Without that element of her character she's just kind of a space cop and that's lame

it's more 'character development' than it is 'out of character' imo. She inadvertantly became a mother bc she halted a genocide at the last possible moment. I agree that there is definitely a ruthless aspect to Samus' character, but I don't think it's wrong to say that was a pivotal character moment

TRUE

mystery dungeon pussy. it's different every time you enter