The Argument for Cyberpunk 2077’s Sequel to Follow the Temperance Ending

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home March 23, 2025 133 Views 6 Min Read
The Argument for Cyberpunk 2077's Sequel to Follow the Temperance Ending



Project Orion is still mostly a mystery at this point, but the shadowy Cyberpunk 2077 sequel certainly seems to have a lot of potential, courtesy of CD Projekt Red’s crash course in the pitfalls of ambition back in 2020. With any luck, this upcoming title will retain the strengths of its predecessor while introducing the new, bold, ideas that audiences have come to expect from CDPR, making it the definitive Cyberpunk experience.

That said, there are a couple of roadblocks that Project Orion will have to overcome during its development. One of the most pressing questions about its high-level design is how it will relate to the narrative of Cyberpunk 2077: it can either be a direct sequel or focus on a brand-new narrative, set before, after, or during the events of the first game. The latter route seems far more likely, as V’s journey seems well and truly finished regardless of which ending players obtain. But assuming that CDPR does intend to make one of Cyberpunk 2077‘s many finales canon, the Temperance ending might be just the ticket, as bizarre as it may seem.

Cyberpunk 2077 Golden Baseball Bat

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Why Project Orion Should Jump Off the Temperance Ending

Cyberpunk 2077’s Temperance Ending Is Its Most Thought-Provoking

Spoilers ahead for Cyberpunk 2077.

In the Temperance ending, V decides to cede full control of their body to Johnny, ending the pair’s partnership and effectively causing the death of the former. In a short prologue, players watch Johnny, now in V’s body, leave Night City behind, suggesting that the rocker has finally started to grasp some semblance of peace. It’s a bittersweet finale, but it’s also quite satisfying, redeeming both V and Johnny in spite of their countless morally questionable actions, and offering a strong sense of closure.

Moreover, it’s perhaps the ending most ripe for analysis and discussion. By allowing Johnny to fully take over V’s body, he is allowed to live out the rest of his natural life, whereas “killing” Johnny is needlessly selfish, as V only has about six more months to live regardless. But V can wind up giving Johnny a second chance at life, similar to how he gave V a second chance after being shot by Deshawn. Through this ending, there’s a real opportunity for Johnny to reform and have a positive impact on the world, finally getting his life back after so much strife. But of course, Johnny’s body isn’t his own. This raises several questions about the nature of consciousness and the relationships people have with their bodies, and such questions can be further explored in Project Orion.

Project Orion Could Analyze This New Johnny-V Hybrid

If Project Orion does wind up being a direct sequel to Cyberpunk 2077, then the Temperance ending is perhaps the only feasible option for canonization. Aside from the fact that it’s the only ending that guarantees the preservation of V’s body for more than six months, it provides the most fertile soil for further narrative development. It wouldn’t be very interesting to follow V and Panam’s adventure for yet another potential cure, for example, but it would be interesting to see how Johnny adapts to his new lease on life.

This possible narrative route would be particularly interesting if V’s body were female in Project Orion, as this would add another layer of gender identity and presentation to Johnny’s story.

Whether Johnny-V returns as the protagonist of Project Orion or an NPC, the Temperance ending would offer the most fruitful and thought-provoking continuation of the Cyberpunk 2077 narrative. This path would not only be interesting from a plot perspective, but also a thematic one, as Project Orion could further delve into the concepts of transhumanism, elevating the philosophical content of its story.

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