When Capcom revealed the Mega Man: Dual Override trailer during The Game Awards, did you notice just how many Easter eggs and hidden details were packed into it? Longtime fans of the Blue Bomber probably caught quite a few of them right away, but for those who may not be as deep into Mega Man lore, there is a lot here that is easy to miss.
I have gone through the trailer and pointed out everything you may not have picked up on.
Every Easter Egg Spotted in the Mega Man: Dual Override Trailer
1. Right from the start, we see two monitors on the left and right sides of the hallway. These monitors appear repeatedly throughout the sequence, and they are more important than they first appear. Each one displays a number and a year, which correspond to the numbered Mega Man titles and their original release years.
- Mega Man – 1987
- Mega Man 2 – 1988
- Mega Man 3 – 1990
- Mega Man 4 – 1991
- Mega Man 5 – 1992
- Mega Man 6 – 1993
- Mega Man 7 – 1995
- Mega Man 8 – 1996
- Mega Man 9 – 2008
- Mega Man 10 – 2010
- Mega Man 11 – 2018
2. Immediately after the monitors, you will notice a glowing light bar on both sides of the hallway. These bars strongly resemble the health meter seen throughout the Mega Man series.
3. At the end of the hallway, there is a monitor on the left that stands out from the others. Unlike the rest, it does not display a year or a numbered title. Instead, it appears to be going haywire.
4. Beneath the door, you can clearly see the number “12.” This signifies that Mega Man: Dual Override is effectively the twelfth entry in the classic Mega Man series. While it does not carry the number in its title, it is still Mega Man 12 in all but name, for now.
5. During the door’s password entry sequence, “DLN.001” is entered. DLN stands for “Dr. Light Number,” and 001 refers to the first robot created by Dr. Light. That robot is Rock, who is later converted into Mega Man, also known as Rockman.
As a bit of extra trivia, Dr. Light actually created Proto Man, also known as Blues, before Rock. Proto Man suffered from an unstable energy core, and when Dr. Light attempted to shut him down for repairs, Proto Man interpreted this as rejection and ran away. He eventually crossed paths with Dr. Wily, but was never reprogrammed like the other robots, which is why he is more of a rival than an outright enemy. Because of Proto Man’s issues, Dr. Light took extra care to avoid repeating the same mistakes when creating Rock.
So, while Rock / Mega Man is credited as the first robot created by Dr. Light, he’s technically the second one.
6. Once the door opens, we see the silhouette of a very familiar character. It is clearly Mega Man. At the same time, you can faintly hear the classic stage start sound from Mega Man or Mega Man 2, which are very similar to one another.
7. When gameplay footage begins, you can spot Beat, the robotic bird companion first introduced in Mega Man 5. Alongside him are familiar enemy designs, the hard-hat-wearing Metalls.
8. In one gameplay section, a large column displays a blueprint that longtime fans will immediately recognize. It depicts Gamma, the final boss of Mega Man 3.
9. Another interesting detail appears when Mega Man takes damage. His armor visibly shows signs of battle damage, which is something we have not seen portrayed in past entries.
10. Toward the end of the trailer, Mega Man is shown standing atop a building, a visual callback that closely mirrors the iconic intro scene from Mega Man 2.
11. We also see several panels on Mega Man’s armor open up, with visible heat dissipation venting outward. While Capcom has not explained what this means, it could be a nod to the Double Gear System introduced in Mega Man 11. That system allowed Mega Man to temporarily boost speed or power by overclocking his systems, though doing so placed extreme stress on his body.
This is particularly interesting given how Mega Man 11 ended, with Mega Man and Dr. Light agreeing that the Double Gear System should no longer be used due to how dangerous it was. The technology was not destroyed, but it was deemed too risky. Seeing these vents in action could suggest the system, or a refined version of it, may be returning.
12. Saving the best for last, at the 1:29 mark of the trailer you can hear the unmistakable whistle theme of Proto Man. This is a big deal for several reasons. Mega Man 11 acted as a soft reboot for the franchise and Mega Man 11’s producer, Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, wanted to reestablish the story of Dr. Light and Dr. Wily.
Because of that, Proto Man’s absence made sense at the time. Hearing his whistle now strongly suggests that Proto Man will finally make his return in Mega Man: Dual Override, or as we can safely call it, Mega Man 12.
And there you have it. Those are all the Easter eggs I was able to spot in the Mega Man: Dual Override trailer. Did I catch everything, or did I miss something? Let me know at Keith@theouterhaven.net
or reach out to me on Bluesky.
