Sonic the Hedgehog (older clone)

This article's name is conjectural. Although this article is based on official information, the actual name of the article's subject is pure conjecture, meaning the name is made by the community members instead of the original creators.

This character exists primarily or exclusively within the Sonic the Comic continuity. Information in this article may not be canonical to the storyline of the games or any other Sonic continuity.

Old Sonic from Sonic the Comic #86. Art by Roberto Corona and colouring by Andy Pritchett.

"Old Sonic" is a character that appears in the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions. He is an elderly blue hedgehog who claimed to be Sonic the Hedgehog from fifty years in the future. He looks, sounds and acts just like the much younger Sonic, although he has white whiskers on his chin and he wears half-moon spectacles and plaid slippers instead of sneakers. Due to his age, his fur is a paler blue than that of Sonic and has grown wrinkles.

Old Sonic claimed to have come from a dystopian future in which the Freedom Fighters had been killed and Robotnik's tyrannical rule over Mobius had become much worse. In fact, Old Sonic was a clone created by Doctor Ivo Robotnik from Sonic's DNA, as part of a scheme to defeat the Freedom Fighters. Old Sonic truly believed that he had time travelled from the future, but when he discovered the truth that he was not the real Sonic, he turned against Robotnik.

Old Sonic had all the abilities of the regular Sonic, and was just as fast, although use of his super-speed exhausted him very quickly and caused his body to age at an increased rate.

History

Old Sonic was dismayed when he learned he was a clone.

Doctor Robotnik took a cell sample from Sonic after capturing him, and (with some help from Grimer) used the cell sample to create a duplicate that he then grew in his laboratory. Robotnik intended to use the clone to attack and give Sonic a bad name, but something went wrong with the experiment and the clone aged too rapidly. Instead, Robotnik brainwashed the clone with a false memory so that he'd think he was from a future which "held no hope for outlaws". In particular, he was given a memory of his friends the Freedom Fighters being wiped out by Robotnik's latest weapon (a large drill), then him remaining in prison for several years until he finally managed to escape. The clone, convinced that he had come to the past by unknown means (his closest theory being that he ran so fast after escaping that he broke the time barrier), believed that the only hope for peace was to follow Robotnik. He made a deal with Robotnik in which he would lead the Freedom Fighters into a trap, in exchange for Robotnik sparing their lives.

Old Sonic's skin grew paler as his body continued to age at an accelerated rate.

Old Sonic then sought out the Freedom Fighters, preventing Sonic from drowning in a swamp and telling them that he had come from the future to change history. Sonic himself was not convinced, even after a trusted doctor from the Chemical Plant Zone performed a DNA test that "confirmed" they were both Sonic. Old Sonic told the Freedom Fighters that his (Sonic's) reckless behaviour had resulted in the other Freedom Fighters being killed by a drill-shaped weapon in the Candlewick Green Zone. Sonic blamed himself for what happened, allowing himself to be taken to prison without resistance, while Robotnik turned Mobius into an even worse place. He claimed that, when he escaped many years later he ran faster than ever before, presumably leading him to "break the time barrier" and travel to the past. (It is not clear how much of this was part of the clone's false memory and how much was merely a ruse to lure the Freedom Fighters into Robotnik's trap).

Sonic refused to believe it, convinced that he would never have recklessly put his friends in danger the way Old Sonic had, but the other Freedom Fighters did and agreed to accompany Old Sonic on his mission to destroy the "Deadly Drill Machine" before it was even built. He led them to the caves beneath the Candlewick Green Zone, leading them into an ambush by Robotnik and his Troopers. However, once Robotnik had the Freedom Fighters in his custody, he gleefully revealed the truth that Old Sonic was a clone and not from the future at all. Old Sonic was horrified to learn that he was merely a copy. Using Sonic's super-speed, he managed to escape and find the real Sonic. Old Sonic revealed the whole story, and together they returned to rescue the other Freedom Fighters. While Sonic freed his friends, Old Sonic took on Robotnik in his battle-craft. Old Sonic trapped Robotnik in a cocoon of speed, nearly ripping apart the battle-craft. However, the extensive use of his super speed accelerated Old Sonic's already rapid aging, and he soon collapsed from exhaustion. Sonic was willing to find him help, forgiving him for his earlier trickery because he'd pulled through when the others needed him, but it was too late. Old Sonic's body finally wore out and he died, then transformed into pure energy and rose up towards the stars.

Trivia

• The term Old Sonic was never used in the series. He was referred to only as "Sonic" or "the clone". The term Old Sonic is used here in order to disambiguate him with other versions of Sonic.