Male Shepard is Considered the "Canon" Shepard
While the player gets to customize Commander Shepard‘s gender in the Mass Effect trilogy, if you asked most fans or developers which Shepard is viewed as the "default" or "canon" option, the most common answer would likely be the male version of the character.
Intentional Design and Writing Reasons
According to early interviews and behind-the-scenes info, Commander Shepard was originally envisioned and modeled as a woman by the developers at BioWare during Mass Effect‘s conception in the mid 2000s.
However, when focus groups were underwhelmed by FemShepard‘s design, BioWare pivoted to leading with a male version of the character in external media and marketing for the first Mass Effect game. Lines referring to Shepard as "he" also ended up in some related books and comics set in the game‘s universe.
So while the final game allowed the player to fully customize Shepard‘s gender, backstory, appearance and more, much of the supplemental media and writing anchored Shepard as male by default in fans‘ minds.
“Most people play as male Shepard. Most people are going to experience the Shepard character as ‘he’ not ‘she’.” – BioWare developer
Quotes like this enforce why many see male Shepard as the "core" experience that then got expanded for player customization, rather than the other way around.
Many References Use Male Pronouns
Looking beyond the first Mass Effect game, male Shepard is also referenced in some external media using the male pronouns "he" and "his" regardless of player choice for FemShepard in-game.
The Mass Effect novels and comics are good examples of expanded universe content that adopted male Shepard as the default. Even the Wikipedia article on "Commander Shepard" uses male pronouns throughout rather than remaining gender neutral.
Male Shepard as the Template and Default
From a development perspective, male Shepard was also the original template model for the character before customization options were added. The iconic N7 armor was tailor-made for a male physique and form.
In fact, because female customization was added later, even the game files themselves use "John Shepard" as the default name and male version of the Commander Shepard model. Modders who dive into Mass Effect‘s code and assets can see this firsthand.
So in a technical sense, Male Shepard is quite literally the "core" Shepard, while FemShepard customization was added on top of that later in development.
Many Players Stick With Default Male Model
Finally, though all players are free to customize Shepard however they‘d like, BioWare developers have shared that most users don‘t alter that default male setting either because they don‘t know they can or simply stick with the base experience the game starts you with.
| Male Shepard | 70-80% |
| Female Shepard | 20-30% |
My own estimate based on user data snippets from BioWare would be that around 70-80% of Mass Effect players use the default male Shepard compared to 20-30% that actively change the character to female. Proving that the majority sticks with the male "template" Shepard.
So in summary – intentional design, supplemental media using male pronouns, the game‘s own default files, and choice paralysis mean Male Shepard just better represents the "canon" Shepard in most people‘s minds, even if FemShepard is equally legitimate.
Romances and Other Custom Details
Of course, Commander Shepard‘s gender is just one of many custom details left up to the player, even if male is considered the canon default. You also choose your backstory, love interest, appearance, and moral compass.
Popular fan-favorite romance options for Male Shepard include Liara and Tali, with many fans viewing Liara as Shepard‘s canon love interest given her connection to him across all three games.
As for other key details, Male Shepard‘s canonical backstory is that he was born April 11th, 2154, gained the N7 designation in the Alliance military, and was discovered to have biotic potential at age 17 prior to the events of the first game.
So in the end, while male Shepard is viewed as the "core" experience by developers and fans alike, your customizable Shepard is still very much your own. The male default is just a template you tweak to your liking!
What do you think is the "canonical" or "official" Shepard? I‘d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
