This group 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.

For the character in Sonic Boom, see Trooper (Sonic Boom).

The Troopers, also known as the Soldier Badniks, are a group that appear in the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions. They are Badniks and the main ground force used by Doctor Robotnik during his tyrannical rule of Mobius. The Troopers maintain order in the streets, guard Robotnik's important facilities, and round up Emerald Hill Folk to be turned into Badniks. Some have specialized functions beyond these.

Appearance[]

In general, Troopers resemble humanoid robots, with red armour, bucket-like helmets and grey, skeletal faces. They are often emblazoned with Robotnik's face as a logo. While Troopers are supposedly mass-produced, they appear to be highly variable. It is not unheard of for large groups of Troopers to have no two robots look exactly alike. Differences may include the shape of the jaw (pointed and square teeth are both common), adornments, and the shape of the armor. Some Troopers even have armor that is not red, such as the white Troopers in General Trusk's personal guard.^[1] Additionally a few troopers like Bucket and Rust can take off their helmets to reveal fin and wire-like "hair".

History[]

The Troopers were developed and first manufactured in a six month period, in which Sonic the Hedgehog and his closest friends were absent from Mobius due to Robotnik's trickery. In this same period, Robotnik conquered the entire planet, and Troopers became the most obvious sign of his rule.^[2]

In the early days of Robotnik's rule, most Troopers operated out of Robotnik's Egg Fortress in the Special Zone. They were able to warp to Mobius and back again by means of special, flying Troop Ships.

All of the Troopers on Mobius were eventually wiped out by the electromagnetic pulse from the explosion of the Black Asteroid.^[3]

When Robotnik briefly became a god by absorbing the powers of the Chaos Emeralds, he altered history so that Sonic was never born, resulting in his completely uncontested rule over Mobius. The Troopers were once again his primary shock troops, and Sonic admitted that he kind of missed smashing them.^[4]

Powers and abilities[]

Troopers are much stronger and better armoured than regular Badniks, which initially made it difficult for Sonic to beat them. However, they also do not possess organic batteries, which allowed Sonic to use his full strength and destroy them that way.

The elite Troopers from the Special Badnik Service or S.B.S. (based on the Nazi S.S.) is also highly adapted and specialised. Commander Brutus was originally a member of the S.B.S. before being programmed with Robotnik's brainwaves into the ultimate Trooper.

List of named Troopers[]

• Bucket
• Commander Brutus
• Predicto
• Rust

Trivia[]

• Although "Trooper" became the most commonly used name to refer to these types of Badniks, the term was not used until Sonic the Comic #45. Until then they had been referred to almost exclusively as "Soldier Badniks".
• Troopers are comparable to the Swat-Bots.
• The Troopers were intended to demonstrate how Robotnik had conquered Mobius. According to Nigel Kitching, they were his occupying army and "All good dictators have their own armies." In the script for their first appearance, Kitching described them as "Soldier Badniks", and they were designed entirely by artist Richard Elson. Other artists then followed Elson's lead.^[5]
• According to Elson, editor Richard Burton frequently pressed the artist to draw Troopers in different colours, leading to Trusk's white bodyguard in Sonic the Comic #24, but Elson soon went back to the uniform red designs. Since Troopers were essentially cannon fodder, he felt it was "daft" to make them overly elaborate or conspicuous, and that they should instead by instantly recognizable as an army.^[6]

References[]

External links[]

• Trooper at the Sonic the Comic Wiki.