History Characters / SonicTheHedgehogIDWEggmanEmpire

The Empire and Badnik army commanded by Dr. Eggman himself. He had managed to successfully conquer the world prior, but was ultimately defeated by The Resistance and Eggman himself disappeared. Without its leader, the Empire was nowhere near as effective with mostly random and uncoordinated attacks around the world. Recently however, their attacks have become more organized and dangerous when it was taken over by a new leader.

After a series of events, Eggman has now resurfaced and resumed leadership of his empire, once more terrorizing Sonic's world in a bid to make it his once more.

The main recurring threat and Sonic's perpetual foe.

* AesopAmnesia: Despite Eggman deciding to "learn from his mistakes" in ''Videogame/SonicForces'', having back-up plans in case something went wrong with the power source of his weapons, alongside studying the Phantom Ruby for months and replicating its power with replicas, Eggman returns to making old mistakes in ''IDW'' with the Metal Virus. The moment he sees it works, he uses it without further testing it or having a counter-measure.

* BadassNormal: He has no superpowers or special abilities, just his supreme intellect at his disposal, but that doesn't stop him from bring scarily competent against anyone not Sonic. Just ask [[spoiler:''Starline'', once they've finally come to blows as they fight one-on-one, after they've expended all their weapons and technology.. and [[CurbStompBattle Eggman bests Starline without a scratch with his bare hands,]] practically ragdolling the platypus with tactful and brutal counters and his much larger size letting him just catch the attacks that come his way with ease.]]

* ChronicVillainy: Sonic calls him out on this in issue 23. [[spoiler:As he points out, even if Starline restored his memories, Eggman could have simply gone back to living peacefully as Mr. Tinker in Windmill Village, but instead, he chose to continue his villainous ways. While Eggman laughs off the idea, he ''does'' briefly reflect on his time as Mr. Tinker and admit those days were relaxing]].

* IgnoredEpiphany: [[spoiler:When Sonic finally confronts Eggman face to face he asks him why he gave up being Mr. Tinker. Even beyond the amnesia, Sonic wanted to know why Eggman threw away his new life. Eggman responds by sardonically listing off all of the accomplishments Mr. Tinker had that he considers meager only to find that deep down a part of himself might actually miss that life. He quickly brushes it aside and states he prefers the loftier ambitions of his old evil ways]].

** [[spoiler:He attempts this during the final battle with the Zombots by attempting to flee to the Resistance airship, even getting Amy infected to give himself a headstart, only to be stopped and infected by Zombot!Froggy.]]

* StatusQuoIsGod: Since he is and ''always'' will be Sonic's main nemesis, [[spoiler:him being Mr. Tinker was ''never'' going to last]]. Rival villains displacing him as the BigBad never lasts either: he lets the heroes take down the Zeti if the latter hijack his plans, [[spoiler:and Starline's brief usurpation of him leads to the platypus' demise]].
* StoutStrength: He's strong enough to lift Starline by the throat and slam him into glass hard enough to crack it, in one swift movement. [[spoiler:He also bare-handedly one-shots Starline, slamming him into the ground holding him by the leg, after defeating him in Issue #50]].

** [[spoiler:Windmill Village took him in and cared for him in his amnesiac state. But once he gets his memories back and goes back to work, he made the village the first target of his Metal Virus. Even mocking them for their kindness.]]

** While a lot of Eggman's plans are very solid, his rashness, egomania, lack of foresight, and obsession with Sonic are massive drawbacks, and constantly lead to his numerous defeats. [[spoiler:Orbot even admits to Starline that all of the above are why Sonic always manages to win]].

Two service robots created by Dr. Eggman to assist him in his day-to-day routines. Started out in series as serving Metal Sonic (while disguised as Dr. Eggman himself), then assisting Dr. Starline return Eggman to his former self. [[spoiler:When the Deadly Six show up, they instantly swap sides to avoid being controlled by the Zeti, while also doing their best to leak information to the Resistance. After the Zeti are defeated and the Metal Virus destroyed, Orbot and Cubot resume their places at Eggman's side.]]

[[folder:Metal Virus & Zombots '''(UNMARKED SPOILERS)''']]

-> See his folder in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWIndependentAntagonists Independent Antagonists]]

-> See their folder in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWCleanSweepInc Clean Sweep Inc.]]

A cold-blooded mercenary who only seeks to serve himself. [[spoiler:He used to be part of a team dubbed "The Diamond Cutters", but sold them out to Eggman and lead them into their deaths, save one: Whisper]]. While he wasn't under Eggman's employ outside taking a job for his own welfare, Mimic is nonetheless fearful of the doctor and tries his hardest to stay off his radar.

-> See his folder in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWCleanSweepInc Clean Sweep Inc.]]

-> See their folders in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWOtherCharacters Other Characters]]

-> See his folder in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWOtherCharacters Other Characters]]

-> See his folder in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWOtherCharacters Other Characters]]

[[WMG:[[center:''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW'' [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDW Main Character Index]]\\

-> See his folder in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWIndependentAntagonists Independent Antagonists]].

-> See their folder in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWIndependentAntagonists Independent Antagonists]].

-> See his folder in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWIndependentAntagonists Independent Antagonists]].

-> See their folders in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWOtherCharacters Other Characters]].

-> See his folder in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWOtherCharacters Other Characters]].

-> See his folder in [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWOtherCharacters Other Characters]].

[-[[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWTheRestoration The Restoration]] | '''Eggman Empire''' | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWIndependentAntagonists Independent Antagonists]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWClassicEra Classic Era Characters]]]]]]-]

[[WMG:[[center:[-''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW'' [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDW Main Character Index]]\\
[[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWTheRestoration The Restoration]] | '''Eggman Empire''' | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWIndependentAntagonists Independent Antagonists]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWClassicEra Classic Era Characters]]]]]]-]

[[center:[-[[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDW Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWTheRestoration The Restoration]] | '''Eggman Empire''' | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWIndependentAntagonists Independent Antagonists]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWOtherCharacters Other Characters]] | [[Characters/SonicTheHedgehogIDWClassicEra Classic Era Characters]]]]-]

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler:Following Starline usurping the Eggman Empire, every Badnik is brainwashed with a signal sent throughout the world.]]
* DecapitatedArmy: Following Eggman's defeat and disappearance in ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', his Badnik army was left aimless, with random attacks on locals as their only means of threat. However, by the time events of Issue #1, they've had become much more organized. This leads Tails and Sonic to determine that something is controlling the army. That something turns out to be Metal Sonic.

* JokerImmunity: Naturally, given that they're the original villains of the entire franchise. For all his defeats, Eggman has a weird knack for avoiding death or even jailtime, and his Badniks, if not too prolific to be fully wiped out, often get off easy thanks Sonic and co.

* InternalDeconstruction: The comics' Eggman can be considered one for the character's [[JokerImmunity ensured vigilance]] throughout the franchise. This Eggman is portrayed as exceptionally complacent in the face of numerous failures, assured due to both his near limitless batalion and Sonic's ThouShaltNotKill moral code that he will always bounce back, deeming anything and ''everything'' around him expendible resources and rarely planning for contingencies as a result. This characteristic is true to Eggman in most takes, though usually unquestioned as the series status quo (and even then most versions of Eggman are shown to have ''some'' level of pragmatism), while in the comics, it is recurrently treated to make Eggman seem incredibly thoughtless and horrific, with even many villains (particularly Starline) finding the doctor's disinterest in pragmatism to be utterly feckless. This reaches a climax in ''Urban Warfare'' where it seems Eggman has finally prodded these factors too far, and suffers a particularly brutal KarmaHoudiniWarranty. Of course, he still has his JokerImmunity... but by that point, [[VillainousBreakdown even]] ''[[VillainousBreakdown he]]'' [[VillainousBreakdown is starting to]] massively [[OhCrap second-guess it]].

* TokenHuman: So far, he's the only human being seen in the comic. WordOfGod claims humans do exists in this universe, but for a good chunk of the comic, he's the only one around.

* WalkingSpoiler: The virus is responsible for turning almost the entire population, as well as most of Sonic's friends and allies, into walking robotic zombies. One of the biggest characters that comes into contact with the virus is Sonic himself, making him not only a danger to those he is trying to save, but also other major on-page characters like Shadow, Charmy, and even Tangle end up succumbing to the virus. It's hard to discuss the story arc when several characters get turned into zombies and is the major focus of a nearly two-year long Saga.

* SilentAntagonist: Like base form Metal Sonic, they don't speak. Though unlike Metal Sonic they have mouths.

-->'''Eggman:''' (''to Starline'') [[DidYouActuallyBelieve Did you honestly think]] I'd let you serve by my side with ''that'' kind of power on hand without taking some precautions?

* BrilliantButLazy: [[spoiler:He actually ''can'' come up with contingency plans if properly motivated, but prefers to let his ego direct his schemes more]].

* BadassNormal: He has no superpowers or special abilities, just his supreme intellect at his disposal, but that doesn't stop him from bring scarily competent against anyone not Sonic. Just ask [[spoiler:''Starline'', once they've finally come to blows as they fight one-on-one once they've expended all their weapons and technology.. and [[CurbStompBattle Eggman bests Starline without a scratch with his bare hands,]] practically ragdolling the platypus with tactful and brutal counters and his much larger size letting him just catch the attacks that come his way with ease.]]

* BadassNormal: He has no superpowers or special abilities, just his supreme intellect at his disposal, but that doesn't stop him from bring scarily competent against anyone not Sonic. Just ask [[spoiler:''Starline'', once they've finally come to blows as they fight one-on-one once they've expended all their weapons and technology.. and [[CurbStompBattle Eggman bests Starline without a scratch with his bare hands,]] practically ragdolling the platypus with tactful and brutal counters and his much larger size letting him just counter the attacks that come his way with ease.]]

* BigBad: As expected of a '''Sonic''' property, he's the overall main antagonist of the series, either independently or as part of a BigBadEnsemble.

* BigBad: The overall main antagonist of the series, either independently or as part of a BigBadEnsemble.

[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see him in the classic era.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonic30thspecial_081_classic_eggman.png]][[/labelnote]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see him in the classic era.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonic30thspecial_003_classic_metalsonic01b.png]][[/labelnote]]

* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: Eggman performs the bare minimum of tests on the Metal Virus, and once he's satisfied that it spreads like he wanted, he immediately throws it into mass production despite Starline's warnings that he only ''just'' created the virus and should run more tests to be sure there's no unforeseen effects. Eggman claims he can fix it in post once it has done its job of infecting the world. Naturally, it doesn't take long for control to slip from his grasp. This bites him in the ass ''hard'' after the Deadly Six usurp control of the Zombots, culminating in Eggman himself getting infected by a Zombot Froggy.

[[folder:Metal Virus and Zombots '''(UNMARKED SPOILERS)''']]
!! Metal Virus and Zombots

* EliteMooks: The more powerful named characters turn into especially difficult Zombots. While they do end up losing access to their abilities (Rough and Tumble lose their speed, Shadow cannot use his hover skates, Tangle never bothers using her tail, etc.), they still end up being stronger and more skilled than the average Zombot, especially after Zavok enslaves them and groups them together]]. Big in particular is outright ''invincible'' as a Zombot, with a mighty hammer-swing from Amy being an absolute NoSell.

* WalkingSpoiler: The virus is responsible for turning almost the entire population, as well as most of Sonic's friends and allies, into walking robotic zombies. One of the biggest characters that comes into contact with the virus is Sonic himself, making him not only a danger to those he is trying to save, but also other major on-page characters like Shadow, Charmy, and even Tangle.

* KillerRobot: Badniks in a nutshell, from [[TheGoomba Motobugs]] to [[GiantMook Egg Hammers]] to [[TheDragon Metal Sonic]] [[MagnumOpus himself]].

* AIIsACrapshoot: The virus eventually veers into this territory courtesy of [[UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway Eggman's disinterest in testing beyond "it works". The further it spreads by exposure, the more mutations arise in the virus' coding, making the Zombots less receptive to his commands. Eggman is confident that he can find a way to fix any bugs "in post", but by Issue #25 it is so out of control that he ultimately gives up on it. [[{{Technopath}} The Deadly Six]] have far less trouble controlling the Zombots, but they still need the Chaos Emeralds to control an entire horde; otherwise, they can command only a handful of Zombots at a time.]]

* WalkingSpoiler:

* NotQuiteDead: Well, sort of. In its original form, the Metal Virus was destroyed by Super Sonic and Super Silver, but Starline later injects Surge and Kit with a new, non-contagious strain to make them more durable; it thus lives on in some form within the duo, even though they aren't true Zombots]].

* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: Eggman performs the bare minimum of tests on the Metal Virus, and once he's satisfied that it spreads like he wanted, he immediately throws it into mass production despite Starline's warnings that he only ''just'' created the virus and should run more tests to be sure there's no unforeseen effects. Eggman claims he can fix it in post once it has done its job of infecting the world. Naturally, it doesn't take long for control to slip from his grasp. This bites him in the ass ''hard'' after the Deadly Six usurp control of the Zombots, culminating in Eggman himself getting infected by a Zombot Froggy]].

!!Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik

[[caption-width-right:300:“I'm bringing peace and unity to the world, and providing it with my brilliant guidance.”]]

[[caption-width-right:300:“But I serve the Eggman Empire. The only one who can truly rule it is Dr. Eggman.”]]

[[folder:Metal Virus/Zombots]]
!! Metal Virus/Zombots

The product of Eggman's latest scheme after his memory returns, the Metal Virus infects any living thing it touches like a plague, converting it into metallic tissue that results in a "Zombot" when the infected is sapient. [[spoiler:After mutating beyond Eggman's control and being appropriated by the Deadly Six, it is ultimately destroyed by Super Sonic and Super Silver, save for a modified, less dangerous strain within Surge and Kit.]]

* AIIsACrapshoot: [[spoiler:The virus eventually veers into this territory courtesy of [[UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway Eggman's disinterest in testing beyond "it works".]] The further it spreads by exposure, the more mutations arise in the virus' coding, making the Zombots less receptive to his commands. Eggman is confident that he can find a way to fix any bugs "in post", but by Issue #25 it is so out of control that he ultimately gives up on it. [[{{Technopath}} The Deadly Six]] have far less trouble controlling the Zombots, but they still need the Chaos Emeralds to control an entire horde; otherwise, they can command only a handful of Zombots at a time.]]
* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: Fitting for a zombie infection parallel. Several named characters succumb to the virus, starting with [[spoiler:Rough and Tumble]] being used as test subjects before [[spoiler:Sonic]] becomes infected. The infection later claims (in order): [[spoiler:Charmy, Cheese, Chocola, Gala, Shadow, Vanilla, Vector, Jewel, Tangle, Froggy, Big, Zeena, Cream, Zomom, Zor, Master Zik, and Knuckles. Sonic himself was ''physically'' Zombot-ified, but stayed conscious just long enough to avoid terminal infection. Amy, Eggman, and Tails were also infected, but were saved before it claimed them.]]
** Thirteen organic characters manage to avoid infection altogether: [[spoiler:Silver, Rouge, Espio, Whisper, Blaze, Marine, Lanolin, Zavok, Zazz, Dr. Starline, and the Babylon Rogues]]. Omega, Gemerl, the Scrapniks, and all of Eggman's Badniks were immune by virtue of being non-organic. Whether Mimic (who was in jail at the time), Clutch, Nite, and Don did so or not is unknown, while [[spoiler:the repurposed virus strain in Surge and Kit is neither contagious nor zombifying]].

* CerebusSyndrome: The virus led to one of the darkest [[ToneShift tonal shifts]] in the history of the franchise. Those who weren't turned into Zombots were backed into a corner throughout the arc and couldn't even ''start'' turning things around [[spoiler:[[NiceJobFixingItVillain until Starline got the Deadly Six involved in the incident]]]].
* EliteMooks: The more powerful named characters turn into especially difficult Zombots. While they do end up losing access to their abilities [[spoiler:(Rough and Tumble lose their speed, Shadow cannot use his hover skates, Tangle never bothers using her tail, etc.)]], they still end up being stronger and more skilled than the average Zombot, [[spoiler:especially after Zavok enslaves them and groups them together]]. [[spoiler:Big]] in particular is outright ''invincible'' as a Zombot, with a mighty hammer-swing from Amy being an absolute NoSell.
* EvilMakesYouUgly: [[spoiler:Shadow, Vector, Tangle, and Knuckles look downright ''hideous'' in their Zombot forms.]]

* HealingFactor: The virus grants this to its infectees. The Zombots, and later [[spoiler:Surge and Kit]], are highly resilient and any damage they sustain heals in seconds, rendering them [[NighInvulnerability nearly indestructible]]. For example, [[spoiler:Rough and Tumble regenerate from being (accidentally) [[AnArmAndALeg maimed]] by Amy and holed by Sonic, respectively, while Surge survives being crushed by an [[HumongousMecha Egg Breaker]]'s mace with little more than some ClothingDamage]].
* HurlItIntoTheSun: [[spoiler:The virus' ultimate fate at the hands of Super Sonic and Super Silver.]]

* NotQuiteDead: Well, sort of. [[spoiler:In its original form, the Metal Virus was destroyed by Super Sonic and Super Silver, but Starline later injects Surge and Kit with a new, non-contagious strain to make them more durable; it thus lives on in some form within the duo, even though they aren't true Zombots]].
* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Unlike undead zombies, Zombots are live victims trapped in a metallic substance and "programmed" to attack others. They are adapted to be impervious to most attacks and overall unkillable, becoming markedly more powerful than they were organic. They obey Eggman's commands [[spoiler:(at first)]] and exhibit aggression without direction. To spread infection, they just need brief physical contact instead of biting victims.
* PainfulTransformation: Turning into a Zombot isn't a pleasant experience. Though most are infected very quickly, [[spoiler:Tangle]] noted that the gradual transformation can hurt quite a bit.
* ReducedToDust: [[spoiler:The eventual fate of the Metal Virus' victims until its effects were reversed, resulting in yet another BadFuture that Silver has to avert.]]

* UnfinishedUntestedUsedAnyway: Eggman performs the bare minimum of tests on the Metal Virus, and once he's satisfied that it spreads like he wanted, he immediately throws it into mass production despite Starline's warnings that he only ''just'' created the virus and should run more tests to be sure there's no unforeseen effects. Eggman claims he can fix it in post once it has done its job of infecting the world. Naturally, it doesn't take long for control to slip from his grasp. This bites him in the ass ''hard'' [[spoiler:after the Deadly Six usurp control of the Zombots, culminating in Eggman himself getting infected by a Zombot Froggy]].
* UnskilledButStrong: Zombots are almost impossible to stop and are stronger than they were as flesh-and-blood, but they're also nearly mindless and don't have any capacity for strategy or skill outside of blindly attacking. [[spoiler:When Shadow is converted his fighting style not only becomes sloppier, he can't even use his HoverSkates (though he's still faster than the average Zombot).]]

** If you end up infected, the main question is how long you have before the virus eventually/inevitably overtakes you. Most characters tend to go from seconds to hours before succumbing, depending on additional contact with Zombots or the virus itself. [[spoiler:Tangle]] was able to prolong hers by using furniture and other items around her. Sonic is the only one who was able to burn off his (temporarily) before it mutates to bypass this. [[spoiler:Shadow]] is implied to have the same ability, but his {{Pride}} got in the way. [[spoiler:Only the power of the Chaos Emeralds can prevent a victim from being fully turned; just one Emerald was enough to keep the virus from affecting Zavok (in his [[OneWingedAngel titan form]]), even as he grabbed handful after handful of Zombots to throw at Angel Island.]]

* ZombifyTheLiving: The Metal Virus isn't immediately fatal once you've succumbed to it; rather, it simply Zombot-ifies you alive. [[spoiler:When cured, its former victims are rather confused but otherwise perfectly fine.]]

[[folder:The Metal Virus/Zombots]]
!! The Metal Virus/Zombots

[[caption-width-right:300:"The Metal Virus"]]

[[folder:The Metal Virus / Zombots]]
!! The Metal Virus / Zombots

[[folder:The Metal Virus / Zombots '''(SPOILERS)''']]