We all know Cyberpunk 2077 had multiple endings which makes it hard to have V as the main character in the sequel. But what if they’ve been copied?
The sequel could begin like any other RPG: you create a new character, run through an intro mission, maybe do a job for a fixer.
Then – you die. Out of nowhere. Heart attack. A rarity in Night City where most deaths are crime related. The screen goes black.
Cut to a scene of someone opening their eyes in a kind of hospital room. Then we hear V’s voice “the hell?” They scramble out of bed, still disoriented, stumble into the bathroom, and look in the mirror – only to see the custom character you created.
Just then, a familiar voice comes from behind them:
“Well, hello to you, too.”
Johnny steps into the reflection. V stares into the mirror and says “What. The. F*ck.” as the title screen slams in.
I think this would be super cool and work well. This isn’t the original V. It’s a construct copy—an engram made without their knowledge. But since V’s personality wasn’t their own at the time it was copied, Johnny is there, too.
But this time, it’s different.
In 2077, V and Johnny were at odds, forced to share a mind. In the sequel, they’re one fused consciousness. The new V is V, but also Johnny. They finish each other’s thoughts. Argue with themselves. Remember things from both lives.
But Why Bring V Back?
Enter NetWatch.
Whether through the Relic tech, black market AI, or backdoor scans, NetWatch preserved the merged mind of Night City’s most infamous merc.
But not out of sentiment.
They want V back to do the dirty work: sabotage AIs, root out rogue Netrunners, eliminate threats to their control. Not just because V is skilled—but because V’s unpredictable, gritty, and emotionally driven. That’s something no programmed soldier can fake.
And if V refuses?
They’ve installed fail-safes. V can’t just “opt out” this time. Suicide is blocked. They’re monitored and every time they rebel, the leash tightens.
This concept would create new dilemmas to explore like:
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What it means to be “real” when you’re just a copy.
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Do they tell people who they are? Go about this anonymously? Or listen into what people really thought about them before telling them?
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Do V and Johnny now have equal rights to the body they’re in since it’s not V’s body?
And so on and so forth. I know more than likely it will be new characters (even though removing Keanu Reeves seems like a not so great move for investor packets) but I just thought this idea of mine was neat. Do you think it would work? Would it be something you’d want to play? Just posting to pass the time until we get real news haha
TL;DR: V and Johnny could still be the main characters of the sequel if V was a construct created by Netwatch in order to have V do their bidding.
36 Comments
V’s story should be shuttered and only referenced in Orion. If I wanted to play V I’ll just play 2077 again.
It’s a nice theory but this will cause problems as the world is bigger than V and Johnny. fitting them in again and again would be one boring and two it takes away from V’s position as a no name merc who just exploded in popularity and died. That death as a concept has already been used with Johnny once.
Just let go of V. We need new characters. They could be a fun easter egg mention, but with the scope of the story in 2077 playing as V again would just be boring.
No offense, but even with the new details, its still sounds a lot like a rehash of this game’s story.
I will not be able to play through a sequel unless there’s some reference to V. Either V has become a virus, or certain rules exist specifically because of V…like there’s no way V is just a footnote. V was too powerful.
I’d hate it. Let V be one and done and a legend.
Having V in orion means one ending is canon and ruins the choices made in 2077. I believe having V in orion should be limited to a drink in afterlife only.
This is the problem with multiple endings. It kinda locks you out of revisiting the last entry.
It should be referenced v like finding johnny’s gun?
Honestly, the most I want to hear about V in the next game is their signature cocktail at the Afterlife.
Tbh I don’t wanna hear about the relic or constructs at all in the next game
No, my V got rid of Johnny.
I want AI V breaking through the Black Wall to fuck up some Corpo’s and help out Edge runners
I really dont want another construct/ai in head story again…
3 times is already too many
I hope that orion will be set somewhere far away from night city, so that we can have a completely unrelated new story.
Maybe V remembrance could be seen through a mission that revolves around one of his gigs, maybe as an investigative mission.
I love V but I don’t really want them to be involved in the next game beyond maybe some rumors about what they may or may not have done in 2077. Basically I don’t even want there to be a cannon V. Some of the aspects might be harder to achieve that way, like Arasaka’s fate, but most of the story shouldn’t be.
Would be really funny to find a Cyberdeck with Johnny and V on it, as engrams which have quickhacks from 2077 that might not be in Orion. Just some random Iconic gear that you find under some garbage
I mean my idea of V appearing as A fixer counters all the endings, because you don’t know where V is you never meet V, they just give you gigs.
V is a construct in every ending but the tower. Alt just puts your engram in your body in most of them but V is essentially dead
I mean having a new character who does just to have an Engram in their head is just a repeat of the game, you’re just switching the Engram. Rather just play someone new.
In any case I like your commitment to this idea I hope you write things
Honestly this would be so terrible, I mean a complete rehash for the sequel would kill the game story wise even with the different approach you mention it’s just still way too similar, but also V is done he’s Yk whatever ending you chose he needs to become a myth a figure you hear tidbits about on the street or in audio logs and the sort.
I’m not holding my breath for it but I would love more of a blank-slate character, not even just not-V.
If there is any posibility of V in sequel I want V of the Net. Because that would mean that Johnmy is out there with the body.
I really think that the canon ending is the one where V goes with Alt and maybe becomes a contruct or an AI and Johnny gets the body.
Just makes the most sense to me, i just hate that the game threats it like u abandoned everyone, Johnny should at least tell them what happened.
Its the ending that can lead to a most possible encounter or mention to Johnny, on V’s body, or even an AI/contruct V.🤩
Nah. I’d prefer a new story.
I don’t think they’ll go for this, but I would prefer a sequel set in like 2045 rather than a sequel.
I’ll play it anyway though, I need more cyberpunk in my life.
To be fair, every Cyberpunk 2077 ending has the potential to lead on to a cure or at least prolonged life, apart from the easy way out.
The Star – via Aldecaldos / MetaCorp
The Sun – via Mr Blue Eyes
The Devil – via work for Arasaka
Temperance / Devil Mikoshi – via V being an engram and getting a new body
The Tower – V already lives but regains abilities via bioware (or Militech ‘turn on’ V’s ability to handle cyberware again if you believe in that theory)
I’m not saying that this would necessarily be either the right or wrong approach for CDPR to take, I trust their writers, but it would be easy for Orion to continue V’s story provided that it picks up a few years after 2077 and shifts the focus *a la* Mass Effect 2.
It would even add some variety insofar as that lifepath could be replaced by your 2077 ending, and maybe one of these would be limited to only using bioware or some would be far better at netrunning.
If anyone gets a pop up in the sequel it’s going to be Alt (Or Johnny again because lets face it – he either made or killed the game for most people).
V would be a problem because there isn’t an official canon gender to V – and if the next game had the opposite sex as the only voice for V, people would feel like their 2077 playthrough didn’t happen in that world and complain long after the 4th game got announced.
V is gone. Only W will rule orion city.
This reads exactly like a ChatGPT response 💀
I could see a scenario where you run into a BD as V (and potentially your latest/uploaded playthrough (check CDPR’s privacy policy) if you played 2077)). I lean on the side of there being no reference, and there’s no connection since the whole thesis of “nothing/nobody matters” in night city feels like a natural tie-in to the city’s story where every individual is a drop in the bucket of every other urban legend.
It would be predictable.
I was hoping a few various people from Night City would become constructs in the sequel, ranging from some nobodies to notable characters like Rebecca from the Edgerunner crew
I think just rumors and references would be better. Nothing concrete, just Fixers occasionally talking about a crazy merc, or gang members randomly having conversations about losing entire buildings to a lone cyberpyscho doing a gig. Putting our character in like that wouldn’t feel right. Let V rest as a Legend.
Honestly I hope not much is mentioned about V in the next game so people don’t really know which ending is cannon and can speculate more. Making V come back as a construct would make this impossible.
I don’t know I feel like it would be a little interesting/depressing to see V become the next and improved Adam smasher using their engram to pilot of fully mechanized, super advanced suit of armour working directly for arasaka if you choose the corpo ending. Of course that’s just a fantasy tho.
It’s be great to have a sidequest cameo based on your 2077 choices and that’s it