- For further reading on Shadow Man outside of the Worlds Collide crossover, check out Mega Man Knowledgebase. For the Roboticized Master, see Shadow Man (Roboticized Master) or his original form, Shadow the Hedgehog.
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Shadow Man is a robot who resides on Earth in the year 20XX in an alternate reality. He is one of the Robot Masters, a group of powerful fighter robots who inhabit his home world, and is loyal to Dr. Albert W. Wily.
History[]
Origins[]
Unlike most of Wily's Robot Masters, Shadow Man is an ancient robot created by the alien supercomputer Ra Moon. Thousands of years spent on Earth rendered him inoperable, and he was eventually found by Dr. Wily in the Lanfront Ruins where his master resided. He was quickly repaired and upgraded into a member of Wily's Robot Master forces, but his true loyalties lay with his creator. (MMA)
Worlds Collide: Shadow Man x2[]
The two Shadow Man robots appear together.
Shadow finishes off Shadow Man.
In the altered reality created by Dr. Eggman and Dr. Wily, Shadow Man was one of Wily's many Robot Masters, and had previously done battle with Mega Man. When Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man journeyed through the Skull Egg Zone along with Tails and Rush, Shadow Man was sent to attack the group with the aid of the Roboticized Master form of Shadow the Hedgehog who shared the same name. Once the Roboticized Shadow Man was restored back to the flesh and blood Shadow, the angry hedgehog destroyed his former partner as revenge for his previous capture. However, Shadow Man was subsequently recreated as part of Dr. Wily and Dr. Eggman's army of Robot Masters. During the battle between the army and the heroes, Shadow Man faced off with fellow ninja Espio the Chameleon, the pair acknowledging each other with bows before trading attacks. The outcome of their confrontation was left unknown, and the efforts of Super Mega Man subsequently undid the effects of the Genesis Waves, restoring Shadow Man to his rightful place in reality. (StH: #250, #251, SU: #53, MM: #26)
Home Again[]
Back in the restored reality, Shadow Man would end up serving Ra Moon again until his master was destroyed by Mega Man. This led Shadow Man to ally himself with Dr. Wily and swear revenge on Mega Man for his actions. However, Mega Man would end up defeating him when they finally crossed paths, and Shadow Man was later rebuilt by Dr. Light and given a chance at a new life, which he accepted. (MMA)
Worlds Unite[]
Despite intending to repurpose him for a peaceful role, Dr. Light was forced to call upon Shadow Man and other former members of Wily's Robot Masters when Sonic Man proved more than a match for the original Light Robot Masters. Joined by Quake Woman, Shadow Man and his teammates faced off with the Robian Hedgehog, but like the Light Masters before them proved to be no match for him. Fortunately, Break Man arrived in the nick of time to save them before waging his own unsuccessful battle with the corrupted hero from Mobius. Shadow Man and his teammates then witnessed the fusion of their world with Mobius, and were thus brought face-to-face with the Knothole Freedom Fighters and their allies. After Sonic and Mega Man were restored to normal, Mega Man having been corrupted into M'egga Man, Shadow Man and his teammates found themselves joining the array of heroes who boarded the Sky Patrol to do battle with Sigma-1. They were then unexpectedly joined by Wily, Eggman, and Xander Payne, and set their course for the Lost Hex to engage Sigma's forces. However, Shadow Man would confide in Wily that he retained his allegiance to the doctor and intended to double-cross the other heroes. (StH: #273; MM: #50; SU: #77)
Shadow Man and his "allies" soon faced an army of Mechaniloids created by Sigma to defend the Lost Hex. Unfortunately, while the allied force managed to decimate the ranks of Sigma's defenders, they fell prey to the abilities of the Deadly Six, which turned their robotic and cyborg members against the remainder. As such, Shadow Man attacked Sonic and the Freedom Fighters, despite his efforts to resist the Zeti control. They were later freed by the actions of Dr. Wily and Eggman and their Egg-Wily Uppity Robot Scrambler Cannon, only to be attacked by Sigma's army of Time-Cloned Mavericks. Weary as they were, the allies proved unable to defeat him, and it was only the timely arrival of heroes from the Street Fighter Zone that saved them. They were then divided into groups of two or more and sent to various worlds to pursue the Mavericks and recruit other heroes to their cause. Shadow Man wound up in the world of Golden Axe with Antoine D'Coolette before returning to join their allies in the final battle against Sigma. Sigma was defeated, and Xander later acted to undo his trip to the past, thus erasing these events and returning Shadow Man to his former time and place. (SB: #9; StH: #274; MM: #51, #52)
Personality[]
Shadow Man duels Espio.
Shadow Man is fiercely loyal to Dr. Wily, and is also quite arrogant, priding himself in his skills and discipline. He is quick to show his disdain for those who lack his abilities, though apparently not without some respect for those who do, such as Espio.
Abilities[]
Shadow Man's attack.
Shadow Man is a skilled master of ninjitsu, and employs not only the martial arts style but also the "Shadow Blade" weapon, based on the shuriken. He is also capable of summoning robot frogs for various purposes, including to ride upon.
Appearance[]
Shadow Man's outfit consists of blue armor and black clothing that covers his legs and the portions of his arms not covered by armor or gloves. He also has what appears to be a gold belt or band around his waist, and his feet, shoulders, and wrists are white as opposed to blue. His helmet, which leaves his face exposed, is decorated with a shuriken on the forehead, and has two white rings with red circles inside on the sides.
Background Information[]
- Due to the naming scheme of the Roboticized Masters, Shadow's Robian form shared his name with this Shadow Man. This was undoubtedly part of the inspiration for their teamup, and also provided comic relief during the crossover as Dr. Wily, Sonic, and Mega Man were all confused by the shared name.
- Shadow Man's ability to summon frogs is based on the Japanese folk hero Jiraiya.
- Shadow Man's profile pic is actually from Mega Man #42, which is neither part of Worlds Collide nor Worlds Unite.