Warning! Spoilers ahead for Sonic the Hedgehog #50!
Dr. Eggman’s most infamous invention modeled after Sonic the Hedgehog himself – the insidious Metal Sonic – not only won’t hurt his creator’s daughter Belle the Tinkerer but will even protect her from harm.
Both Belle and Metal Sonic have a unique history in IDW Publishing’s Sonic the Hedgehog. The mecha version of the Blue Blur once proved his intense loyalty for his creator when Dr. Eggman just vanished before the events of the actual series, initially planning to continue his master’s work under the guise of Eggman himself so that the mad doctor could easily takeover upon his eventual return. Meanwhile, Belle is actually the product of Dr. Eggman’s good alter ego, Mr. Tinker, and has been wrestling with both her identity as the daughter of a person who doesn’t really exist and her connection with a villain whose philosophies she can’t accept.
The two robots finally cross paths for the first time during her invasion of Dr. Eggman’s Eggperial City with Sonic and Tails in the now-iconic issue Sonic the Hedgehog #50 by writer Ian Flynn, artist Adam Bryce Thomas, colorists Matt Herms, Heather Breckel, Reggie Graham, and letterer Shawn Lee. When Belle first meets Metal Sonic, he’s heavily damaged from a previous battle, and she decides to repair and bring him back online since she can’t abandon a fellow robot in need. When he’s restored, Metal Sonic actually destroys one of Eggman’s Badnicks who was about to attack Belle and fails to go on the offensive after this immediate threat has been removed. Although Metal Sonic doesn’t say so himself, Belle reasons that he’s acting this way because he recognizes her as fellow Eggtech like him.
Although this issue provides a deeper look into Belle’s personal outlook that mirrors the Hippocratic Oath, the implication behind Metal Sonic’s decision to protect Belle could lead to an interesting relationship between the two robots. Moreover, it’s likely that Belle could come to view her connection with Metal Sonic as a conduit to remain close with the idea of Mr. Tinker – of what Dr. Eggman could be. This is crucial to realize because Belle later severs all ties with Dr. Eggman in the same issue. Belle has been suffering from the realization that her true father Mr. Tinker will likely never return, and now she could use her relationship with Metal Sonic as a way to experience the tenderness of Mr. Tinker again for Metal Sonic’s display of kindness is what she was originally hoping Dr. Eggman would have been able to convey to her and others.
Moreover, the two of them being robots has already proven to be more important to Belle than Dr. Eggman and Mr. Tinker sharing the same body. Belle is obviously disgusted by Dr. Eggman, so much so that she was willing to say goodbye to him for good and even reject his later offer to join him because of the beliefs he espouses. But that doesn’t seem to be the case with Metal Sonic because she felt obligated to fix him since he’s a robot like her. She also doesn’t express any animosity towards him unlike Dr. Eggman. But what does this mean? Could this eventually lead to her only forming a strong relationship with a fellow robot, or could it allow her to see the good side of Dr. Eggman? And as for Metal Sonic, he’s already sacrificed his own sense of self to preserve Dr. Eggman’s identity. Could his relationship with Belle the Tinkerer cause him to embrace who she is more than his creator? The only way to find out is to continue reading Sonic the Hedgehog every month.
Sonic The Hedgehog #50 is available now from IDW!