OPINION: Samus Should Keep Her Metroid DNA And Use It For Good
Samus and the Metroids share an unique history. Both were created and molded by the Chozo in order to protect, but the path Samus and the Metroids took couldn’t be more different. After hunting the Metroids on their homeworld to the point of extinction, Samus spared the last one – a baby hatchling that thought of Samus as its ‘mother’. This act of compassion has ended up saving Samus multiple times over, with the Baby Metroid aiding Samus in her fight against Proteus Ridley, shielding her against and destroying Mother Brain, granting her immunity against the X Parasites, and finally helping her achieve the realization of her Metroid DNA in Metroid Dread’s climactic finale. However, despite Samus being able to retain her sense of self, she was unable to fully control her newly awakened Metroid powers. Only with the assistance of Quiet Robe was Samus able to suppress her Metroid Suit’s inherent ability to absorb all energy long enough to escape ZDR in time. At this juncture, it is unclear exactly how the Metroid storyline will continue, although Samus’s Metroid DNA surging out of control does point in a particular direction.
Samus is now the last Metroid in the universe, and her ability to annihilate Raven Beak in seconds with the Hyper Beam shows she could have access to a level of power no one has ever seen. Before the final showdown with Raven Beak, the Dark Chozo hinted that Samus’s Metroid DNA wuld have overcome her immediately if not for the Thoha Chozo genes she possessed. Even then, it was said that those Thoha genes only slowed the process versus stopping it completely, meaning it’s only a matter of time before this power resurfaces. This is one of the reasons some Metroid fans believe that the next Metroid game will be about Samus trying to get rid of her Metroid DNA, as the Metroid power is dangerous and Samus can’t completely control it. There are multiple reasons why I don’t think Samus would want that to happen.
First, Samus’s Metroid DNA is the last remnants of the Baby Metroid Samus saved in Metroid 2. Although the time they spent together was short, Samus and the Baby Metroid formed a deep connection to each other. Considering how important the Baby Metroid has become to Samus, she wouldn’t want what’s left of it destroyed or tampered with if she could help it. Second, Samus wasn’t able to beat Raven Beak without the Metroid’s power. The Power Suit abilities Samus acquired in Metroid Dread – the Plasma Beam, Gravity Suit and Screw Attack, etc. – are the abilities most associated with the Chozo, yet it wasn’t enough to defeat Raven Beak. It was only through the Metroid’s power, granted by the baby Metroid’s DNA, that she was able to win the day and put down another would-be conqueror. On top of this, there could be threats out there in the universe that are as strong, if not stronger, than Raven Beak. Samus will need to master her new Metroid powers if she is able to maintain her position as a protector of the galaxy.
The last and most important reason I feel that Samus would want to keep her Metroid DNA is to protect it from those who would want to abuse it. Samus became a warrior in order to protect people, and Raven Beak shows that she’ll need this power to continue to do what she must. As long as Metroid DNA exists in the universe, people and groups of all sorts will try and take it, even if that Metroid DNA is apart of the Galaxies Greatest Warrior. Besides, if Samus was to try and get her Metroid DNA removed, who could be trusted to perform this task properly? The Federation is a no-go since they’ve tried to clone Metroids twice; the Chozo are also not a viable option since the events of ZDR showed us not all Chozo are benevolent and just. It was stated in Super Metroid’s prologue that the Metroid’s power could be used for the betterment of galactic society, but for many years the Metroids have been used for the exact opposite. Now with Samus, the only one trustworthy enough to use the Metroid’s power properly, I believe that she will eventually master her new gift should it ever resurface in the future, continue doing what she must by fighting to protect others and ensure that the Metroids are no longer seen as a symbol of terror.
What do you think the future holds for Samus and her Metroid DNA? Should she keep it, or should she eliminate the last of the Metroid presence from the galaxy? Let us know in the comments below!
Griffen Olney is a Website Reporter for Omega Metroid. You may know him as TheAccursedHunter01.
