For the Post-Super Genesis Wave version of this character, see Metal Sonic (Post-SGW).
Metal Sonic has made numerous appearances throughout the American-published Sonic the Hedgehog comic books published by Archie Comics. While certainly proving to be a genuine threat, this Metal has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.
Versions[]
Metal Sonic v1.0[]
When Metal Sonic (then referred to as Mecha Sonic for unknown reasons) first appeared in STH Issue 25, it raced against Sonic on the Stardust Speedway whilst Snively pursued them both in a hovercraft and scorched the road behind them with a laser. Metal Sonic seemed to have the advantage with his flight ability and using tricks such as holographic projectors to fool Sonic, but Sonic used his Power Rings to come out ahead in the race and managed to save Amy Rose and Tails, whom Dr. Robotnik was holding captive. Metal shifted its engine into overdrive to try and catch up, but it burned out and the robot's legs were melted to slag and scattered across the road.
Metal Sonic v2.0[]
Metal Sonic was later rebuilt and was pitted against Knuckles and the Chaotix team on Angel Island. With a power gem at its core, this Metal seemed to have the upper hand. However, it found itself outmatched by the Chaotix's teamwork and tapped out its power gem and transformed into the monstrous robot giant, Titan Metal Sonic. Knuckles was able to use a Power Stone himself and grew to match Titan Metal's size and strength, swiftly bring the monster down and apparently destroying it.
Metal Sonic v2.5[]
Metal 2.0 survived its battle on Angel Island and appeared years later with a new set of upgrades. It had since developed something of a personality and harboured a hatred for Sonic and the Freedom Fighters. It kidnapped Tails and imprisoned him inside a volcano, then challenged Sonic to rescue him. As they battled, Sonic tried to make Metal Sonic see that it was more than just a mere robot and that it had the chance to do something worthwhile with its newfound sense of self. In the end, the message got through and Metal Sonic sacrificed itself to save Sonic and Tails by holding back the lava flow after the volcano erupted. Although thought to have been destroyed, Metal Sonic's Power Gem core actually survived being submerged in lava, being encased in volcanic rock after the lava cooled. The Royal Secret Service discovered Metal's slagged remains and found the core intact, taking it back to Knothole where Sir Charles kept a hold of it. Years later, Charles would build a new body and install Metal's core within it. By this time, Metal had taken on a personality more akin to Sonic's and would adopt a new name for himself: Shard the Metal Sonic.
Metal Sonic v3.0[]
This Metal Sonic was created by Robotnik Prime's alternaverse successor, Dr. Eggman. Created using only a small number of nanites, this Metal has proven to be the most resilient of them all. It was dispatched to hunt down Sonic and Shadow to an abandoned Overlander facility, where it joined forces with Shadow and an ancient robot called Isaac to investigate the area and terminate Sonic. Its mission failed and it was knocked out by Shadow and left to die inside the facility.
Metal Sonic v3.1[]
Metal had been rebuilt by Eggman and dispatched to the distant abandoned military base of Prison Island. There, it had attempted to find information regarding Eggman's mysterious new foe 'Anonymous', but it was interrupted by the arrival of Shadow the Hedgehog and also Mecha, Dr. Eggman's android 'daughter'. Mecha had been hacked and taken over by Anonymous and KO'd Shadow and Metal Sonic, bringing them back to the doctor as she attempted to kill him. Mecha was freed from Anonymous's control, however, and Metal was back in Dr. Eggman's hands.
Some time later, Metal Sonic captured Sonic and brought him to Dr. Eggman, who used a device to control Sonic's body. When Metal Sonic went into standby mode, Snively, frustrated with Eggman's childlike methods of defeating Sonic, decided it would be a good time to betray his uncle once again. When he attempted to reprogram Metal Sonic to work for him however, he found that it was spying on him. Eggman revealed that he knew of Snively's treacherous ways, and programmed Metal Sonic, along with every other Badnik in the Eggman Empire, to monitor Snively in case he decided to back stab him once again. When Knuckles destroyed the device in Sonic's ear, Eggman and Metal Sonic attacked Knothole City, but Metal Sonic was easily destroyed by Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.
Metal Sonic v3.2[]
A new model was produced and used to attack Freedom HQ. Unlike previous models, this Metal Sonic allowed Dr. Eggman to speak through it via radio transmission. When Scourge the Hedgehog explained to Eggman that he and the Suppression Squad had taken over Freedom HQ, Eggman simply had the new Metal Sonic attack him. Sonic arrived on the scene shortly afterwards, but Scourge decided he preferred to fight alone and not get help from Sonic, despite having little success against the robot. Metal Sonic then proceeded to attack both Scourge and Sonic, and reinforcements arrived moments later in the form of Metal Scourge.
While holding the upper hand against their organic counterparts, both Metal Sonic and Metal Scourge were quickly destroyed by the Suppression Squad. Their parts were salvaged, however, and used by Sir Charles Hedgehog to reconstruct Shard.
Metal Sonic v3.3[]
Later, during the final campaign in the Second Robotnik War, Metal Sonic would be upgraded with a new trans-dimensional engine that would allow it to travel to parallel worlds, giving it a great advantage against Sonic. However, Metal warped out of Robotnik's base before recieving orders and became engaged with Shadow the Hedgehog in a cross-dimensional battle. During this time, Shadow tried to convince Metal to abandon Robotnik, but Metal argued that they were both living weapons fulfilling the roles they were created for and refused to join Shadow. In the end, this Metal was blown to scrap metal by a shot from a ship's cannon.
After his destruction, Metal Sonic was salvaged and rebuilt using pirate tech by an unknown individual. Now calling himself "Captain Metal" with a new look, he began searching for the Sol Emeralds for his grand designs.
Metal Sonic v3.4[]
The next Metal Sonic model appeared during Sonic and Sally's attempt to thwart Dr. Eggman's Operation: Clean Sweep aboard the Death Egg Mark 2. Soon after Eggman revealed his new World Roboticizer and a simulation of its devastating effects on Mobius, Sonic moved to attack the doctor when a new Metal Sonic swooped down from behind and charged him. Ranting on the latest model, Sonic battled his robotic counterpart as it worked in tandem with a damaged Silver Sonic III from an earlier fight. As the fight went on, it seemed Metal Sonic and his giant silver brethren would be victorious. A light then flashed from the Roboticizer as it activated, however the device exploded due to a malfunction and destroyed the room, heavily damaging the Death Egg. Already being a robot, Metal Sonic was incompatible to the Roboticization process just like other mechanics, and it blew up into a robotic mess with its head severed.
Metal Sonic v3.5[]
This unit was built after Operation: Clean Sweep and appeared alongside the upgraded Mecha Sally when Dr. Eggman attempted to assassinate Elias Acorn and his family while relocating from New Mobotropolis to Feral Forest, and at first focused on Sonic as it's primary target while proving to be too much for the deroboticized Bunnie. As the robots battled with the convoy's escort, Dr. Eggman ordered Metal Sonic to latch onto the Mobo-Cruiser carrying the Acorn family and self-destruct. Antoine removed Metal Sonic from the vehicle in time, however, and was the only one caught in the robot's explosion, which left him comatose.
Metal Sonic v3.6[]
Dr. Eggman unveiled the seventh incarnation of Metal Sonic v3.0 to his Dark Egg Legion Grandmasters along with the rest of the Metal Series for the purpose of serving as the doctor's new enforcers as a result of Snively's betrayal. It accompanied Mecha Sally in joining the Eggman Empire's attack on Central City in an effort to find Snively. During the battle, Metal Sonic and Mecha Sally were able to take E-123 Omega by surprise and attacked him using their laser cannons. As Snively attempted to escape again, Mecha Sally and Metal Sonic effortlessly destroyed the G.U.N. fighters sent out to bring down Snively's craft before returning to the Egg 'Stache Flyer to continue the chase. It was then dispatched along with Metal Tails and Metal Amy as Team Metal in New Mobotropolis with assistance from Tails Doll in an attempt to get rid of Team Freedom, but as it was about to engage Heavy and Bomb, Metal Sonic was attacked by Shard, the original Metal Sonic, who then proceeded to destroy it.
Metal Sonic v3.7[]
Dr. Eggman deployed the eighth incarnation of Metal Sonic to destroy Shard, who had defeated his predecessor. Equipped with Eggman's last Power Gem, memories of all the defeats of his predecessors, and greater free will, it was initially opposed to the idea of going after Shard as opposed to Sonic. However, having learned from his previous attempts, Eggman had installed a soft-reboot defiance kill-switch, which quickly halted any inclinations of disobedience. Pleased with the device's success, Eggman lamented that he had been unable to fit Shard, Gamma, or Omega with such devices as well, not to mention the impossibility of using one on Snively. Metal Sonic soon arrived in New Mobotropolis, arriving so quickly and disrupting NICOLE's systems by some means that left her unable to prevent its entry. It proceeded to Tommy Turtle Memorial Hospital, where it located Antoine and was about to finish what v3.5 had started when Shard arrived to confront it. Fortunately, Shard was able to goad Metal Sonic into fighting elsewhere and leaving the helpless Antoine where it had found him. The pair flew to the Great Wastes, which Metal Sonic chose as their battle site because it was "proof of robotic superiority" given the success of Mecha Sonic against the Freedom Fighters there in the past. Shard pointed out the irony that despite the apparent "inferiority" of organic lifeforms, some robots strove to become more like them, and pointed out Metal Sonic's own increased personality.
Metal Sonic claimed that it had been improved upon to the point of perfection, and to which Shard demurred, citing his own efforts to help the people of the Republic of Acorn gain a more positive impression of robots. Metal Sonic expressed its utter lack of care for Shard's attempts or his own actions, and the pair quickly engaged each other in battle. The battle was intense, each unit deploying their individual methods of attack and defense, but Metal Sonic soon gained the upper hand. Using memories of its predecessors' battles with various Mobians, it jammed Shard's laser cannon arm with a rock, deflected his Spin-Dash before responding with its own, and vaporized the rock when Shard launched it from his cannon. Held in Metal Sonic's grip, Shard attempted to reason with it, telling him that he could become more than just a weapon, reminding Metal Sonic of Shadow's efforts to convince v3.3 of the same thing. However, the kill switch activated again, and Metal Sonic prepared to terminate Shard before moving on to New Mobotropolis. Determined to stop it, Shard retaliated with his adaptive arm, using its cannon feature again before turning it into a drill in an attempt to finish Metal Sonic off. Metal Sonic severed the limb with its shield, but Shard was determined to destroy it even when warned of the danger to himself. He went after the Power Gem core, and Metal Sonic realized the vulnerability of the feature and caused it to explode, consuming itself and badly damaging Shard.
Metal Sonic v3.8[]
Dr. Eggman created the ninth incarnation from the remains of the eighth incarnation after its battle with Shard. Retaining the previous version's memories, he reported Shard's apparent destruction and the loss of his Power Gem core. He then prepared to go after New Mobotropolis, but was informed that Tails Doll would handle that; he was also informed that, despite his desire to do so, he would not be sent after Sonic. Eggman deployed Metal Sonic to the Interdimensional Gateway to meet his new partner, whom he claimed Metal Sonic would like due to his status as a "base villain" like the robot itself. Metal Sonic accepted the assignment, and was informed by Eggman that it was his "undying, heartless weapon of misery and despair." Deciding that this was acceptable, it prepared to leave as Eggman, Orbot, Cubot and Mecha Sally looked on.
Shortly thereafter, the second Genesis Wave was unleashed on Mobius, creating an altered timeline where Metal Sonic had been defeated by Sonic multiple times, including after transforming into a dragon-like form. Metal Sonic was paired with Bass, the newest assistant of Eggman's new partner, Dr. Wily, and sent to kidnap Tails. The two henchmen swiftly overwhelmed the two-tailed fox and took his unconscious body back to the Doctors. Following this, Metal Sonic went to Mega City to attack Mega Man. He struck the Blue Bomber from behind and then fled through a warp ring to Mobius, where the real Sonic was chasing Mega Man's double, Copy Robot, in Green Hill Zone. Following instructions from the Doctors, the two evil doubles lured their counterparts to each other's location as part of a ploy to trick the two blue heroes into fighting each other, which was successful. His objective complete, Metal Sonic sped off to await further orders.
When the battle between Sonic and Mega Man unexpectedly moved to Mega City in Mega Man's world, Wily guessed that it was the work of Dr. Light, Mega Man's creator. Worried that Light would be a threat to their plans, the two doctors sent Metal Sonic and Bass to deal with him. The pair subsequently kidnapped Dr. Light despite interference from Proto Man, and took him back to the Wily Egg in the Skull Egg Zone. When Rouge the Bat began sabotaging the flying fortress, Metal Sonic and Bass pursued her and cornered her in one of the laboratories, and managed to capture her despite her release of the Chaos Devil. The pair then took her to be roboticized into Rouge Woman, who joined the army of Robot Masters sent against Sonic and Mega Man's team of allies. During the battle, Eggman had Metal Sonic accompany him to Dr. Light's cell, and had Metal Sonic drag the doctor to a large hatch on the fortress. Having determined that Light was too great a threat to keep around, Eggman had Metal Sonic throw him off the ship.
Metal Sonic, Bass, and Treble were then deployed to intercept Mega Man and Sonic, who had boarded the Wily Egg, and engaged the pair in battle. The villainous robots proved a formidable challenge to the heroes, and Metal Sonic proved just as dangerous an opponent to Mega Man as to Sonic. Employing several of his new weapons, Metal Sonic attempted to destroy Mega Man even after Bass was taken out of the fight, but proved no match for Sonic and Mega Man's combined power, especially with Mega Man's Roboticized Master weapons. The damaged trio eventually managed to pick themselves up, only to encounter a fleeing Knuckles, Proto Man, and Dr. Light and be caught up in the effects of the Super Genesis Wave. Due to Super Sonic's efforts, this wave's effects-as well as those of the preceding one-were undone on Mobius, but Eggman's interference had a dangerous impact on Mobius.
Abilities[]
Being a robotic clone of Sonic, Metal Sonic has access to many of Sonic's powers and abilities thanks to his equipment. Including the rocket pack in his back, that allows him to run at speeds possibly surpassing those of even Sonic himself. Metal's speed and power vary from the different models, the third one proving too much for Sonic or Scourge. In addition to Sonic's abilities, Metal has numerous other capabilities. He can fly by utilizing the rocket pack on his back along with impressive strength and moderately strong armor.
Over time, the newer line of Metals began to get extra features and upgrades. The third Metal Sonic created by Dr. Eggman, had some sort of energy cannon that it fired from out of the front air intake of its engine housing where his stomach would be. The fourth Metal Sonic had the same cannon design which it used on Shadow and was also able to teleport due to the SXSU-401 engine. The sixth and eighth Metal Sonics were equipped with a self-destruct mechanism, and it is likely that the other models also possess this ability. The seventh version of Metal Sonic can do a combo attack with Mecha Sally using a laser installed in its back.
After the seventh model's battle with Shard, Eggman determined that his decision to leave out a free will algorithm in Metal Sonic, to prevent rebellion, made it weaker then the original. To correct his mistake, he installed his last Power Gem into the eighth model of Metal Sonic, containing the free will algorithm and all the battle data of the previous models' battles, so it could think during a battle and learn from its mistakes. He also installed a soft-reboot defiance kill-switch to prevent it from rebelling against him like his predecessor. Unfortunately, the Power Gem was destroyed in Metal Sonic's subsequent battle with Shard, but the ninth model, rebuilt from the parts of the eighth, retained its free will and memories even without the Power Gem.
The eighth and ninth models also exhibited increased combat capabilities, including a variety of energy shields. One of these was a spherical defense mode, known as the Burst Shield. Another was first exhibited after the second Genesis Wave, and was a diamond shaped barrier known as the Black Shield. Metal Sonic also displayed the Maximum Overdrive attack, which created a field of energy around him that allowed him to drive Mega Man through several barriers before dissipating.