Doctor Eggman: Encyclopedia II - Doctor Eggman - Contrasting stories

Doctor Eggman - Contrasting stories

Several continuities emerged in the first few years that the Sonic series existed - "SegaSonic" (as the video game canon is called by fans), Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (AOSTH), Sonic the Comic (Fleetway), Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM, and Archie).

Doctor Eggman - SegaSonic

The "SegaSonic" continuity, as it is known by fans, was created by Sega of Japan for the original game, and is generally thought of as the "official" storyline. This is mainly because of the belief that, since Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese creation, the Japanese storyline should be the true one. It does not have a very extensive backstory for Dr. Eggman, only that he is a mad scientist who wants to conquer Earth, and attempts to do so by enslaving the animal population in robots and trying to find the Chaos Emeralds to harness their power. This story was later developed into the current continuity used in the modern-day games. Despite the fact that the newer games have introduced a few other members of Eggman's family, his backstory is still largely unknown.

The Sonic mangas, the Sonic OVA (often referred to as Sonic Anime) and the newer Sonic X anime series all (more or less) based their respective continuities on the SegaSonic continuity.

Doctor Eggman - AoStH

Next came the AoStH continuity, shorthand for Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, the first Sonic animated series, which had little history for Robotnik, merely presenting him as a villain who sought to rule Mobius. Notably, the design of Robotnik in this series was wildly different from his portrayal in the games. At least once per episode, Robotnik declares his hatred of Sonic, by saying "I hate that hedgehog", usually at the end.

In the episode "Best Hedgehog" (which was the first episode to air, but the thirteenth in production order), it was revealed that, in high school, Robotnik harbored a crush on his classmate, Lucinda, who, according to him, was the one thing he treasured most besides power. But since she was already in love with fellow classmate Lucas, his feelings were obviously unreturned. Ivo attempted to get revenge on Lucas with one of his inventions, but it failed and resulted in him being expelled. Somewhere along the line, Robotnik managed to get a doctorate degree, which he proves by way of a diploma he flaunts often. In this episode there are two flashbacks, one is Lucas' where an acne-ridden Robotnik sets a robot on Lucas and promises Lucinda money if she "went steady with him". He, however, was rejected. The second is a made up account by Robotnik told to Scratch and Grounder, in which a handsomely portrayed Robotnik's feelings for Lucinda were returned. When Lucas turns up, Robotnik beats him up. .

Interestingly, this version of Robotnik has invented far more than all of his other incarnations put together. His flaw, though, is that all of his robots, among them Scratch and Grounder, aren't very intelligent, and as a result, they always fail in their schemes.

This is the only continuity where one of Robotnik's parents is ever seen. Mama Robotnik is usually kept under control of Mobius' local asylum, but she occasionally escapes to make a special guest appearance. She is quite a mad woman, to the fact that even Ivo himself fears her.

This version of Robotnik was also featured in the Genesis and Game Gear game Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - notably, that was the only game to feature Eggman as the titular character. Robotnik's AoStH design was also used in American Sega display cases and in most European Sonic merchandise from 1994 up until the release of Sonic Adventure.

The AoStH Robotnik's designer, Milton Knight, designed this version with the intention of making him "animation's sexiest fat man!"

Doctor Eggman - Fleetway

The Fleetway continuity originates with a short "official" storyline created by Sega of America for the original game, which was then expanded upon by the book, Stay Sonic, and even further by the enduring Sonic the Comic, as well as some other UK novels. As this extended continuity mainly featured in Sonic the Comic, is known as the Fleetway continuity, named after the comic's publisher. However, since, for a while, StC's storyline used aspects of SegaSonic storyline such as South Island, the differences between the two blur in places. In general, however, both are based on the game series.

Here, Doctor Robotnik (as he was consistently called, even when the Western video games switched to using the "Eggman" name) had a particularly different origin to anything from any other country. Originally, he was not Doctor Ivo Robotnik, but was Doctor Ovi Kintobor, a kindly scientist from Earth who embarked on a one-man science exploration of space, but wound up stranding himself on Mobius. The planet was a world of peace, and so he vowed to eradicate even the tiniest traces of negative energy from it. Using a machine he named the Retro-Orbital Chaos Compressor (ROCC), formed of many purifying golden rings, he slowly gathered all the negative energy on Mobius. Requiring a container for chaotic energy, Kintobor discovered emeralds that served the job very well, locating six of them. It was then that a brown hedgehog named Sonic came tumbling into his lab.

Kintobor quickly became friends with Sonic, and helped him to advance his speed - while testing a new invention of Kintobor's termed "Power Sneakers," Sonic ran so fast that he broke the sound barrier, and the shockwaves fused his quills and tempered his body cobalt blue. Sonic used his new speed to help search for the seventh and final emerald, which was required to stabilise the energy transfer. Their efforts were in vain, but Kintobor eventually apparently discovered a way to complete the transfer without the seventh emerald. Before the process was initiated, the pair decided to have lunch, but going to the fridge, they found only one rotten egg. With it in his hand, muttering about it, Kintobor went back to the ROCC... and tripped on a cable, falling over and slamming his hand into the machine's control panel. The ROCC exploded, bathing Kintobor - and the egg - in chaos energy, and scattering the golden rings that comprised it across the planet. As the smoke cleared, Sonic made a terrifying discovery - the chaos energy had transformed Kintobor, along with the rotten egg he had been holding. Now, he was no longer Ovi Kintobor - now, he was Ivo Robotnik.

At the start of the Fleetway continuity, Dr. Robotnik looked and acted very similarly to the SegaSonic continuity. However, just under a year into the comic's life, it was decided to change his look to match that of his "AoStH" counterpart, (as the cartoon had recently begun airing at the time in the UK). In the comic, Robotnik, in his base inside the Special Zone, encased himself in a giant egg, and hatched as the new-look Robotnik, who proved to be more sinister and more of a dictator. Towards the end of the series, in a story arc based on the "Sonic Adventure" game, Robotnik's changed outfits to match the game character's appearance (though he didn't undergo any physical transformation).

Although his goals and actions where always evil, originally Robotnik's character was very tongue in cheek having silly characteristic (for example, replace in 'ex' with 'eggs' (eggs-actly)). However over time his character became darker and more sinister. After achieving near god hood at least twice and yet still being thwarted by Sonic, Robotnik fell into deep depression. His last act in the comic (before it was cancelled) would have resulted in the destruction of the planet. He had ceased to care about being its ruler and simply wanted to 'end it all' and take the rest of Mobius with him. He was again thwarted. The unofficial continuation of the comic, StC Online, depicts Robotnik as being muted and insane after years of defeat by the Freedom Fighters.

It is worth mentioning that this 'evil dictator' had control of planet Mobius for several years. During which he spent some of his time in the Metropolis Zone within his Citidel. Through the comics run Robotnik did not just rely on his creations, but he also hired many bounty hunters and other 'hired hand' to do his work.

One of his best creations was the Emperor Metallix, a large red/gold Metallix (Metal Sonic) that would work on building an army of advanced Metallix's to fight against Sonic, although this Emperor did the job, he and his army turned on their master. This leads Robotnik to work on the Knuckles model Metallix.

The Emperor Metallix has two origins, first being the final Metal Sonic of the game Knuckles Chaotix (his mass produced Metallix's are introduced at the same time as the Chaotix Crew.) and second, (although this can not be confirmed) based on the Master Sentinel from the X-Men comics and cartoons.

Robotnik also created an advanced badnik called Commander Brutus to share command of his empire. Brutus had a copy of Robotnik's own brain patterns and eventually built a hidden army and turned on Robotnik after turning Amy Rose and Johnny Lightfoot into Cyberniks, a more advanced version of the badnik (As Shortfuse the Cybernik).

From those points Robotnik learned to never give command to anyone and made sure he controlled everything. This increased greed could have contributed to his eventual loss of his empire. His empire crumbled when an EMP pulse disabled the bulk of his army leaving him helpless.

Doctor Eggman - SatAM

The last continuity began with the SatAM cartoon, which is known as SatAM due to its original airing time (Saturday AM). Vastly different from the SegaSonic and Fleetway continuities, the only characters used from the original story are Sonic, Tails and Dr. Robotnik. Unlike his other incarnations, the SatAM Robotnik is by no means a mad scientist plotting world domination. In contrast, he is a malevolent dictator who has already conquered most of the planet Mobius. What we know of his history is revealed mostly in the second season, especially when Sonic and Sally travel back to the past. His name was Julian, and the earliest detail we know about him is that he was an assistant for Naugus, the wizard who discovered the limited dimension known as the Void. Julian betrayed Naugus and trapped him within the Void. Later, he headed up the Ministry of War in King Acorn's regime, and was instrumental in winning the Great War for the monarchy (the Great War is not explained any further than that). King Acorn allowed Julian to dismantle the military - from Acorn's perspective, this was presumably because the War's finale no longer necessitated it, while Julian's main motive was obviously to set up a coup. Additionally, he stole the plans for the Roboticizer from Sir Charles Hedgehog, Sonic's uncle. Robotnik's coup culminated in his banishment of Acorn to the Void, and his roboticization of 85% of the Mobian population in Mobotropolis. In the show's final episode entitled, The Doomsday project, Sonic and Sally used the Deep Power Stones to become super and destroy Robotnik's title building, causing Robotnik to flee in his hovercraft. But as the building exploded, Robotnik disappeared without a trace.

Due to the role he plays in the series, this Robotnik was given a sinister design to distinguish him from the often comical appearance of his counterparts. While other versions of this character often go after Sonic themselves, this Robotnik directs his forces from a command chair while petting his robotic pet bird, Cluck (seen only in Season 1). SatAM Robotnik seems to have many things in common with the Baron Harkonnen from the book and movie series Dune, including the descriptions of his SWATbot hover units as well as his own personal ability to levitate (Seen in one episode of Season 1 and the last episodes of Season 2). Whether or not this is coincidence, the similarities often make this version of Robotnik an intimidating and fierce character. The cartoon ended after two 13-episode seasons, but the characters continued to appear in the American comic book series based on it, produced by Archie Comics, which developed its own continuity.

Doctor Eggman - Archie Comics

In this universe, Dr. Robotnik begins his existence as Julian Kintobor of the House of Ivo, the son of a human-like Overlander and a human from the city of Station Square. He studied under the genius scientist, Dr. Nate Morgan, for an extended period of time. Once his mentor passed unto him everything he knew, Julian conspired against Morgan and had him banished. During the breakout of the Great War, he worked as a high-profile weapons engineer for the Overlander armies. Julian's methods were put into question when it was revealed that he utilized live Overlanders to experiment on. He wast tried by his brother Colin in court, and was presumably sentenced to either death or life imprisonment. Regardless, the court rulings did not bode well with his plans for the future, and he eventually escaped confinement. After barely evading law enforcement officers, he made it to the Mobian border and found himself welcomed by the Kingdom of Acorn. Swearing allegiance, he vows to contribute his inside knowledge on their enemy. The Kingdom's Warlord, Kodos, took the man under his wing - only to suffer the same fate as Morgan. After Kodos "disappeared", Julian assumed the mantle of Warlord.

After defeating the Overlanders in the Great War, he (like his SatAM counterpart) used Charles' invention, the roboticizer, to his own twisted ends. After sabotaging it to turn Sonic's father Jules into a drone, he conspired to have Sonic's mother, Bernie, roboticized, and soon Tails' father Amadeus followed. His plotting culminated with a successful coup to usurp power over all royal territories. Adopting the sinister moniker of Dr. Robotnik, he transfiguring the once beautiful capital city of Mobotropolis into an industrial wasteland he dubbed Robotropolis. Once his power over the Mobian regions was secure, the tyrant then focused his attention on consolidating the rest of the planet. Soon enough, he had nearly all of Mobius under his thumb; only a select few locations were kept hidden from his all-encompassing power. He would continue to rule Mobius with an iron fist, with his loyal henchman Crabmeat, and his wayward nephew, Snively. As time went on, Robotnik disseminated various regional governors to enforce his will across the planet called "Underbosses".

With the Overlanders forced into hiding by Robotnik's armies of SWATbots, his reign continued to last undisputed. Things changed however, when he found resistance in the form of burgeoning rebel cells calling themselves "Freedom Fighters", particularly in the Knothole group led by the King's daughter Princess Sally, and championed by a now grown Sonic the Hedgehog. He continually attempted to crush the resistance for 50 issues, until the four-issue "EndGame" story, where, in addition to trying to have Sally killed and Sonic framed for the murder, discovered the location of Knothole, held the Freedom Fighers at gunpoint, and planned to unleash a weapon called the "Ultimate Annihilator" (In later issues it is referred to as the "Ultimate Nullifier"), a powerful weapon that could warp reality itself. Decisive victory was at hand for the dictator; it appeared as if all of hope for Mobius was lost. Unfortunately for Robotnik, Snively tampered with his ultimate weapon, and after grueling final battle with Sonic, Julian Ivo Robotnik was supposedly killed when the weapon backfired.

It was later discovered that Robotnik survived, trapped in a dimensional void (different from the Zone of Silence or "the Void") of nonexistance. He returned temporarily with the help of a device invented by Eggman, and soon formulated a plot with his contemporary to reverse the process with Sonic and his comrades. He tricked his former enemies in Knothole Village into thinking he had escape the clutches of Eggman (who he claimed resurrected him to steal his memories). King Acorn went along with the scheme, but it was revealed that the Freedom Fighters only granted him amnesty in an attempt to sabotoge the device that brought him back. His return was cut short in a quarrel with Eggman after it was determined that his existence on this plane of reality was limited. Unfortunately for Robotnik, the machine was since destroyed. Nevertheless, that does not mean the dreaded despot will be gone for good.

Prior to the "EndGame" storyline, a Robotnik from another universe appeared, calling himself "Robo-Robotnik." In his universe, in addition to transforming Sonic and his cohorts into nightmarish cyborgs, he roboticized himself, making himself more powerful. In addition to using a variation of SWATBots known as Shadow Bots (ironically, they were defeated by Robotnik Prime's forces), he sought a legendary weapon called the Giant Borg. He temporarily gained its power, until he was struck down by the force of thousands of multi-dimensional Sonics. The destruction of his weapon seemingly destroyed him, leaving him nothing more than a head — or so everyone thought.

Robo-Robotnik would live on, by transferring his consciousness to a space station in his dimension (which is either a plot error or his dimension somehow changed because he was originally from a cyborg Mobius, not the future one). After encountering the temporarily displaced original Robotnik, he decided to "get back in the game" as it were, and supposedly eliminated his version of Sonic along with the royal family. Feeling dissatisfied, he conspired to return to Sonic's dimension, and after a series of manipulations over several issues, he revealed himself after capturing all the Robians on Mobius. This plan to destroy Sonic failed, though he succeeded in conquering Robotropolis and controlling many of the Robians on Mobius (though he would later lose them). However, his body was destroyed, and he uploaded into a new form based on that of the character's current video-game based design, giving birth to Eggman (though he would still be called Robotnik half of the time in an attempt not to confuse readers).

The series continued, and after his body was destroyed numerous times, he found himself, Snively (who had by that point been roboticized), Sonic, and Tails captured by an alien race known as the BEM. Eggman and Snively were transformed back into humans (or Overlanders), and forced to battle for their lives against a roboticized Sonic and Tails in order to prove whether or not flesh was superior to metal. They were returned to Mobius without being changed back, and have remained so ever since.

After the Xorda, an alien race that had attacked Mobius in the ancient past when it was still known as "Earth", attacked the planet again, Sonic was lost in space. This granted Eggman the opportunity to spread his power base, and conquered small portions of Mobius, thereby creating the "Eggman Empire." His robot legions are controlled by a sentient computer named ADAM, and he has a robotic "daughter" named Mecha (or "M" for short). He also changed his main base of operations from the Nuclear wasteland of Robotropolis to New Megapolis (Ironically Old Megapolis is New York City)

Robo-Robotnik has taken the original Robotnik's place on Mobius Prime, but the character of Eggman has evolved to the point where there are significant differences between the two. Incidentally, while Robotnik Prime became more and more like his SatAM self as the comic progressed, Eggman (Robo-Robotnik)has grown to act very similar to his game counterpart.

Robotnik's name is a reversal of his family's surname (Kintobor -> Robotnik). After conquering Mobius he adopted the sinister moniker of "Robotnik" to differentiate himself from his past. He has several relatives - Snively, his nephew, being one of them. There is also his brother, Colin (who was roboticized and then later destroyed), and Snively's half-sister, Hope Kintobor. Finally, from Station Square, there is his deceased grandfather and cousin, Gerald and Maria Kintobor - just as in the games. Hope greatly resembles Maria, and currently lives with the Freedom Fighters in the newly christened Kingdom of Knothole.

Robo-Robotnik is not the only alternate version of Robotnik. Another version features Robotnik as a planet eater with the powers of Galactus. There is also Ivana Robotnik, a female counterpart from a Sailor Moon style Mobius. Ivana comes to Mobius Prime looking to monsterize Sonic, but is thwarted by Sally Moon and Tuxedo Knux. Other Robotniks include the benevolent version in the Giant Robotno zone, and the good Dr. Kintobor on the Anti-Mobius.

Doctor Eggman - Sonic Underground

Like the Robotnik of SatAM, SU's Dr. Robotnik has already taken over most of Mobius. Like his counterpart, this Robotnik's greatest nemesis is Sonic the Hedgehog. However, he must also contend with Sonic's siblings, Sonia and Manic. Other than that, SU's Robotnik has a history much like that of SatAM's, including deposing the rightful ruler (SatAM's King Acorn, SU's Queen Aleena Hedgehog). Additionally, this version of Robotnik has the same design as the SatAM Robotnik, but wears a red cape rather than a yellow one. Even his voice was different, performed by Gary Chalk who played Grounder from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Instead of Snively, who was not in the series, Robotnik's assistants were two canine bounty hunters named Sleet and Dingo.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Contrasting stories", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki