Scientists

Scientists
Name	Scientist
Origin	Varies
Attacks	Infectious fluids (as Zombies) Mutation rifles, syringes (as Amadeus Syndicate personnel)
Factions	Rebel Army (in Metal Slug 2) Neutral (in Metal Slug 3) Amadeus Syndicate (in Metal Slug 4)
Health	Very Low
First game	Metal Slug 2
Last game	Metal Slug Attack
Games	Metal Slug 2 Metal Slug X Metal Slug 3 Metal Slug 4 Metal Slug Defense Metal Slug Attack
Sprite(s)

Scientists are minor characters common throughout the Metal Slug series, often seen performing different roles throughout the course of various installments they are seen in.

Profile

Being freelancers, Scientists work for a living from the sidelines for people or organizations who can pay them decent salaries for the services they offer. Their roles in different installments vary; they are NPCs in Metal Slug 2 (albeit dead), where they have had been working on a classified super-soldier project for the Rebel Army, all the while being enemies in Metal Slug 4, where they are seen working for the Amadeus Syndicate. They assume both roles in Metal Slug 3 - the former as investigators and researchers of a mysterious meteor crash site, and the latter as zombies after succumbing to the effects of exposure to what they have discovered and named as Monoeye UFO, which is otherwise at the center of the aforementioned crash site.

Appearances

Metal Slug 2 / Metal Slug X

A trio of corpses of scientists are seen as soon as the player enters the sewers of New Godokin City, having been massacred by mutated soldiers as a result of a backfire experienced during their experiments with the aforementioned soldiers beforehand. What may have caused the backfire in question is never revealed, as not a single one of them survived the slaughter that followed.

Metal Slug 3

Several scientists were sent to investigate a meteor crash site. Unfortunately, they bear witness - and fall victim - to the Monoeye UFO's power to turn every living human within the proximity of its influx into zombies. Few of them are seen fleeing the scene in terror upon the player's arrival at the beginning of the mission. The less fortunate can be found deeper as the player progresses through the area, either as targeted survivors or newly-turned zombies.

As zombies, they attack by using their intestines as a hose of some sort to spray infectious fluids at the player.

Metal Slug 4

During the White Baby Crisis, Scientists are seen working for the Amadeus Syndicate, specifically as defenders of the Amadeus Wireframe Base by default. In this sequel, they are seen with a rifle (as well as a syringe) capable of altering a human's cellular properties, turning them into monkeys.

What is very ironic is that if the player is close enough, a Scientist will attempt to use what appears to be an oversized syringe to inject a chemical that can turn the player into a monkey. If he fails, he will accidentally inject himself and turn into a monkey. He can be picked up as an item, netting the player 1000 points.

Metal Slug Defense / Attack

Zombie, Amadeus and Space Army-affiliated scientists appear in Metal Slug Defense and its sequel, Metal Slug Attack.

Zombie Scientists are cheap units that do not appear to have any attacks or abilities, but instead, release bodily fluids upon being damaged. This retaliation shot is able to fire up to a long range and is surprisingly powerful. Ironically, since they can only attack after being damaged, when confronted by an enemy sandbag, they will simply gather in one spot, unable to advance or attack it, after which they are easily dispatched with a good explosive attack. Unlike in Metal Slug 3, the Zombie Scientists' attacks do not zombified enemies, merely damaging them instead.

Amadeus Scientists are cheap units, which can act like rifleman units. Their attacks, unlike in Metal Slug 4, do not turn enemies into monkeys, and just like their Zombie counterparts, simply deal damage to enemies. If they are killed, they will instantly transform into monkeys and vanish from the screen.

Space Scientists are known as Reachers, former humans who joined the Space Army to satisfy their intellectual curiosity. Their aspiration to learn from them have resulted in a constant abuse of space technology, preventing them from returning to their original bodies. As a "human", they dart towards the enemy while rapidly slapping them and can revive as zombies, acting similarly to the original zombie scientist.

Notes

• Zombie scientists in Metal Slug 3 are easy to kill, requiring three shots with a pistol. Killing Zombie Scientists will always result in them dropping First Aid Kits upon death.
  • Apart from the heavily-mutilated zombie, the Zombie Scientist's physical appearance is unusually grotesque compared to the rest of the Zombies; his clothing also sports blood as well, despite him not having such as a human prior to being infected.
• The scientist's ability to turn people into chimps in Metal Slug 4 is based on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, which postulates that humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestry, and have similar DNA.
• Scientists in Metal Slug 4 will reuse a modified sprite of a burning Rebel Infantry whenever they are killed by a Flame Shot or Fire Bomb.
• While the scientist's true intentions and motives are unknown in all organizations they are seen in (with the exception of Metal Slug 3), it may have been so for two reasons: either they were in pursuit of fame and fortune within the organizations in question, or they were kidnapped or taken captive and were forced to do research on behalf of the factions they serve, only to have their experiments used for nefarious purposes.