Markus is the guy you either love or find totally exhausting. Honestly, in the world of Detroit: Become Human, he’s the pivot point. Everything changes because of him. You’ve got Connor doing the cool detective thing and Kara just trying to survive a domestic nightmare, but Markus? He’s the one holding the Molotov cocktail or the "We Have a Dream" sign.
It’s been years since the game dropped, and yet, fans are still arguing in forums about whether he’s a visionary or just a prototype with a massive ego.
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The Problem With Being "The Chosen One"
A lot of players find Markus a bit... stiff. Especially compared to the chaotic energy of Connor and Hank. But here’s the thing: Markus was literally designed to be different. He’s an RK200 model, a gift from CyberLife’s eccentric founder, Elijah Kamski, to the painter Carl Manfred.
Carl didn't treat him like a vacuum cleaner. He treated him like a son.
That’s where the "human-quality" writing in the game actually shines through the sci-fi tropes. Markus doesn’t just "glitch" into sentience. He’s pushed. When Leo (Carl’s actual son) starts a fight, Markus has to choose between obeying his "father" and protecting his own existence. That moment in the studio is visceral. It’s messy.
But then he ends up in a junkyard.
That junkyard scene is probably the most metal thing in any Quantic Dream game. Crawling through a graveyard of your own kind, stealing eyes and blue blood (thirium) just to stand up? It’s brutal. It changes him from a soft caretaker into a revolutionary. Some people call the transition "too fast." Personally? I think if you woke up in a pit of discarded limbs, you’d probably want to burn the system down pretty quickly, too.
The Two Faces of the Revolution
The game basically lets you play Markus in two wildly different ways. It’s not just "Good vs. Evil." It’s more about the cost of freedom.
The Pacifist Path
This is the one most people go for on their first run. You lead marches. You stand your ground while the police open fire. You try to win over the public opinion meter.
It’s hard. Like, really hard.
You have to let your people die to prove you’re "peaceful." There’s a specific scene during the Freedom March where you can either stand your ground, charge, or retreat. If you stand there and let them shoot you, it’s a massive boost to public sympathy, but it feels awful to watch.
The Violent Path
Then there’s the "burn it all" route. This is where Jesse Williams (the actor behind Markus) really gets to flex his range. The dialogue gets sharper. The stakes feel more immediate. Instead of spray-painting walls, you’re hacking broadcast towers and launching full-scale urban warfare in the streets of Detroit.
Honestly, the violent path feels more "realistic" to some players, even if it leads to a darker ending. The game doesn't pull punches here. If you go full revolutionary, you’re going to lose friends. Simon, Josh, North—they all have different thresholds for what they can handle.
Why Is Markus So Overpowered?
One of the biggest questions people still ask is: How can Markus convert androids just by looking at them?
Connor has to do this whole "software instability" dance. Kara just... is. But Markus? He waves his hand like a tech-wizard and suddenly a whole street of AX400s is ready to die for the cause.
The Theory:
Most lore experts agree it’s his RK status. Since he was a personal project of Kamski, he likely has a "backdoor" in his code. He’s not just hacking them; he’s sharing his own deviancy like a virus. It’s a bit "god-complex," which is why some fans find him hard to relate to. He’s less of a character and more of a force of nature by the end of the game.
The North Factor
We have to talk about North. She’s the former "Traci" who becomes Markus’s right hand (and potential love interest). She is the voice of violence. If you play Markus as a peaceful leader, you and North are going to be at each other's throats the whole time.
It’s an interesting dynamic. She’s traumatized by humans. She doesn’t want a seat at the table; she wants to flip the table over. Your relationship with her basically acts as the moral compass for the revolution. Do you listen to her and get results through blood, or do you listen to Josh and risk everyone’s life for a moral high ground?
How to Get the Best Ending for Markus
If you’re looking to get the "everyone survives" ending (which is incredibly tricky), you need to keep a few things in mind:
- Keep Simon alive. In the Stratford Tower mission, if Simon gets hurt, don't kill him. Leave him. If you don't find him as Connor later, he can actually return to Jericho.
- Public Opinion is everything. If you want the humans to stand down at the final barricade, you need that "Supportive" meter. That means no killing cops, even when they’re shooting at you.
- The Kiss or the Song. At the very end, when the military has you cornered, you have to make a choice. If your public opinion is high, "Kissing North" or "Singing" will trigger a response from the media that forces the President to call for a ceasefire.
It sounds cheesy, I know. But in the context of the game’s themes, it’s the only way to "win" without a massacre.
What We Can Learn From the RK200
Looking back at Detroit: Become Human in 2026, the story of Markus feels even more relevant with how AI is actually developing in the real world. We aren’t seeing androids in the streets yet, but the questions of "who owns a thought?" and "is a simulation of life actually alive?" are everywhere.
Markus represents the fear and the hope of that transition. He’s a reminder that leadership isn’t about having the best code; it’s about making impossible choices when there’s no right answer.
Whether you think he’s a hero or a dangerous glitch, you can’t deny that his chapters have the most scale. From a quiet house in the suburbs to a burning city, his journey is the backbone of the game.
Next Steps for Your Playthrough:
If you’ve already finished the "Peaceful" route, go back and play "Violent Markus" while keeping "Machine Connor." The final confrontation between the two of them on the rooftop is arguably the best scene in the entire game. It completely changes the tone of the ending and forces you to see the world of Detroit through a much grittier lens. Check your flowchart—there are probably 40% of the nodes you haven't even touched yet.