#the phantom rider

[e-vay]

SONICINASUITSONICINASUITSONICINASUIT

[twipsai]

The Phantom Rider, Sonic's "hero" status, and Sonic's love for his friends: a poorly put-together analysis

so, ive seen a non-zero amount of people say that Sonic taking on the alter ego of the Phantom Rider is out of character for him, and my knee-jerk reaction was to disagree (though, im biased, because i adore the Phantom Rider). but then i thought about the why of it all -- why does it not feel out of character for Sonic to disguise himself to cause chaos?

full post and me over-analyzing a blue hedgehog under the cut

part 1: Sonic will break the rules

well, first of all, Sonic doesnt really care too much about being a hero. he helps people because he wants to, not because its expected of him. weve all seen those satbk cutscenes reposted to hell and back, so let me be the millionth to do so

when Merlina tells Sonic that, upon taking Caliburn, he would become the villain in everyones eyes, he shrugs it off. and even later, when Gawain tries to talk him down from battling Merlina, Sonic dismisses the idea that hes doing this out of some kind of chivalry or duty, that he fights because he wants to.

there are many other instances of Sonic not really caring about rules or social conventions, and gladly breaking them if it means he can save people (dude literally runs from cops in sa2), but its never directly stated as explicitly as it is in satbk.

so, Sonic doesnt care about being a hero, and doesnt care about being a villain in other peoples eyes if he knows hes doing whats right. youd think with this facet of his character, him actively disguising himself as the Phantom Rider would be antithetical to this point, right? if he doesnt care about being seen as a villain, then he shouldnt have to mask his identity. its a fair conclusion to come to, but it also ignores what i think is one of Sonic's core personality traits;

part 2: Sonic loves his friends a lot

its strange to me that not a lot of people bring this up, because he does! from "and Amy... take care of yourself," to "I'll have you smiling by the end of this," Sonic just genuinely loves his friends to death, and doesnt want to sabotage them.

if he runs out there to cause chaos during the clean sweepstakes, completely unmasked? everyone who knows a single thing about Sonic will start to assume bad things about the Restoration. just because Sonic has good intentions doesnt mean hes above the rules, and acting like he is can put people he cares about (namely Jewel and the Diamond Cutters) at the mercy of public opinion.

he cant act like hes above the rules, especially when hes directly associated with the Restoration (even if hes not a part of it) during the clean sweepstakes.

(id also like to point out that here, Sonic doesnt even consider it a bad thing to be completely and utterly chaotic and disruptive at first; Tails has to remind him its a bad idea)

and understandably so! we see how everyone reacts to seeing Sonic as the Phantom Rider, especially Tangle -- its a tough pill to swallow, especially without all the context involved. to an outsider, it looks like Sonic is just trying to sabotage the clean sweepstakes because hes being a sore loser (or, really, any other number of malicious reasons)

but, really, i think that the point im trying to make is summed up best by Amy and Sally (even though its in Archie)

thats just not how they do things. they dont want to cause necessary chaos or danger just for the hell of it, and they certainly dont want to associate the Restoration with that sorta thing -- people look to the Restoration for hope, and while Sonic is associated with it during the clean sweepstakes, his hands are a bit tied. itd be a total dick move for him to basically throw his friends (and especially Jewel) under the bus like that, and he knows it.

Sonic may not care about his reputation in other peoples eyes, but he cares greatly about how his actions affect his friends.

part 3: the conclusion

its easy to assume that, based on how lax Sonic is with rules and social conventions, him disguising himself just to cause a distraction for Amy and Tails to get attention off of them would be out of character. but, based on the circumstances, i think that it makes enough sense given the context for him to take the route that he does.

sorry if this analysis is a little all over the place, im sorta scatter brained right now but i wanted to get my thoughts out about this cuz its been on my mind

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Q quills down Surge and Phantom Rider Sonic w/o helmet on the same page? How they spoil me... 🫣😳

[sage-nebula]

LET HER SAY DAMN! If Shadow's allowed to say it, Surge should be allowed to say it too!!!

[sonicthehedeghog]

comic frontiers

[kittydoremi]

I'm not a huge fan of the idw comics, but I am enjoying the recent riders arc so far. Despite a few problems/nitpicks here and there, it's pretty good.

The phantom rider is super cool, Sonic is fairly in character (not being a condescending, preachy ass), Amy seems more like herself than she's been in a long time, there's interesting conflict with Mimic, Lanolin seems to finally be getting some kind of comeuppance, seeds are being planted for Surge and Kits redemption, and the riders setting is always cool. Things really feel like they're moving forward.

And of course, the art is amazing. I love it.

I still wish that Knuckles was in the arc, he should and would be here. And it does seem a bit forced that Sonic would be willing to trust Eggman. I also still don't like how Sonic and the others didn't argue against Lanolin when she berated them.

Also, I still think Sonic had a bit of an overreaction when Amy's board went out of control (he only really reacts like that when someone dies/is about to die). Surge and Kit's redemption does also feel a bit sudden/rushed. Clutch is still underwhelming as a villain.

But those are minor problems in the grand scheme of things. Overall the arc has been fairly enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to the next issue.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Next chapter of my Robbie Reyes/Ghost Rider AOS spin-off fic is out! Take a read and enjoy! Let me know what y’all think of the story so far, I’d love to hear.

Chapter summary: Hamilton Slade continues exploring the underground ruins of San Venganza. As he starts to understand what happened to the supposedly cursed lost city, he realizes that he's messing with forces that he's wholly unprepared for. In the meantime, a shocking reveal is made about Kenshiro Cochrane, and Leo Fitz has an unexpected encounter...

[skeletonmunroe]

Minor Super-Hero Round-Up 017

This batch are very minor.

[mechokky]

phantom rider magical girl transformation

youtube:

[number-one-shadisper-shipper]

My boi actually learned from Barry after all 😁

[superscourge]

the phantom rider has been spotted causing more trouble--but, wait, he looks…different…?

no, this is the WRAITH RIDER!!!

[adokle]

You are "Phantom Rider"!

[zillychu]

"hey can you draw TTB fam as cats" <- Kei unaware I'm about to be unwell for 2 nights

extras under the cut!

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Okay okay hear me out hear me out hear me out

Sam Speed x Phantom Rider Sonic w/o helmet

They should make out looking a bit disheveled and their tops partially unzipped (yes yes I know how the phantom rider suit works let me have this)

For me💖

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

Guys guys guys so you know how Tails is famous for copying Sonic's poses and stuff, classic little sibling trying to be as cool as older sibling, right

So

LOOK AT LITTLE KIT STRUTTING AROUND LIKE BIG SIS AND HIS LITTLE FACE OF DETERMINATION AND THE POSE AKFKWANENFKDMAKWMFKSMWKFNVLSNEMFKDAODKO

Just saying, it may have started out artificial and toxic, but I've really been loving to see how Surge and Kit's bond has slowly been changing to an actual bond, almost merely because of their shared trauma, and they're the only ones they trust. 🥺 Underrated siblinghood right here.

[nortedwayfinder]

Phantom Rider Power, Maaaake up!

An accurate depiction of Sonic's transformation in issue #70