Doctor Eggman in other media
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Dr. Robotnik is a video game character and villain from the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games. Since the games were first released, several distinct continuities have emerged, each based on the original video game continuity, and each presenting different depictions of the games characters. Dr. Robotnik, now almost exclusively called Dr. Eggman in the games themselves, is arguably the character that has differed the most between incarnations. This article describes his various incarnations in western media, including television shows and comics.
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
The AoStH continuity, shorthand for Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, the first Sonic animated series, 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 - his mustache is much larger, his head is conical, his eyes are black and his costume design is very different, yet it still retains a red-yellow-black color scheme. At least once per episode, Robotnik declares his hatred of Sonic with his unmistakable scream of "I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!".
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. Robotnik's side of the story made no sense whatsoever on how Lucas stole Lucinda away from him.
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. In fact, Dr. Robotnik even created a robot wife called Omaletta (which got malfunctioned by water) and a son called Robotnik Jr but he turned to Sonic's side and got disowned.
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.
Robotnik also has a cousin called Dr. Warpnik whom Robotnik banished to the Land of Confusion since he is a "loonie".
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. One example would be a variation of the cover art for Sonic Spinball.
The AoStH Robotnik's designer, Milton Knight, designed this version with the intention of making him "animation's sexiest fat man!"
Also, in a Sonic The Hedgehog book series by Troll Associates based on the SatAM series with all the same characters from the series, this incarnation of Robotnik was used in the Fortress of Fear book and Robotnik's Revenge despiting the SatAM Robotnik in the cover.
This version of Robotnik was voiced by Long John Baldry, whom incidentally passed away the same year as Deem Bristow, who did the American voice acting for Robotnik in the Sonic games from Sonic Adventure up until Sonic Advance 3.
Sonic the Comic
| Dr. Robotnik | |
|---|---|
| File:Fleetwayrobotnik.jpg Ivo Robotnik pictured with Grimer, art by Richard Elson | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Egmont Fleetway |
| First appearance | Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) (As Robotnik) Sonic the Comic issue #1 (As the comic version of Robotnik) |
| Created by | Sega |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Ovi Kintobor/Ivo Robotnik |
| Team affiliations | Dr. Zachary, Grimer, Princess Kupacious, The Drakon Empire |
| Abilities | Genius level intellect Superb machiavellian, Access to advanced technology, Vast personal wealth and resources, Formerly unlimited control over reality through use of the Chaos Emeralds |
Origin
The Sonic the Comic 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 by Egmont Fleetway, as well as some other UK novels. Although his goals and actions were always evil, this incarnation of Robotnik often showed many foibles, such as in early issues replacing the "ex" in words with "eggs" (e.g. "eggs-actly"), and acts of pettiness such as throwing fruit at pictures of Sonic and having Badniks attack Zones he already rules just to show that he can.
Originally, he was Doctor Ovi Kintobor, a kindly scientist from Earth who, through unexplained means, accidentally wound up stranded on Mobius. Setting up an underground laboratory in the Emerald Hill Zone, Kintobor resolved that he would make the peaceful Mobius a true paradise by eradicating 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, and, requiring a vessel to contain it, acquired six of the mysterious Chaos Emeralds to do the job.
It was then that an inquisitive young brown hedgehog named Sonic came tumbling into his lab. Kintobor quickly became friends with Sonic, and helped him to advance his speed and accidentally turning him blue. Sonic used his new speed to help search for the Grey Emerald, which was said to serve as a "control Emerald" and which would stabilize 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, they decided to have lunch, but found only one rotten egg. With the egg in his hand, 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. Overloaded with evil energy, he was transformed into the demented Doctor Ivo Robotnik.
Conquest of Mobius
After two attempts to take over Mobius, as chronicled in the first two Sonic the Hedgehog video games, Robotnik employed a different tact, taking control of a portion of the weird alternate dimension known as the Special Zone and establishing a fortress there. Putting the sentient energy-field known as the Omni-Viewer under his control, Robotnik had his pawn transport Sonic and a group of his friends six months into Mobius's future. During their absence, Robotnik's forces overran the planet and Sonic returned to find Robotnik now had unquestioned control of Mobius.
Recommended by his image consultants to try a new look, Robotnik abandoned his traditional game-based appearance by enclosing himself in a gigantic egg, from which he "hatched" in a new body based on his AoStH incarnation. Galvanised into more aggressive action by this transformation, Robotnik and his lackey Grimer poured his time into "Project: Metallix" which bore fruit with Metal Sonic, who derived power from a cyberformed Miracle Planet. Myriad schemes, robots and technology ensued in his constant war with Sonic. Robotnik's goal always remained to acquire the reality-warping power of the Chaos Emeralds for his own, and he was offered his chance when a mechanical failure on his orbital Death Egg satellite caused the craft, with him aboard, to plummet out of the sky. Before impacting with Mobius, however, the spacecraft landed on the legendary Floating Island, where Robotnik encountered Knuckles the Echidna. Convincing him that Sonic had stolen the Chaos Emeralds, Robotnik allowed himself to be captured by the Freedom Fighters, allowing Knuckles to follow him to their base, where they ransomed Porker Lewis to acquire the ancient gems. Returning to the Floating Island, Knuckles, using a device of Robotnik's that would take the place of the Grey Emerald, reintegrated Sonic's six emeralds with the six kept on the island. Using his device to seize control of the chaos energy, Robotnik grew to giant size and performed such feats as turning Tails to glass, before Knuckles revealed he'd secretly had the Grey Emerald all along and depowered Robotnik.
Smarting after this defeat, Robotnik's first action was to return to the Freedom Fighters' base with an army of Badniks and destroy it, forcing Sonic and his team into operating out of a mobile headquarters. The Death Egg, however, remained on the Floating Island, and Robotnik soon returned there to supervise its repair, arranging for a new model of Metallix to steal the Master Emerald to power the deadly device. With the Death Egg active, Robotnik was poised to unleash its death ray upon the Emerald Hill Zone before Knuckles activated ancient weaponry on the floating island and crippled the ship. Invading it and stealing the Master Emerald, Sonic went up against Robotnik in a suit of armour, eventually sending him toppling back to Mobius. Enraged by the idignity, Robotnik vowed vengeance, moving his base of operations out of the Special Zone and into "Citadel Robotnik" in the Metropolis Zone, but he found himself unable to exact his revenge on the Emerald Hill folk, as they had been secretly moved into seclusion on the Floating Island.
Coincidentally, Robotnik's next two greatest opponents were not the Freedom Fighters, but his own renegade creations. Using a copy of the Omni-Viewer, the rebellious Brotherhood of Metallix altered the timeline so that Kintobor never became Robotnik and took over Mobius, necessitating that Sonic restore the natural order of things (meaning that, in turn, Sonic was actually responsible for creating Robotnik). Subsequently, Commander Brutus, a Badnik trooper that Robotnik programmed with a copy of his own brain patterns, constructed his own army and invaded the Metropolis Zone, having acquired Robotnik's ambition for conquest. On the verge of defeat and his Badniks overrun, Robotnik faced his mental twin down in combat armour, spraying him with liquid nitrogen and shattering his body. He then took control of Brutus' Badnik army and taunted Mobius with his continued reign.
Downfall and Omnipotence
A chain of seeming good fortune for Robotnik ultimately led to his downfall when he discovered that Sonic had become stranded in the Special Zone. Encountering the fatally wounded echidna Doctor Zachary, who had fallen from the Floating Island in battle with Knuckles, Robotnik restored him with cybernetic components and learned the Emerald Hill folk were hiding on the Island. Striking while Knuckles was absent, Robotnik and Zachary used the hapless Emerald Hillers to create a giant biological computer. Seconds before he was able to activate the grotesque device, however, a massive electro-magnetic pulse - created by Super Sonic - swept across the planet, utterly destroying his robots and computer systems. Left utterly defenceless, Robotnik was captured by the returned Sonic and the Freedom Fighters, and although he was liberated by Grimer and went into hiding, he had firmly been toppled as ruler the planet.
Long having planned to investigate the mysterious Flickies Island, Robotnik used his fall from power as a chance to finally explore the island. He discovered that the Flicky birds which populated it came from another dimension via a Mobius Ring, and that the Flickies made excellent organic batteries for new Badniks. However, as a result of tampering with the Mobius Ring, Robotnik was abducted by the alien Drakon Empire and brought through the ring to their homeworld. Ever the entrepreneur, he struck a deal with the aliens, arranging for Sonic to be placed into trial by combat against his new Metallix model; in return, Robotnik would help Emperor Ko-Dorr find the Chaos Emeralds. Triumphing over his robot opponent, Sonic was pronounced innocent.
Robotnik was left at something of a loose end, conducting a series of random (and easily beaten) Badnik attacks on Mobius from his Flickies Island base, while trying to manipulate the Drakons by feigning ignorance of the Emeralds' location and encouraging them to go after Sonic. He then arranged a complicated double-cross where Grimer pretend to defect to the Drakons' side and reveal the location of the Emeralds to them. Once the Drakons had taken out all of the Island's defences, Grimer teleported them back to Drak and Robotnik was able to finally take control of the jewels in their full-power state. The sheer energy apparently proved too much for his body to contain, however, as he was transformed into a crystal statue.
This was, however, soon revealed to be a chrysalis stage as Robotnik's body adapted to the immense energies it now contained. Once this was done, Robotnik used his new power to alter history, removing Sonic from the timeline and showing the hero the Mobius that would have existed without him. Putting Sonic through a myriad of torments, from warping reality around him to pitting him against an army of his strongest foes to even showing Sonic that he was destined to grow old never being able to defeat Robotnik, Robotnik then made the mistake of allowing Sonic to goad him into restoring Knuckles as his ally. With the echidna's aid, Sonic drained the emerald power from Robotnik's body with the Grey Emerald, but, barely able to exist without the power, Robotnik shrank away to nothing. He ended up in a sub-atomic universe on the planet Shanazar, and reverted back into Kintobor (presumably due to the energy drain).
Found by inhabitants of Shanazar City, Kintobor was brought before Princess Kupacious, who made him her grand vizier and he began bringing technological improvements to the city. Finding that he was beginning to turn back into Robotnik, Kintobor quickly formulated an elixir that held off the transformation. Sonic, Grimer and Nack the Weasel arrived in Shanazar in pursuit of him, the latter two being arrested, and Sonic and Kintobor were sent on a mission to the Mystic Mountain. Unfortunately the elixir's effects wore off, and he became Doctor Robotnik once again. Retaining his position as vizier, Robotnik had a court magician wipe Sonic's mind of the memory of the device he had used to come to Shanazar, so, while Sonic went on the run, Robotnik and Grimer fashion the device into a machine which would fused Mobius and Shanazar into one composite world. Intending to protect himself from any harmful effects with a magic gem so that he might emerge as the ruler of the combined planet, Robotnik was thwarted when Princess Kupacious, turned into a frog by more magic, stole the gem for herself. Regardless, the scheme amounted to nothing when Mobius and Shanazar fused without any ill effects.
Insanity
Confronted by Amy Rose with the possibility that his own evil methodology had been self-defeating, Robotnik began a dark, downward spiral. Tiring of his long-running war with Sonic, he decided that it was time to bring the game to an end - no longer would be strive to conquer Mobius, but instead, he would destroy it outright. A chance encounter with the living alien hive-mind, the Plax, gave Robotnik the opportunity he desired; mistaken by the Plax for a spiritual leader, the "Great Destroyer," that their legends spoke of, Robotnik used their technology to drain the "living" energy from both Mobius and its sister world, Earth, forcing both planets into total ecological collapse. Once again, Robotnik's own evil ways proved to be his undoing when the renegade super-badnik he had created, Shortfuse the Cybernik, wired himself into the energy-transfer machine and used it to undo the damage to the planets.
Having been caught in a cave-in as his base collapsed around him following this confrontation, Robotnik reached his lowest point. Not rising from his chair, or even eating, for days on end, a suicudal depression overcame the former dictator. Desperate to snap his master out of his grim state, Grimer unearthed a container holding a creature made of living chaos that Robotnik had discovered years before, and unleashed it upon the Freedom Fighters. Unaware - but soon informed by Robotnik - that he was unable to control the Chaos creature, Grimer thought that he had succeeded as Robotnik's interest in watching the battles between Sonic and the monster grew. When Chaos targeted the Chaos Emeralds and Knuckles reacted by scattering them across Mobius, Robotnik went into action, gathering the emeralds at his fortress in the mountains, drawing Chaos and the Freedom Fighters there. Grimer was shocked, however, when he discovered that this was not part of some grand plan by Robotnik — the crazed villain had, in actuality, drawn his enemies there so that they might all die together as Chaos absorbed the emeralds. But Robotnik was denied even the embrace of oblivion when Super Sonic arrived to absorb Chaos's energies into his own body, and then be re-integrated back together with Sonic.
Sonic the Comic - Online
The fan-made continuation of Sonic the Comic (viewed by some as "unofficially official", due to its endorsement by some of the creators of STC) has furthered the story of Robotnik, who had completely lost his mind, and was left a drooling maniac. Deemed to be too insane to stand trial, he was locked away in an asylum where he remained deathly silent, never eating or sleeping. Liberated from imprisonment by Doctor Zachary, Robotnik became part of his criminal "Syndicate" who unleashed the artificial lifeform, Shadow the Hedgehog - who was grimly loyal to Robotnik. After his battle with Sonic aboard Robotnik's Death Carrier, Shadow used all the Chaos Energy he had left (seemingly dying in the process) to teleport Robotnik to safety.
STC Online has also added some material to Kintobor's established history (see Kintobor).
Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
Another continuity began with the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon, which is known by fans as "SatAM" due to its original airing time (Saturday AM). Vastly different from the game 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 (as well as one of the very few characters in the show that Robotnik was visibly fearful of). 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 the robotization 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, even having his left arm replaced by a cybernetic substitute when Sonic knocked him off-balance in an early encounter, his arm caught in an active roboticizer as he tried to steady himself. 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), though will occasionally try to engage his enemies himself if need be, using laser weapons either handheld or as part of his left arm. The 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 two episodes of Season 2). Whether or not this is coincidence, the similarities often make this version of Robotnik an intimidating and fierce character. The SatAM Robotnik is voiced by Jim Cummings. The cartoon ended after two 13-episode seasons, but the characters continued to appear in the American Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series based on it, produced by Archie Comics, which developed its own continuity. "SatAM" writer Ben Hurst has revealed that had the cartoon not been cancelled, it would have been revealed in the third season that Robotnik survived the destruction of Doomsday and would have returned with Naugus, serving as the wizard's lackey just as Snively had served Robotnik himself before.
Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics)
In the world of Archie Comics' version of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic has faced two separate versions of Dr. Robotnik. The first version conquered most of Sonic's home planet of Planet Mobius and was an enemy of Sonic for many years. He was apparently killed by his own weapon in a climatic battle with Sonic. Some time later his role as Sonic's nemesis was taken over by another version of Robotnik, from an alternate reality.
Ivo Robotnik/Robotnik Prime
| Dr. Robotnik | |
|---|---|
| File:06273e13.jpg Robotnik Prime with his loyal pet, Cluck | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Archie Comics |
| First appearance | Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) (As Robotnik) Sonic the Hedgehog issue #1 (As the comic version of Robotnik) |
| Created by | Sega |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Julian Kintobor |
| Team affiliations | Kingdom of Acorn, Snively "Kintobor" Robotnik |
| Abilities | (None inherent) Genius level intellect Superb machiavellian, Access to advanced technology, Vast wealth and resources. |
Early Life and Rise to Power
In the Archie Comics Sonic 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 Megalopolis ("Kintobor" is Robotnik spelled backwards). 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 between the animal-like Mobians and humanoid Overlanders, Julian worked as a high-profile weapons engineer for the Overlander armies, brainstorming the most sophisticated military hardware in history. Due to his engineering prowess, the Overlanders nearly pushed their Mobian adversaries to the brink of defeat. However, Julian's methods were put into question when it was revealed that he utilized live Overlander test subjects to evaluate his destructive brainchildren. He was tried in court by his brother Colin in response to this revelation, and was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. The court rulings did not bode well with his plans for the future; and he eventually escaped confinement.
After barely evading law enforcement officers, Julian made it to the Mobian border and found himself welcomed by the Kingdom of Acorn. Swearing allegiance to the Kingdom, he vowed to contribute his inside knowledge on their enemy. The Kingdom of Acorn was ruled by a Royal Family, with an individual given the title "Warlord" overseeing most military matters. The Warlord at the time of Julian's arrival was Warlord Kodos, and he tried to take Julian under his wing in a plot to overthrow King Maximillian and rule. Kodos planned to stage a coup and send his enemies, such as King Maximillian, to the Zone of Silence. Julian liked the idea of conquering the Kingdom, but decided he didn't want to share power. Instead he tricked Kodos and banished the Warlord to Zone of Silence. After Kodos "disappeared", Julian assumed the mantle of Warlord.
After defeating the Overlanders in the Great War, Warlord Julian (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 secretly had Sonic's mother, Bernie, roboticized. Bernie's roboticization was blamed on a lab accident, and soon Tails' father Amadeus was likewise turned into a robot. Julian's plotting culminated with a successful coup to usurp power over all royal territories. Changing his name from Dr. Julian Kintobor to Dr. Ivo Robotnik, he transfigured 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 inhabited Mobius under his thumb; only a select few locations were kept hidden and protected from his all-encompassing power. He would continue to rule Mobius with an iron fist, with his loyal robotic henchmen and his wayward nephew, Snively. As time went on, Robotnik disseminated various regional governors across the planet called "Underbosses" to enforce his will and to lead campaigns against local dissenters.
Decline and Fall
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 Fighters 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 gruelling final battle with Sonic, Julian Ivo Kintobor was killed by being torn apart atom by atom when the weapon backfired.
Beyond Death
Robotnik's displaced molecules recombined temporarily with the help of Knuckles' new reality-warping abilities and a device invented by Robo-Robotnik (a version of Robotnik who had come from a different reality, and had taken Robotnik's place). The reborn Robotnik soon formulated a plot with Robo-Robotnik to reverse the process as a way to destroy Sonic and his comrades. Robotnik tricked his former enemies in Knothole Village into thinking Robo-Robotnik had resurrected him in order to steal his memories, and that he had escaped in hopes of allying with Sonic. 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 had brought him back. His return was cut short in a quarrel with Robo-Robotnik 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.
Recent developments in the comic have revealed a new villain tentatively titled "Anonymous" who manipulates events behind the scenes with access to older Robotnik technology. It has been stated that he is around Robotnik's height, and his silhouette looks markedly like Robotnik Prime. Recent developments have revealed that Anonymous is A.D.A.M., Robo-Robotnik's rogue sentient computer virus. The lead writer has since revealed that the reason Robotnik Prime's image was used to depict Anonymous in past issues was due to the fact that he was in fact originally going to turn out to be the original Robotnik.
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. However, this is only in the comics, and doesn't appear anywhere else(his name really is Ivo Robotnik in the games, and Gerald and Maria's last name is Robotnik).
Robo-Robotnik/Eggman
| Dr. Robotnik(Robo-Robotnik) | |
|---|---|
| File:Upgrade to Eggman.jpg Robo-Robotnik 'Upgraded' to Eggman | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Archie Comics |
| First appearance | Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) (As Robotnik) Sonic the Hedgehog issue #19 (As Robo-Robotnik) |
| Created by | Sega (as Eggman/Robotnik), Archie Comics Robo-Robtonik variant |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Ivo Robotnik |
| Team affiliations | Kingdom of Acorn, Snively Robotnik |
| Abilities | (None inherent) Genius level intellect Superb machiavellian, Access to advanced technology, Vast wealth and resources, Formerly able to roboticize by touch. |
Origin and Coming to Mobius-Prime
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 with half robotic/half biological faces ala the Terminator or Borg, 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, and also looked like the SWATbots from the SatAM cartoon, being black instead of grey & white like Robotnik Prime's SWATbots), 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 and remained there for many years.
It was at this point that the Robotnik of Mobius Prime (the main reality of the books, where Sonic lives) was seemingly destroyed by his creation, E.V.E. Robotnik was actually sent to the alternate reality of Robo-Robotnik. The meeting inspired Robo-Robotnik, who decided to "get back in the game" as it were, and supposedly eliminated his version of Sonic along with the royal family, essentially conquering his version of Mobius. Feeling dissatisfied, he conspired to return to Mobius Prime 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 his mind into a new form (which was based on the design that was being used for him at video-games at the time). With his new body he took on a new name: Eggman (although he would still be called Robotnik at times in the story, to help readers get used to the changes). While in this form, he also briefly had the ability to roboticize others by touch (similar to the Midas Touch). If the victim was unwilling to be roboticized, however, they would be rendered little more than a metallic statue instead (a fate shared by Nate Morgan and several other Overlanders).
The series continued, and he lost his robotic body numerous times, each time rebuilding himself. He later 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 flesh and blood, 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 that way ever since, unable to roboticize themselves (due to an after-effect of the Bem's deroboticizer).
After the Bem
Not long after this, Mobius was attacked by another alien race: The Xorda. The Xorda had attacked Mobius in the ancient past when the planet was still known as "Earth", and had thought all life had been wiped out. Upon finding out that life still existed on the planet, they attacked again, leaving behind a device intended to destroy the entire world. Sonic successfully prevented this from happening, but was lost in space in the process, and was believed to be dead by all of Mobius. 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 A.D.A.M. (short for Autonomous Digital Assault Microbe), 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 (after being tricked into lowering the shields, nuclear missiles infiltrated the city and irradiated the area) to New Megapolis.
Eggman has supposedly taken the original Robotnik's place on Mobius Prime for the time being, but his power over Mobius has diminished to significantly less than that of the world's former autocrat. As time has progressed, he has taken on more traits from his games counterpart. Some debate remains over which incarnation of Robotnik is superior, and some have cited that Robo-Robotnik has been unable to maintain his power and empire as well as his predecessor. However, the fact that Eggman has since devastated his own world and had to deal with a growing number of obstacles and threats to his power on this "new Mobius" (including mutinous acts by his own 'son') should not be discounted. As well, it must be acknowledged that he was successful in conquering Angel Island, a feat his predecessor never accomplished (even though Echindapolis was still in another Zone).
Recently, however, these threats have considerably diminished - with his treasonous "son" A.D.A.M. destroyed, Mammoth Mogul without his emerald, the Dark Legion resistance forces on Angel Island in civil war, and many of his other enemies imprisoned within the Egg Grapes in New Megapolis, there are few rivals to his aims that remain. Eggman has also been strengthening his own power base - he has recently amassed an armada termed the "Egg Fleet" similar to that in Sonic Heroes. So far, it has been deployed only on two occasions - once to capture and thus eliminate Mammoth Mogul and Ixis Naugus as potential rivals and once to destroy A.D.A.M. However, he seems to be biding his time on attacking Knothole, waiting for the perfect moment to deploy his massive armada of destruction on his greatest current threat. (See STH #164). It appears that Dr. Eggman is finally ready to mount his attack as previews for the upcoming issue #175 show him holding Sonic in chains and issue #176 shows Sonic in front of a burning Knothole.
Other Archie Incarnations of Robotnik
As with other characters in the comics, Robotnik had several other dimenisonal counterparts. In addition the two main versions of Robotnik that he has fought, the Archie version of Sonic has encountered other versions of Robotnik as well.
Anti-Robotnik/Julian Kintobor
Hailing from the universe of the Anti-Sonic "Scourge the Hedgehog", Julian Kintobor, also known as Anti-Robotnik, is as heroic as Scourge is evil, and attempts to foil the evil plans of the Anti-Freedom Fighters while also working as a kindly veterinarian.
Ivana Robotnik
A female version from a Mobius based on Sailor Moon, Ivana Robotnik. Ivana appeared on Mobius Prime intending to turn Sonic into a monster. However, she was stopped by an alliance of Sonic, her nemesis Sally Moon, and Sally's boyfriend Tuxedo Knux.
Sonic Underground
Like the Robotnik of SatAM and Robotnik Prime of the Archie continuity, Sonic Underground'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 he wears a red cape rather than a yellow one and both of his arms are roboticized, unlike the SatAM version who only has one roboticized arm. In a dream sequence, it is revealed he can extend his robotic arms. His voice was also 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.
This version of Robotnik did not appear in every episode, with Sleet and Dingo serving as the ever-present villains instead (as they were pursuing Sonic Underground while Robotnik remained in Robotropolis). Unlike his SatAM counterpart, he did not Roboticise the whole population of Mobius; that was reserved for those who broke the laws (of which there were many), leaving an underclass for him to have fun oppressing and an aristocracy which he taxed heavily. While he is often viewed as less evil than his SatAM version, one of his goals is to find Sanctuary — where Freedom Fighter's leave their children — and exterminate all the children in it. He also once was willing to let the entire planet be destroyed by Chaos Energy if it meant the Sonic Underground would be destroyed as well. However, he does not seem nearly as intimidating or fierce as his SatAM counterpart.
This version of Robotnik also appeared as an alternate reality incarnation in the Archie Comics. In Sonic Super Special #10, Sonic Prime, Sonic Underground Sonic, Sonia, and Manic, teamed up with zone cop Zonic to stop this Robotnik, who had taken control of Robo-Robotnik's Giant Borg after Evil Sonic recollected the pieces and delivered them to this Robotnik.