Spider

"I'm neither Maverick, nor Rebellion. But if I brought your head to the Rebellion Army, it would fetch a pretty penny!"

- Spider encounter in Central Tower

"Listen, there isn't really anything complicated about why X decided to make friends with a lowlife bounty hunter like me. It's quite simple, really. Just like why I saved you. 'Cause I felt like it, Zero. That's it."

- Spider, upon saving Zero

Spider (スパイダー) is a mysterious character introduced as an ally in Mega Man X: Command Mission. He is a bounty hunter who fights by throwing explosives shaped like playing cards, and joins the Resistance as part of X's party. By the end of the game, however, it is revealed that Spider's form was assumed by Colonel Redips in a disguise, the true antagonist of the game.

Characteristics
Spider is a Reploid with black and white armor designed to look like formal attire, so as to evoke the image of a gambler. His helmet is shaped like a fedora, covering a head of dark blue hair that points upwards behind his head. He has two yellow flaps behind his waist that resemble coattails. His arms are equipped with large slots that can dispense his signature playing card weapons.

Spider apparently was somewhat known in Giga City before the game took place, as at least one resident knew him. He is a cunning bounty hunter who initially values money over all else. However, over the course of the story he learns to follow his feelings and intuitions more than his greed, joining the Resistance for no pay as opposed to following the Rebellion for a blank check. He normally has a cool and charismatic personality, but can also be hot-headed and impatient at times. However, he was also being used as a disguise for Colonel Redips for some portion of the story, meaning that some of these traits may be inaccurate to his true personality.

Mega Man X: Command Mission
Spider first appears in Air City North Square, where he seeks to assassinate X and bring him to the Rebellion Army for a prize. After encountering X for the first time, he lets him go when an alarm goes off. He is later seen making an official deal with Wild Jango in Central Tower to continue hunting X, this time negotiating a blank check. Once X enters the Central Tower, Spider attacks again, this time easily getting the upper hand. However, upon seeing the ID lens of his former comrade Aile in X's possession, he decides to fight against his employer and runs off. Spider confronts Wild Jango off-screen, but is defeated by him and used as bait to egg X on. When X approaches Wild Jango on the helipad, Spider appears, albeit very weakened by his battles, to help. Together, X and Spider defeat Wild Jango and purge Central Tower of Rebellion forces. Spider then officially joins the Resistance.

Upon being deployed to Tianna Camp, Spider complains to X about Chief R's inability to help them in the field. He also hints that he is still pursuing his own goals by helping the Resistance, besides simply doing what's right. Here X and Spider befriend Steel Massimo, rescue Nana and many other POWs, and defeat Silver Horn. After this, Spider continues to aid the Resistance as part of X's group for most of the story. However, he is occasionally absent with little explanation, something that X notices soon after learning of Zero's location. He also seems interested in Axl's copy ability upon meeting him for the first time, and speaking to Professor Gaudile reveals that Spider has refused to undergo any major maintenance since he joined the Resistance. Before heading to Gimialla Mine, X notices an odd light around a corner, followed by Spider's appearance. Later during the excursion, Spider and the team are ambushed by Shadow. After Zero appears and helps them defeat him, Spider manages to intercept Shadow's last-ditch attack and destroys him for Zero. This act helps Spider to earn Zero's respect, and despite being injured, Spider insists on continuing into the mine with them so he can learn more about the Rebellion's plot with the Supra-Force Metal. However, as the team progresses into the lab they meet Incentas, who locks them in a room with himself. Upon his defeat, Incentas sets the chamber to self-destruct. In order to open a way out, Spider sacrifices himself along with Incentas to destroy the door, figuring that the explosion of two Reploids is enough to make a difference. Both are destroyed in the blast, and X and the others escape to safety. Back at Resistance HQ, they mourn Spider's sacrifice.However, Spider seems to reappear in Melda Ore Plant, where he is mostly off-screen, and he ambushes Botos and kills him for the Supra-Force Metal found in the warhead.

In the final chapter, Colonel Redips reveals that he possesses a Copy Chip and had been using it to take on the form of Spider. When exactly Redips and Spider switched places in the story is left uncertain, as it could even have been Redips from the very beginning.

Weaponry
In battle, sometimes he can counterattack the enemy without using the Sub Weapon "Vengeful Counter" and also put into defense automatically without being equipped with the Force Metal "Auto Barrier", which is removed at the end the enemy attack.

Spider uses playing cards as weapons, all of which are Shot type weapons that hit a single target.
 * Spades: Attacks with Spade. When Spider's Weapon Energy (WE) is at 75% or more, he attacks all enemies with Spread Deal.


 * Clubs: Attacks with Club. With the WE at 75% or more, Spider hits an enemy twice with Rush. The Power of Clubs are higher than other card types, but they also have the lowest defense.


 * Diamonds: Attacks with Diamond. With WE at 75% or more, the final blow doubles the zenny of a defeated enemy with Jackpot. This card type increases speed more than the other types.


 * Hearts: Attacks with Heart. With WE at 75% or more, the final blow doubles the EXP of a defeated enemy with Raise.


 * Joker: Randomly produces one of the four special effects from the other card types with any WE amount. Has balanced stats.


 * Weight values for Spider's weapons aren't shown in-game. The positive values above for Diamonds and Joker increases Spider's speed.

Trivia

 * Redips is Spider spelled backwards.


 * In the instruction booklet, Redips' name is misspelled "Rideps" in all instances. This is possibly on purpose in order to better conceal the game's major twist.


 * Although the above-mentioned connection between Spider and Redips' names is the official basis for Spider's name, it could also possibly come from the computer playing card mini-game, Spider Solitaire. This could also explain his weapons of choice.


 * It's unknown if the real Spider is dead or alive, or even if he existed. However, following Epsilon's defeat, as X heads over to the base heliport to await transportation back home, Marino tells him in her first conversation that she researched the chameleon ability and found out that a long time ago, Spider was at a place that researched copy abilities. It is believed that Spider's DNA was somehow obtained in the occasion.


 * One interesting point, and possible subtle hint towards Spider's true identity, may be his Hyper Mode ability, Trickstar. It is exactly the same as Axl's Hyper Stealth Mode, in that it renders him invisible/transparent and nigh invulnerable to attack (except Mini Shark and Mini Rex from D-Shark and D-Rex respectively).


 * As Spider is actually Redips, every time Redips contacts X, Spider is absent. In the beginning of Chapter 6, Spider is seen using his copy ability to change form. In addition, Spider had started complaining about taking commands from Chief R, hinting towards being more comfortable being the one in charge, and talking about having "goals of [his] own", back when he and X first entered Tianna Camp to free Resistance POWs - the very first order of business shortly after teaming with X and reclaiming Central Tower for the Resistance.


 * A sub-mystery also surrounding the identity of Spider and Redips is as to whether Spider really knew Aile, or just simply fabricated/knew and used the story of their being past bounty hunting partners to earn X's trust in order to join his faction. On one hand, Spider's turn from Rebellion mercenary to Resistance soldier upon seeing Aile's ID seems to indicate some level of camaraderie. On the other hand, he would later betray the very movement that Aile gave his life for simply to advance his own goals of ultimate power. Depending on when and how Redips got the ability to swap between himself and Spider, either conclusion (or perhaps even both) is entirely possible.
 * Similar can be said of Wild Jango. In the same chapter in which Aile appears, Jango acknowledges Spider by name, as well as showing he was aware of his work, implying the two had a history prior to the events of the game.
 * It is also possible that the Spider that defended X from the Preons was, in fact, the real Spider, and that Colonel Redips replaced him in the fight against Wild Jango. This would explain that Spider was in fact real, but he died trying to protect X, and it would also explain why Wild Jango is rematched at the Far East HQ.
 * Alternatively, at least in the English version, Spider never says Aile's name until after Chief R says it, after Jango is defeated.
 * Lastly: in the cutscene that plays immediately after entering Tianna Camp for the first time, 'Spider' gives a minor Freudian Slip of saying he has his own goals. This line, and the awkward recovery that follows implies that this is Redips in disguise at this point.
 * Spider shares some similarities with Dynamo from Mega Man X5 and X6
 * Both of them were Bounty Hunters with their own goals that worked for their debut game's main antagonists up to some point in the story.
 * Both share a similar armor color palette.
 * Both of them use gangster slang.
 * Both of them dissapear at some point in their debut games leaving their final fates as complete mysteries.