markus is first and foremost an idealist.     despite carl’s frequent pessimistic or perhaps just nihilistic view of humanity,  markus was exposed to carl’s own contradictions of such views on a daily basis.     he knows humans can be cruel  ;  he’s seen it in their treatment of him,  in leo’s treatment of him and even his own father,  in news headlines and beggars on streetcorners.     but his existence so far has been one of a caretaker to an old man in a big house,  with only occasional experiences that dip into the more murky waters for a deeper understanding of humanity and their complications.     the fact that carl is a drastic minority when it comes to human’s treatment or even just beliefs of androids and their humanity isn’t a factor until he sees it with his own eyes  ;  mainly during his and the deviants’ demonstration in the streets.     even the lives lost after their demonstration in the park were somehow removed,  a deadly exchange in the heat of the moment and the dead of night—   nothing compared to watching handfuls of his people,  those who trusted him wholeheartedly,  gunned down at his side.

suddenly,  androids are dead for simply standing in the street,  and it’s because of him that they were out there standing instead of tucked away safe and not so sound in a ship.     he naively assumed his own reason and empathy would be extended back to him,  if he could simply let it be known .     and suddenly he’s faced with this responsibility for masses of people,  as well as questions of what he’s actually fighting for and what’s worth fighting for it.     and then before he and his people can even recover,  they’re kicked while their down,  attacked in their own home and sanctuary ,  and scattered down to bare bones huddled in an old church after watching so many of their own get executed and then left behind to sink in a ship with their own executioners.     suddenly,  freeing his people is starting to sound a lot more like their extinction.

he wavers.     second guesses.     experiences doubts for his doubts,  spirals in spirals,  and visits carl to feel that semblance of a simpler life,  where carl’s takes on humanity were the only takes,  where moral questions were simply ringing bells over breakfast versus these deafening clanging symbols,  where objectives and directives and purpose were as easy as wheeling carl to his studio,  as heating water for tea,  as easy as blinking.  a long lost  𝙲𝙻𝙰𝚁𝙸𝚃𝚈  he both loathes and longs for.     

this fight that he’s in now—   it’s for more than just him,  or jericho.     if they were few before,  they’re barely anything now.     new risks,  new rewards,  a refined sense of purpose cut down to bare essentials,  bare meaning.     it’s because of these ruminations he sees this uprising as a timeless one  ;  he’s simply one android.     his power comes from his position in history  :  the leader of the first android revolution.     everything else is secondary—   what will decide the freedom of the countless androids to come,  in the future and hopefully,  hopefully,  the present,  is how history can paint them now,  him,  in these moments of sparks gaining traction,  how will he be remembered.     perhaps this is equally naive  ;  to assume he’ll be painted accurately according to his action and not the bias of those powerful enough to write the books.     but markus is first and foremost an idealist,  and still,  he hopes.     and this is the defining factor of his decisions in the battle for detroit.