With Metroid Dread breathing new life into the franchise, drawing in new and old fans alike, many may feel a bit lost in its narrative. This latest entry ends the main storyline that's unfolded over the last 35 years, so Dread's major twists and turns need decades of context. Thankfully, the Metroid manga provides not only that context but also a crucial piece of information that fleshes out Metroid Dread's biggest twist.
[Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Metroid Manga and Metroid Dread.]
The Metroid manga was released alongside Metroid Zero Mission, the remake of the first game. Both releases were made to reintroduce Samus and her character-defining adventures to new and old audiences alike. While the game retells Samus' first mission, the manga focuses on showing Samus' emotions, upbringing, and the various tragedies that have molded Samus into the galaxy's most dangerous bounty hunter. However, it's been a subject of debate as to whether the events of the manga are truly canon.
When comparing it to later games, there are inconsistencies and contradictions in the finer details that make determining a solid storyline a bit difficult. Thankfully, Metroid Dread recognized this and tried to tie everything together and give Samus a sprawling and fulfilling character arc. Here is an overview of the manga's plot, the connections to Dread, and why the manga is now a must-read for fans.
Metroid Dread: The Origins of Samus Are In the Metroid Manga
The Metroid manga is split into two volumes. Volume 1 depicts Samus' childhood and Volume 2 shows her first major conflict and the evolution of Samus into the infamous bounty hunter she is today. In the cosmic year 2000, the Milky Way's various civilizations ed together into what would become known as the Galactic Federation. The mission statement of the Federation is to "protect the peace of the galaxy" from every enemy that Metroid has to offer. The Galactic Federation and the galaxy rely on the energy source known as Afloraltite in order to function. Star Colony K2-L is rich in this resource and Samus' father oversees the mining operation.
One day, two Chozo arrive and ask to borrow a large amount of Afloraltite. As the miners wonder who the bird person is, he reveals his name is Old Bird when a three-year-old Samus runs into him. Old Bird and Samus bond as the other Chozo, Gray Voice, continues their request for Afloraltite but are ultimately denied, leading the pair to leave. In nearly the exact same moment, the colony is attacked by Space Pirates.
Led by the infamous dragonoid, Ridley, the Space Pirates lay waste to the entire colony and kill everyone they can. Though Samus and Ridley came face to face for the first time, she somehow survived the ordeal and was found when the two Chozo returned to observe the devastation. Though Gray Voice wasn't sold on the idea, the two rescued Samus and brought her to their homeworld, Zebes. One wild Metroid detail about Samus' body is that the conditions of Zebes are too harsh for extra-planetary beings, so the Chozo and Mother Brain chose to combine her DNA with the Chozo's so her body could adapt.
Metroid Manga Reveals More About Samus' Past Ahead Of Metroid Dread
It's this augmentation that gives Samus her enhanced physical capabilities and the ability to use Chozo technology in Metroid games, the most famous being the Power Suits. Samus trains with the suit for nearly her whole life but is clearly hesitant to use deadly force. This is shown most prominently when she chose to fire at the weapons of a group of enemies, rather than at the enemies themselves. She still re the day the Space Pirates invaded and knows the pain that comes with death.
She overcame that hesitation during her later employment by the Galactic Federation. Samus used her abilities to defeat new enemies in order to rescue a camp of enslaved children. The Galactic Federation receives a transmission that the Space Pirates attacked Zebes and Samus arrives to see not just devastation, but also that the Space Pirates are taking orders from Mother Brain. Revelations about the Metroid's creation, Samus' purpose as a bioweapon, and Mother Brain's true nature are made and Samus is immobilized by Ridley before she can do anything about it.
His presence triggers her PTSD, and Samus gets lost in her flashbacks and fears. With the aid of the Federation and Gray Voice fighting back against Mother Brain and Ridley, Samus can snap out of her episode and escape. Though he would ultimately perish, Gray Voice manages to inform Samus that he offered his DNA to be infused with Samus, making him yet another lost father. This event leads into the events of the first Metroid, in which Samus changes into a new Power Suit and returns to Zebes to exterminate the Space Pirates, Metroids, and Mother Brain.
Why Metroid Dread Fans Should Read The Manga
Metroid Dread's main villain is a mysterious Chozo warrior named Raven Beak, who was first depicted in the Chozo Memories that could be unlocked in Metroid 2: Samus Returns - the remake of the second game. Those memories showed Raven Beak and his army annihilating other Chozo for reasons that were then unknown. This would change when Samus meets Quiet Robe, a Chozo scientist who was spared.
He reframed the Chozo's history in Metroid by revealing that there were two Chozo tribes that formed prior to their near extinction. The Thoha tribe was comprised of scientists and pacifists, and the Mawkin tribe were comprised of warriors. Raven Beak led the latter and when the Thoha explained the need to destroy the Metroids, he ordered them to be killed in order to take the Metroids and use them as weapons. When Samus finally confronts him, Raven Beak provides a revelation that draws its roots in the very first volume of the Metroid manga.
The Chozo DNA Samus obtained not only gave her the ability to quickly adapt to planetary conditions, but it also gave her the enhanced fighting abilities that helped her avoid the E.M.M.I. robots. This included strength, agility, and precision among other traits, all of which were abandoned by the Chozo on Zebes ages before she arrived. This can be seen in Gray Voice's valiant stand against Ridley and Mother Brain, as he was able to buy time but didn't have nearly the same level of prowess. Samus' increased combat capabilities came from another DNA source, one that came from Raven Beak.
Without the knowledge of the Metroid manga, this moment doesn't fully convey the implications it has for Samus' journey moving forward, especially as the revelation amounted to Samus not only losing a third father but having to kill this one herself. The manga also adds extra weight to nearly everything in Metroid Dread, such as the nature of the Metroids themselves, Samus' relationship to ADAM, and what Metroid Dread's ending means for Samus' next adventure.