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blu33blurr · 7 days ago

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Why is Scourge The Hedgehog a great villain?

Scourge The Hedgehog is probably one of Archie Sonic's most popular and iconic characters, and personally, I think he's also a great example of how to achieve something great despite having a simple concept:

Debuting in STH #11, the character was introduced as an alternate version of Sonic who was physically identical to him but whose personality was completely opposite. Basically, he was the typical evil doppelganger from an alternate universe where the good guys are bad and the bad guys are good

Not much more could be expected from this stage of the comic, made up of simplistic and comical children's stories. In fact, initially the character didn't even have a name to begin with, it wouldn't be until issues later that Karl Bollers would name him Evil Sonic in SSS #10. And really during this time, the character didn't do much to stand out, establishing himself as a recurring villain but one that wouldn't reach the threat level of others like Robotnik, becoming a minor nuisance as time went on. Something that would remain once the comics evolved into something more serious.

Evil Sonic wouldn't have a notable role again until the infamous STH 150#, where he would try to impersonate Sonic in order to take advantage of the benefits of being Sonic. This story is controversial and hated for several more than understandable reasons, starting with the fact that we are talking about issue 150, which was decided to be starring a simple story that becomes unsufferable at times due to very questionable creative decisions.

(And I'm opening an aside here to take advantage and deny the unnecessary fuss that there was regarding a certain cursed panel. Much has been said regarding this panel and it is usually used as ammunition to rant against the comic and Scourge, so let's get this straight once and for all;

Scourge and Bunnie did NOT have sex. Yes, it's obvious that the panel has a certain rather obvious mischievous air but beyond a dirty joke, which in fact was not the only one at this stage, there's no point in trying to see beyond it. It was just a fleeting moment and without any repercussions for the characters and the plot. In fact, if we try to investigate further we'll see that to begin with it's impossible for it to have happened, since Bunnie is robotized from the waist down and just in the previous panel she was reluctant when Evil Sonic became more cuddly.

The comic's own encyclopedia establishes more or less clearly that Bunnie could not have children while being robotized, so it rules out that her robotic parts don't work like organic ones.

And about the kids of Bunnie and Antoine de la Light Mobius, Belle and Jacques, are both confirmed to have been born without their robotic parts, which was actually explicitly shown in SU 26, so Bunnie was most likely de-roboticized, as was established in another probable future much earlier and would eventually happen in the main series. So not, Scourge is not a rapist, it's still not a pretty situation but there isn't need to exaggerate even more)

Although Karl Bollers intended to give a darker twist to this plot, in the end it would only remain as a boring story whose greatest achievement would be to be the foot for the resurgence of Evil Sonic in STH 160 #. When he and Rouge tried to steal the Master Emerald again, which ends up causing a confrontation with Locke that would end with a total facelift for Evil Sonic.

At first, it seems like a simple redesign so that he doesn't look like Sonic with accessories and that's it, but in truth this was just the first step for Scourge to get an identity as an antagonist beyond a recurring annoyance. And that's the key word we have to keep in mind when we talk about Scourge:

Identity

Later, in STH 172# during a fight Scourge tells Sonic that if circumstances went wrong, Sonic would end up being like him, to which Sonic turns the matter around by mentioning that if Scourge wanted to he could end up being a hero like him.

Here the key focus is Scourge's reaction, because from here he begins to reflect on himself and who he really is; He's an alternate version of Sonic, one of the thousands and millions of versions that we know exist, so where does that leave him? Is he really just that, an Evil Sonic who if he wanted to could be good and thus be exactly like the countless other Sonic's that exist?

With this conflict in mind, Scourge would return to his home world with the intention of forging an image of his own, not only for himself but also for inhabitants of Anti-Mobius, now renamed 'Moebius'. No longer would they be just the evil doubles of the good ones. He would become a true plague and all them would be respected by all.

The best thing is that this conflict not only impacts Scourge, but also Sonic, since at the end of the day Scourge is a possibility, something that could have been or could be, and once that manifests itself, it remains an underlying fear and in turn a motivation for Sonic, to keep fighting and avoid ending up broken like his twin.

And that is another key word when we talk about Scourge; Broken. As this conflict develops, in STH 192# Scourge's background and motivations are finally properly investigated. We are told how, contrary to the close relationship between Sonic and his father, Anti Jules put his son aside for his own interests.

Looking back, Scourge and Sonic's childhood was quite similar as both had to grow up without the support of their parents, but while Sonic was separated from his parents because of Robotnik and was eventually able to meet them again, having in the middle the support and unconditional love of his uncle and his friends who motivated him to fight for the common good, Scourge always had his parents but they simply didn't care, even if Anti Bernadette is not mentioned knowing how her version of Mobius Prime is, brave, kind and caring, it is easy to deduce that she would be similar or even worse than Anti Jules.

He didn't have a loving family that instilled heroic values in him, he didn't have a group of loyal friends to support him and he didn't have any kind of guidance or incentive to improve or fight for the common good either. He was always alone, surrounded by malicious or equally damaged people who never even saw him as an equal. In this scenario, Scourge's mind was filled with bad thoughts that caused him to choose to seek attention through fear and the supposed respect it would bring him.

At this point, it's no longer just "A bad Sonic for no reason" we are now faced with a Sonic who, as a result of years of loneliness, misunderstanding and rejection, changed his course in the opposite direction.

“But if what he wants is attention and respect, why doesn’t he become a hero like Sonic?”

Because for Scourge that wouldn’t be a solution, he wants not only to be respected but he also wants to be SOMEONE beyond another version of the hero of the multiverse. His internal shortcomings and insecurities and his desire for greatness make him want to go beyond just being feared in his world, and that’s why he insists on fighting Sonic to consolidate his identity as a superior and unique individual.

This insecurity is reflected more explicitly during the Scourge Lockdown Arc, where after being imprisoned and subjected to constant abuse, Scourge lets out his most fragile side: a broken child who does what he can to survive and who constantly feels abandoned and rejected by everyone around him.

Now Scourge has finally stopped being that generic and flat villain that he was at the beginning, he is now a character with a well-defined background and credible motivations, a solid development and who genuinely can be a great threat if he wants to. And the best and most impressive thing is that this effect was extrapolated to other characters with whom he interacted;

I previously made a post talking about how Fiona's evolution into a villain ended up contributing positively to her character, so I recommend taking a look at it. But now, I will only say that I know that many see her relationship with Scourge as something forced, but personally I think that their union is interesting and gives a lot of room for play, because in truth both have more similarities than they appear at first glance; Both are children who were abandoned by those they trusted, they grew up without any kind of positive support and they got the idea that they couldn't trust anyone and at present, neither of them are understood in their respective worlds and are seen as simple criminals

Scourge wasn't the cause of Fiona's change but he was the trigger for it to happen, because in essence he offered her a way out of a lifestyle in which she couldn't fit even it she tried and instead of judging her for her choices like others, he showed that he liked her with all her nuances.

And later something similar would happen with the Destructix. Thanks to their association with Scourge, there was room to give each of them their own background, ideologies and motivations, turning them into interesting characters beyond the flat villains they had been until then.

In conclusion, Scourge is a good example of how despite having a simple concept as a base, with a good reimagining and execution you can offer something interesting and memorable

It's a shame that his story will be left unfinished with the promising direction that they had prepared for him but even so, I consider him to be a great example of how to reinvent a character and develop a villain.

And it really bothers me when people mocks him by calling him "Sonic's Joker" for a reference that wasn't even the main focus and the really significant part of the exchange was the answer of Sonic and the impact in Scourge.

Or just denigrate him by calling him "flat" or "generic" without understand what precisely THAT is the point and the grace of Scourge's character: A villain who started out as a cliché, so that he himself realizes the insignificance of his existence as "an evil Sonic" and for that reason he seeks to evolve, become more than he has always been and become a threat in every sense.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic #sonic comics #archie sonic #scourge the hedgehog #sonic archie comics #sonic archie #archie sonic comics #sonic comic #sonic analysis #I and me go together like go and fast #blu33blurr #PLEAAASSSEEE

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