Commander Brutus

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caption=Commander Brutus
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name=Commander Brutus
real_name=None
publisher=Fleetway
debut="Sonic the Comic" #63 (October 1995)
creator=Lew Stringer
alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff
status=Deceased
alliances=
previous_alliances=The Special Badnik Service, Doctor Robotnik
aliases=The Ultimate Trooper
relatives=Doctor Robotnik (creator)
powers=
* Superhuman strength and speed.
* Invulnerability.
* Infrared vision.
* X-Ray vision.
* Energy blasts.
* Flight.

Commander Brutus is a fictional character created by Lew Stringer for Egmont Fleetway's "Sonic the Comic". While he was first drawn by Richard Elson, the visual design for Brutus had been done by Lew and the original sketch is [http://www.stconline.co.uk/back/243/243/interviewzone/interview_large_4.jpg| available online] .

Seeking to create for himself a right-hand man, Doctor Robotnik selected Brutus, formerly a Badnik trooper in the Special Badnik Service (S.B.S.), to be programmed with a copy of his brainwaves, in order to create the ultimate trooper. It's unclear what reconstructions and modifications his armor and appearance may have undergone before being programming as such, but when programmed, his armor was stated to be constructed of the near-invincible Mobian metal, Megatal, and was a golden color (in contrast to the typical red trooper color). For flair, he wore a red cape. Brutus was also outfitted with an anti-gravity unit, but it is specifically noted that he possessed this before being programmed with Robotnik's brainwaves.

Operating as Robotnik's second-in-command, it wasn't long before Brutus confronted Sonic the Hedgehog in the Pleasant Zone, and proved to be more than the hedgehog and his allies could handle. As things looked like they were all over, Sonic transformed into Super Sonic, and now had the power necessary to shatter Brutus's armor, proving so by demolishing his arm. Brutus was forced to order a retreat, and then suffered a reprimand from Doctor Robotnik, as he had embarked on the mission without his permission. But what Robotnik did not realize was that in programming Brutus with his brain patterns, he had transferred all of his thoughts and desires to Brutus - and now, Brutus too sought to rule Mobius!

With his shattered arm replaced with a new one that doubled as a powerful energy weapon, Brutus set about capturing Mobians to be converted into badniks - for his own private army. His first attempts met with interference from Johnny Lightfoot but he eventually mustered a full fighting force, and soon attacking the Metropolis Zone, home base of Robotnik's operations while a secondary force attacked the Casino Night Zone.

The conflict was brutal, leaving the Metropolis Zone half-wrecked and with Brutus swiftly beating Robotnik's forces, even breaking into Citadel Robotnik and revealing the self-destruct program Robotnik had implanted in him (as he did with the Brotherhood of Metallix) had long ago been excised. Even fighting together, Sonic and Shortfuse the Cybernik proved no match for him, and to complete his victory Brutus had Sonic's friends Johnny and Amy Rose converted into badniks for a short time. Eventually Brutus clashed with Robotnik himself, wearing an armored combat suit. In the end, Robotnik claimed victory against his mental twin by dousing Brutus in liquid nitrogen and shattering his frozen body with a single punch. Robotnik swiftly took control of Brutus' Badnik army and made a planetwise broadcast to Mobius proclaiming that this only confirmed that nobody could ever defeat him.

During a period when Robotnik absorbed the energy of the Chaos Emeralds to become all-powerful, he resurrected several of Sonic's old enemies, including Brutus. However, Sonic was able to defeat them by knocking Brutus into an energy-based being known as Plasmas, the impact with Brutus disrupting Plasmas' electrical make-up and triggering a chain reaction that destroyed the other villains.

It is interesting to note that Brutus is one of the few foes that Sonic has never actually been able to defeat. In every battle with him, Sonic has been outmatched and had to resort to becoming Super Sonic to defeat him the first time around, and it was Dr. Robotnik himself who was responsible for finally finishing him off.

Powers and abilities

Commander Brutus' skills made him a highly formidable opponent for Sonic and his friends to fight. Thanks to the invulnerable nature of his Megatal armour, Brutus was superhumanly strong and highly resistant to physical damage. Equipped with an anti-gravity device, Brutus was also capable of flight at great speed. When his hand was destroyed in battle with Super Sonic, he repaired it with a replacement part that doubled as a powerful laser gun. He was also capable of viewing the infrared spectrum and seeing through solid objects.

Gifted with a full copy of Dr. Robotnik's brainwaves and thought patterns, Brutus was also a devious and cunning foe who frequently outsmarted his enemies. Able to utilize all of his creator's fiendish intelligence, Brutus could design a portable version of the device that granted him a copy of Robotnik's brainwaves to use on Johnny Lightfoot and managed to build an entire army of loyal robots.

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