A gritty Mega Man? It could have happened.
A Mega Man X first-person shooter was in development back in 2010 courtesy of Armature Studio, a studio formed by former Metroid Prime leads.
Codenamed Maverick Hunter, the game would have been grittier take on the Mega Man series, taking inspiration from the Mega Man X games. In the canceled title, Mega Man would have had a sidekick described as a "Bruce Willis-like police officer." Maverick Hunter was originally planned as a trilogy of games.
Maverick Hunter was canceled around the time Keiji Inafune left Capcom, similar to other canceled Mega Man games like Mega Man Legends 3 and Mega Man Universe. Armature Studio is currently working on Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate for the 3DS and Vita.