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Information in this article may not be canonical to the storyline of the games or any other Sonic continuity. |
- For the version of this character before the Super Genesis Wave, see Ixis Naugus.
Walter Naugus is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics. He is an evil and powerful troll wizard who seeks to become the ruler of the world. During his time as King Acorn's Royal Wizard, he was banished to the Special Zone and was trapped until he was eventually rescued. Afterwards, Naugus became an immediate enemy of Sonic the Hedgehog, who has regularly thwarted his plans to take over the world.
Concept and creation[]
Naugus' redesign following Worlds Collide included a tail to make his appearance more troll-like. His updated attire was also meant to make him resemble more of a warlock.[1]
Appearance[]
Naugus in his old outfit, from Sonic the Hedgehog #252.
Described as ugly,[4] Walter Naugus appears as a tall, gruesome troll with large, pointy, bat-like ears, a rhinoceros-like horn growing from his forehead, a long, white beard, a lobster-like claw with a small spike in between its pincers in place of a left hand, and a long, thick tail. Originally, he wore a purple suit with a long black cape, glove on his right hand, belt, and boots. He later adopted a new wardrobe that included a purple tunic, purple pants, gray gloves and boots, a cape, and a stereotypical wizard/witch hat with a large brim and a point that falls to one side.
History[]
Past[]
Walter Naugus and King Acorn being cast into the Special Zone, from Sonic/Mega Man Free Comic Book Day 2014.
Naugus served as the Royal Wizard to King Nigel Acorn at the time when Princess Sally was a young child. However, his ambition led him to seek conquest of the Kingdom of Acorn, and he formed an alliance with renegade G.U.N. scientists Dr. Eggman and Dr. Julian Snively. The trio worked together in an effort to overthrow the kingdom by convincing the king that the United Federation intended to invade. Eggman's successes proved detrimental to his partner, as both Naugus and his former monarch were imprisoned in the Special Zone by the villainous doctor.[5][6] There, he found a Chaos Emerald. He was eventually freed by Sonic the Hedgehog during his trek to retrieve the Emeralds, disguising himself as the King to fool the young hedgehog while giving him the Emerald he found.[7]
After being rescued by Sonic, he was nearly able to conquer the Kingdom of Acorn for himself but was found out after the Freedom Fighters were able to rescue the real king.[5][7] With this, Sonic and Miles "Tails" Prower defeated Naugus.[4] Naugus later teamed up with his twin sister Wendy and ambushed both Eggman and Sonic the Hedgehog at the Egg Storm Chamber, taking them hostage, leaving Sonic's young friend Tails to rescue the pair.[8]
Naugus' experiences during the Genesis Wave, from Sonic Universe #89.
Some time later, Eggman initiated the first Genesis Wave, which split the planet into pocket zones, during which Walter was caught within one of the rifts between them. The wave's effects were soon reversed by Sonic, but the wizard's time in the rift had left him bereft of his powers. After his attempt to restore his powers through the gems at the Hidden Palace Zone proved futile, he sought help from his arch-nemesis in his desperation, only for the doctor to merely laugh in his face and have his Egg SWAT escort him out.[4][9]
In retaliation, Walter secretly stole some of Eggman's devices on the way out of his fortress, and returned to Wendy for her guidance. The plan that the pair formulated saw Walter using the stolen technology to take on the form of King Nigel and supplant him, using his rule as a means to find a way to restore his powers. The King's daughter Sally Acorn grew suspicious of her father’s odd behavior, however, and sent Nicole the Holo-Lynx to investigate, forcing Naugus' hand. He used it to his advantage, however, forcing the captive A.I. to construct a special Power Ring for him to restore his powers with, but Mobotropolis was soon attacked by the transformed Tails Doll, sent by Eggman to destroy Walter for stealing his tech, which, to make matters worse for the wizard, was followed by the return of Sonic and Tails to the city. It was at this moment that Eggman unleashed the second Genesis Wave...[4][10]
Countdown to Chaos[]
- Note: From the readers point of view, this picks up from where Naugus' original timeline ended.
Naugus horrified as he experiences memories of the unaltered timeline while holding Nicole, from Sonic the Hedgehog #252.
Initially unaware that anything had just happened, Naugus grew more desperate as his enemies closed in, forcing him to physically threaten Nicole to finish her work, but upon contact with her computer form, his mind was flooded with memories from an alternate timeline. Horrified, he fled the castle, running right past Sonic and Tails as he made his way out of the city.[10]
Shattered World Crisis[]
Act Two[]
During the Shattered World Crisis that followed, he apparently obtained a shard of the Master Emerald that restored at least some of his powers, and joined forces with Wendy Naugus and her Witchcarters, and the pair of Trolls proceeded to invade Eggman's new facility of Eggmanland.[11]
Eggman, accompanied by Metal Sonic, eventually arrived the scene to investigate the conquered Eggmanland. After a brief clash with the Witchcarters, the Naugus twins appeared on the scene and Walter revealed at by using Master Emerald Shards he was to restore some of his power. Soon both twins were able to subdue both Eggman and Metal Sonic, forcing Eggman to flee.[8] The Naugus' occupation of Eggman's facility would not go unchallenged long, as Eggman assembled his entire complement of Egg Bosses to retake Eggmanland.[12] Walter was later seen at the center of Eggmanland in front of the Dark Gaia Energy refinery, believing its energy belonged to Ixis, only to be mocked and informed by his sister that it was of the Dark Gaia. Before he could use the energy to help restore his power however, he was interrupted by an ambush set up by Eggman and his Egg Bosses.[13] During the ensuing battle, Naugus sent Crystal Sonic (a crystallized Metal Sonic) to kill Eggman. However, the doctor survived using his Hard-Light Armor, which he then used to beat Naugus into submission. Afterwards, Eggman prepared to kill Naugus with a powerful energy beam. However, Naugus used Crystal Sonic as a shield, blocking the blast and used the commotion as a distraction to flee. Naugus retreated to a hidden part of the Mystic Cave Zone where he cursed Eggman's name and expressed anger towards Wendy, who became Eggman's newest Egg Boss. However, while his plans for Eggmanland failed, Naugus knew of other ways to restore his power as he began draining energy from a large gem resembling the Master Emerald.[14]
Naugus as "Nixus the Echidna," from Sonic Universe #87.
Eventually, Naugus' location was discovered by Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, and Team Dark who were all on the hunt for the alien Eclipse and the remaining Master Emerald Shards. Naugus hid in the shadows and quickly formed a plan after overhearing Rouge the Bat mention that Knuckles was the last of his kind. Naugus followed E-123 Omega and asked if he was affiliated with Eggman, to which Omega aggressively denied before Naugus crystallized him. Under his control, Walter commanded Crystal Omega to seek and destroy Rouge and Amy while he went after Knuckles and Shadow the Hedgehog. Naugus then assumed the form of an echidna and confronted the pair, claiming his name was Nixus and that he was also searching for the emerald shards so he could get to Angel Island.[3] Knuckles was thrilled to met another echidna while Shadow questioned the convenience of his arrival and situation.[15]
Rouge then contacted Shadow and told him that she and Amy were under attack and needed assistance. However, "Nixus" did not want to risk damaging the shards by going into combat. Knuckles agreed with Nixus and decided to go with him to a safe location to restore the Master Emerald while Shadow goes to help the others. However, upon arriving in an empty chamber, Nixus double-crossed Knuckles, took his shards and crystallized the echidna. Nixus then revealed himself as Naugus and tried to assemble the Master Emerald but to no avail. He then came up with the idea of controlling Knuckles' mind so that the latter could tell him how to fix the Master Emerald. Instead, Knuckles broke free and proceeded to attack Naugus. The wizard quickly reminded Knuckles that his comrades were still in danger which momentarily distracted the echidna and allowed Naugus to knock him out of the chamber. Walter then quickly sealed the entrance with crystals and started to hastily assemble the Master Emerald himself, as his foes fought Crystal Omega.[15]
As the emerald slowly began to take shape, Naugus thought back to the numerous times he had faced setbacks and how his attempts to regain his full powers with technology only made him suffer. Eventually, Naugus succeeded in repairing the Master Emerald and used it to fully replenish his own. By the time Knuckles and his allies restored Omega to normal and break into the chamber, Naugus had seemingly regained all of his magical power, which was now further enhanced by the Master Emerald.[4] Walter then proceeds to crystallize all his foes in a single energy blast, before using the emerald's power to contact his sister to gloat about his victory.[4][16] However, he was disgusted to find out that Wendy has joined the Eggman Empire and branded her a traitor before cutting the transmission.[16]
Naugus imprisoned, from Sonic Universe #90.
Not letting the news get to him, Walter took the Master Emerald and a crystallized Amy toward a Teleporter out of the caves. Naugus planned to come back for the others and turn them all into his own vanguard, but, unfortunately, Knuckles and Team Dark broke free from their imprisonment and caught up with the wizard before he could leave. Naugus tried to grab the Master Emerald but was knocked back by Shadow, while Knuckles freed Amy, who then stopped Naugus from crystallizing Omega again. In an effort to save himself from Amy's wrath, Walter changed into Sonic, hoping she would not hurt the person she loves. Amy did not fall for his attempt though, and let Knuckles and Shadow beat him instead. Soon defeated, Naugus was incarcerated by G.U.N. for his crimes. He was then mocked by Amy, much to his fury, who came by to see him to ensure he could not escape.[16]
Personality[]
Naugus is ruthless, arrogant, and power-hungry, willing to go to great lengths to obtain what he wants and desiring to conquer the world. Naugus is also very vindictive, and tends to hold grudges and seek revenge on anyone he believes to have wronged him. Along with trying to conquer the world, his main goal is to get revenge on Sonic for foiling his plans and Eggman for double-crossing him. Naugus especially hates being betrayed, having sworn revenge on Eggman and Wendy for doing so. Naugus possesses a strong sibling rivalry with his twin sister Wendy, and the two of them constantly argue, though he was willing to work with her until her betrayal. Naugus has a short temper and goes into a rage when someone mocks him. Naugus acts smug when he has the upper hand over his enemies, and loves gloating; he even says that the only thing better than victory is gloating about it. However, he is also a coward and panics when his enemies are about to harm him. Naugus is clever and often uses his shapeshifting power to manipulate people, such as impersonating King Acorn to fool the Freedom Fighters and turning into an echidna to trick Knuckles into helping him. Naugus also takes great pride in his troll heritage. For example, while telling Knuckles about the history of the trolls, he claims that they brought a new age of prosperity, when in fact, they used their mind control power to enslave people. Naugus possesses a hatred for technology and prefers magic, because he believes that technology is unreliable and unnatural, but he will resort to using it when desperate. He also hates being called "Wally".
Powers and abilities[]
Walter Naugus using his powers, from Sonic Universe #86.
Walter possesses Crystalmancy, which allows him to encase his opponents in crystal and control any crystallized robots within range. Walter can also fire energy bolts, telepathically communicate with Wendy through their horns, shapeshift, and control the minds of anyone with a weak will or weak mind.[13] Walter is also a cunning manipulator, often using his shapeshifting to trick people and then take advantage of them to further his plans.
Relationships[]
Wendy Naugus[]
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Dr. Eggman[]
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Nicole the Holo-Lynx[]
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Knuckles the Echidna[]
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Allies[]
Enemies[]
Trivia[]
- Walter Naugus is based on Naugus from the Sonic the Hedgehog television series.
- Naugus is one of four Sonic the Hedgehog characters to have their names added to/changed since the Worlds Collide crossover. The other characters are Muttski - now Ben Muttski, Snively Robotnik - now Julian Snively and Maximillian Acorn - now Nigel Acorn.
- Walter's early history is very similar to the history of his Sonic the Hedgehog television series counterpart. Both formed a partnership with Eggman/Robotnik until Eggman/Robotnik betrayed them and banished them to another dimension. They then escaped by impersonating the king to trick Sonic into rescuing them and then seek revenge on the doctor.
- Naugus' new name of "Walter" and disdained nickname "Wally" are intended to be alliterative with relatives of Naugus' in the new reality, which was later revealed to be Wendy Naugus.
- Naugus was one of several characters featured in a "classic cartoon" depiction art gallery in Sonic Super Special Magazine #11, in which he was depicted in black-and-white as a magician with a wand and top hat.
- In the original continuity where Walter Naugus was named "Ixis Naugus", Ian Flynn has revealed that, contrary to what was previously believed, the term "Ixis" was applied to Naugus in the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon production materials, and not invented by Ken Penders.[17] As such, it is still usable by the comics, which as of Sonic Universe #85, has been given to Ixis.
- Walter's echidna form looks similar to Knuckles' Sonic Boom counterpart.
- Ian Flynn stated that he planned to have Naugus die sometime before the 300th issue of the comic series. This never came to be due to the comics' cancellation.[18]
Gallery[]
Concept artwork[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sonic Universe #83, "Letter from the editor"
- ↑ Ian Flynn (8 January 2015). Naugus Is Now A Troll and the Troll Civlization. BumbleKing Comics. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sonic Universe #87, "Shattered Part One: Closing In"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Sonic Universe #89, "Shattered Part Three: Lost & Found"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sonic/Mega Man Free Comic Book Day 2014, "Sonic Comic Origins: Sally--The Exiled Leader"
- ↑ Sonic Super Digest #12, "Sonic Comic Origins: The Traitor"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sonic the Hedgehog #288, "Genesis of a Hero Part One: Where It All Began"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sonic Universe #83, "Eggman's Dozens Part One: Hostile Takeover"
- ↑ Sonic Advance 3
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Sonic the Hedgehog #252, "At All Costs Part 2: A New Lease on Life"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #276, "Back in Business"
- ↑ Sonic Universe #84, "Eggman's Dozen Part Two: Power Meeting"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Sonic Universe #85, "Eggman's Dozen Part Three: Team Management"
- ↑ Sonic Universe #86, "Eggman's Dozen Finale: Synergizing"
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Sonic Universe #88, "Shattered Part Two: Lies & Half-Truths"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Sonic Universe #90, "Shattered Finale: Restoration"
- ↑ Ian Flynn (10 January 2015). Naugus Is Now A Troll and the Troll Civlization. BumbleKing Comics. Archived from the original on 21 April 2015.
- ↑ BumbleKast Q&A for August 17th, 2020. YouTube. BumbleKing Videos (17 August 2020). Retrieved on 18 August 2020.
External links[]
- Walter Naugus at Mobius Encyclopaedia, the Archie Sonic wiki.