Rotor the Walrus


 * For the version of this character before the Super Genesis Wave, see Rotor Walrus. For the character in the Sonic the Hedgehog television series, see Rotor Walrus (SatAM).

Rotor the Walrus is one of the main protagonists in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics. He is an anthropomorphic walrus and a key member of the New Freedom Fighters, serving as one of their main inventors, usually working alongside fellow brilliant inventors Tails and Professor Charles the Hedgehog to create the best tech they can for their friends and allies. Using his skills and knowledge of technology and mechanics he is able to provide the Freedom Fighters with an edge against the mad genius Dr. Eggman and his Eggman Empire. He usually acts as an informant, providing data and technological assistance when his team needs it.

Appearance
Rotor is an anthropomorphic walrus and is generally larger than most of the other members of the New Freedom Fighters. He has violet fur with darker toes and fingers, peach skin on his front torso and muzzle, large tusks, and green eyes. He is slimmer and noticeably taller than his in his previous life. For attire he wears black and white shoes and yellow socks; he sports yellow gloves; and he also has yellow goggles. He also wears his signature green tool-belt across his shoulder.

As a child, Rotor was considerably chubbier, and wore a yellow baseball cap and a pair of red and white sneakers, along with his usual tool belt.

In the version of reality created by the first Genesis Wave, Rotor had retained his childhood girth even as a teenager, along with the aforementioned baseball cap and did not wear shoes.

Early life
Rotor was born in an icy region of the planet. An inventive child, he would often tinker and make new gadgets out of whatever he could find, much to the anger of his father, who had a strong dislike of anything new or different, not to mention a general dislike of Rotor himself. Tired of his life, Rotor decided to leave his home and make his way south to the "greatest city in the world": Mobotropolis. Unfortunately for the young walrus, he arrived in the city smack bang in the middle of Dr. Eggman's takeover. However, he managed to find his way to Knothole Village where the exiled were in hiding. It was here where he became a member of Princess Sally's band of New Freedom Fighters, using his technological know-how to create gadgets and traps for use on the field. The tinkerer quickly bloomed into a full-blown inventor, culminating in the creation of the Sky Patrol.

Genesis
After the first Genesis Wave was launched, Rotor's reality underwent a significant change. Soon after, Sonic found himself in a strange but oddly familiar setting; he eventually came across a prison pod and released those inside it, who introduced themselves as Sally Acorn, Antoine Depardieu and Boomer Walrus, having seemingly never met before. The group explained that they believed one Dr. Eggman to be responsible for several recent kidnappings, and Boomer added that he might be behind the increased number of earthquakes lately. Sonic agreed to help them hunt down the doctor. In the Marble Zone, they were attacked by Eggman's robots; Boomer captured and disabled a Caterkiller with his bare hands, impressing Sonic, and then set to reprogramming a damaged Buzzbomber, thinking it would be good to have the extra help. He did not want to stoop to Eggman's level and force a small animal to act as the robot's power supply, however, but Sally was able to get a Flicky bird to volunteer. This proved useful, as Boomer later used the Buzzbomber to airlift himself and Antoine to safety. Eventually, Sonic caught up to Dr. Eggman and fought him, forcing the doctor to retreat; Boomer was thoroughly impressed, and the group continued on to an underground tunnel they believed would lead them to the doctor's lair. After becoming separated from Antoine in the Labyrinth Zone, Boomer and his comrades pressed on through the Star Light Zone and finally into the Scrap Brain Zone, where Boomer almost fell down a pit. Soon, the group found Eggman deep with his Scrap Brain Zone base, as well as a waterlogged Antoine. After dealing with Eggman's final machine of death, Sonic sent the doctor hurtling out of his base in his destroyed Egg Mobile. As Boomer and the heroes watched as the Doctor descended, Sonic voiced his inkling that they hadn't seen the last of the dictator.

With the matter of the mysterious earthquakes still shaking things up, the heroes set out to find the cause, now accompanied by Sonic's buddy Tails. After making it out of the Chemical Plant Zone in one piece, Sonic decided that he wants to head directly to Eggman's new base. Taking Tails, Boomer and the others were left to make their way through the Oil Ocean Zone. There, they were nearly wiped out by aerial badniks. Nonetheless, they soon made it to the centre of the refinery and shut off the oil pipelines, leaving Eggman's bases without power. When Sonic set off another Genesis Wave aboard the Death Egg, now high up in space, Boomer began to panic as everything around him started whiting out, but a smiling Sally assured the walrus that everything would be fine; while baffled by the fact that she referred to him as "Rotor" during this exchange, he nonetheless trusted his friend in her certainty, as the planet completely faded to white.

Countdown to Chaos

 * Note: From the readers point of view, this picks up from where Rotor's original history ended.

As part of his work on the Sky Patrol, Rotor concealed himself and the mobile base in Soumerca near the abandoned Final Egg. With the other Freedom Fighters off on various missions, he sent a coded transmission to King Acorn, who passed the information on to Sonic and Tails. Arriving with Big the Cat in tow, the pair showed up just as Rotor was being attacked by a Badnik Horde led by Silver Sonic. The four friends handily dispatched the attacking robots, and Rotor greeted his friends warmly. Noting that Sonic and Tails were acting oddly, he questioned them about the situation after giving them a tour of the Sky Patrol, which Tails had named. In response, they handed him Nicole, who released an energy discharge upon touching Rotor that rekindled his memories of the old reality. Deeply shaken by the knowledge of his previous life, Rotor tried his best to process the matter. He eventually gained enough composure to inform his teammates that Antoine was in Knothole, Bunnie and Sally were on separate deep cover assignments, and Amy had gone missing some time previously. With this information, the duo decided to continue the search for their teammates, leaving Big behind to help Rotor finish the Sky Patrol.

The Freedom Fighters were soon reunited, but their happy reunion was short-lived, as the world broke apart due to the energies of the Super Genesis Wave. Fortunately, the heroes got the Sky Patrol airborne just in time.

The Shattered World Crisis: Act One
With the Shattered World Crisis unfolding, Rotor and the New Freedom Fighters quickly moved to address the crisis in Station Square. Despite being stretched to their limit, they succeeded in saving many of the citizens before the G.U.N. vessel "Letter of Gabriel" arrived. Unfortunately, they were then forced to contend with another problem: the abduction of Professor Charles the Hedgehog and his colleague Professor Dillon Pickle. Intercepting the Bullet Train that transported the captive pair and their research on the current crisis, the Freedom Fighters set about searching for the scientists. Despite the train speeding out of control and carrying Badniks that interfered every step of the way, the heroes managed to locate the missing doctors. They were then informed of a link between the planet breaking up and the legends contained in the Gaia Manuscripts, and set out on a mission to locate the Gaia Temples.

On the way to Soumerca, Rotor treated his fellow Freedom Fighters to a full tour of the Sky Patrol, expressing great pride in his masterpiece. However, the trip was interrupted by Dr. Eggman's latest Badnik Horde Commander, the War Walrus, a robot created in Rotor's image to destroy the Sky Patrol. However, Rotor soon destroyed his metallic doppelganger with the Sky Patrol's formidable arsenal.

While searching for a temple, Rotor-along with Amy and Sonic-came across a previously unknown civilization known as Meropis. Invited to the Eusebes Shrine by Razor the Shark, Rotor marveled at the underwater city as he and his friends were taken to meet Coral the Betta, priestess of the shrine. Their happy visit was soon cut short, however, as the City Guard under Captain Striker the Mantis Shrimp arrived and demanded to know what the surface-dwellers were doing in their sacred shrine. In order to appease the irritable Striker, Sonic and Amy agreed to accompany Razor and Coral to the court of King Puff and Queen Angelica, while Rotor remained at the shrine with Coral's apprentice Pearly and guardswoman Echo. The quartet returned with unwelcome news: Coral had been stripped of her title of priestess and the Freedom Fighters would have to leave the following day. Rotor, with the greater mission on his mind, disagreed with Sonic's suggestion of trying to help Coral and the others, until Amy suggested welcoming them aboard the Sky Patrol. The aquatic trio considered the offer, but Coral went to perform the shrine's sacred rites one final time first. Unfortunately, the pressure of the situation got to her and the rites failed, causing Meropis' protective energy field to fall. Rotor and his friends were then forced to fight for their lives against invading hordes of Dark Gaia Creatures.

After fighting off a group of minions who had penetrated the shrine, Sonic and Rotor departed for the city to seek additional help, grabbing a pair of Air Charms along the way. Unfortunately, they quickly ran into three unfortunate developments: first, Captain Striker couldn't spare anyone to go help at the shrine. Second, a monstrous minion known as the Dark Guardian appeared, and the two friends were forced to take it on. Third, the Air Charms they had borrowed weren't fully charged, and ran out of air in the middle of their fight with the creature. Fortunately, help soon arrived in the form of a former foe-turned ally: Chaos, who created protective air bubbles around the pair. Watching as the water elemental used the ocean as a weapon against the Dark Guardian, Rotor realized that Chaos was responsible for preventing the planet's oceans from draining away due to the shattering. With the battle soon won, the city's shield restored, and Coral reinstated, Rotor soon solved another mystery: the pollution that had plagued Meropis for some time had come from the sunken Egg Carrier. Rotor and his friends soon bid Meropis farewell, though not without getting a supply of Power Rings from the Lake of Rings located in the shrine's Chao Garden to fuel the Sky Patrol.

When a Chaos Emerald was discovered in the Sand Hill Zone, Rotor supported going after it, and was grouped into Team Fighters for the mission with Tails and Amy. An attack by three units of the E-100 Series on Team Freedom forced Rotor and his comrades into action, but both teams were then trapped by a large laser grid. Help arrived in the form of Cream, Cheese, T-Pup, Omochao, and Big, who aided their friends in escaping back to the Sky Patrol. They were taken to the medical bay for treatment of their injuries, and greeted Sonic upon his return from training with Moss the Sloth.

When the team met to discuss the Chaos Emerald Championship, in which only Sonic, Amy, and Tails would be able to compete, Rotor questioned why the team didn't just steal the Emerald. Amy objected, feeling that it would ruin their reputation, but Rotor felt that their need to save the world outweighed such concern. However, Sally overruled him, feeling that the world needed them to remain heroes. Subsequently, he and his other teammates watched the tournament on the Sky Patrol's television set. Later, while Sonic, Amy, and the D'Coolettes were off on separate missions, Rotor and the other Freedom Fighters were victims of a night attack by more of Dark Gaia's minions. They managed to hold out until sunrise, at which point the creatures disappeared, but were then surprised when Nicole departed for the Digital World, having apparently received a signal from Dr. Ellidy. While Sally, Tails, and Big left to back up Nicole and check on Ellidy, Rotor remained aboard the Sky Patrol with Cream, whom he briefed on the Digital World.

After Knuckles the Echidna and Chip boarded the Sky Patrol and informed the Freedom Fighters of the shattering of the Master Emerald, Rotor was less enthusiastic than his teammates in offering assistance to the Guardian. He reminded everyone that their main priority was saving the entire world, not just safeguarding Angel Island, and that he did not feel Amy could be spared to help Knuckles search with the Emerald shards using her Mystic Melody when it was so vital to their search for the Gaia Temples. However, he did make a point of asserting that they could help, but would have to consider alternatives. His concerns were rendered moot by information on the Gaia Keys that the team received from Gregorios. While their teammates engaged Dark Gaia Creatures, Cream questioned Rotor as to why she was never sent on missions, and Rotor responded that she would be under less dangerous circumstances. The Sky Patrol was then contacted by Rouge the Bat, informing the Freedom Fighters of a Chaos Emerald found by a G.U.N. unit in the Crystal Desert Zone. Unfortunately, Metal Sonic got to the unit and the Emerald first, but Sonic was able to retrieve it while Rotor and the others attended to the wounded G.U.N. troops.

Worlds Unite
Rotor and his friends soon faced a new threat to their world in the form of the villainous Sigma, a villain from the future of Earth 20XX. Their first engagement with his forces occurred in Mobotropolis, where M'egga Man-Mega Man corrupted on Sigma's order-had attacked and was attempting to set up one of his master's Unity Engines. Rotor and the others attacked together, but even with the aid of Gemerl they proved unable to stop M'egga Man. Sonic's World was then merged with Earth in the year 20XX into a Unified World, which saw the Freedom Fighters meet the Robot Masters of that reality while M'egga Man was brought into conflict with Sonic Man, the hedgehog hero having joined Mega Man as one of the Roboticized Masters. As the fused planet settled, the two groups were joined by their two friends-whose respective weaponry restored their opponent to normal-as well as two other groups of heroes, the Maverick Hunters and Team Sticks. The growing army then set out to challenge Sigma and thwart his plans for the Multiverse.

The heroes were unexpectedly joined aboard ship by Eggman and Mega Man's nemeses Dr. Wily and Xander Payne, who informed them that Sigma had set up his base on the Lost Hex. The heroes made their way there while preparing for the assault, with Rotor reluctantly contributing the Freedom Fighters' Red Star Ring to a project that Eggman and Wily had begun working on. The heroes soon arrived in Lost Hex airspace only to find themselves confronted by an army of Mechaniloids led by the brainwashed Deadly Six. Rotor and his teammates joined forces to battle them, but despite some success had the tide turned against them when the aliens employed their abilities to take control of their robotic allies. Rotor was then attacked by Snake Man, who claimed to be sorry for the forced attack, but noted that the Robot Master did not seem too unhappy about it. Fortunately, the evil doctors' Egg-Wily Uppity Robot Scrambler Cannon defeated the Deadly Six and freed their robotic puppets. Sadly, the victory was short-lived, as Sigma then unveiled his massive new robot body and an army of Time-Clone Mavericks.

Rotor and his comrades fought bravely against the odds, with Rotor taking on the Maverick Chill Penguin during the fight. However, the weight of numbers began to tell against the weary heroes, and Sigma soon ordered a small squad of Mavericks to finish them off while dispatching the rest through Genesis Portals to invade other worlds. Luckily, Sticks the Badger arrived on a return trip from world of Street Fighter with several allies in tow, who made short work of the Mavericks. Inspired by this plan, Sally organized the allies in preparation to split up and pursue the Mavericks to various worlds and halt Sigma's plans. A small group were also assigned to remain on the Sky Patrol and guard the Chaos Emeralds while Eggman had the one still in his possession retrieved as a backup plan.

The Shattered World Crisis: Act Two
Rotor and Sonic were making their way through the Artika Egg-Army when Sonic suddenly decided to surrender, confusing Rotor. However, this was all a part of their plan to find the owners of Gaia Temple keys who had also been locked up. However, upon confronting Egg Boss Tundra, the walrus revealed himself to be Rotor's father, angering Rotor who accused his father of abandoning their village for Eggman. Tundra clarified that Eggman had conquered their village and recognized Tundra as the strongest of them all. He then accused Rotor of running away, finishing it off with ripping off Rotor's utility belt.

In their cell, Rotor was depressed, saying that he knew his father was a jerk, but never realized he was a monster. Sonic reassured him that Tundra confronted Eggman and rolled over, while Rotor faced him head on, causing Tundra to become a cronie while Rotor became a Freedom Fighter. This gave Rotor the slight boost he needed to help them escape and hotwire a machine to go back to the village. However, Rotor was shown to still be upset over the whole deal.

Personality
Rotor is more gruff than he was before, showing a slightly more confident attitude, to the point that he shows little hesitation in combating Eggman's robots head-on, although he still retains his friendly personality. However, once his memories of the old timeline returned through his contact with NICOLE, several aspects of his old, laid-back personality began to resurface. Rotor is more pragmatic than most of his teammates, placing priority on accomplishing their mission with regard for little else, whether the misfortune of others or the Freedom Fighters' heroic reputation. As such, he at times clashes with the others, but is always by their side in a pinch.

Powers and abilities
Rotor is rather muscular and an adept fighter, whether in hand-to-hand combat or utilizing artillery weapons. Of all the Knothole Freedom Fighters he is the strongest swimmer and underwater fighter, capable of moving at high speeds and producing a powerful attack known as the Drill Rush. Other of his skills include abilities with Extreme Gear and his Omnitool.

Rotor is an expert mechanic and technician, demonstrating an very gifted talent with inventing even in a young age, with his pride and joy being the Sky Patrol. Of all the New Freedom Fighters he is the strongest swimmer and underwater fighter, capable of moving at high speeds and producing a powerful attack known as the "Drill Rush" where he attacks with a drill-shaped water sprout.

Trivia

 * Rotor was the first of the New Freedom Fighters to have a new family member introduced in the new continuity, as Sally's father was based on a pre-existing character.
 * Ian Flynn has described Rotor as "a meat-and-potatoes type of guy, heavy on the fish" and "fueled by coffee."