this… got long. I just wanted to write about some details in Dispatch I don’t often see discussed (granted, I only got into it like two weeks ago), mostly regarding Robert’s hero identity and reveal. I even compiled sources for this, so spoilers ahead!
in Episode 1, the news commentary + press conference segment confirm that it’s public knowledge all three generations of Mecha Man are from the same family.
“Everything I’ve done, every sacrifice me and my family have made has been for the people of Los Angeles…” — Robert, Episode 1
“Your father, your grandfather, they must be rolling over in their graves.” — Charles Kingsley, South Bay Signal; Episode 1
the timeline isn’t explicitly clear about how long each Robertson was Mecha Man, but we do know that it’s been nearly fifty years total.
“For nearly fifty years a Mecha Man has protected Los Angeles.” — News Anchor, Episode 1
“Gramps was the first Mecha Man, he died in the suit before I was born.” — Robert, Episode 1
between fifty years and before Robert was born (using 31-32 as Robert’s current age, based on TIMELINE below) means Mecha Man ‘Prime’ was active for 19 years at most. Mecha Man ‘Astral’ would then have been active for 16 years at minimum to make up the difference, since we know Robert’s dad died 15 years ago.
what we don’t know is how the first Mecha Man suit was powered prior to Shroud, aka Elliot Connors, providing the Astral Pulse. and evidence from multiple sources do point toward Shroud as the creator, though we also aren’t told why he can’t just make a new one.
“Good news, buddy. Shroud says he just wants the Astral Pulse. Which, we all know, isn’t really yours anyway.” — Toxic, Episode 1
“Your dad said he’d help me build a mech if I helped him build the Astral Pulse. Just another promise he didn’t come through on.” — Shroud, Episode 8
“Hey, you got the Astral Pulse out of him [Elliot]. What about the rest of us?” Chase to Robbie, Dispatch Comic Issue #5
okay, let’s be real, the man may have been a public hero, but he was not a good father.
“Yeah, that’s totally the fuckin’ same as my dad never being home.” — Young Robert, Episode 7
“Den we talk tech stuff fo’ like one whole hour.” “That’s longer than any conversation I ever had with him.” — Royd & Robert, Episode 3
neglect is a form of child abuse! we know he wasn’t around much, leaving Chase to babysit Robert when he was away, but even when he was around… well. in Dispatch Comic Issue #5, set in 1999, he knowingly let his kid (only 8 or 9 years old at the time, based on TIMELINE below) tinker in his workshop unattended, which leads to the Mecha Man suit initiating a defensive protocol that nearly kills Robert if not for Chase’s super-speed intervention. this is how Robert got the wound on his ear, btw. Robbie does, at least (bare minimum!), first ask Robert “Are you alright? Are you hurt?” after deactivating the protocol, but he is not shown to give any comfort. instead he commands Robert to “get up” while Chase is the one cradling his injured and crying son.
“Some tough love.” “The only kind I know.” — Chase & Robert, Episode 2
someone else did the math on how old Robert is based on Chase’s known age, and I think there’s a solid argument to be made for Robert immediately taking up the mantle of Mecha Man after his father’s death.
“Dad was killed fighting Shroud. That’s when I took over.” — Robert, Episode 1
“If you had people trying to kill you for the last fifteen years, you’d be jumpy too.” — Robert, Episode 2
“So Shroud kills your father, goes to jail fifteen years, breaks out and immediately dupes you into a trap where he destroys the Mecha Man suit and puts you in a coma for months (emphasis on plural)…” — Charles Kingsley, South Bay Signal; Episode 1
now, how long was Robert in a coma? at minimum, 2 months (plural). I don’t think he was put into a coma as a direct result of the explosion after his failed fight with Shroud, given that we see him conscious and standing over the wreckage of the Mecha Man suit in Dispatch Comic Issue #5, along with some dialogue from the game:
“How you got dis ting in your apartment anyways? Supah heavy da buggah.” “I disassembled it and took it in little pieces. Which is what I thought you’d be doing.” “And how long dat take you?” “Three or, no it was four days.” — Royd & Robert, Episode 3
“I spent a couple weeks after it happened trying to track [the Astral Pulse] down.” — Robert, Episode 3
even if he was put into a coma right away and spent that time looking for the Astral Pulse after he woke up, there’s still a maximum time limit.
“It was just over four months ago that image like this were recorded across the Southland.” — News Anchor, Episode 1
which, taken altogether, means Robert was likely 16-17 when he became Mecha Man, did that for 15 years, and was in a coma for a minimum of 2, maximum of 3.75 months before signing up with SDN, making him 31-32 for the main events of the game.
“Three generations of pilot, their identities kept secret, have given everything to protect this community…” — News Anchor, Episode 1
so the identity of the Robertsons as the pilots has always been secret, but how recognizable is Mecha Man as Mecha Man? without the metal suit, I mean.
“You’re the real deal. You’re the famous one.” — Blonde Blazer to Robert, Episode 1
Robert isn’t surprised or alarmed to be recognized as Mecha Man when he’s wearing his masked pilot costume. this happens with Blonde Blazer on the street, Flambae at the Crypto Night bar, and Waterboy in the SDN lobby. you can declare to the thieves stealing TVs that you’re Mecha Man, while the TV is literally broadcasting a photo of Robert in his pilot costume, next to his suit, on the news. his appearance in the pilot costume isn’t a secret, but neither is it as iconic as the appearance of the actual suit itself.
“Now that you- your face is next-aside-a my face… I see that I know you— of you. You’re Mecha Man— I… you’re dead… I thought.” — Waterboy, Episode 2
Mecha Man as the pilot must have been a public figure before the press conference aired, otherwise Waterboy’s comment doesn’t make sense. he’d already know Mecha Man isn’t dead if he only recognizes Mecha Man, the pilot, from the recent media address.
it’s also public knowledge that at least the first pilot of Mecha Man had no powers, but this holds true for the current generation of Mecha Man, too.
“Shroud’s augments are pretty good when normies like you use ’em…” — Toxic, Episode 1
“Hey, you should give yourself more credit. To do what you did, for as long as you did… especially without superpowers.” — Blonde Blazer, Episode 1
if that’s not enough, Robert himself confirms it for the media.
“Answer the question, buddy boy. Are you retiring? […]” “Well, I don’t have a suit, and I don’t have any superpowers so yeah, short of a miracle… pretty much.” — Chris Stratton, Torrance Tribune & Robert; Episode 1
there’s also Flambae, who equates the Mecha Man suit to Robert’s superhero status, and Prism, who (if Robert’s identity is revealed) wins the bet about Robert’s superhero identity on the basis of Mecha Man being a superhero who doesn’t have superpowers.
“Don’t you watch the news? This is a superhero bar… And you are not Mecha Man anymore.” — Flambae, Episode 1
“Told y’all! It’s so obvious he don’t have super powers.” — Prism, Episode 6
here’s where it gets interesting with the rest of the Z-Team. before the choice to reveal Robert’s identity, Robert encounters Malevola and Prism in the break room where they try to figure out what superhero he is based on what superpower he might have. the banter with Invisigal at the start of the next shift also frames the bet within the context of Robert having a non-obvious superpower.
“Maybe he’s got an iron stomach.” “Do we know anybody like that? Super digestion?” — Malevola & Prism, Episode 5
“We’ve got a few guesses at your identity, leading one right now is Blueballs man.” “Lemme guess, his power is not being able to nut?” — Invisigal & Robert, Episode 5
so at this point, Prism doesn’t suspect that Robert is Mecha Man (i.e. doesn’t have powers), but she figures it out in time to win the bet if you choose to have Robert reveal his identity to the team. which is frankly hilarious to me, that she watched Robert fight like a feral honey badger in the bar fight and went ‘yep, that guy doesn’t have powers and did his hero work from inside a metal suit’. she still appears shocked by the reveal, though.
“That’s, like, a real superhero.” — Prism, Episode 5
“No fucking way… can’t be.” — Punch-Up, Episode 5
“Wait. Robert’s Mecha Man?” — Malevola, Episode 6
depending on when the reveal happens, either Punch-Up or Malevola will verbally comment with surprise, and they both lose the bet to Prism if you have Robert reveal his identity to the team. Golem, Phenomaman, and Sonar or Coupé don’t have particularly notable reactions, but their expressions do seem to show some level of surprise as well, even if they aren’t expressly depicted handing money over to Prism for the lost bet.
“A washed up dad bod superhero with no superpowers… Can’t wait…” — Invisigal, Episode 2
“You one funny bugga… Mecha Man.” — Royd to Robert, Episode 2
“Does he look up to me or— Wait, does he know I’m Mecha Man?” “Yeah… But he said he won’t tell anyone.” — Robert & Blonde Blazer, about Waterboy; Episode 4
Z-Team members who are confirmed to know Robert is Mecha Man are Invisigal, Royd, and Waterboy. I haven’t seen anything to definitively prove or disprove Sonar knowing, from overhearing Robert’s conversation with Invisigal in the break room during Episode 2, but I personally think it seems unlikely that he wouldn’t bring it up if he knew. if anything, Malevola is the one most likely to catch the leak.
“We figure it out, bruddah. The man can be mecha again.” — Royd, Episode 6
“This your family photo area? Kinda morbid, which I’m kinda into.” — Invisigal, Episode 6
honestly, Malevola should be able to figure it out when she comes early for the housewarming party, given the topic up for discussion, but maybe she’s just not paying that much attention. or, she understands that they’re looking into fixing the Mecha Man suit, but not necessarily that Robert is Mecha Man. also, what does Z-Team think happened when Robert was in the infirmary after Proto Pulse #19 fails, if Robert’s identity isn’t revealed?? like, they still got him a gift and wrote a note to say “CONGRATS ON NOT DYING”, but presumably without the full context. I guess in a world of superpowers, it’s not too crazy to just randomly get caught in an explosion and be in need of medical care?? the biggest potential oversight, though, comes from Episode 3.
“You’ve already been a hero, okay? You have no idea what I’m dealing with.” “Ah, get outta here. At least you were born with powers. I don’t have shit.” — Invisigal & Robert, Episode 3
“Fate. Destiny. Not having powers. Seasonal depression. None of these things kept me from being a hero before. And they won’t keep me from being a hero again.” — Robert, Episode 3
that conversation was broadcasted to the entire branch, including the whole of Z-Team. so Z-Team should already know that Robert doesn’t have superpowers, unless they think Robert got his superpowers some other way (like Punch-Up, who made a deal with a sorceress, though it’s unclear if he already had other superpowers to begin with), or they forgot about it because they didn’t care enough about Robert to remember at the time. but there is someone on the team who accurately and definitively views Robert as a normie.
“You’re not supposed to lift without a spot, idiot.” — Flambae to Robert, Episode 5
Flambae says this to Robert in the gym while specifically pointing at a poster that reads, “If you do not have super powers, you need a spotter!” he also doesn’t take Robert seriously if you choose to deny being a normie.
“Normies need baby sitters so you don’t hurt yourself thinking you’re a hero. […]” “I’m not a Normie, and you know it.” “Pff, you’re the King of the Normies.” — Flambae & Robert, Episode 5
and if you choose to reveal Robert’s identity to the team, the intonation of Flambae’s words implies confirmation of an existing suspicion.
“It is you, you little shit.” — Flambae, Episode 5
alternatively, if Robert’s identity is revealed at the housewarming party by Chase, Flambae is never shown on-screen learning or reacting to the knowledge that Robert is Mecha Man. yet, in the final showdown against Shroud and the Red Ring, he will fight alongside Mecha Man just the same. perhaps Prism tells him, since she recorded Chase & Invisigal’s argument on her phone? I can’t imagine Flambae taking Mecha Man’s sudden reappearance in stride if he had no forewarning whatsoever.
“Right, you’ve met him. Didn’t you have a run-in with him years back?” — Chase to Robert, about Flambae; Episode 2
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this.” — Flambae to Robert as Mecha Man, Episode 1
we don’t know exactly when the run-in happened, but it’s been at least a few years. as long as it wasn’t super early in Robert’s career as Mecha Man, he and Chase would’ve already lost touch, so it’s sweet that Chase still kept tabs on Mecha Man’s activity :)
“As I literally just said, I am Flambae, a real superhero.” — Flambae, Episode 1
“You can’t get injured cause we need you behind that desk to help the real heroes.” — Flambae, Episode 5
“I got into a fight with an actual real actual hero.” — Flambae, Episode 5
I’ve been sitting on this write-up for too long to be coherent any longer, but there’s something to be said about how hero status clearly means something to Flambae. it’s like he feels the need to assert his own hero status by measuring up against Robert/Mecha Man: first, by proclaiming that he is a real hero with the right to be in Crypto Night, a superhero bar, while Mecha Man has lost that right; then, by contrasting his superhero work with Robert’s normie desk job, and referring to Mecha Man as a hero to justify the injury he gave to Flambae when Robert needles him about it. also, what’s up with multiple instances of people in the fandom saying the history between Mecha Man and Flambae happened at a bank? the setting is clearly a mall in the Episode 5 flashbacks (I think the artbook even references a specific mall for their design), and Flambae’s listed crimes don’t include theft or larceny. if the misconception is coming from the newspaper headline we see at the start of Episode 3, the attempted crime of a bank heist with hostages being held doesn’t fit Flambae’s listed crimes of “Arson, assault, vandalism.” and Robert didn’t engage with Flambae until all civilians were cleared from the scene, while the photo depicts someone taking cover directly behind Mecha Man while the villain, whose outfit doesn’t resemble Flambae’s, shoots straight beams of energy (lasers, maybe?) instead of fire.
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