Another MB/IH/IA crossover
Hello everyone. I have been thinking about him for a while now, and since he was on the proposals needed page for a while now, I decided to make this. So let’s begin.
What’s the work?
Sonic the Hedgehog… I am sure most are familiar with it. It’s a video game franchise about the titular hedgehog who has superspeed. The series usually follows Sonic and his friends as they stop Dr. Eggman and other threats from conquering the world.
Who is he? What did he do?
Shadow the Hedgehog is a major character of the series, debuting in Sonic Adventure 2. He was created by Professor Gerald Robotnik, Eggman’s grandfather, with Black Doom’s help so he could find a cure for Maria's illness. Deeming him a threat, G.U.N. captured him and put him in stasis for 50 years while Maria gets killed during the encounter.
He eventually gets freed by Eggman and he seeks to use the Eclipse Cannon to destroy the world (since Gerald messed up his memories to think Maria wanted him to wipe out humanity). However, he eventually regains his memories (with Amy’s help) and aids Sonic in stopping the Biolizard from c the ARK to Earth. Since then, he has helped Sonic defeat threats like Dr. Eggman and stopped Black Doom’s conquests.
Heinous Standards?
So the biggest concern with his status is heinousness. Reasonably so, as trying to destroy the world is pretty much a common act with some omnicidal maniacs in the mix such as The End or Solaris. We also have Dr. Eggman, who has a lot to his rap-sheet such as his Wisp slavery, trying to drop an artificial sun onto the planet, and his scheme with the Time Eater, and that’s not getting into the IDW comics where he is responsible for the Zombot pandemic.
But I feel he barely passes it. In his debut, he tries destroying the world to avenge Maria’s death and then we have him assisting Black Doom in his scheme to conquer the world. I feel the latter makes him stand out from other villains who threaten to destroy the world as Black Doom’s attempt at wiping out humanity is more brutal than most in the series. To add to this, he killed the Jackal Squad and beat up Infinite when they first met, making him one of the few villains in the series to kill someone.
What makes him inconsistent?
He’s ultimately tragic as he lost his friend Maria at G.U.N. 's hands and her death is what motivated him in trying to destroy the world, which also means he cares for Maria.
He also has a genuine friendship with Rouge and Omega.
Probably the biggest reason he can’t be Near Pure Evil is because he eventually redeems himself, notably helping Sonic defeat the Biolizard at the end of Sonic Adventure 2, defeating Block Doom, and helping Sonic stop Eggman on occasions.