The billionaire entrepreneur behind the likes of Tesla, SpaceX, and SolarCity, Elon Musk has garnered a lot of notoriety over recent years for his eccentric online persona and host of innovative ideas. However, while Musk does command a number of significant companies and has a lot of support from his wide fan base, the popular figure has been a subject of controversy as of late.
Not only has Musk's reaction to the spread of Covid-19 been noted by many as completely short-sighted and ignorant, with the billionaire claiming there'd "probably close to zero new cases" in America by the end of the year, but he's also been labeled a conspiracy theorist for his dismissive claims surrounding the pandemic. Hilariously, this all came to a head when the entrepreneur changed his Twitter icon to that of Deus Ex's cover art, with many seeing the decision as Musk comparing himself to the figure in the center of the photo: protagonist JC Denton.
Evidently, Musk saw the rise of coronavirus as being eerily similar to that of Deus Ex's Gray Death, which is a mysterious and deadly disease that spreads across America, killing millions in its wake. In the game, it turns out that a cure to the disease does exist, yet it's only provided to those deemed imperative to society due to its small quantities, shipping out to scientists, intellectual elites, and government officials. The game then follows JC Denton as he discovers that ruthless business mogul Bob Page is using both the virus and its cure to exert a stranglehold over society.
However, while Musk clearly sees himself as the heroic JC Denton who puts a stop to the corrupt conspiracy lying at the center of the Gray Death pandemic, fans actually see him more in the role of the villainous Bob Page. Taking to Twitter, a number of Deus Ex fans mocked Musk's comparison, with one fan claiming "as if he does not perfectly fit the profile of Bob Page, a billionaire who intentionally spreads a plague for profit. I don't think he's self-aware enough to be trolling." Another pitched how they imagined Musk would summarize the game, citing "the protagonist of Deus Ex, Bob Page, is this entrepreneur who wants to change the world. But these malcontents and insurgents are a threat to his mission..."
Regardless, it's clear that while Musk's interpretation of himself is a shining knight looking to fight back against corrupt officials trying to exploit the Covid-19 pandemic, many see him as the villain he's attempting to destroy. In any case, it seems his ode to the iconic classic Deus Ex didn't go down exactly as he intended.