About

M2 Browning In Space or Ma Deuce Mars Copypasta, also known as the M2 Browning Copypasta, is a copypasta about the famous M2 Browning .50-caliber machine gun (nicknamed the "Ma Deuce"), designed by American firearm designer John Browning in the early 1900s. The copypasta comes from a Greentext Story about a fictional soldier fighting rebels on Mars in 2066, with the joke being that the M2 Browning is still in service in the future due to its lengthy usage by the U.S. military in the real world.

The meme originated on 4chan's /k/ (Weapons) board in mid-July 2016 and spread over the following years, being referenced in various art, memes and other content across the internet into the 2020s. Some variations expanding on the original copypasta or altering it have also appeared amid its spread.

Origin

The M2 Browning, also known as the Browning .50-caliber machine gun or "Ma Deuce," is a heavy machine gun designed by legendary firearm designer John Browning near the end of World War I. It was introduced into U.S. service in the 1930s, and it has been widely used since, serving in conflicts including World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq, among other events.

As of the mid-2020s, the M2 remains a primary heavy machine gun used by the U.S., other NATO members and numerous other militaries worldwide, making it widely considered the oldest major firearm design still in active and widespread military service.

Due to the gun's long-standing usage despite the advancement of weapons and warfare over the last century, the M2 Browning has become the source of numerous jokes about its age and how it will never be taken out of service, which is the underlying joke that spawned the copypasta.

On July 13th, 2026, an anonymous 4chan^[1] user created the M2 Browning copypasta in a thread on the /k/ (Weapons) board from another user who posed the question, "What are guns 50 years from now gonna be like /k/?" The post included an image of a U.S. Marine during Operation Desert Storm grasping a Ma Deuce mounted on top of a Humvee.

The Greentext Story included a fictional tale about a soldier stationed on the planet Mars in 2066 to quell a rebellion, using an M2 Browning while operating as a door gunner on an atmospheric dropship while fighting rebels equipped with plasma guns and compact rocket launchers from the future. The soldier ultimately wins the firefight, noticing afterward, while expecting the machine gun (MG), that it was made in 1942 and inscribed with "Tunisia," "Italy" and "Germany," presumably from being used in WW2. He then adds "Mars" to the gun's inscriptions.

>2066
>stationed on mars to quell a rebellion
>become side door gunner for atmospheric dropship
>no miniguns or Gatling canons, just some metal brick with a pipe on one end
>get sent in to extract some wounded
>reach the evac zone and come under attack
>horde of rebels charging in with their new plasma guns and compact rocket launchers
>let loose a stream of bullets
>the sounds of the rebel's screams are nearly drowned out by the heavy "kachunk chunk chunk chunk" of the machine gun
>wounded are loaded up and returned to base
>inspect mg afterwards
>thing was made in 1942
>Tunisia, Italy, and Germany are scratched onto the gun
>scratch "Mars" on with knife

Shortly after the first copypasta, a part two adding on to it was then posted by another anonymous 4chan user, which described another futuristic setting in which the M2 HB was still being used against aliens.

>Be inna Eagles head nebula
>Chilling in bunk, watching latest Stevayy Spielxeno holofilm
>It's shit
>Alarm starts going off
>Fucking space pirates are attacking
>Put on my suit in a mad dash and run for the air tight hatch
>Anticipation is high as I connect my air tube and wait for the surrounding air to drain
>Hatch finally opens
>Climb up and strap myself into the gunner seat
>Look over the old M2, dated from 1941
>Say a quick prayer to God Emperor Trump and charge the weapon
>Scanning the cosmos for any movement
>Small fighting ships start swarming
>Not today fuckers
>Take aim at nearest ship
>CHUGACHUGACHUGACHUGA
>Ship is torn to shit, blows up mid flight
>Another ship off the left
>CHUGACHUGACHUGA
>Punch a hole in the cockpit
>Strange octopus shaped creature get sucked out and thrown at the ships haul just in front of me
>Thing quickly latches onto whatever it can find
>About ten of it's eyes look at me in horror, managing to just barely make out the aviators and cigar under the helmets visor
>Shoulda never come here xenofag
>CHUGACHUGACHUGACHUGA

Spread

The M2 Browning Mars copypasta continued spreading across various sites and social media platforms in the late 2010s and early 2020s, often appearing in posts and memes related to the machine gun and how long it's been in use.

On March 12th, 2021, a since-deleted Redditor asked about finding the "Ma Deuce Mars Copypasta" on the /r/NonCredibleDefense^[2] subreddit, with Redditor Dspacefear replying with it and garnering over 120 upvotes in six years.

On April 17th, 2021, another since-deleted Redditor posted a meme about the M2 HB's long service to the /r/NonCredibleDefense^[3] subreddit, notably using the image of the Marine from the copypasta and garnering roughly 330 upvotes and 20 comments in five years, with other Redditors posting the copypasta in the comments.

On December 30th, 2022, a since-deleted Redditor shared another, similar copypasta to the /r/greentext^[4] subreddit, depicting a 4chan post about a soldier in the "United States Planetary Expedition Forces" on Mars in 2201 who fights against a T-55 or Type 69 main battle tank, two tanks that have been in service for several decades. The post received roughly 200 upvotes and 10 comments in four years.

On May 21st, 2023, YouTube user burialgoods uploaded a video, titled "Be door gunner in 2066," adding voice acting and sounds to the copypasta, garnering over 110,000 views, 7,400 likes and 430 comments in three years.

On October 23rd, 2024, Japanese X / Twitter^[5] user and artist konwashi_2 shared artwork of an astronaut firing an M2 HB on a lunar vehicle under the caption, "It's an M2 Browning still in active service even in space." The post received over 446,100 views and 12,000 likes in two years, with many users posting the copypasta in the replies.

Two days later, on October 25th, the art was reposted to the /r/NonCredibleDefense^[6] subreddit, garnering over 8,800 upvotes and 220 comments in two years. Again, numerous Redditors posted the M2 Browning copypasta in the comments.

On May 5th, 2025, Redditor SopmodTew shared a meme to the /r/NonCredibleDefense^[7] subreddit depicting a scene from a manga panel depicting an M2 Browning under the title "Still can't believe it's been in use for over 100 years," receiving over 5,100 upvotes and 280 comments in a year, with users saying, "cue the Mars war copypasta," and sharing it in the comment section.

On July 12th, 2026, Redditor CandyNecrosis reposted the original 4chan post to the /r/greentext^[8] subreddit under the title "The M2 is eternal," garnering over 170 upvotes in two months.

Search Interest

External References