Antoine D'Coolette

Antoine D'Coolette is a fictional character appearing in both the Sonic the Hedgehog TV series and comic series. He is a brown, male, anthropomorphic coyote with profoundly blond hair, occasionally depicted with a small moustache, although he has not been seen with one for some time. Although it was suggested that Antoine wore a hairpiece in the early issues of the comic, modern continuity has established it as his natural hair.

He is usually depicted as slightly older than the rest of the main characters; his age is usually placed around 19, whereas the other characters are around 16. He has a thick French accent that is expressed prominently in the text of the comic as well as by his animated voice actor, Rob Paulsen. He debuted in issue #0 of the comic's introductory series, and in episode 1 of the cartoon. In both media he is commonly referred to as "Ant". Though the term was originally intended as an insult, it has become a friendly nickname.

Sonic the Hedgehog ("SatAM") Antoine Depardieu (known as Antoine D'Coolette outside of the SatAM show) was a member of the Freedom Fighters who fought against the evil Dr. Robotnik. In order to win the affection of Princess Sally, Antoine would pretend to be brave, but this always failed, and he was revealed as a self-important, cowardly, idiotic klutz. His romantic rival was Sonic the Hedgehog, who would make fun of Antoine for his shortcomings. Like most of the other "SatAM" characters, little is revealed about Antoine's past, only that he has known the other Freedom Fighters since childhood, and that he has some connection to the Royal Guard (likely through his father, as shown in the comics). According to Snively's computer files, Antoine had training as a squire in the "Delmont Province" during his youth.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics)

Origins The Archie comic series reveals that Antoine's homeland is "Mercia", the equivalent of an amalgamation of France and England on the fictional planet Mobius. Antoine's life ambition is to be a great warrior like his father, the late General Armand D'Coolette. His father disappeared early in Antoine's life, and Antoine took to wearing his father's uniform in remembrance of him. Unbeknownst to him at the time, his father had been captured by Dr. Robotnik. Antoine became one of the Freedom Fighters under Princess Sally, though his timid and fastidious nature seemed rather unsuited to the role of a rebel.

Freedom Fighter Years of fighting against various villains toughened Antoine up, and he soon became a valuable member of the Freedom Fighters. He participated in countless operations against Dr. Robotnik and later Dr. Eggman, the latter of whom was a counterpart of Robotnik from another dimension. Antoine's exploits included saving his Roboticized father. He also defeated Evil Sonic following the criminal's escape from the No Zone, thinking that it was actually Sonic in disguise helping him to impress his father.

Antoine's case of mistaken identity came back to haunt him when Evil Sonic kidnapped him and switched him for his Anti-Mobius counterpart Patch. Forced to wear the mask of his Prime counterpart, Patch worked behind the scenes to secure the throne of Acorn, even poisoning Antoine's father. Antoine was forced to play the role of his Anti-Mobius self until Sonic finally discovered the switch and rescued him, sending Patch back to Anti-Mobius. Afterwards, he joined the Freedom Fighters in battle against Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus, and the Destructix; he also participated in the sting operation that resulted in the capture of the two wizards, Nack the Weasel, Bark the Polar Bear, and Bean the Dynamite. Antoine later became one of the prisoners taken by Eggman during the destruction of Knothole Village, but was promptly liberated thanks to a quick rescue mission mounted by Sonic, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Tails, and NICOLE. He then joined his rescuers and fellow former captives in bringing down Dr. Robotnik's Egg Beater robot.

Possible Future As is the case with many of the main characters, Antoine has been depicted as having counterparts in possible futures. He did not appear in either version of Mobius: 25 Years Later, but a rather distinguished looking, mustachioed Antoine appeared in the future in which NICOLE originated.

Personality Antoine was portrayed as arrogant and vain, but this is likely because he was simply proud and has no particular skills with which to compete with Sonic (who is often guilty of the same traits). Both characters seem to be maturing, though; With Antoine now married to Bunnie Rabbot, both he and Sonic have buried the hatchet are no longer feuding. In the original TV series and the early comic issues, he is considerably lacking in bravery and machismo, but his personality becomes more cunning and fearless in the later issues of the comic -- enough so that he was prepared, if necessary, to take on a squad of ComBots armed only with his wit.

When frightened or surprised, Antoine often exclaims "Mon dieu!", implying that he may be religious (a theory supported by his father's belief in the afterlife — though it is the French version of "My God!", as in an exclamation). He has a strong sense of duty and honor, instilled in him by his late father. Although he can be quite amorous, chivalry will not permit him to live with an unmarried female.

Romance Antoine is known to have had a crush on Princess Sally, but she largely rebuffed his advances, taking offense at his demeanor (it can be argued that Antoine never really loved Sally but pursued her so intently because his father was a big proponent for their marriage). This led to a very early rivalry with Sonic. Although it got very testy at times (for example, Antoine had Sonic tried for treason after the latter was roboticized and restored to normal), it rarely interfered with their resistance to Robotnik or any other threat.

He later became the boyfriend of Bunnie Rabbot, and the two had a steady relationship until he was replaced by Anti-Antoine. This version of Antoine masqueraded as him for a year, not only breaking up with Bunnie, but also attempting to usurp the throne of Knothole. Sonic later discovered the switch and brought Antoine back, sending Patch back to Anti-Mobius and allowing Antoine and Bunnie to start up again. Having lost none of their feelings for each other, the two were as close as ever, to the point of Bunnie coming with him at the time of his father's death. Recently he asked her to be his wife, to which she readily agreed, and he then requested that Sonic act as his best man (with Sally being the maid of honor at Bunnie's request). Although he became a little nervous, the wedding went off without a hitch, and he and Bunnie were finally wed.

Abilities Antoine, despite his somewhat cowardly nature, is a skilled swordsman, his preferred weapon being a sabre. He is known to use logic in battle (he fought only to disarm his opponent when battling Sonic on Anti-Mobius, believing that if 'Evil' Sonic died he would be trapped there) and will back down if he thinks victory is impossible. He was formerly the pilot for the Freedom Fighters, but lately that role seems to have passed on to Tails. He is also bilingual, speaking both English and French. As a result of this, a running gag started in the SatAM cartoon series and continuing to this day involves Antoine using incorrect English words or phrases.

Alternate forms As is the case with many characters in the comics, Antoine has several couterparts from alternate dimensions. The most prominent is Anti-Antoine/Patch, Antoine's Anti-Mobius self, so named because he wears an eye patch. They battled on their first meeting where Patch seems far more aggressive (getting angry when Antoine dodges an attack instead of striking back), but they later switched places courtesy of Scourge the Hedgehog, who at the time was known as Evil Sonic. Patch proceeded to wreak havoc in the guise of Antoine, but the problem was rectified and the two returned to their normal places.

Twan-Du, a variant from the "Freedom Fighters Of The Galaxy" storyline, where that zone's Antoine had the appearance and abilities of Yondu, a character from the Guardians of the Galaxy comics.

Trivia In the "SatAM" episode Fed Up With Antoine, Antoine gave his name as "Antoine Depardieu" (a likely reference to actor Gerard Depardieu). Since the name was never mentioned again in the show and completely ignored in the comic (he used the last name "D'Coolette" from the beginning of the comic, and still does), this name is considered non-canon except by "SatAM" purists. Unlike most non-game characters, Antoine has used the Power Rings to become stronger. Their energy provided a temporary power boost, enabling him to slice a robot in half. In the original mini-series as well as the earliest comic issues, Antoine wields a sword in his left hand. In later issues, he favored his right. It is possible that he is ambidextrous, as Patch was capable of the Florentine fighting style, where a blade is held in each hand. Antoine did not have his trademark accent in the earliest issues of the comic. This is because the Series Bible originally called for an uptight British soldier; it was changed to French to match the cartoon version. Antoine and Bunnie share speech patterns with another famous comic book couple: Marvel's Gambit and Rogue. Possible storyline following issue #134 included Antoine immersing himself in the Source of All at the behest of a brainwashed King Acorn, which he did in the hopes of winning back Bunnie and earning the respect of others. However, this led to Antoine being corrupted by the Source of All and becoming a villain, intent on fulfilling its designs of domination by marrying Sally. This storyline also featured an alternative explanation for the scar he "had"-while he was replaced by Patch-when Sonic returned. In this storyline, Antoine accidentally slipped and fell into a cutlery rack, and was too embarrassed to tell anyone about it.