Commander Brutus

Commander Brutus is a fictional character created by Lew Stringer for Fleetway Editions' Sonic the Comic. While he was first drawn by Richard Elson, the visual design for Brutus had been done by Lew and the original sketch is available online.

History
Seeking to create for himself a second-in-command, Doctor Robotnik selected Brutus, formerly a Trooper in the Special Badnik Service (SBS), to be programmed with a copy of his brainwaves, in order to create the ultimate trooper. It's unclear what reconstructions and modifications his armor and appearance may have undergone before being programming as such, but when programmed, his armor was stated to be constructed of the near-invincible Mobian metal, Megatal, and was a golden color (in contrast to the typical red Trooper color). For flair, he wore a red cape. Brutus was also outfitted with an anti-gravity unit, but it is specifically noted that he possessed this before being programmed with Robotnik's brainwaves.

Operating as Robotnik's second-in-command, it wasn't long before Brutus confronted Sonic the Hedgehog in the Pleasant Zone, and proved to be more than the hedgehog and his allies could handle, capturing them and clapping them in chains before marching them through town. As things looked like they were all over, Sonic transformed into Super Sonic, and proved to be more than a match for Brutus. As a last resort, Brutus used Amy Rose as a human shield, but Sonic was no longer himself and pressed his attack, something that Brutus didn't notice until the last second; Super ripped off Brutus' arm, nearly killing Amy in the process. Brutus was forced to order a retreat, and then suffered a reprimand from Doctor Robotnik, as he had embarked on the mission without Robotnik's permission. However, Robotnik had failed to realize that, when he copied his brain patterns into Brutus, he had transferred both his personality and his ambitions to the robot - and now Brutus sought to take over Mobius for himself.

With his shattered arm replaced with a new one that doubled as a powerful energy weapon, and operating in secret out of a base in the Misery Zone, Brutus set about capturing Mobians to be converted into badniks for his own private army. His first attempts met with interference from Johnny Lightfoot but he eventually mustered a full fighting force. He launched an attack against Robotnik's base in the Metropolis Zone while secondary forces simultaneously attacked other zones, including the Aquatic Ruin Zone and the Casino Night Zone.

The conflict was brutal, leaving the Metropolis Zone half-wrecked and with Brutus swiftly beating both the Freedom Fighters and Robotnik's forces, even breaking into Citadel Robotnik and revealing that the self-destruct program Robotnik had implanted in him (as he did with the Brotherhood of Metallix ) had long ago been excised. Even fighting together, Sonic and Shortfuse the Cybernik proved no match for him, and to complete his victory Brutus had Sonic's friends Johnny and Amy Rose converted into badniks for a short time. Eventually Brutus clashed with Robotnik himself, wearing an armored combat suit. In the end, Robotnik claimed victory against his mental twin by dousing Brutus in liquid nitrogen and shattering his frozen body with a single punch. Robotnik swiftly took control of Brutus' Badnik army and made a planetwise broadcast to Mobius, proclaiming that this only confirmed that nobody could ever defeat him.

Resurrection
When Robotnik absorbed the power of the Chaos Emeralds and became all-powerful, he resurrected several of Sonic's old enemies, including Brutus. In particular, Sonic identified Brutus as "a figure I'd hoped never to see again!" However, Sonic was able to defeat them by knocking Brutus into an energy-based being known as Plasma. The impact with Brutus disrupted Plasma's electrical make-up and triggered a chain reaction that destroyed the other villains.

Abilities
Commander Brutus' skills made him a highly formidable opponent for Sonic and his friends to fight. Thanks to the invulnerable nature of his Megatal armour, Brutus was superhumanly strong and highly resistant to physical damage. Equipped with an anti-gravity device, Brutus was also capable of flight at great speed. When his hand was destroyed in battle with Super Sonic, he repaired it with a replacement part that doubled as a powerful laser gun. He was also capable of viewing the infrared spectrum and seeing through solid objects.

Gifted with a full copy of Dr. Robotnik's brainwaves and thought patterns, Brutus was also a devious and cunning foe who frequently outsmarted his enemies. When he copied Grimer's brainwaves as well, he gained the ability to build an entire army of loyal robots.

Trivia

 * Brutus is named after Brutus, an Ancient Roman politician best known for betraying his close friend Julius Ceaser and aiding in his assassination.
 * Brutus is the only canon villian to escape an attack from Super Sonic.