Maverick Virus

The Maverick Virus is a recurring virus in the Mega Man X series. It causes Reploids to disobey the three laws of robotics and go Maverick.

Origins
Before the Maverick Virus, Mavericks were created when the "Suffering Circuit" has errors in it.

The origin of the Maverick Virus is not explicate, and is thought to be by many fans the Evil Energy from Mega Man 8, or recently, the Robotenza found in Mega Man 10. In the X series, the Virus was unleashed when Sigma, then leader of the Maverick Hunters, investigated a red Maverick that had destroyed the entire Gamma Unit, causing Sigma himself investigate. This Maverick turned out to be Zero.

Sigma had battled Zero in an old abandoned laboratory, where even he, the most advanced and powerful of the Maverick Hunters sustained heavy damaged. After a grueling battle, Zero had beaten Sigma into submission, and was attempting to pull of the commander's head; however, before he could, a W appeared on his helmet crystal, and caused Zero to cringe in pain. Sigma, taking advantage of this opportunity, smashes the crystal, deactivating Zero and ending the fight. It is thought that at that moment, the Maverick Virus was unleashed and had gone inside of Sigma, who had severe injuries and was most likely weak enough to succumb to it, despite being fitted with technology that helped him from going Maverick.

As the Sigma Virus
Within Sigma, the virus grew and evolved. Though created by Dr. Cain as the most advanced Reploid with technology that kept him from going Maverick, the Virus was a catalyst unlike any seen. Eventually, Sigma started the Reploid Rebellion, and recruited several Maverick Hunters into his army, both voluntary and forcibly. Though he did start using the Virus yet, this was a foreshadowing of an on going war between Reploids and Mavericks known as the Maverick Wars.

After Sigma's defeat in the first game, X had thought the Maverick problem and Sigma's Rebellion was over. However, six months later, this turns out to be far from true, and X is called out into the battle field again. After battling through hordes of Mavericks, the enigmatic X-Hunters, and even a copy of Zero, a revived Sigma reveals himself, only to be destroyed.

In X3, a brilliant Reploid scientist named Dr. Doppler creates a computer called the Neuro Computer, which finally neutralized the Maverick problem. Living peacefully in gathering dubbed Dopple Town under Doppler's watch, it seemed the world was finally safe.

Unfortunately, the nightmare returned when Dr. Doppler goes Maverick. With Dopple Town's inhabitants on a rampage, X and Zero investigate. After destroying the eight Mavericks leading the revolt, they find none other then Sigma, who Dr. Doppler had revived. After destroying Sigma yet again, the Sigma Virus reveals itself. With the power to bend Reploids to his will, it attempted to take X's body and use it as his own. Sigma corners X, only to saved in the nick of time by Zero or Dr. Doppler (depending on how the game is played), who has completed a cure for the Virus.

The Virus is unseen years later during the events of X4, however, Sigma returns, planning on using a satellite weapon to attack humankind.

However, during the events of X5, a mercenary named Dynamo, leading Mavericks with the Sigma Virus, planned on crashing the the space-colony Eurasia into the Earth. Seeing no other choice, the Enigma Cannon is made to destroy Eurasia. When the Enigma Cannon fails, Zero pilots a pod to crash into Eurasia. Alia, a navigator new to the Maverick Hunters, reads a signature like the Sigma Virus, but with differences. This Virus is dubbed the "Zero Virus". Fighting through multiple enemies from the past, X and Zero battle, coming to a draw, and Sigma appears before them. Retreating further into his base, Sigma reveals that his plan for Eurasia's crash was actually awaken the "true Zero", using the Sigma Virus and Colony Virus, which was used to take Eurasia off it's orbit. Sigma tells the player of an old man he met, who has an undying hatred for X, and knows all about Zero. Sigma is fought, and despite his defeat, manages to obliterate both X and Zero. X is repaired by Dr. Light, somehow able to appear through a mysterious force, and Zero goes missing.

During X6, the Sigma Virus is running full force. Forcing the humans underground, the Maverick Hunters attempt to stop the situation. Gate, a scientist and former colleague of Alia, investigates the crashed sight of Eurasia. Finding a strange piece of Zero, a new set of Maverick outbreaks occur, and X is called out once again. In the heat of battle, a strange purple version of Zero helps him. Now called the Zero Nightmare, this being begins infecting Reploids, destroying Zero's legendary reputation. Gate leads eight Mavericks to "investigate" the problem, but X goes and defeats these researchers. Gate, angry at X's actions, challenges X and allows him to enter his lab. The Nightmare is defeated, and Zero returns. When Gate is defeated, he reveals that he not only found DNA of Zero, and used it to create the Zero Nightmare, but he is also slowly, but surely reconstructing Sigma. Sigma is once again destroyed.

During X7, the Virus once again disappears, and the Earth is in repair from the chaos of X6. New Generation Reploids are now production, and the Red Alert Syndicate challenges for the custody of an AWOL Syndicate member, Axl.

In X8, Sigma appears purely as the Virus. Attempting to defeat X, Zero, and recently full time Hunter Axl, Sigma is finally destroyed once and for all. However, the director of the Jakob Project, Lumine, steps from the shadows, and reveals that all New Generation Reploids can go Maverick at will.

Theories
1. Dr. Wily, in his final days, created a program (Maverick virus) that would make a robot "evil". He then installed the program into Zero, who got sealed away. When Zero was awakened, he was confronted by Sigma. At that time, Dr. Cain had discovered X, and used his design to create Reploids. Dr. Cain also installed "Suffering Chips" into the reploids to prevent them from going mad. However, during Zero's and Sigma's fight, the Maverick program/virus transferred it's self to Sigma, overriding the Suffering Chip. The Maverick virus evolved in Sigma, practically fusing it's self to Sigma's programing (Sigma Virus). Technically, Sigma became a virus. A separate part of the Maverick virus remained intact, going on to infect other reploids. Before the Maverick virus, mavericks where Mechaniloids with malfunctioning Suffering chips. Zero is "immune" to the maverick virus (as referenced in Mega Man X5), since it's already in him. However, Dr. Cain made a suffering Chip for Zero, which prevented Zero from going mad. As mentioned, the original Maverick virus inside of Zero was made by Dr. Wily, which he probably based of the Evil Energy or "Roboenza".