(ESXPECTAMUS SPOILERS) Conflicting Details Regarding Human WX’s Status

[Opallll]

At the end of the comic, we see human WX’s body being connected to the machine used for the “transfer,” and an IV fluid of sap. I assume that the twist is that human WX never became a robot at all & is instead unknowingly being kept alive by Wagstaff. They are just piloting WX-78 remotely from Earth.

Issue is that someone from Klei stated that the body in Wilson’s floorboards is human WX’s, & the comic’s ending seemingly takes place during the hostile takeover arc, well after Wilson would have been taken into the Constant.

is there a detail I’m missing here? I’m not sure how those two details would make sense together 

Edited June 5 by Opallll

[Dr. Safety]

1 hour ago, Opallll said:

Is this the only dev mention of it? Could just be a meme. I know we all assumed it was WX but this ARG proves that can't be the case

[Opallll]

45 minutes ago, Dr. Safety said:

Is this the only dev mention of it? Could just be a meme. I know we all assumed it was WX but this ARG proves that can't be the case

It could be, I took the comment at face value because it was a theory for a while. WX-78 is my fave survivor so I was just annoyed at these contradictions. WX’s lore up to this point pointed towards their human body being dead, esp since after the disconnected short, Wagstaff seemed surprised to see them again.

[Ridley]

I think the skeleton thing was a meme based on a popular community theory. 

As for the robot stuff, my interpretation was that Wx78 successfully transmitted his consciousness to a robot, but Wagstaff never wanted to accept his friend's transhumanism. So Wagstaff keeps the body alive and connected, while hoping Wx78 will install the empathy module. Their arguments grow until Wagstaff puts Wx78 in a Constant timeout because Wx was out of his control. 

My best guess as to what Wagstaff was thinking here is that he kept that body alive for so long after because he saw that as the real Wx78 instead of the husk of his former friend. Wx78 happens upon a glance of his human body looking back at him, realizing that Wagstaff missed their company and took care of them all this time, before callously turning their back on all of that. 

Or maybe, the initial conscious transfer wasn't a complete success. Maybe it fractured Wx78's mind over two bodies, and the human one dies after spending years in a coma, stirring from the weird dreams caused by a soulless counterpart's exile.

[massiveguy360]

Just now, Ridley said:

As for the robot stuff, my interpretation was that Wx78 successfully transmitted his consciousness to a robot, but Wagstaff never wanted to accept his friend's transhumanism. So Wagstaff keeps the body alive and connected, while hoping Wx78 will install the empathy module. Their arguments grow until Wagstaff puts Wx78 in a Constant timeout because Wx was out of his control. 

My best guess as to what Wagstaff was thinking here is that he kept that body alive for so long after because he saw that as the real Wx78 instead of the husk of his former friend. Wx78 happens upon a glance of his human body looking back at him, realizing that Wagstaff missed their company and took care of them all this time, before callously turning their back on all of that.

I think it might be a little more sinister, and Wagstaff is using WX-78 was a guinea pig for exploring the Constant. He can keep an eye on their physical body while they unknowingly gather intel about the dimension he's so obsessed with. The staring at their comatose human body can additionally be explained by their supposed amnesia surrounding the events prior to the constant, as shown in Disconnected. You are right that the empathy module seems to be an addition from Wagstaff, and I'm really hoping we'll see expanded on more. It seems like when it was re-connected, human WX-78 was temporarily able to move, implying that it being disconnected is the reason they're comatose in the first place. Obviously they did that intentionally though, so, why?

As for the lack of continuity, it is super frustrating but I do agree with Ridley. I think them being a skeleton was less canonized and more just a popular fan theory that people liked to joke about. There have also been continuity issues before - there's a chance that this was at one point intended to be canon, and is currently in the process of being retconned. I figure we'll be seeing more additions to the exspectamus puzzles over the next few months, which will hopefully smooth everything out.

[JoeW]

It was never intended that the skeleton was WX-78 - Corey was just doing what he does. I wouldn't take anything he posts too seriously. 

[gaymime]

35 minutes ago, JoeW said:

It was never intended that the skeleton was WX-78 - Corey was just doing what he does. I wouldn't take anything he posts too seriously. 

welp, i need a time machine to go back three years and un-say some things......

[Opallll]

12 hours ago, JoeW said:

It was never intended that the skeleton was WX-78 - Corey was just doing what he does. I wouldn't take anything he posts too seriously. 

That makes sense then, so sorry for the confusion!! I am not the best at correctly interpreting text/online posts sometimes.

12 hours ago, massiveguy360 said:

I think it might be a little more sinister, and Wagstaff is using WX-78 was a guinea pig for exploring the Constant. He can keep an eye on their physical body while they unknowingly gather intel about the dimension he's so obsessed with. The staring at their comatose human body can additionally be explained by their supposed amnesia surrounding the events prior to the constant, as shown in Disconnected. You are right that the empathy module seems to be an addition from Wagstaff, and I'm really hoping we'll see expanded on more. It seems like when it was re-connected, human WX-78 was temporarily able to move, implying that it being disconnected is the reason they're comatose in the first place. Obviously they did that intentionally though, so, why?

As for the lack of continuity, it is super frustrating but I do agree with Ridley. I think them being a skeleton was less canonized and more just a popular fan theory that people liked to joke about. There have also been continuity issues before - there's a chance that this was at one point intended to be canon, and is currently in the process of being retconned. I figure we'll be seeing more additions to the exspectamus puzzles over the next few months, which will hopefully smooth everything out.

No yeah after finishing the comic I now get the idea that the “progress” WX states Wagstaff was so afraid of was making that transfer permanent. I personally interpreted it as Wagstaff basically having kept their consciousness leashed or otherwise leaving the route back to their human body open, which WX seemed to be aware of. And the empathy module seemed more and more like a tool for control rather than actually helping them feel the full range of emotions.

I think at the end of the comic the blast created by Celestial Scion taking Wagstaff damaged the VR headset, so not only was human WX’s body’s connection to their consciousness cut off, but also with no one to keep their body alive anymore, their human body was finally able to pass, letting them exist as WX-78, and not what someone else wanted them to be.

[nome]

On 6/5/2026 at 10:07 AM, JoeW said:

It was never intended that the skeleton was WX-78 - Corey was just doing what he does. I wouldn't take anything he posts too seriously. 

Are you telling me that Maxwell and Wilson having a slap-fight is not canonical???