Badnik (Paramount)

Badniks^{[1][note 1]} are a group that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series produced by Paramount Pictures and its spin-offs. It is a line of revolutionary robotic drones created by Dr. Ivo Robotnik to help him with his schemes. They come in a variety of different, unnamed models and colors. Most of them, however, share a black and white color scheme and have one red eye each.

Badniks are stationed at different outposts from where they can be deployed, and they can be operated using Robotnik's Robotnik Control Glove.^[1]

History

Film series

Past

Developed by Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the Badniks became known among the United States officials as revolutionary pieces of drone technology. For the furtherment of Badniks, the United States devoted a sizeable amount of their tax dollars to them.

Sonic the Hedgehog

When he was tasked with investigating the blackout across the Pacific Northwest in the United States, Dr. Ivo Robotnik took his Badniks with him to Green Hills, Montana. There, he sent his Drone Badniks out to do a preliminary sweep within a ten mile radius from the blackout's origin point. Eventually, one of them found a footprint left by Sonic the Hedgehog, which Robotnik used to determine Sonic's anatomy.

When Robotnik later tried getting into Tom Wachowski's house, he sent small Heat-Seeking Drones into the house in secret. Entering the attic, these Badniks scanned the room, eventually forcing Sonic, who was hiding in there, to leave. Soon after, Robotnik summoned a standard Drone and had it get ready to shoot Tom if he did not reveal where Sonic was. When Tom punched Robotnik when he saw Sonic reveal himself though, his Badnik began shooting all over the place. While Sonic tried taking it on, Tom knocked it down when it had to reload, allowing him and Sonic to escape.

After pinpointing Sonic and Tom's location, Robotnik sent a large Badnik Tank containing a series of Matryoshka Drones^[2] after them. While the Badnik Tank managed to harpoon Tom's truck on the highway, Sonic took it out with a spin attack that destroyed its lower side. However, a smaller, four-wheel Quad Drone then emerged from the Badnik Tank's underside and resumed the pursuit. As it deployed EMP mines at Tom's truck however, Sonic swept in, grabbed the mines, and destroyed the Quad Drone by placing its own mine on its head. From its wreckage however, a unicycle-like Monopod Drone emerged and eventually caught up to Tom's truck. As it tried piercing the truck's wheels though, Tom managed to whack it with a stick, causing it to crash. However, from the remains of this Badnik, a helicopter-like Tiny Drone appeared. Catching up to the truck, it proceeded to cut its roof off with a laser. Though Sonic caught it and plucked its propellers off, it quickly turned into a sticky bomb that Sonic could not get off. Pulling over, Sonic and Tom worked together to get the bomb, and eventually succeeded, only for the Badnik bomb's explosion to knock out Sonic.

Taking his Drones with him to San Francisco in his Eggpod, Robotnik used them to surround Sonic, Tom and Maddie on top of the Transamerica Pyramid. After Sonic got Tom and Maddie out of the crossfire, the Badniks fired at him. However, Sonic used his super speed to evade the Badniks' weapons and destroy them.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

After Dr. Ivo Robotnik contacted Agent Stone following his return to Earth, Stone sent a pod full of Badniks to Robotnik. These included the standard Drones, new bee-based Buzz Bomber models, and miniature Badniks that gave Robotnik a physical refresher. Immediately after, Robotnik had his Drones form stairs for Knuckles to use as steps to climb back up from the cliff he was stuck on. Later, Robotnik had a sizeable fleet of Drones and Buzz Bombers accompany him and Knuckles as they went to Siberia in pursuit of Sonic and Tails. Finding Sonic and Tails in an ancient giant owl temple, the duo managed to find a way out of the temple as it began to collapse, prompting Robotnik to send his Badniks after Sonic, who destroyed one of them and used its armor plating as a snowboard. Soon after, Knuckles did the same as well. As the Badniks chased Sonic while launching a full assault against him, Sonic easily took many of them down.

Later, several other Badniks later joined Robotnik and Knuckles when the travelled to an island in the Pacific Ocean, where they managed to unveil the temple where the Master Emerald had been placed. However, the majority of Robotnik's Badniks were taken out by the various booby traps in the Labyrinth leading to the Master Emerald's central chamber. Opting to work smarter, Robotnik deployed a small reconnaissance Badnik known as the Mini Pod from his sleeve that would scan the paths ahead of them and map out the Labyrinth for them.

In Green Hills, after Robotnik had gained possession of the Master Emerald and created the Giant Eggman Robot using its power, he sent many Master Emerald-empowered Badniks after Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, but they were easily destroyed by the trio.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Comics

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Adventures of Sonic & Donut Lord

When he was tasked with investigating a blackout in the United States, Dr. Ivo Robotnik took his Badniks with him to Green Hills, Montana. Upon arriving there, he would deploy his aerial Badniks to sweep the area with a full range scan. When one of them detected Sonic nearby, Robotnik sent his aerial Badniks after Sonic in order to capture him. Following Sonic into the woods, the aerial Badniks opened fire upon him and Tom, causing Sonic to accidentally drop his bag of Rings into a Ring portal that closed up before he could get through. Afterward, the Badniks lost Sonic and Tom when they escaped them. Eventually, when Robotnik caught up to Sonic and Tom on the highway, he sent a four-wheeled Badnik after them. However, Sonic managed to destroy it.^[3]

Taking his Drone Badniks with him to San Francisco in his Eggpod, Robotnik used them to surround Sonic, Tom and Maddie on top of the Transamerica Pyramid. As the Badniks opened fire upon them however, Sonic managed to get Tom and Maddie out of their crossfire, before escaping them himself.^[3]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill

Using Dr. Ivo Robotnik's Robotnik Control Glove they acquired from the First bank of Walla Walla, the bank robber Jason was able to activate local Drones from a forest in the vicinity of Walla Walla and make them come to him. Upon arriving at the bank, three aerial Badniks launched tow cables into the bank and latch onto its metal vault, which they then began hauling out of the building, tearing the bank apart. However, Sonic, who was inside the vault, began circling around inside it, causing the vault to spin out of control until the Badniks dropped it back into the bank. Afterward, Tom, who had arrived at the scene, managed to destroy two of the aerial Badniks by grabbing one of them with his fishing pole's line and then swinging it into the other. Meanwhile, the third Badnik returned to the bank, seemingly on Lindsey's order via the Robotnik Control Glove. Instead, however, the Badnik was taken over by Agent Stone, who used it to grab the Robotnik Control Glove, which Lindsey was wearing, and drag it away until Lindsey fell out of it. Deeming its mission completed, the Badnik returned home to Stone and delivered the Robotnik Control Glove to him.^[1] Having the means of fully controlling Robotnik's technology now, Stone used Badniks for his plans to take over Karen's Coffee. First, he had some crab-based Badniks tear his co-worker Tina's car apart while she was out on a trip and later he had the shop's managing assistant taken away by aerial Badniks, both acts of which allowed Stone to ensure his own promotions within Karen's Coffee.^[4]

Shorts

Sonic Drone Home

An aerial Badnik named Unit, which had been programmed with self-awareness and independent thoughts by Dr. Ivo Robotnik, eventually ended up in the Green Hills Junkyard. There, Unit spent his days and nights rummaging through the junk for parts to upgrade himself with in order to conquer the world. One day, while continuing with his work in the junkyard, Unit detected the presence of Team Sonic, whom the Badnik proceeded to open fire upon with his new body. After getting rid of Knuckles, Unit engaged Sonic and Tails, with his new body's various weapons and gadgets giving him an advantage over the duo. When he had Sonic though cornered, the latter convinced Unit to think for himself and follow his own passion, which was poetry. Convinced to let them hear his work, Unit recited his own poems to Sonic and Tails until Knuckles returned and mashed his body to pieces. Fortunately, Unit's core module survived, which Tails got to keep as a kind of pet with Sonic's permission. When Knuckles showed a lack of trust in Unit though, the Badnik promised the echidna to make him submit to his superior prose one day and make the world cower with his poetry.

TV shows

Knuckles

At some point, the Buyer managed to obtain Badniks, just to disassemble them for his mech, and the weapon he and his workers were working on.

Game appearances

Sonic Dash

In Sonic Dash, for a temporary promotion of the Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 films, the common Drone from the film would appear as the standard enemies in Golden Bay Zone and Emerald City. In gameplay, they only float in stationary positions without attacking, often appearing in rows to cover all three lanes in the Zone, or lined up one after another on a single lane. These Badniks can only damage the playable character if the latter runs into them without attacking. Regardless, the player can easily destroy these Badniks by hitting them with a Spin Attack or Dash Boost. Alternatively, the player can avoid them by either jumping over them or switching lanes. As the player starts to run faster, dodging or destroying the Badniks might become harder.

Sonic Forces: Speed Battle

In Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, in promotion of the Sonic the Hedgehog film, the common Drones from the film would appear as the standard enemies in Golden Bay Zone. In gameplay, they only float in stationary positions without attacking. These Badniks can only damage the playable character if the latter runs into them without attacking. Regardless, the player can easily destroy these Badniks by hitting them with a Slide, Spin Jump, or a Projectile-based Item Box power-up in some cases. When destroyed, the player will be awarded five Rings.

List of Badniks

Aerial

Terrain

Trivia

• Unlike in usual depictions, the Badniks in this work have a black and white color scheme as opposed to colorful.
  • However, the Buzz Bombers' cameo in the Knuckles episode "The Flames of Disaster" are most likely meant to be a representation of the Buzz Bombers, though there is a notable difference being that they are painted yellow and depicted in a more cartoony appearance closer to their appearance in the games.^[11]
• The Drones appear to have a capacity for fear and pain, as evidenced by one beeping in fear before screaming in pain as it was cut apart by the Buyer, hinting they may have some sentience in some form.
• A piece of concept art for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 features a Nebula among the Badniks attacking the Chao Garden. Nebulas do not appear in the final film.

Notes

References

External link

• Badniks at the Sonic Cinematic Universe Wiki.