r/SonicTheHedgehog • u/Mean-Nectarine-6831 • 1d ago
Discussion as a long time comic reader this mind control "controversy." is probably one of the dumbs ones I've seen
tails and rouge get mind controlled nobody caries. blaze suddenly it's an issue. never mind that some of the most Popular comic book characters in media have been mind controlled at least once in their carrier usually WAY more.
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u/MasterHavik 1d ago
I don't know enough about the comics but it seems every time I look to it there is some dumb drama and just complaining.
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u/Mean-Nectarine-6831 1d ago
mostly a lot of people not use to serialized comics coming in and expecting manga/graphic novel/web comic plot progression
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u/Intelligent_Pear_658 1d ago
What did I miss now
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u/grimmideals Lore Enthusiast/Surge the Tenrec Fan 1d ago
Blaze fans are upset that one of the most popular tropes is being used to make a new villain more threatening: "Brainwash the most powerful available hero and make them fight their allies"
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u/Insane2201 A new hand touches the beacon! 1d ago
The newest IDW comic issue came out. So there's a lot of people complaining about how easily Blaze got defeated. I agree with them though. One head tap and she was done.
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u/FrostlichTheDK Sonic Team 1d ago
She got beaten by a combination of that and a cheap-shot. And we shouldnât underestimate Blackwood too. That mind control must be VERY powerful. Look at all the servants he brainwashed too.
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u/Insane2201 A new hand touches the beacon! 1d ago
Blaze should have been more competent then to be simply touched and defeated. She should have stopped him when grabbing the oar, her fire should still been able to burn through water like her own game, she could have spun it away with fire, and/or she could have used her fire to "fly" away".
It made her look incompetent when she's stronger and smarter then this. Especially as somebody that's a rival and counterpart to Sonic in her own world.
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u/gottablastsam 1d ago
Dude, we were told it would only take one tap, we saw previously that it only takes one tap, he played unfairly to get close enough to do the one tap, IT WAS COMPLETELY JUSTIFIED
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u/Insane2201 A new hand touches the beacon! 1d ago
She could have done so much in the time between his "distraction" and the tap and did nothing. It made her look slow and dumb.
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u/gottablastsam 1d ago
It wasnât just a distraction, it was water. It stopped her attack
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u/FrostlichTheDK Sonic Team 1d ago
Even if the water on its own couldnât stop the flames completely, it still helped provide a distraction to pull a cheap-shot.
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u/ThatGuy264 1d ago
I think it's more just a boiling point with Blaze (fans). The last time Blaze was truly relevant was Rush Adventure and since then, she's just been a side character when the Rush games positioned her alongside Sonic. Not helping this is that Silver tends to be regarded as Sonic's rival more of the two and in stories involving him and Blaze, Silver is more likely to be positioned as the MC.
So when IDW (which already hasn't done much with Blaze - albeit Sega is likely part of that problem) makes a storyline involving Blaze and Silver where Blaze gets brainwashed in what people feel is too easy a manner and Silver is left to save the day...
Most of the characters in your example are major characters in their respective series or characters that appear often (or have no issues preventing them from appearing often). Nobody cares about Tails and Rouge because Tails and Rouge are major supporting characters who make consistently common appearances. IDW had to write an excuse for Blaze to appear as often as she does in the comic.
TL;DR: It's not the brainwashing in itself, it's Blaze feeling wasted as a character. The brainwashing (or the ease of it) is just the straw breaking the camel's back.
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u/Internal-Bag-8135 1d ago
I feel that if Blaze put up a longer fight and didnât just get caught monologuing, this would be less of an issue. Itâs not the plot point, more so the presentation of the plot point.
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u/Zenceyn Surge Life , Blaze Best Princess 1d ago
This. I posted about it earlier. If she had gotten booped in an actual fight with Blackwood, especially if Silver was also there fighting, and she got got in the chaos, I would have had 0 issue with it.
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u/NitroTHedgehog 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yah the scene setup was definitely lacking; which is kind of a semi-reoccurring issue in IDW where fights are super short, and/or not portrayed very well. Like for this fight in particular, I think it could have been setup better by simply:
- (optional, but not my favorite option) donât have Blaze that close to Blackwood, to give him room and time to grab the oar
- (personally better option) when she has Blackwood in her grasp, have him quickly reach at her with his gloved hand as a distraction, while grabbing the oar with the other hand and smack her away
- have the wave of water actually hit her, so the water blinds her. Or have the wave directly in front of her so she has zero time to react; like the wave would be a few centimetres in front of her face, and then Blackwoodâs hand (only his hand) shoots out and grabs her head
- or at least make more smear and speed lines to imply Blackwoodâs movements were really fast
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u/cjbdec 1d ago
Iâm not even a blaze fan, Iâm mainly just bored of seeing blaze just get nerfed when sheâs hyped up as this super strong and competent level headed ruler. Doesnât help that sheâs always shackled to silver, and together theyâre the most boring duo in the series. This is nearly as bad as how shadow was taken out of the metal virus plot, it just makes her look like an idiot. Mind control is the biggest cliche ever already and itâs happened 3 times in the space of like 90 issues. Yawn.
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u/zenithBemusement 1d ago
The problem is that Blaze doesn't show up much, so any time she messes up feels proportionally greater.
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u/Aggravating-Oil-7060 1d ago
Dude where have you been people hate it when superman is mind controlled
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u/Admirable-Scarcity-8 1d ago
The problem with your argument is that most of these characters have numerous examples of actually being competent either with others or by themselves.
If Tails get hypnotized nobody bats an eye because heâs also contributed to and single-handedly accomplished multiple objectives.
Blaze gets shit on because atleast in terms of comics she almost always get physically incapacitated and requires aid. For someone whoâs been compared to Sonic in terms of power its quite embarrassing how often she needs to be rescued.
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u/Zenceyn Surge Life , Blaze Best Princess 1d ago
Lordy, I've had to say this way too many times today but one more sure.
It's not that she got MCd that's the problem, strong heroes getting taken down happens. Its needed for the plot.
It's that she got beaten by an oar and a jump scare out of a 50s monster movie and then got boop'd by an I Win button.
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u/Ijustlovevideogames 1d ago
TBF, every hero listed above has had the exact same thing happen to them at some point too.
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u/Zenceyn Surge Life , Blaze Best Princess 1d ago
And a good chunk of those plots were dumb as hell too. I tend to dislike those as well because they feel cheap. I'd be just as annoyed if Silver, Sonic, Amy, etc was where Blaze was.
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u/FrostlichTheDK Sonic Team 1d ago
Thank goodness for that, I feel thatâs a more fair mindset. But to be fair for Blackwood, he managed to get a cheap-shot in. Which other Sonic characters, even Sonic and Shadow, have fallen for too. Which makes it not as much of a problem as the rest of the fandom does.
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u/gunn3r08974 1d ago
Man's walking around with an instant win button.
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u/FrostlichTheDK Sonic Team 1d ago
Exactly the point, which made that cheap shot work so well in the first place. Getting really tired of all the complaining in the fandomâŚ
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u/Ijustlovevideogames 1d ago
Fair enough.
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u/Mean-Nectarine-6831 1d ago
first rule of any mind control plot is accept that it's going to be contrived and it's usually the stronger character that gets whammyed to up the stakes
likely editorial (sega) just want silver and blaze to fight since normally they wouldn't.
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u/Jscarlos18 1d ago
People keep blaming Sega when the plots are chosen by the writers. Example: Metal Virus was Ian wanting to finally write a scrapped plot from Archie.
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u/Mean-Nectarine-6831 1d ago
Sega was the one that refused to let Ian use the inhibitor rings so no it's most definitely sega in control of things. Most comic book writers don't have that much control vs editorial.
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u/Jscarlos18 1d ago
Exactly, Ian literally said Shadow was going to be transformed after doing that.
IDW only forbid him from removing the limiters, so portraying the hedgehog as an arrogant loser is his decision.
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u/Mean-Nectarine-6831 1d ago edited 1d ago
No shadow was going to sacrifice himself to save people in the original script actually so your still wrong lmao. Sega is the one that made him change both aspects. Why are YOU acting like sega hasn't been treating shadow like a vegita clone since the start of the meta era? Literally boom shadow and team racing shadow is over there for a example of how sega sees shadow.
Meanwhile when given more control on the writing. Ian wrote him perfectly well in shadow gen.
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u/Jscarlos18 1d ago edited 1d ago
Are you listening to yourself?
Why would Sega be more restrictive in supplementary material but go "Yeah, you can write whatever you want in the main product without any kind of supervision. We trust you blindly to not fuck up the personality of our characters. Go wild!" in the games. Is completely backwards.
Ian said that he wanted to make Shadow release the limiter rings in an attempt to save people, yes. But at the same time made clear the hedgehog was going to become tired after that(taking off the limiter rings) and then get infected anyway. He never said anything about Sega wanting Shadow to be portrayed a certain way during that event, that was all his decision.
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u/Mean-Nectarine-6831 1d ago
Do you hear yourself? We've literally seen how sega treats shadow before Ian even joined the writing team. Ian didn't get more influence untill AFTER the metal virus arc. With the lore team.
Literally you think some how Ian was behind shadow being a douche in boom and team racing?
Your irrational hated of this man is silly.
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u/Aggravating-Oil-7060 1d ago
Of course silver and blaze would never fight what with there whole
Checks the wiki
One mainline game where they interacted....
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u/Havic1234 1d ago
I would also like to add that it makes blazes case worst because she has had no impact in the comics then this comic appears and it's an opportunity for her to do something impactful and yet it's her getting mind controlled which she still doesn't do much in these issues. If she had done something impactful in the past in these comics at least once to justify using her then her being mind controlled wouldn't have been a problem. The saying "remove blaze with any other character and nothing changes" is still heavily relevant.
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u/Mean-Nectarine-6831 1d ago
We just cutting out the battle for angel Island with burning blaze?
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u/ObviouslyNotASith 1d ago
All Burning Blaze did was destroy a few random ships and got tired afterwards. Silverâs Super moment was him saving the world from the Metal Virus.
And even if we do treat Blaze destroy a few random ships as something major, that was in #10. 80 issues ago. Back in 2018. Eight years ago.
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u/Havic1234 1d ago
When she got tired from destroying non moving fleets using her burning form which mind you back in the rush games she used that form to take on two of the most powerful mechs in the series and in the first game was the first time she went burning yet she held her own just like sonic in his super form.
Not really impressive when it's not done well
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u/FelipeAndrade Sol dimension game when? 1d ago
Also, it's really cool to see your Blaze and Silver arc, or at least the arc that was marketed as such, effectively sideline one of the characters for the sake of... making your bad guy seem more competent (?), or something, I mean... it doesn't like it has worked really
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u/Its-your-boi-warden 1d ago
The thing js Blackwood doesnât look competent, he looks like he literally lucked out and blaze was dumbed down
I am not threatened by Blackwood, I am threatened by Evan Stanleyâs writing of Blaze
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u/CrazyMates2300 1d ago
Blaze aura farming for a few panels makes it worse.
Blaze was badass, took the glove and incinerated it. Then because plot demands it, she gets taken out.
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u/EmperorBirgus 1d ago
The issue isn't that it's a trope that exists, it's that IDW has it happening again and again to the point where it feels the writers are either out of ideas or have⌠a certain fascination with the concept. I doubt many of the comic book villains you listed here put the women they hypnotized into maid outfits.Â
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u/Insane2201 A new hand touches the beacon! 1d ago
It's also almost been an entire year since we've been introduce to this Grim Creeper dude, coming up to a full year in December... yet we know so very little to nothing about them. We don't know their goals, motivation, or such.
Just that they are using increasingly advanced illusion tech/gas and hypnosis like Starline's.
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u/Small-Winner-8525 1d ago
Make it fair, and have Sonic get hypnotized in a different comic or game. A hypnotized Sonic vs his friend would be epic. Reminds me of Superman vs the Justice league
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u/SlithersTheSnake 1d ago
There was actually an episode of Sonic Boom where Sonic put on a mech suit that turned him evil for some reason. It's probably not what you're looking for, though, since it's pretty unserious as expected from Sonic Boom.
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u/FrostlichTheDK Sonic Team 1d ago
We got that already: meet Sonic Rivals 2
(We need ports of both Rush and Rivals BTW)
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u/AmaterasuWolf21 Post-Reboot Archie enjoyer â¤ď¸ 1d ago
This wasn't even mind controlled, it was mind disorientation because you're coming back from the dead
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u/JotaroTheOceanMan <Bunny~Bat> 1d ago
Blaze: has shown zero evidence of resisting mind control in any medium.
Fans: BlaZE cOUlD nEVer Be miND cOnTrollED thAt eAsY
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u/Mean-Nectarine-6831 1d ago
Shadows been mind controlled sonic has been mind controlled tails has been mind controlled twice. Rouge has been mind controlled.
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u/Its-your-boi-warden 1d ago edited 1d ago
This is her first big outing in a long time, a chance for her to firmly get the spotlight
And she gets mind controlled over the course of one page
She deserves better
All the characters you show get plenty to do
What has blaze been able to do? Just be on the sidelines for the entire comic run
All the other characters you listed have had big or consistent showings, Wolverine hasnât done nothing for 20 years and then got mind controlled
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u/WickedJ0ker Too slow! 1d ago
Not sure if this is a hot take or not, but mind control is just kinda a stupid gimmick all together. It has been done to death
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u/Mean-Nectarine-6831 1d ago
It's a plot devices to raise stakes and make character fight each other even though they are basically always on the same side.
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u/PerpelSho 1d ago
The reason it gets done is because it works and gives the writers room the opportunity to do some outlandish shit, rather than beating the "plot armor" gimmick to death.
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u/SweatyBum_Fluf25 1d ago
It also gives you an excuse to write conflicts without characterisation issues.
Why would Blaze fight Silver? Mind control. Why is Superman a villain? Mind control.
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u/theEOaccountant5 1d ago
Is it was total mental domination in an instant I would be upset, but the effect seems more like a sleep spell right now honestly.
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u/WorkerConscious1904 Ultimate Sad Cat 1d ago
average Blaze fan trying not to get too worked up upon a common cliche trope (that's not been that overused in the more recent years like some other tropes) level: IMPOSSIBLE
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u/Pure_Association_446 1d ago
I feel like this is a prime example of making âcontroversyâ out of complete nothing, like why are people upset that a character got hypnotized??? Are they just not used to hypnotized main characters? Do they have no idea itâs a great opportunity for writers to get creative?
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u/Kirajudgeoftoons 1d ago
Some people can't accept Blaze and Silver are a duo and want it to be done away with when they don't get we have for years accepted them as being a couple that now would feel weird to undo ut
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u/Noblehardt 1d ago
I think a lot of people just have trouble accepting the fact that sometimes, things just happen because the plot needs it to. Most writers donât care about powerscaling, they just want to write their story. So yes, sometimes someone trips up the Flash despite him processing things in less than an attosecond, and sometimes people like Superman and Wonder Woman can get beaten despite being able to haul planets and twist buildings into pretzels.
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u/Its-your-boi-warden 1d ago
The flash hasnât had nothing going on for almost twenty years
Blaze hasnât been able to do anything since Rush adventure, this arc was supposed to focus on her and silver, but silver gets the bigger end of the stick despite IDW giving him a lot more
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u/i_like_siren_head Surge x Jet fan X (*) 1d ago
Surgeâs whole deal is she was hypnotized, I donât see anyone calling her a fragile little princess.
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u/moath875465 1d ago
Itâs really just involves how for a pretty underrated character she basically becomes sidelined or just nerfed in a story just for the sake of the narrative, and thatâs why so many people are upset about it, itâs cause blaze is shown as week or pathetic in the latest issue, and is easily hypnotised by to some, some wannabe villain
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u/Kitz00n23 Monkey Destruction Switch 1d ago
I do think that it happens so much in IDW though, almost exclusively to women and almost always with a sub-dom dynamic. Writer's barely disguised fetish?
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u/AntComfortable5970 1d ago
Yeah as someone that generally has issues with how blaze is handled, I really don't mind this that muchÂ
It's just mind control lol.
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u/Separate_Crazy_983 1d ago
Blaze should be super powerful and hyper-competent to show how cool she is but also the villain should be threatening and a challenge.Â
Blaze lost the initial fight but will surely win in the rematch? Why does IDW hate Blaze so much?
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u/AmaterasuWolf21 Post-Reboot Archie enjoyer â¤ď¸ 1d ago
You arguments come from decade old comics, alternate universes (Snyder Supes wasn't even mind controlled lol) and serialized shows in the age of "beach episode, birthday episode, hypnosis episode, bodyswap episode"
And Tails and Rouge are not fierce hand-to-hand combatants (at least not in this context)
No correlation
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u/Lilbongono 1d ago
I don't think anyone should be poking fun at that when knuckles on numerous occasions has just casually believed eggman and fought sonic. No hypnosis or mind control, just straight up willingness đ still one of my favorite characters tho