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[[folder: Game ]]

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[[folder: Fridge Brilliance ]]

* Throughout the series, the variations of the main theme begin to have more heavy use of string instruments, eventually replacing and overshadowing the piano and other instruments by third rendition of theme. Violins are the [[PlayingTheHeartStrings instruments of sadness]], right? And Max's life does keep getting progressively worse after each game.
** Throughout the third game, Max keeps trying to play his theme on pianos throughout different levels, failing initially, only to get it right the final time, harking back to original rendition of the theme from the first game, which heavily used the piano, and when Max was less cynical and world-weary despite his sadness. Max being able to play his theme on the piano again represents him slowly getting over his cynicism, which has reached its peak in the third game.
* The weather in each game symbolizes Max's current conflicts, both internal and external:
** The first game is set during a major snow storm that last 3 days, which in the span of those days, Max Payne, Nicole Horne, the Punchinello family, and the Inner Circle are all battling each other; In Norse mythology, Fimbulwinter was the prelude to Ragnarök, the Norse end-times, where during three successive winters, innumerable wars would break out. The constant snow also represents Max's sadness, so when the storm finally lifts after Max defeats Horne, it represents Max receiving some peace after vindicating his family.
** The second game is set during a constant rainstorm, reflecting Max's [[GrayRainOfDepression current]] [[FromBadToWorse and further depression]]. Max goes deeper and deeper into his role as a mass-murdering anti-hero, several of his allies either get maimed, killed, betray him, or all of the above, and supplementary material for the third game reveals that the fallout from all this lead to him getting fired and spiraling into alcoholism.
** Barring some rainy and snowy levels, most of the third game is set in vibrant, sunny Brazil. But when bullets start flying, it becomes [[SceneryDissonance straight up daylight horror]] and the progressing plot makes it clear that [[CrapsaccharineWorld there are dark deeds going on in this sunny paradise]], namely a massive kidnapping and organ theft ring, political conspiracy, and widespread police corruption.
* Why is Nicole Horne destroying the Valkyr lab, killing all her allies and enemies, and trying to fly out of New York? Because [[AxCrazy Jack Lupino]] had his men rob a bank [[BullyingADragon to steal Aeries Corporation bonds]]. This unwanted attention could possibly lead to the investigation of Horne's kingpin operations, so that's why she killed and destroyed everything that could be traced back to her.
* The entirety of the Valkyr project is to create super soldiers for the government, or at least TheConspiracy of the Inner Circle, but most subjects are driven into addicted insanity and there's no known successes. Even Jack Lupino, for being utterly MadeOfIron, can be construed a complete and utter failure because he became absolutely AxCrazy bonkers in the process of overdosing hard on it. And yet Nicole's entire project and secret empire are torn apart by a OneManArmy with too many guns, SuperReflexes, a boatload of HeroicWillpower, and the capability to survive what should've been a fatal overdose of Valkyr with no long-term effects: [[BadassNormal Max Payne]]. The very perfect example of the kind of individual Nicole sought to create went right under her nose the entire time after [[CreateYourOwnHero ruining his life]], and then [[SpannerInTheWorks showed up everything she'd ever worked towards.]]
* The nightmare levels in the first game were the ScrappyLevel for some people, especially the part where you have to try and follow the blood trail. But the thing is, only that way could they have been made to feel like nightmares. They have to be frightening ''and'' unpleasant to play.
* At first, the case against Max for murdering Alex seems way too flimsy to hold water in court. The angle at which the bullet entered Alex's body was way different from where Max was standing, and any security footage would have shown Max not pointing his gun at Alex and Alex getting knocked over to the left (if Max shot him, he would have fallen backward). [[spoiler:[[BigBad Senator Nicole Horne]] must have pulled a few strings in order to get Max labelled the killer.]]
** Dozens of armed thugs roaming around the subway and even breaking into the local bank. Who is the one that should be blamed for Alex's death? Why, Max Payne of course! [[SarcasmMode Clearly the only man who had a gun at the time he died]].
* In the first game, there are many ads for "Choir Communications" (a company also referenced in the second game), which has the slogan of "The voice of the angels." This is both a clear reference to the "flesh of fallen angels" and the running Norse/Valkyrie theme, but also gives a reason why the junkies are always ranting about angels when high. Presumably their memory of the advertising boards in their subconscious is altering their drug trip experience.
* It seems odd in the first game how [[PsychoForHire The Trio]] are built up as the Don's ultimate henchmen, but are [[AntiClimaxBoss actually pretty weak]] compared to [[AxCrazy Jack Lupino]], who you fight first. However, the game lampshades this by showing Lupino ripped up a letter from the Don threatening him with a visit from [[TheDreaded The Trio]]. Clearly he felt quite capable of taking them out. Given that when Max faces him he has an entire nightclub full of cultist-like henchmen, is violently insane and constantly pumped up on a huge dose of a failed super-soldier serum, it makes a lot of sense that he is more dangerous.
* The Brancos [[spoiler:except Victor]] never catch on that [[spoiler:Passos is actually Colombian]]. Why? Spanish and Portuguese share enough similarities that's possible that a speaker of one could learn the other well enough to sound like a native speaker.
* In the ending of the third game, [[spoiler: Max comes to terms with himself and moves on with his life, finally doing something good.]] A radio report states that "it's dark in some places, but sunny everywhere else", referring to [[spoiler: how Max still has some sadness left in him, but is mostly at peace.]]
* Max's letting Victor live isn't just an act of self-restraint. If he kills Victor, it would just be a gringo killing people in Brazil. By keeping Victor alive, Max forces the local justice system to act. Punish Victor, and you got a chance at making yourself look good in front of all these people you've ignored. Don't, and you all will go down with him.
* UFE soldiers execute wounded Comando Sombra members for a specific reason; they're doing it so that they don't spill the beans on the illegal dealings between UFE and Victor.
* Some people complain that most of Max's inner monologues in 3 delve into {{Wangst}} with him taking just about every opportunity to hate himself, especially compared to the first two games where he made more snarky comments and occasionally made light of the situation. However, it sadly makes much more sense when you consider that Max has been clearly suffering from depression for well over a decade and he obviously hasn't been seeking the proper help for it. People with depression typically struggle with thoughts of feeling like they're worthless or that the world would be better off without them; couple that with the fact that having to kill scores of criminals in self-defense only doing more harm to Max's psychological health, and it's no wonder that by this, his inner monologues contain so much more self-loathing and criticizing towards himself.

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[[folder: Fridge Horror ]]

* Max has body counts in the hundreds, having wiped out entire city blocks worth of criminal goons from the face of the earth on three separate counts. He may face inner guilt and feel he needs to be punished for it, but he never is; he effectively gets taken off of undercover duty and put into direct detective work for the second game, and the local police ties in Brazil let him off the hook thanks to helping Da Silva stop the UFE. By all accounts, Max is a mass murderer and he fully knows it -- and yet because he's cleaning up the absolute ''worst'' of the each locale, seemingly no one sees a problem with any of this. The world is just that messed up and Max is probably the only person with a full grasp of the irony.

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[[folder: Film ]]

* FridgeLogic: If Valkyr has such high propablity of causing horrible {{hallucinations}}, then why is it such a big hit on the streets?
* Not really Fridge Logic but maybe FridgeHorror. Max is going to spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing those dozens of security guards isn't he? He doesn't even know Nicole Horne is responsible in this universe.