Warning: Spoilers for Dragon Ball Super Chapter 89The latest chapter of Dragon Ball Super reveals that Trunks was actually the first to lay eyes on what would become Cell MAX, and that in a twist of irony, he completely failed to do anything about it.
Of all the characters in Dragon Ball Super, Trunks has the most history with Cell–or at least, one version of him does. Future Trunks initially comes back in time to stop the Androids 17 and 18, but soon discovers that he’s not the only one to have traveled through time. Dr. Gero’s ultimate creation, Cell, also traveled back from a future where he was successful, but unable to devour the Androids and achieve his perfect form. As a result, Cell and Future Trunks are mortal enemies, with each one’s goal being to destroy the other’s future. Young Trunks, however, doesn’t know anything about that, and was a baby when Cell attacked for the first time.
Trunks, in the last chapter, stole something labeled “Dr. Gero’s Confidential Disc,” an ominous name for anyone who recognizes Dr. Gero… but Trunks doesn’t. He hooks the drive up to Bulma’s computer and manages to pull up a schematic of the fetal Cell, still in the planning stages. Trunks could’ve destroyed this disc at that exact moment, and the Cell MAX seen in the Super Hero film would never be able to exist. Instead, he accidentally infects Bulma’s computer with a virus, which his little sister Bulla has to fix, and hides the disc from his mom. Thus, no one who could recognize Cell or Dr. Gero is made aware of the disc’s existence, and no one knows to destroy it.
The Cruel Irony of Trunks’ Decision
Knowing what the original Cell did to the future timeline, as well as all the horrible things he got up to while he was in the past battling Gohan and the others, there’s something darkly twisted about Dragon Ball Super’s Trunks missing the opportunity to destroy another Cell. Future Trunks would absolutely have done so without hesitation, regardless of what else might be on the disc. But modern day Trunks is a different character, one who doesn’t have those experiences driving him to be a hero. Instead, being a hero is just a thing he does for fun with Goten. What’s worse is that other characters are already becoming suspicious; Mai immediately caught on to the “Beta” android that Dr. Hedo sent to the school, for example. That she ends the chapter in possession of the disc, but without knowing what’s on it, is really just the capstone for all the missed opportunities to end Cell.
One can’t help but wonder if Dragon Ball Super‘s Trunks had any kind of recognition that he could’ve stopped this when he did eventually run into Cell MAX during the film, but if this is anything to go by, then the odds don’t look too good.
New chapters of Dragon Ball Super release mid-month via Shonen Jump.
