Do you think Ryder will ever reach the same level of badassery as Shepard?

In terms of gameplay? Yes.

In terms of in-game lore? I really hope not.

To me, it just wouldn't feel "earned", much like the Inquisitor. His/Her rise to and level of power reached in the world just seemed forced and shoehorned in, unlike the Warden in DAO or Shepard.

If Ryder is only the protagonist of MEA, then no. If Ryder happens to get his/her own trilogy just like Shepard, then it's possible. Otherwise, it's unrealistic to expect Ryder will be just as "badass" as Shepard over the course of one game versus three. The other glaring issue is Shepard faced an intergalactic threat, which BioWare claims is not the case for Ryder.

Yep. He is the only one to truly mess up Reaper plans. 

You don't need to take on the reapers, or a thresher maw, or headbutt a Krogan to be a badass. You can be a badass without ever firing a shot. Being a badass is about getting the job done, doing it with style, and overcoming the odds. Therefore, I think Ryder can be just as badass as Shepard, just in a different way.

Sure, he might not be beating down commando's like they're toddlers, he isn't a highly-trained special forces operator like Shepard is, but he can definitely be a badass in his own right.

Take Tyrion from Game of Thrones for example. He's a dwarf and physically unimposing; traits that are frowned upon in such a universe. However, he knows his strengths, uses them to overcome the odds, and always does so with style. I'd describe him as a badass, even if he isn't taking on Gregor Clegane in hand-to-hand combat or slaying white-walkers.

Not unless he beats a force equal to or greater than the Reapers. So almost certainly not, but he doesn't have to be anyways. This is the story of a Marco Polo, not a Genghis Khan.

On one hand, Ryder can become every single class at once, virtually a half dozen Shepards rolled into one. I mean, even Shep's cybernetics don't get that awesome.

On the other hand, Shepard can kill entire species off with just a pistol, and Shep's magical "organic energy" can reshape an entire galaxy.

Have Shepard ever killed a Reaper? Not "point a laser at the eye" or "get mama thresher maw", But used his/her weapons and killed a Reaper? What I remember is that s/he "only" killed Thresher maws. In that case there is a possibility that Ryder will kill something bigger and badder.

But as I said on the second page, I think, it all depends on your definition of badass.

I mean by ME3 Shepard was kind of ridiculous already... He had already done so much and cheated death so he was essentially like a superhero already. If that's the measurement of badassery then I kind of hope actually that Ryder does not get there, I'd be okay if he's only the protagonist for this one game, you don't need to make every main character some franchise leading hero. All I want is for Ryder to be a sympathetic and sort of relatable protagonist who leads this specific storyline and does it well. He doesn't need to become a half machine supersoldier killing machine.

Yeah but that's cuz the player sucks.

of course not,
Ryders must man up and grow up, he is a hobbit
and Shepard was already badass before he started his adventure,
and after the events of th trilogy, he was really a legendary hero , a man that achieve anything, conquer or defeat anything on his way, he saved the galaxy, defeated ancient sentient machines,

Ryder's adventure is different, he can become badass, but never like Shepard

While I certainly hope Ryder will be competent and have some really cool moments to show off their abilities/strengths, I hope they don't reach Shepard level of badassery.

It was a different series and required a different protagonist...one that, while still awesome, was typical impossibly awesome hero soldier.

It'd be great if they take a different route with this character (especially if this is their only game to be the PC)

It's like DA2. While the game certainly had its faults, one aspect I really digged was how Hawke was not your Warden. They were a nobody and for at least the first half of the game, they felt like no one special. They were a scrappy underdog that people didn't take seriously and that opened up some new dialogue for a change. It gets old walking into a conversation and everyone wants to either admire you or kill you...or sometimes both?

I really want Ryder to be defined by the character personalities. I want to see people talk about how great it was when they did something that reflected who they were as a person and not so much "hey wasn't it awesome when they kicked such and such or so and so's ass?" I know so much of the game will be combat, but I crave for some alternative methods to solving at least some of the problems in this story due to either Ryder's cunning, intelligence, or charisma.

We'll see. At the end of THIS game? Nah, doubt it. They are barely into their twenties. Shep was N7, and what, at least 10 years their senior? MAYBE in time, but combat wise, no. As much as we want to talk abilities, even though Shep stuck to one class...they were VERY good at that class. And I KNOW we blew a ton of enemies outta the air...so as much fun as the jetpack is, its a small advantage, but against an Soldier? Dead before a shot is fired. Remember how hard the Citadel boss was on Insanity? That's pretty much what Ryder would face...

Give Ryder a decade, then lets talk.