MM1 + MM2 Robot Master Genders(tm)
Ive wanted to infodump about my headcanons for genders for the mm1+2 (mostly 1 sowwy) for a while now and im FINALLY DOING IT
All purely my headcanons for my uh... au? Interp of Classic Megaman?? ... Scatterverse????? Idk whatever you wanna call it
So the first line designed by Light was always meant to be fairly gender-neutral. The "man" suffix wasn't intended to imply every bot was male, but rather was meant to be derived from human, and meant to embody the fact that the robot masters are meant to work alongside humans.
Though, as designs came along and the bots began interacting with the world around them, they found that things just sort of defaulted to more masculine presentations for the bots, and in most eyes they're all considered pretty male
As time went on though, the DLN were definitely way "looser" when it came to playing with gender than the DWN. They were very much encouraged by Dr. Light to explore their own identities and what things meant for them, and so there's a lot more fluidity in how the DLN present themselves
Cutman (he/him) doesn't really care about gender, but is chill with being called he/him or masculine terms. Doesn't really care to label his gender- MAYBE nonbinary if he HAD to choose a label but like he really doesn't care to label it
Gutsman (he/him) definitely the most "cis" of the bunch but also the biggest trans ally on the entire planet. Certified Transphobe Puncher(tm)
Iceman (he/they) Like Cut, doesn't really care for gender, but feels that demiboy is the closest label to how they feel about themself
Bombman (he/she) If there are "rules" for gender then she is determined to break every single one. Torn between id-ing as bigender or genderpunk... definitely leaning towards genderpunk
Fireman (he/him) Like Guts, also very "cis" but also supremely enthusiastic about being an ally. He specifically practiced using your pronouns extensively so he could surprise you with getting it right next time he sees you
Elecman (he/him) "Cis" but like. "If gender is a performance, I'm going for a Tony". Super gender non-conforming and loves playing with gender presentations. 100% does drag and loves it
Timeman (they/them) Agender. Thinks identifying with a binary gender is stupid because they are a machine that doesn't have a sex. Frustrated why Oil won't explain what they mean with his own gender identity
Oilman (he/they) "I'm nonbinary, but in a boy way." Will refuse to elaborate if you ask him what that means. Drives Time insane with this
The DWN are a lot more "rigid" on their genders. Created to be weapons and not companions, they see way less point in "playing" with gender. Gender is a social construct, and the DWN very much want to tear society down so like. Yeah. They don't understand gender let alone gender nonconformity. They're all very masculine in presentation and gender identity.
THAT being SAID I have 2 exceptions to this and their names are Quickman and Bubbleman
So Quickman (he/him) was originally built to be a female bot, but due to naming conventions giving all bots the -man suffix (see above), Quick's name was always Quickman. The only female bot of the line, Quick had trouble feeling "right" in his frame, especially when all of his linemates were much more male-presenting.
For reasons he couldn't explain at the time, Quick decided to "pretend" to be a male bot during the events of mm2, and like- Quick being treated like a boy by the Lights was an instant shot of gender euphoria through his circuits and there has been no going back since.
Very shortly post-mm2, Quick came out to the others about being a boy now and they were all shockingly cool about it. Because no one other than Wily and the mm2 bots knew, they were very secretive about it, very much a "we take this to our graves" response, and as a result Quick was actually super closeted as a trans man. Everyone else (even the other Wily bots) were under the impression that Quick was cis for the longest time
Later down the line, though, Bubbleman (they/them) starts playing around with gender, and eventually comes out to the mm2 bots about being nonbinary. Again, they're received well, but Bubble runs into a different problem than Quick.
The general public always thought Quick was a boy, so Quick had no problems being perceived as his gender. Bubble was always known as a boy before presenting as enby though, and isn't received as well as Quick in some public spaces. Bubble will even get bullied over being enby by some transphobes, which really destroys their self confidence
After having enough of this, Quick decides to start being a lot more open about his trans identity in public spaces, and is much more vocal about his own experiences. He absolutely doesn't do this because of the transphobes, no they can all eat shit. He does this to try and give Bubble more of a safe space to be around. If Quick can be publicly proud about his identity, maybe that can help his linemate feel more comfortable being themself too
As a result, Quick and Bubble actually end up being, like, super close, and it's sweet. and i love them. a lot.