Dr. Wily

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Dr. Albert Wily, also spelt Wiley and sometimes misspelt as Willy, is a major villain in the Mega Man franchise. Debuting in the the original Mega Man, he has appeared as the main antagonist of almost every Classic era game, whose influence continues even into the later eras of the original timeline.

In the Games

Classic era

Dr. Wily is the main antagonist of most Classic era games. He is generally portrayed here as a brilliant-but-mad scientist who serves as an archenemy to Mega Man and his creator, fellow scientist Dr. Light. His schemes typically involve world domination as their ultimate goal, which he tries to achieve by building or reprogramming hordes of robots and Robot Masters and unleashing them upon the populace. Some games also refer to a shared history with Dr. Light, such as studying at the same university or working as his assistant, and hint at a personal rivalry as an underlying cause for Wily's evil actions.

A recurring theme for Dr. Wily in the Classic games is his use of a skull motif, as well as variations on the letter "W" to serve as his insignia. At least one of these symbols can frequently be seen incorporated into his fortresses, Wily Machines and various other creations. His most commonly used machine is the Wily Capsule, a saucer-like device that Wily uses to quickly get around, fight Mega Man, or escape after his defeat.

Mega Man

In the original Mega Man, Dr. Wily steals and reprograms Dr. Light's robots - most notably the Robot Masters, Cut Man, Guts Man, Ice Man, Bomb Man, Fire Man and Elec Man - and attempts to use them to take over the world. Dr. Light reprograms Mega Man from an assistant robot into a fighting robot so he can stop Wily.

Dr. Wily's robot factory - an early version of his fortress - unlocks once all six of this game's Robot Masters have been defeated and is accessed here by selecting an image of Wily from the stage select screen, leading to a cutscene of Wily boarding the Wily Capsule and flying off. He is ultimately faced in Dr. Wily stage 4, piloting the Wily Machine 1. After both phases of the machine have been destroyed, he surrenders, ending his threat for now.

The prior relationship between Wily and Dr. Light prior to the events of this game is not consistent in English sources. The English manual of Mega Man refers to Dr. Wily as having been Dr. Light's assistant and involved in the creation of his original robots, something that is sometimes referenced in other media. However, the Japanese version mentions no such history. Later games, including the first game's remake, Mega Man Powered Up, would establish that Dr. Wily and Light attended the same university, where Wily was expelled for his radical ideas.