As a majorSonic the Hedgehogfan, I truly don’t think the average person knows how dark the Blue Blur’s lore can get. The subject is on my mind because of the recent release ofSonic the Hedgehog 3. While the movie doesretcon Shadow’s origin storyin some ways,I was surprised that it didn’t try to rewrite the death of Maria, the young granddaughter of Gerald Robotnik. As a rare human death in the movie adaptation ofSoniclore, fans are rightly celebratingSonic 3for keeping this dark but significant moment… but it still doesn’t scratch the surface of how messed-upSonic’s story has gotten elsewhere.
Sonic’s darkest stories have always come from the comics, with two main continuities in theArchie Comics and IDW eras. Archie’sSonicis undoubtedly the darker of the two, which makes sense, since it was inspired by the highly dystopianSonic the HedgehogTV show.Archie had an unprecedented amount of free rein at the timeand could push the boundaries of the franchise, leading to some surprisingly dark twists.
Fans who are only familiar with the games and Paramount’s movie franchise will undoubtedly be shocked by what the comics did to Sonic and his friends. Indeed, even though IDW’s run is much lighter in tone, it’s worth noting that the contents of those comics arestilldarker than anythingSonic 3attempted.
Yes, Sonic the Hedgehog really does kill his nemesis Doctor Robotnik in the comics.
10 Darkest Moments in Sonic the Hedgehog, Ranked
Here are the darkest moments and most twisted scenes from the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by Archie Comics and IDW Publishing.
Robotnik and Sonic Both Commit Murder in Archie’s Continuity
Maria Might Have Been Killed Accidently in Sonic 3, But That’s Nothing
Sonic 3’s depiction of Shadow’s origin adopts the lore from theSonic Adventure 2game. But whileSonic Adventure 2might have introduced Maria just to tragically kill her off,Archie lore created a whole Robotnik family tree just to chop it down. InSonic the Hedgehog #105(Karl Bollers, Mike Gallagher, Ron Lim and Nelson Ribeiro), Dr. Eggman (a robotic copy of Robotnik with his memories and personality) kills the House of Ivo’s Lady Agnes Hopkins in front of her granddaughter. Having threatened to kill Agnes in order to manipulate Hope Hopkins, Eggman gets what he wants and then carries out the execution anyway, leaving Agnes' robotocized body as a statue to intimidate his enemies (the statue is later destroyed by a nuclear explosion.)
However, murder isn’t confined toSonic the Hedgehog’s villain. In Archie continuity,Sonic is the one who kills Robotnik. InSonic the Hedgehog #50, Robotnik has finally learned the secret location of Sonic’s home. Robotnik is about to destroy it with his aptly named Ultimate Annihilator when Sonic hits him so hard that he careens into the weapon, causing it to explode and kill him. Of course, Sonic’s defenders will say he wasn’t explicitlytryingto kill Robotnik, but sorry - it was absolutely murder. Enraged by the attack on his home, Sonic wasn’t exactly being careful about what happened to the villain.
It’s worth noting that - after the original Robotnik was replaced by his robotic copy, Dr. Eggman - the villain absolutelydidattack Sonic’s home.Knothole Village was burned to the ground, with Sonic’s allies being kidnapped to convert into fuel.A badly beaten Sonic had no way to defeat Eggman’s latest robot suit, but the villain left him alive just so he could truly suffer the loss of his home and friends.
Robotnik wasnotafraid to mess with Sonic’s mind in Archie continuity - for example framing him forhis girlfriend Sally Acorn’s murderinSonic the Hedgehog #47, from Ken Penders and Art Mawhinney.
Tails suffers a fate worse than death, with Sonic even being traumatized by Robotnik’s eventual breakdown.
Sonic the Hedgehog Ran So Fast it Permanently Changed His Appearance
Sonic the Hedgehog’s look changed for good in his old comic series after an adventure involving super-speed, time travel, and awesome elemental forms.
Archie’s Sonic Explores Fates Worse Than Death
If You Like Tails, Maybe Skip This Section…
So Archie’sSonic the Hedgehoghas plenty of death, but it also includes some fates that are far, far worse. In issue #200 (Ian Flynn and Tracy Yardley), Sonic once again defeats his nemesis after another one of Robotnik’s plans fails, but after sustaining so many losses,Robotnik suffers a breakdown. His mental break is so disturbing that even Sonic is at a loss for words and can only stand there helplessly as he watches Eggman scream.In fact, the event is so scarring for Sonic that it haunts him for many issues afterward.
Eggman wasn’t the only villain to experience a special kind of torture. In a character-defining flashback, fans learned thatthe wizard Ixis Naughuswas “born” from the collision of spells that were cast by four wizards fighting for supremacy. Somehow, this also trapped them inside his mind. Eventually, they regain consciousness and begin mocking Ixis. This constant abuse from within his own mind takes a mental and physical toll on him, pushing the villain to beg Sonic and his allies for help.
11 Most Heartbreaking Moments in Sonic the Hedgehog History
Sonic the Hedgehog’s saddest moments include deaths, transformations, and hatred, pulled from IDW Publishing and Archie Comics continuity.
Even heroes have experienced fates worse than death inSoniclore. WhenTails is captured by Mammoth Mogul, the villain creates a fake version of the young hero so Sonic won’t suspect his absence. Fans only find this out inSonic the Hedgehog #114(Karl Bollers, Ken Penders, Ron Lim, Dawn Best and Jeff Axer), revealing that Tails has been tortured for months so that Mammoth Mogul can siphon his power. Far, far worse, the fake Tails realizes he isn’t ‘real’ shortly before vanishing from existence.In my pick for the darkestSonicmoment ever, Sonic is left with the knowledge that a copy of his friend realized his entire life was a lie before dying in his arms.Here’s your reminder that in the comics, Tails iseleven years old.
IDW may not be as dark as Archie, but the Metal Virus Saga gave Sonic his own zombie apocalypse, complete with sacrificing innocents.
Paramount’s Sonic 3 Isn’t Even Darker Than IDW’s Lighter Continuity
If IDW’s Sonic Is Darker Than You, Then You’re Not Dark
Even the much more light-hearted IDWSoniccontinuity is darker than Paramount’sSonic 3movie. Surprisingly, I feel like there’s one instance where IDW’s Eggman exhibits much more twisted tendencies than his Archie counterpart did. The chilling moment comes from the Metal Virus Saga. At one point, there’s a scene whereEggman is gleefully experimenting on live animals who are cowering in terror- a twisted moment that hintshow the Metal Virus Saga intends to go on.
The Metal Virus Saga was essentiallySonic’s spin on the zombie genre, with Robotnik’s virus spreading from person to person. In a moment I never expected from IDW,Vector the Crocodile has to make the brutal choice of sacrificing an infected friendfor the safety of everyone else. Again, a much more purposeful moment than Maria’s movie death. While IDW isn’t as prone to carrying through its dark fates as Archie, there’s also a notable moment in Daniel Barnes and Jack Lawrence’sScrapnik Islandwhere Sonic is strapped to an operating table and threatened with what’s essentially a digital lobotomy.
While it’s impressive that Paramount letSonic the Hedgehog 3get a little dark by adapting Maria’s death fromSonic Adventure2, anyone who was surprised by that moment will be shocked to discover just how darkSonic the Hedgehoglore gets in the comics, with murder, torture and beloved children’s characters suffering fates worse than death.
