Warning: spoilers ahead for Sonic the Hedgehog #50!
After portraying Dr. Robotnik, now commonly known as Dr. Eggman, in a pathetic light for years, IDW Publishing's Sonic the Hedgehog finally depicts the mad scientist as a true monstrous villain, just as he's always deserved.
Eggman has had the chance to exercise just one truly diabolical deed in IDW Publishing's Sonic the Hedgehog series: the unleashing of the Metal Virus that almost turned Sonic into a zombie. This plague was so powerful that even Eggman lost control of it. From that moment on, the comic began to focus solely on his fanboy Dr. Starline, who perceived this failure as just the latest in a long line of defeats that could all be pinpointed to Robotnik's personal shortcomings. Since Doctor Eggman either couldn't or wouldn't change, Starline took it into his hands to temporarily remove him from the equation so he could fix his hero's mess, though Starline's intentions soon evolved into a desire to rule over Eggman as well. Dr. Starline's actions were so all-encompassing, they even spread beyond the events of the mainline series, spilling into the stories of separate miniseries Bad Guys and Imposter Syndrome. As a result, readers couldn't help but believe he was right about Robotnik's failings.
But then all of Dr. Starline's well-thought-out schemes, each one conceived in response to Dr. Eggman's utter failures as a villain, came crashing down in the most brilliant fashion. At first, Dr. Starline appears to have won against Eggman in their highly anticipated confrontation. But then Eggman menacingly rises from the literal rubble of his earlier defeat and, after proceeding to point out everything that Starline has overlooked, leaves his protégé utterly defeated, culminating in Starline having a disturbing breakdown. The face-off happens in Sonic the Hedgehog #50, by writer Ian Flynn, artist Adam Bryce Thomas, colorists Matt Herms, Heather Breckel, Reggie Graham, and letterer Shawn Lee.
Although highly effective, Eggman's speech - where he documents in exacting detail all of the ways in which he outsmarted Starline despite his apprentice's incessant scheming - pales in comparison to how Thomas eerily portrays Eggman. His shadowy figure emerging from the rubble serves as a fitting introduction to what soon follows, accompanied by the sinister grin spread across his darkened face and his hauntingly beady eyes. The next panel embellishes these haunting qualities, as Eggman towers over his victim. Sonic has been dabbling with a horror aesthetic reminiscent of Five Nights at Freddy's lately, and here Robotnik is truly imposing not despite the cartoony art style, but because of it.
While proving his prowess as a master manipulator, Eggman also physically attacks Starline, which is a shocking development for a villain who tends to rely on technology like his terrifying Badnicks. The sheer violence and flawless execution of this unexpected assault also add some additional weight behind the overall shock appeal of his attack - it's close and personal, which makes sense, since Starline's betrayal was all of these things and more. For an iconic villain like Dr. Robotnik this monumental comeback during such a pivotal issue of Sonic the Hedgehog couldn't have made more of an impact.