Has a Metal Slave Shaped Like Sonic

Generally speaking, it’s best not to psychoanalyze fictional bad guys. But Dr. Robotnik is one of those villains that could definitely benefit from a trip to a therapist’s couch.

For example, his greatest creation is Frankenstein’s Monster-esque Metal Sonic. While robots are Robotnik’s whole deal, he actually went out of his way to create a metal slave that looks like Sonic. It’s just weird! We don’t see Sonic in his spare time blowing up eggs that he paints to look like Robotnik.

Although that does sound like a game I’d play the hell out of!

Tony Stark-style Sunglasses

Dr. Robotnik’s weird glasses have become an iconic part of his character. But did you know these glasses have a few things in common with Tony Stark’s glasses?

Robotnik actually has special technology built into his glasses. The tech helps enhance his vision and lets him easily track down the Chaos Emeralds. And this is just one element of the hidden suite of technology (like a portable jetpack) that is part of his ensemble.

Nearly Impossible to Kill

It’s easy to criticize Dr. Robotnik for not taking out his enemies with his endless army of bots and inventions. But it’s also worth asking why Sonic hasn’t rid himself of Dr. Robotnik once and for all.

The answer to that is as simple as it is frightening: Dr. Robotnik is nearly impossible to kill. No matter how much damage he takes or how far he falls, he keeps coming back for more. And earlier Sonic games made it clear that Robotnik could actually outrun our heroic hedgehog with his bare legs, implying that Robotnik has crazy speed on top of crazy strength and durability.

Freakish Super Strength

We don’t normally think of Dr. Robotnik as a strong character. If he needs extra-strength, he can simply hop into a giant robot or a flying egg. However, it turns out that Robotnik is scary strong even without his inventions.

In Sonic Lost World, we see that Robotnik can take out a giant ice wall with a single punch. Given this, it seems like the good doctor could explode Sonic’s head in a Fist of the North Star style punch if he ever managed to catch the blue blur.

He Brands Inventions Worse Than Batman

It’s no surprise that Dr. Robotnik has quite the ego. But what may be surprising is that he is obsessed with slapping his brand on everything!

He is also known as “Eggman,” and he battles Sonic in things like the “Death Egg Robot” and his “Eggman Fleet.” Hell, the “Death Egg” is named after him and even looks like his face. Plus, every other robotic creation has “egg” in the title (“Egg-Bot,” “Egg Bomber,” and so on).

If this 300-IQ dude actually patented some things, he could probably take over the world without firing a single shot or turning anyone into a robot.

Inevitable Victory?

Sonic CD is one of the best Sonic the Hedgehog games ever made. And in its own way, that game also makes Dr. Robotnik seem scarier than ever.

A mechanic in that game allows Sonic to travel between past, present, and future. And at the end of each zone, you fight against Dr. Robotnik in the future. By default, Robotnik has “won” in that future timeline, though you can change this by destroying his machinery in previous levels.

But the implication here is that no matter how often Sonic goes to the future, he will encounter Dr. Robotnik. Maybe Robotnik’s victory is inevitable, despite what actions Sonic takes.

Created a Murder Theme Park

What separates the great villains from the rest? It comes down to personality and style. For example, Dr. Robotnik found the time to create a murder theme park!

In Sonic Colors, Robotnik has a park filled with rides that torture and kill visitors. Robotnik could just shoot these people or turn them into robots. But like every good villain, he understands that murdering with style is what counts.

Laughs at the Thought of Billions Dying

Dr. Robotnik famously chases the Chaos Emeralds. But this may be about more than power: as it turns out, Robotnik is a chaos agent unto himself!

While he’s not above surprising everyone by saving Tails, he is also cool with everyone on the planet getting destroyed. We can see this in Sonic Adventure 2, in which the Eclipse Cannon threatens billions of lives and all Robotnik does is kick back and laugh.

Maybe he just wants to die? In that case, he could continue his diet plan and let a heart attack get him. Probably a better bet than the constant “suicide by hedgehog” attempts.

He Hates and Loves His Enemies

For much of the franchise, Dr. Robotnik was pretty one-note. He’s a mustache-twirling villain, end of the story...right? But sometimes, he has the capacity to surprise us.

As an example, in Sonic Unleashed, Robotnik actually jumps in and saves Tails from certain death at the hands of Cubot. When Sonic asked why Robotnik would save his enemies, the evil doc replied by saying he was “a complicated guy.”

Sure, Robotnik may be based on Roosevelt’s looks, but he embodies the nature of Walt Whitman. Like that famous poet, Robotnik is large enough to contain both multitudes and contradictions!

Enemy of the Environment

Generally speaking, the Sonic games are pretty light when it comes to Dr. Robotnik. We all know that Sonic beats the bad guys and restores order. But the truth is that not even Sonic can undo everything Robotnik has done.

That’s because Dr. Robotnik is the environment’s worst enemy. He is constantly setting up factories, polluting nearby areas, setting forests on fire, and so on. Simply busting up his giant robot or releasing a few captive pets at the end of a level isn’t enough to undo this damage.

Animal Abuse

Dr. Robotnik is not exactly a friend of animals. In fact, animal abuse is a built-in part of this guy’s whole deal!

Obviously, creating his Eggman Empire involves forcibly converting little animals into evil robots. And at one point, he claimed that his hands were just fine after smashing ice blocks because he could still strangle a Zeti with them (these are a race of demonic animal creatures that he had enslaved).

The Ultimate Colonizer

We know that Dr. Robotnik is always chasing after the Chaos Emeralds. But do you know what he was planning to do once he got them?

It’s a bit cliche, but Robotnik’s goal is total global domination. Specifically, he wants to conquer everything and make it part of his Eggman Empire. It turns out that Robotnik is the ultimate colonizer, and this provides extra context for the indigenous “freedom fighters” (Sonic and his friends) that are resisting his efforts.

No Eyes?!

Pop quiz: what do Dr. Robotnik’s eyes look like? Your answer may vary based on which Sonic games you played!

In more recent games and even the live-action movie, Robotnik is known for dark sunglasses that cover his eyes (which are blue in later games). But in earlier cartoons, he often seemed to have mutated red eyes. And in certain official art (including the cover for Sonic the Hedgehog 2), he simply has empty eye sockets instead of eyes!

Inspired By Theodore Roosevelt

Obviously, Dr. Robotnik is a fictional character. But did you know that many of his most famous characteristics are based on a United States president?

Many of Robotnik’s details (including his iconic mustache, big smile, and glasses with no clips) are based on Theodore Roosevelt. This is the same man who was nearly assassinated at a campaign event and gave his 90-minute speech with a bullet lodged in his body.

That little detail paints a vivid picture of just how tough Robotnik really is!

Evil Super-Genius

At this point, the whole idea of an “evil genius” is pretty played out. But the truth is that Dr. Robotnik is much smarter than fans give him credit for.

Canonically, Robotnik is rocking a 300 IQ. By comparison, Albert Einstein had an IQ of 160. So while Robotnik may look pretty damn goofy, he’s nearly twice as smart as the world’s most famous genius!