It seems a lot of story elements are being revealed and or discussed. There is already a discussion going on about the contents of the expansion and the kickstarter itself. A lot of the reveals are story element related and this seemed like a good forum to discuss the state of the world as seen in the future. I love the story of the multiverse and feel there is enough to discuss just from that to be its own discussion.
Things that seem to be the case...
Legacy is not part of the Freedom 6 (will probably in fact be ruling the earth with an iron fist)
Unity is dead...and she or her bot seem to have had a connection to Mr. Fixer, who given age and Unitybot having his hat is probably also dead.
Tyler Vance (Bunker of the core set) is either dead, MIA or supporting the wrong side as he is not part of the freedom 6...someone else is wearing his old armor.
The Wraith now uses the Operatives old weapons...is this still the original Wraith, or did the Operative switch sides and take up the mantel of a fallen hero?
Tempest has lost an arm (already hinted at on the core game hero incapacitated side)
Tachyon, Tempest, and Absolute Zero are still around and very much seem to be there same old selves.
Young Legacy is supposed to be dead by this point (as depicted on her incapacitated side).
Due to the death of *someone* the allegience/motivations of others has been changed and inversly affects the state of the future. (Believed to be Young Legacy's death prompting Legacy to turn to new ideals and becoming a villain)
Is that all accurate? What other story elements can be seen or inferred at this point?
I mentioned this in the other thread, but the Operative has a distinct dragon tatoo on her left arm that is not visible on the Wraith alternate card, so it doesn't seem likely it is the Operative. That isn't definitive, but it's an indication...
I'm actually switching my speculation to fit with that fact: no tattoo means it's most likely Maia. But, I think she's got the Operative's weapons because Maia kills the Operative, because she is enraged by [speculation]: Operative killing Mister Fixer. I think the fact that Golem Unity wears his hat is some kind of indication that he's not around anymore.
I jump to the theory of his death as to why Wraith would suddenly be motivated to actually kill an adversary. Also because Mister Fixer doesn't seem like the type to give something like his hat away to some kid (or robot who thinks its a kid). Golem Unity wears it as a "you will not be forgotten" symbol.
But also as we've been discussing on another thread, it seems the new Bunker is Fright Train. As evidenced by: "Engine of War", "Locomotion", and the fact that they mention an "old foe" wears the suit now. As for Tyler Vance, I suspect he's dead.
Wraith: I kind of think that the new wraith is the operative.
My guess is that the tattoo can be explained by the "perfect human specimens" vat causing her body to reject the ink and restore itself to "perfect". My guess is that the whole back full of arrows neccessitated a dip. Possibly also some Drugs that could cause the white eyes. We've seen the white eyes with Spite and Ambuscade, both of whom have undergone extensive surgical/experimental procedures.
Also, Maya was all about agility, control, and speed. This Wraith seems all about savagery, survival, and strength, all of which I associate with the operative.
My guess is that the promo villian (or possibly a new environment?) is going to be an MIB organization. If a villian, I'm thinking Unity's nemesis. Possibly also the ones that caused Tempest to lose an arm (or they captured him and dissected it). I'm guessing they are also the people who created Visionary. Possibly they raided Tachyon's Lab when Legacy went bad?
AZ's nemesis: I'm thinking the liquid metal guy from Expat's hollow points. If he's anything like the T-1000, he's got interesting reactions to heat and cold!
Finally, I totally agree that Fright Train is the new Bunker. Locomotion and Engine of War are both hints.
My guess is that Legacy went solo for a while, Bunker took over, and Vance was eventually killed. Probably by Legacy. This caused the dissolution of the team, and everything started to go bad.
That's true, but someone also pointed out that if this new Wraith was the Operative, then the description of the team probably would have made reference to this Wraith being someone different. After all, they made sure to point out that FT Bunker was "an old foe" and that Unity had long been dead, so it'd be likely that if Operative became Wraith, they'd make some sort of reference as to someone we're all familiar with being the new Wraith.
It's true this Wraith seems more savage than before, but I think that's a bit of an indication that Maia has now lost all sense of subtlety and stealth. That's why her power is Last Stand, and she's depicted as being surrounded. There's nowhere left for her to hide; now she just has to stand and fight. Look at how beefy her arms are now; she's certainly stopped trying to be stealthy for a while now.
But she already has been exposed to the vats. If her ink gets removed every time she goes into the vats why would she get a tattoo in the first place? She isn't exactly subtle to begin with, so I doubt it has much to do with changing her appearance and identity over the years to blend in.
well, there are two ways to answer that. three, if you count "I'm just wrong."
Though the card says that she heals, the card art shows the chairman getting out and her fully dressed. It seems plausible that (until her defeat via arrow-to-the-back) that she had never been fully exposed to the vats.
The tattoo is a symbol fo who she is to the Chairman. She is his hand, his weapon, the expression of his will upon the world. She gets it because HE is important to her, and wearing a mark of allegiance is important. Even after taking a swim, and losing it, re-marking herself with the tattoo would be an important part of the rejuvenation ritual- reclaiming her position, power, and sense of self after purification. So, if (in this future), she has broken with the Chairman (or the Chairman was killed and the organization broken) to assume the mantle of the Wraith, then it makes sense (to me) that she might get rid of that symbol.
you could also make a case that she has simply switched to being Maya's operative- if Maya is now the one operating from the shadows, or has faked her death, or is too broken to put on the mask- then wearing the trappings of the Wraith and enforcing Maya's will is her new identity.
It also occured to me that The Wraith keeps her identity a fairly close secret, unlike Lt. vance as Bunker. So deliberately mentioning that "an old foe" was wearing the bunker suit doesn't necessarily mean that New wraith isn't the operative (if that makes any sense). I guess I'm getting that It's obvious that a new guy is wearing the Bunker suit, since Lt. Vance was (fairly) well known, and whatever channels Tachyon is getting her information from could easily identify the new occupant as "Not Vance". Those same sources might not know the Wraith (who has spent her life in the shadows) well enough to ID someone else in her costume. though I expect Tachyon would know when she saw her.
I have one thing to add in favor of the Wraith still being Maia: The deck. Even with the promo card, the same deck is used. Trust Fund? Why would The Operative-turned-Wraith now have access to Maia's fortune? Also, she doesn't strike me as the kind of person who has the knowledge to create an Impromptu Invention. Combining this with the lack of the tattoo and the fact that they went out of their way to explain one former foe was a part of the Freedom Six, not two... I say it's Maia.
It wasn't until I looked at Wraith again that I realized just how big and Asian her eyes were. I must agree that the Operative has simply been felled, and Wraith is still Maia.
Christopher said yesterday at Game Preserve Greenwood (Indiana) where I was playing that the new promo Wraith is absolutely, definitely Maia Montgomery. He was vague about a lot of other things, but said that one was for sure.
Ah, darn. I wish I could have been there. If I could have made it to any of those sessions, it would have been that one. But at least we've got a confirmation. It would have been an interesting plot twist to have The Operative become The Wraith, but even so, Maia killing the Operative is still pretty shocking.
Darn, I really liked the idea that a redeemed Operative took up the mantle of the Wraith after Maia's death.
Maybe, in response to this brutal new world she found herself in, Maia studied the Operative's fighting style, as it seems Sophia's more than capable of taking on entire groups without breaking a sweat (as seen on her character card) and the Wraith is now beset by enemies (as seen on her new promo card). So, she emulates the Operative's fighting style to the point she starts using Sophia's favored pair of weapons and now, fights purely to survive, rather than for justice.
I think wielding The Operative's weapons indicates more that the heroes are now in a world where they cannot play fairly. If she's wielding The Operative's weapons there is a good chance that The Operative is good and dead courtesy of The Wraith. The Wraith has already trained in a decent variety of styles, so I wouldn't be surprised if she just used what she can get ahold of considering what a crapsack world she lives in. In this case she wields the weapons of a deceased villain that may very well have taken advantage of the power vacuum left by whatever happened to Legacy and killed Mr. Fixer (thus his ball cap belonging to G-Unity now). This is a lot of speculation, but I think what we're to take from this is that Maia isn't hiding in the shadows anymore. She's tearing chunks out of big bads and won't let anyone get in her way. I could see someone losing their moral code if a dude as good as H.R. "Slim" Walker bit the dust at the hands of evil.
I agree with Reckless. after all, she is no more a crime fighter - she is a freedom fighter, living in a harsh world and fighting someone who seems determined to impose "peace" and "order" to the whole of humanity, whatever the cost. It's war - and in time of war, you can have to act in ways you would have found unacceptable otherwise. You fight for your life, and the lives of countless innocents, and you can discover that the tactics and methods of old ennemies may be acceptable, now.