- For other versions or uses of Antoine, see Antoine (disambiguation).
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Antoine D'Coolette was the son of the late Royal Army General Armand D'Coolette and his wife Marie D'Coolette, and one of the original Knothole Freedom Fighters, being the group's military leader. While originally being one of the least contributing members and often showing signs of cowardice in the face of danger, Antoine gradually learned to overcome these fears and hone his skills with the sword. However, he was critically injured in duty by the explosion caused by a self-destructing Metal Sonic while escorting Elias Acorn safely out of the city. As a result, he was left in a coma, his fate uncertain.
History[]
Early Life[]
Antoine being trained by his father as a young boy
Antoine was born in Mercia shortly before the Great War broke out, though his family moved to Mobotropolis while he was still young. As a young boy, Antoine began training as a cadet to become a soldier in the Royal Army. His father personally oversaw his training, teaching him the local language in contrast to his mother educating him in their native tongue. This would lead to Antoine having difficulties with both languages later in his life. Antoine also enjoyed playing with his friends Sally Acorn, Sonic the Hedgehog and Rotor Walrus, though Sonic would often pick on him. (StH: #46, SSS: #9, CSE)
Antoine was only eight years of age when Dr. Ivo Robotnik began his military coup and takeover of Mobotropolis. During the coup d'état, Antoine was sent into hiding in the Great Forest with other children, while his father was one of the many citizens captured and roboticized. Antoine remained unaware of this and believed, as did many others, that his beloved father had perished in the chaos of the coup when he and his troop went missing. Fatherless and now with a grieving mother, Antoine took to wearing his old cadet uniform as a testament of loyalty to his father, despite having not completed his training. (StH: #46, #58, SSS: #9)
Antoine eventually went on to be raised by Rosie and Julayla after his mother had passed on due to an illness, as they were responsible for tending to the other children orphaned by war as well. While still young, he became one of the founding members of the eventual Knothole Freedom Fighters when they came across an old limestone cavern outside of Knothole, vowing to stop Robotnik and save their old home. While playing on a frozen pond with the others one winters' day, Antoine also got caught up in a strange experience that sent him into another Zone thanks to a Power Ring they found in a nearby well. While Sally and Sonic each had their own adventure, Antoine, Boomer and Tails had a shared experience which Tails believed had some meaning as they had been able to get through it together like they were part of a team. (SSS: #5, #9, CSE)
During his childhood "antics" with Sonic, Antoine lost his real hair, which forced him to wear a blonde wig until his hair grew back during his early adult years. (1)
Antoine would go on to attend college in some capacity, during which he wore a beanie at his freshman dance. (OSM: #2)
Dr. Ivo Robotnik's Tyranny[]
Despite his limited contributions early on, Antoine did have a few shining moments in the early days of the First Robotnik War, such as when he saved Bunnie from a SWATbot with a boulder he pushed from a ledge above. (StH: #46)
In the last year of Dr. Ivo Robotnik's rule, Antoine would report about a water leak in Knothole that threatened to flush them out of hiding from Robotnik to the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Heading out to investigate it, Antoine tried to take charge of his group, only to fall for one of Sonic's antics when they found the source of the leak: a stand of Weeping Willow Trees "crying" over the loss of the trees felled by Robotnik. Robotnik attacked them soon after, but Sonic was able to drive him off, and Antoine got involved in the Freedom Fighters' forestation efforts that made the trees cease crying. Later Antoine discovered from a Royal Proclamation from Sally that the princess was heading out to negotiate her father's release with Dr. Robotnik. Teaming up with Sonic and Tails, Antoine tried to stop Sally from meeting up with the treacherous doctor. When Sally left anyway, adamant on going through with the negotiation, Antoine, Sonic, and Tails decided to save her anyway, only to get trapped in a cage. When Sonic got them out though, the trio headed to Robotnik, Inc., where Antoine and Tails stole Robotnik's handgun while Sonic saved Sally from a roboticizer. Holding Robotnik at gunpoint, Antoine escaped Robotroplis with his friends. Back home though, Sally revealed that she planned to get thrown into a roboticizer with a device made by Rotor that would have let them analyze the machine so they could reverse the roboticization procedure. Antoine was thus left to reflect on his foolish mistake. (OSM: #0, #1)
While tending to his Royal Guard, Antoine saw that the Freedom Emeralds from the Magic Crown of the Acorn Kings had been stolen when Sonic and Sally arrived with its empty jewelry box. When it seemed that a member of Antoine's Royal Guards took them, Sonic exposed them as a undercover Robotnik robot and took it away before it self-detonated. As Antoine began insisting on getting the Freedom Emeralds back, Sally sent him and Sonic after the Robotnik Blimp, which they suspected had the Freedom Emeralds, that Sonic had noticed outside. With Antoine's help, they quickly set off in a hot air balloon, only to be shot out of the sky by Badniks, although not before Sonic destroyed the Robotnik Blimp. The pair proceeded to retrieve a Freedom Emerald from a SWAtbot that got smashed in the crash. Before going offline, the SWATbot mentioned the location of the other Freedom Emeralds. Antoine was thus left to bring the Freedom Emerald they had back to Freedom HQ while Sonic went after the rest. Back in HQ, with Tails having brought another emerald to them, Antoine saw Sonic arrive with the remaining ones, and Antoine watched as the crown was restored and handed over to Sally. (OSM: #2)
Antoine later joined Sally in Robotropolis to meet up with Sonic, who had infiltrated Robotnik's work force in the disguise of a robot. Although all Antoine got out of the meeting was a sore foot, once Sonic confirmed that their plan to destroy the Crab Compound was still on track, Antoine and Sally left Robotropolis. (OSM: #3)
When Antoine later felt overlooked by Sally, he tried getting her some flowers from the Great Forest, only to get entangled in the rapidly spreading Krudzu weed. After being saved by Sonic and brought into Freedom HQ where Rotor removed the vines wrapped around him, Antoine discovered when Tails watered the cuttings, which made them blow up, that the Krudzu was a machine created by Robotnik. Their problem with the Krudzu spreading through the forest was soon after solved when a rainfall destroyed the mechanical weed. Soon after, Antoine and his team called in Sonic to fold a map for them. Antoine would later struggle to open a child-proof cap when Sonic returned from Renobotnik. Some time later, Antoine came screaming into Freedom HQ to report that a giant Burrobot was rampaging through the Great Forest. Fortunately, Sonic and the new arrival, Bunnie Rabbot, managed to stop it. Afterward, Bunnie joined the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Not long after, Antoine observed Sonic's confrontation with Universalamander on the Great Forest Monitor, which ended in Sonic's victory. During their subsequent victory feast though, Antoine fell for a prank set by Sonic. (StH: #1, #3, #4)
When his team was challenged by Robotnik to compete in the Robotropolis Olympic Games for a chance to win Mobius' freedom or face roboticization in the case they lost, Antoine was against it until Sonic convinced him and the others that they could not lose with him as their main athlete. When Antoine and his team showed up in Robotnik Stadium however, Sonic fell ill. Regardless, Antoine and the others decided to compete in Sonic's stead. However, Antoine lost to Splats in the long jump and stood to lose against Buzzbomber in a race. Fortunately, thanks to Sonic distracting Buzzbomber, Antoine won the race. Antoine and the others were then spared roboticization anyway when Sonic made Robotnik and his connies retreat. Soon after, Antoine witnessed the arrival of a robotic Termite-Nator made by Robotnik in Freedom HQ, which threatened to devour the Great Forest. Fortunately, Sonic stopped it, and Rotor rewired it into eating metal before sending it back to Robotnik. Later, when launching an attack on Robotnik, Inc., Antoine and his team discovered that Robotnik had moved his operations to the Veg-O-Fortress, which prompted Sonic to head there. Later, as Antoine and his friends prepared for the annual Fright Night Party, Sally wanted to go into the forest for a stick. Though Antoine did not want Sally to go unchaperoned, he was ordered to back off by Sally. (StH: #5, #6, #7)
A while afterwards, Antoine attended a party for celebrating Sonic's victory over the Super-Powered 'Bots. Antoine and his team later went to Mobius Concert Hall to get some music instruments after getting a music performance from Sonic. There, the group was shrunk by Robotnik, who attempted to suck them into a Port-O-Bot. When Sonic got trapped inside Robotnik's Pest Buster while keeping Antoine and the others from getting sucked up, the group worked together to keep Robotnik from roboticizing Sonic. As the shrinking effect then wore off, Antoine and his team chased off Robotnik before using his shrinking device on the Badniks that the doctor summoned to the concert hall, rendering them harmless. Later, while guarding the Great Oak Slide's entrance, Antoine got teased by Sonic when the latter went out on an unknown errand. When Antoine later met Pseudo-Sonic, whom he mistook for the real Sonic, he got duped into leading the robot into Freedom HQ. Before Pseudo-Sonic could reveal Knothole's location to Robotnik though, the Badnik got short-circuited by Tails. (StH: #8, #9)
When a mission to steal power from Robotropolis later went wrong, Antoine and his team encountered a Nerb, allowing them to flee to the underground town of Nerberhood to avoid Robotnik's forces. However, when the Nerbs refused to help them despite suffering from Robotnik's actions, Antoine and his team tried going home. Along the way though, Antoine and his team found a way to a underground operation being carried out by Robotnik. After Sonic foiled Robotnik's operation, Antoine and the others were made honorary Nerbs by the Nerb King. Later, while the Knothole Freedom Fighters looked for a spot for their annual picnic in Antoine's hot air balloon, the team got popped out of the sky by Buzzbombers. While ashamed that he and his balloon had let the team down, Antoine resolve to try one more time after a chat with Tails. After repairing the aircraft, Antoine single-handedly saved his friends from a surprise attack from Robotnik and his forces during their picnic with aerial counter-attacks from his balloon. (StH: #10)
Antoine and his team later found Robotnik trying to spread pollution with his Slopmaker factory. Calling Sonic for help, Antoine awaited his arrival. When the hedgehog finally came, Antoine saw Sonic clean up the pollution and destroy Robotnik's machine with a Super Scooper. (StH: #11)
Repeated fights against Robotnik, Badniks, and even his own evil-counterpart toughened Antoine up though, and he soon began to contribute much more. During that time, Antoine also served a valuable function as the Freedom Fighter's pilot for various aircraft including the Tornado and Turbo Prop, manning the controls as they headed into imminent danger, including when Angel Island was hijacked during Operation: Flying Destroyer, usually at the others' behest. One evening, Tails left a Power Ring behind in Robotropolis and Antoine volunteered to retrieve it before Sonic found out. After navigating his way through the city and nearly getting captured numerous times, he returned the Power Ring to Tails and then kissed Bunnie in thanks for helping him, even though she meant to do so without giving herself away to Antoine. (StH: #17, #23, #24, S&K)
Shortly after this, Antoine accompanied Sonic and Tails on a mission into Robotropolis to survey the city after a recent earth quake. The trio was soon attacked by a group of COMbots, one of which Antoine managed to strike down. However, Sonic's speed was temporarily taken away after one of the COMbots exploded and knocked him unconscious. Antoine along with the other Knothole Freedom Fighters were soon captured, but with help from the Robotropolis Spy Network and the Substitute Freedom Fighters, Sonic managed to free Antoine and the others. (StH: #38)
During Mecha Sonic's attack on Knothole, Antoine questioned Sonic's loyalty as he had previously asked for permission to be roboticized with a Neuro-Overrider to maintain his free will. After Mecha Sonic was defeated by Mecha Knuckles and restored to his organic self, Antoine all too happily placed Sonic under arrest with the charge of treason. During the trial, Antoine acted as the prosecution and did everything he possibly could to find Sonic guilty, badgering Amy Rose and questioning witnesses in a way that made Sonic seem undeniably guilty. However, he was quickly put on the spot when Sonic argued that Antoine had left his post at the Knothole jailhouse, which allowed Nack the Weasel to escape and capture Sonic, leading to his roboticization, and Antoine was too busy plotting his coronation party to notice Nack's disappearance. Despite Antoine's admittance that Sonic was right, Sonic was still found guilty, but Sally agreed to give him the chance to prove his innocence, which he quickly did by recapturing Nack, much to Antoine's disappointment. (StH: #39, #40, SMM)
Not long after, King Max was successfully recovered and Sally paired Antoine up with Bunnie to scout out the Lake of Rings and retrieve any Rings they could find in an effort to restore their monarch's health. With Sally starting to get her family back, Antoine began going through his father's old belongings and came across half of an old map that lead to a site in Robotropolis called the "Budding Circle." Deciding to go it alone since it had been left by his father, Antoine ventured into the city and found Snively at the Circle looking for the last remaining seeds of the Krudzu with his Eggbots. Confused as to why his father would have a map leading to Robotnik's failed plant-badniks, Antoine accidentally gave himself away as he tried to retreat, leading to a dangerous chase with the Eggbots as he attempted to avoid capture in the city's sewer system. Eventually he managed to evade them and alert Uncle Chuck of what was happening, but then went back to the site to help the other Freedom Fighters after Sir Charles told him they had also gone there to investigate the digging activity they had detected. (SQM: #1, SSS: #1)
By the time of Operation: EndGame, Antoine's opinion of Sonic had changed. When Geoffrey St. John was ready to kill Sonic, Antoine punched him out, stating "The 'edgehog may be zee imbecile like you, but even he does not desairve death!". He also called St. John a liar who had stolen his family's honor by revealing that it was in fact his father who had established the Royal Underground before Robotnik's coup, while St. John falsely took credit for it. Wandering off in self-disgust, Antoine then found that Bunnie had followed him and received a surprise in that she openly admitted having feelings for him, and promptly kissed him on the spot. (StH: #46)
Antione and Bunnie escape from Crocbot's Prison camp with the help of the Dowunda Freedom Fighters.
After Sonic's arrest for Sally's supposed murder, Antoine became suspicious of Drago Wolf spending much of his time with the mysteriously-healed King Max. While attempting to spy on Drago, Antoine and Bunnie were captured by a group of SWATbots and taken to Crocbot's prison camp in Downunda. To prevent their escape, Antoine was fitted with an explosive collar rigged to detonate if Bunnie used her robotic limbs, but they were able to remove it with help from Barby Koala. While there the two helped free the Downunda Freedom Fighters who then engaged Crocbot in a final battle (though he actually managed to survive), covering for Antoine and Bunnie as they boarded an airship back to Robotropolis. Following this, they discovered Robotnik's plan for the Ultimate Annihilator, and stole a nuclear device from the Combots en-route, placing it on the weapon after they arrived. The bomb proved useless however, as Robotnik was ultimately killed by his own creation due to Snively's tampering. (StH: #48, #49, #50, SSS: #4, #6)
Family (Re-)Building[]
With the war over, Antoine devoted his time and duty to helping rebuild the kingdom. He would often find himself paired up with Bunnie for a lot of their work, whom he also started feeling much closer towards after what they had been through. During this period, Antoine joined Sonic and Sally on a recon mission that brought him up against the Eggbots a second time. It would have been the end for him and Sonic if not for the aid of Monkey Khan, whom Sally had freed. (StH: #53, #55, SSS: #2)
While Sonic and Tails were away chasing down Ixis Naugus, Antoine realized he and Bunnie had genuine romantic feelings towards each other despite the King considering him be Sally's suitor. Sonic took notice of this after he returned, seeing how Bunnie was hanging on to Antoine's every word while they were enjoying themselves at Deer John's. When Sonic asked him about this, Antoine admitted just how happy Bunnie had made him and how much she meant to him. As he mentioned that her love actually helped ease the pain of losing his father, his mood swiftly fell when Sonic dropped a bombshell on him- that his father was alive, but roboticized and last seen serving as the High Sheriff Sub-Boss of Robotnik's former holdings in Mercia. (StH: #59, #69)
Following a pirate broadcast of the late Dr. Robotnik's biography and the disappearance of the Robian colony in Knothole, Antoine met with the others to discuss the appearance of a series of strange satellites around the planet, whose activation appeared related to recent events. Journeying into space, Antoine and the other Freedom Fighters found a massive space station orbiting Mobius which housed the missing Robians and belonged to none other than Robo-Robotnik, who lured them away to be trapped while he took over Mobotropolis and started a second war. Once they were freed by Snively and returned to the planet, Antoine & Bunnie along with Jules and Bernie, followed Tails back to the city's library where they rescued the historian Jeremiah and recovered as many books as they could to preserve their history. In the evenings that followed, Antoine and the others would discuss what they had brought back to Knothole around campfires, while listening to Jules' and Bernie's input from their experiences during the Great War. (StH: #72, #73, #74, #75, #76, #77, #78, #79,
Not long after, Antoine learned Bunnie's robotic and organic halves were rejecting each other, putting her life at risk. As Antoine talked with her over her options, he told Bunnie he would love her no matter what decision she made, giving her the courage to get a permanent upgrade at the cost of losing all chances of ever being de-roboticized. Antoine then went with the other Freedom Fighters to Station Square to warn its inhabitants, once they learned Dr. Eggman had located the hidden city. While there, Amy Rose disappeared and Antoine & Bunnie went looking for her, though their efforts were fruitless as she later returned safely with Tails. As he tried to get people to safety during Perfect Chaos' attack, falling rubble struck Antoine and broke his ankle, forcing Knuckles to rescue him. After Antoine returned to Knothole, his injury forced King Max to relieve him of active military duty (at that time a Lieutenant), so he requested a leave of absence to look for his father in Mercia along with Bunnie and Amy. (StH: #80, #84, SSS: #11, #13)
En route Antoine made a stop in the Northern Tundra to visit Rotor and his family, and picked a device his inventor friend designed to briefly disable hostile Robians. Once they arrived in Deerwood Forest, they were confronted by Amy's cousin Rob O' the Hedge who accused Antoine of being in league with the High Sheriff and bewitching Amy, only to have Knuckles appear and save Antoine a second time. Joining with Knuckles, Antoine went to the mysterious city of Albion where he later discovered his roboticized father being held for impending disassembly. Antoine was unable to convince High Councillor Gala-Na to let him handle the situation, and once he was struck by his out-of-control father, required the help of Chaos Knuckles to send them back to their transport instantly. Antoine then brought his father back to Knothole where he kept him imprisoned until the Sword of Acorns restored his free will. (StH: #88, #89, #90, #102)
Antione defeats Evil Sonic.
Finally able to catch up with his father, Antoine attempted to impress him with a few exaggerated stories of his exploits. Sonic decided to play along, hoping to help Antoine reconnect with his father by making his tales seem legitimate. Later, Antoine defeated Evil Sonic after he escaped from the No Zone, thinking that it was actually Sonic in disguise helping him as part of an act. Antoine caught Evil Sonic off-guard and single-handedly took him down, enabling Zonic the Zone Cop to apprehend him. (StH: #112)
Replaced by Patch[]
Antoine's case of mistaken identity came back to haunt him when Evil Sonic kidnapped him and switched him for his Moebius counterpart Patch during the year Sonic was in outer space. 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 and breaking off Antoine's relationship with Bunnie Rabbot. 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. (StH: #150, #151 #156)
Once he returned, Antoine resumed his rank in the Royal Army and assisited in the defense of Castle Acorn during the Metal Sonic Troopers' attack. After that, he joined in the celebation of Sonic's next birthday, only to have to fight again with the arrival of the bounty-hunters Bark the Polar Bear and Bean the Dynamite to take out Sonic, and then Croctobot, followed by Scourge and Rouge. Some time later, Antoine joined with the others in a decisive battle against the combined might of Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus, the Arachne, & the Destructix. (StH: #158, #159, #160, #161, #162, #163, #164)
Now back home, Antoine had the arduous task of picking up the pieces of his life; having found that, not only had Patch subverted his life and ruined his good name, but had destroyed all he held valuable. Antoine finally got a break when Bunnie offered to help. Antoine was on the verge of proposing, when Sonic dropped another bomb; his father, recently hospitalized at Julayla Memorial Hospital seriously ill, needed to see him. Bunnie came with Antoine at his request (as he felt he could not face another devastating event alone), and Antoine was given the news from Dr. Quack; Armand's illness was being caused by poisoning done by Patch, but the dose was far higher than that on King Max, and as such, was terminal. Antoine came to his father on his deathbed, where he threw himself upon his father's mercy, begging forgiveness for his weaknesses and believed himself a failiure. Armand, however, pointed out how well Antoine had turned out, and assured his son he was not a failure in his eyes, accomplishing more than he ever did as a soldier. Before he passed away, Armand also implored Antoine to cherish his relationship with Bunnie and also told him that his mother would have been proud of him. (StH: #168)
Marriage[]
Antoine proposing to Bunnie
Having spent years fighting alongside Bunnie with their relationship as strong as ever, and remembering his father's final words, Antoine finally resolved to ask for her hand in marriage. It took weeks to pluck up enough courage, and only did so when faced with the prospects of their enemies growing in numbers and their only respite was in each other. The actual decision to propose to Bunnie came as a reaction to Fiona Fox's defection to Scourge. Happily for him, Bunnie accepted, but they still had to take part in the sting operation that resulted in the capture of both Ixis Naugus and Mammoth Mogul, along with Nack, Bark, & Bean that very same night. Right before the wedding though, Antoine started to get cold feet and was recieving encouragement of how he had faced incredible danger before, from Vector of all people. When the time came, Antoine was able to go through with stating his vows & putting the ring on Bunnie's finger and the two's wedding ceremony was the biggest celebration in Knothole; with King Elias Acorn performing it, Sonic as best man, and Sally as maid of honour. (StH: #172, #173, #174)
Fighting Eggman & Moebius[]
Shortly after his marriage, Antoine became one of the Mobians captured by Dr. 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. Eggman's Egg Beater robot and force him to retreat. Antoine was also one of several Freedom Fighters who were part of a mass attack launched at the new Enerjak, but like most of his allies was unable to even land a blow on him due to his immense powers. (StH: #175, #176, #177, #182)
Antoine fighting Patch in Freedom HQ
When the Suppression Squad, formerly the Anti-Freedom Fighters and now led by King Scourge the Hedgehog and Queen Fiona Fox, attacked Freedom HQ itself through a pair of stolen Globe Posts, a pitched battle soon erupted between both groups. Antoine dueled with Patch, vowing he would pay for all he cost him, but Patch in turn threatened to kill him as he did his father. This motivated Antoine to be the only one to duel Patch, not out of revenge, but to ensure Patch would not kill Bunnie, who had become the only reason he had to keep living. Patch, Miles Prower and Boomer overheard this, and Antoine, disarmed and restrained by Boomer, panicked and was helpless as Patch held his sword to Bunnie's throat, interested in the idea of taking her life in order to hurt Antoine. Before Patch could slit her throat, however, Sonic intervened and knocked all three to the floor, freeing Antoine and Bunnie. Soon, the battle led the base dangerously close to collapse, forcing the Freedom Fighters to retreat, with Antoine helping Bunnie (due to injuries Boomer inflicted on her as they fled), but Sonic has vowed to regain the base. (StH: #189, #190)
Miles from the Suppression Squad was later sent to bomb New Mobotropolis. He convinced the Freedom Fighters to aid him in overthrowing Scourge. Antoine and Patch couldn't do much against Scourge, who beat everybody up before he was left stranded on Moebius. Antoine later accompanied the other Freedom Fighters and the Suppression Squad to Moebius to defeat Scourge through the repaired Star Posts, only for them to all be temporarily defeated by Super Scourge, but thanks to the quick thinking of Sonic, Super Scourge was defeated and they returned back to Mobius. (StH: #194, #195, #196)
Eggman's Fall & Fallout[]
Antoine attacks a possessed Monkey Khan
Antoine later assisted in capturing a small piece of land outside the Eggdome for the Freedom Fighters to set camp and get ready for the final battle against Eggman. He also helped invade the Eggdome itself the next day while talking over old times with his wife and Princess Sally. After Bunnie and Mighty finished taking down the barricade, Antoine and the Freedom Fighters entered to see Eggman defeated and headed back to New Mobotropolis to celebrate. (StH: #198, #199, #200)
Their celebrations were cut short by the arrival of the Iron Queen, who used her Magitek abilities to seize control of Bunnie's limbs, forcing her to attack her friends and even nearly kill Antoine before she was stopped by Monkey Khan. As a result, Antoine was furious, as Monkey Khan's failure to fully explain the Queen's powers or his own liability to them nearly cost Bunnie's life. However, when Khan later apologized, Antoine did as well, expressing further forgiveness when the two of them visited Bunnie at Tommy Turtle Memorial Hospital. Antoine joined the other fighting fit Freedom Fighters in rescuing Sonic from the Iron King after Sonic engaged the tyrant to allow Tails to escape with Dr. Eggman in tow. Afterwards, he welcomed Sally into his home and left her and Bunnie alone to talk. Later, as the Iron Dominion invaded the city, the pair evacuated civilians with the help of Vector the Crocodile and Mighty the Armadillo. Antoine asked Bunnie to leave, but was surprised when she remained behind, determined to fight alongside him. The two were then subdued by a corrupted "Iron NICOLE", but managed to escape the city and get into hiding. (StH: #203, #204, #205, #206, #207, #208)
Antoine managed to join forces with Amy Rose and Geoffrey St. John, bringing them back to where Bunnie was hiding and then meeting with NICOLE. After learning of a public Legionization to be held in New Mobotropolis' stadium, Antoine and his comrades made their way there, charging in to save Rotor from being the first subject. After a brief and rather one-sided battle, they were joined by Sonic's team as they returned from the Dragon Kingdom. With their allies returned and the clans withdrawing their support from the Iron Dominion, Antoine and his friends were able to defeat their opponents, expelling the Iron King and arresting the Iron Queen with Antoine himself snapping the handcuffs on her. (StH: #210, #211)
Overdue Honeymoon (Or Not)[]
With the Iron Queen incarcerated in the Dragon Kingdom, Tails offered Bunnie and Antoine a chance to finally celebrate their wedding- with a well-deserved honeymoon. As a result, the trio were not present to join Sonic and Sally in becoming members of the newly formed Wolf Pack Nation. With additional passenger compartments installed onto the rebuilt Sea Fox, Tails brought them out to the remote atoll of Cocoa Island where he kept his workshop. Antoine was not thrilled at riding along in the sub, but tried to put on a casual front with his compartment's window open despite being clearly uncomfortable. When Tails was puzzled about a "third" sister island not on his map, Antoine inquired where he got it in the first place and suggested he simply had not gotten to it yet. Antoine quickly put it out of his mind though, and agreed with Bunnie when she suggested they land on the beach. As Bunnie and Antoine went down the beach, they lightly joked about Tails' fears that they would be bored and spent the rest of the day together, enjoying each other's company and the beautiful sights of the island. At nightfall, Antoine brought up the fear that they might have rushed into their marriage at such a young age, but he and Bunnie both agreed that it had been the right decision. (StH: #213, SU: #17)
Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted by the Battle Bird Armada, who set the jungle on fire and ambushed the pair in a raid. Cut off from escape, Antoine put up a valiant fight despite being taken by surprise and without his sword, but they both were ultimately subdued by the attackers' Mole Mech and captured. The next day Bunnie was taken to meet Battlekukku XV, while Antoine stole a key to his cell in the Armada's base from his guard. He escaped soon after tricking the guard into leaving, only to run into Armada officer Speedy. Antoine then ran and found an escape hatch, only to learn it opened into empty air with a long drop to the sea below. Speedy then arrived in company with Bunnie, who had passed herself off as a Dark Egg Legion member to gain the trust of the Battle Lord. Unfortunately, Antoine believed the ruse, remembering Silver's story about a traitor in the Freedom Fighters and that Bunnie had wanted to get away from New Mobotropolis for their honeymoon. Antoine then threw himself out of the hatch, an attempt at suicide, leaving behind a horrified Bunnie. (SU: #17, #18)
However this was his own ruse, as he landed on Tails onboard the Sea Fox floating down below. After explaining he believed Bunnie was under cover, they proceeded through the island to find the entrance to the Armada's base, with Antoine bringing up Tails' earlier adventures, much to the latter's chagrin. Once they found the entrance and made their way through the tunnels, the duo fought through a small group of soldiers and were rescued by Bunnie. Following a joyful reunion with his wife, Antoine was presented with a sabre she found in the Armada's armory, which he eagerly accepted. The trio continued on into the base, only to be stopped be Dr. Fukurokov, who (after a failed attempt by Antoine and the others to pronounce his name), sent his Mole Mech to attack them. During the battle, Antoine implemented part of Tails' plan to weaken the structure of the base by cutting through the lower cables. With the Mole Mech destroyed, the trio headed for the lower tunnels to escape, only to find that the Armada's base was really a flying fortress as it left the island's vicinity. After their escape, Antoine, along with Tails and Bunnie, enjoyed some hot cocoa in the young fox's cabin and toasted each other to their vacation, with Antoine considering sword collecting as a new hobby. (SU: #19, #20)
Death Egg Returns[]
With leftover tension from the occupation mounting, Antoine joined the rest of the Freedom Fighters while staking out Mina's free concert when Geoffrey St. John and Ixis Naugus showed up, preaching to be able to protect the citizens against NICOLE. When Sally gave the order to attack Geoffrey, Antoine again accused him of being a traitor and stealing his father's idea of a rebel underground. Geoffrey simply mocked him and took Antoine out with a knee to his stomach. After resuming his attack with the others upon hearing that Hershey was dead, Sally eventually convinced Geoffrey to stand down and let justice takes its course, and had Antoine and Bunnie keep him under watch. Antone then witnessed the Death Egg Mark II arrive over the city and piloted the Freedom Fighter Special once Sally ordered a hasty counterattack. Antoine was unable to get close to the aerial weapon though, due to its laser defenses, and continued to fly around dodging them while Operation: Clean Sweep began and the entire world was enveloped in a flash of white light... (StH: #223, #224, #225)
Genesis[]
A group of Bat Brains attacking Antoine.
In a strange new world, Antoine "DePardieu" was freed from a capsule with Sally and "Boomer" by their new ally, Sonic. Frightened about going after Eggman, he still accompanied the others planning to stop him. In the Marble Zone, he attempted to hide from the fight against Badniks, but found a horde of Bat Brains and went running. Though Sonic defeated them, Sally gave credit to Antoine for "finding" the ambush. Once they escaped from a lava field caused by an earthquake, Antoine was the first to see Dr. Eggman and cowered in fear. After hiding behind Boomer while Sonic fought Eggman, Antoine examined an underground passage to the Labyrinth Zone. He thought it was "perilous" but went down hesitantly, following the others. (StH: #226)
Sonic noticed Antoine and Sally seemed rather close as they proceeded underground, though Sally later affirmed that they were just friends. As they swam through submerged parts of the ruins, Antoine attempted to flee a bunch of Orbinauts while Sonic created an escape route that sucked them down a slide. The others made it safely to a ledge on the other side and tried to grab Antoine as he passed by, but an earthquake struck at that moment and they missed as he fell into the darkness below. Antoine washed around in the dark for what seemed like hours until the water way ruptured, dumping him out of a hydraulics pipe in the Scrap Brain Zone where his friends were, and right into the arms of Dr. Eggman. At first furious at the others for leaving him, Antoine then noticed where he was and panicked, creating a distraction that allowed Sonic to destroy the elevator he and Eggman were in. Once Sonic sent Eggman and his Egg Mobile falling into a pit below, Antoine at first was ready to celebrate their victory until Sonic pointed out he believed Eggman may have survived just as Antoine had. (StH: #227)
After meeting Sonic's protege Tails, Antoine and the others continued in their mission to shut down Eggman's bases and leave him powerless. While traveling through the Chemical Plant Zone, Antoine became annoyed by Tails' and Boomer's admiration-like enthusiasm in discussing what Eggman needed so much fuel for, and cautioned the others as they climbed up a shaft. His concern proved well-founded soon enough when a trap was sprung and the shaft filled with Mega Muck, but thanks to Sonic and Tails no one nearly drowned like last time. (StH: #228)
Once Sonic and Tails parted ways with them, Antoine and Boomer stayed with Sally and entered the noxious Oil Ocean Zone together. As they navigated their way across the terrain, Aquis badniks spotted and attacked them, forcing them to run. While Sally and Boomer wished Sonic stayed to help, Antoine became indignant and thought he should fight the robots in order to get praise, only to nearly be hit by laser-fire as Boomer pulled him out of the way. When they were finally cornered, Antoine fell off the walkway into a strange cannon-like device that eventually shot him right into the badniks, destroying them while leaving the other impressed and himself disoriented. With the help of Mobini freed by Antoine's actions, they located the main valves and proceeded to shut down the oil pipelines, cutting off the local power supply to Eggman's bases. Once finished, there was nothing more that Antoine could do but watch as a mysterious wave of white light washed over them soon after, causing everything to fade out.... (StH: #228, #229)
Changing World[]
Bunnie reached for Antoine and shook his shoulder. She asked if he was still with them, and he murmured "...see-saw..." and then shook his head violently. He asked if he took a nap in the middle of piloting the plane. She told him she thought that something got to all of them, but whatever it was it passed. He agreed, and he banked the Freedom Fighter Special away from the Death Egg. He then said that whatever it was it had affected the Death Egg, too, and that he would bring them around for another attack run. Just as they pulled away, laser-fire erupted from the Death Egg as it had before - and then subsided just as quickly. Tails called on the radio from the Tornado saying that it had gone quiet and asking if there had been any word from Sonic or Sally. Bunnie replied that they had not heard anything, and before she could tell him what she was wondering about them, an explosion rocked the inside of the Death Egg. Fire and smoke poured from its seems. (FCDS: #6)
The Death Egg then deployed its Titan Metal Sonic into New Mobotropolis. While Bunnie elected to deal with the robot menace, Antoine renewed his attack on the aerial fortress and closed in on it with the Tornado until he was clipped by a blast from the Egg Annihilator Beam. Thanks to Antoine’s piloting skills, he was able to safely crash-land the FFS outside the city, and eventually exploded in outrage at Geoffrey for having already created part of their situation when he tried to reason their next course of action. Once back in the city, Antoine was horrified to find a crowd surrounding his fallen wife who had been partially crystallized by Ixis Naugus’ magic during the battle. Dr. Quack quickly told Antoine he could only guess at the moment and had Big take Bunnie to the hospital while her condition seemed stable, and then helped along the distraught Antoine as well. (StH: #231)
Antoine reassures Bunnie after the loss of her cybernetics.
In the hospital, Antoine frantically refused to allow “King” Naugus to examine Bunnie since he was the cause of her predicament, but Dr. Quack was forced to restrain him as he had run out of normal medical options. With a flash of light from Naugus’ wand, Antoine and everyone there was shocked to see Bunnie’s limbs had been completely restored to flesh and blood, and he went to be by his wife’s side in a moment of tearful joy. Some of his happiness undoubtedly came from the fact that this development meant that he and Bunnie could have a family together, something that had previously been beyond their reach. Later that day however,, Antoine found Bunnie staring out the window by herself and asked what was wrong, whereupon she explained her fears of not being useful to the Freedom Fighters now that she was finally normal. Antoine dismissed her concerns and pointed out how he had become a valuable member of team even though he had no powers, and explained that her true strength came from within herself rather than her cybernetics. Antoine continued to restore Bunnie’s confidence with the certainty of her finding another way to be a great contributor, and reassured her that everything would be fine as long as the two of them were together. (StH: #232, CSE)
With his family life somewhat in order now, Antoine turned his attention to dealing with the more concerning matters of the city’s political takeover spurred by Geoffrey. Antoine had St. John arrested in order to put him on trial for treason, but before he could get any further with prosecution, the Battle Bird Armada was sighted en-route to New Mobotropolis. An evacuation of the city was ordered, and Antoine carried Bunnie to safety, insisting that she was not yet fully accustomed to her body to make it without assistance. After informing Elias that they had left with the last group, Antoine, Bunnie and the others waited in the nearby woods and could only watch as the Armada attacked and its Battle Fortress blew up their home. (StH: #232, SU: #35)
During the trial of Geoffrey St. John, Antoine played the role of the prosecutor. He fought words with the traitor over his theft of miltary documents before the coup while secretly undermining the former royal authority, and eventually came out on the top with the judges Hip and Hop declaring St. John guilty of treason. Despite his expert performance on the courtroom floor, Naugus quickly overturned the celebration by granting Geoffrey a royal pardon, leaving Antoine infuriated for making his entire effort null and void while Bunnie tried to keep him calm. (StH: #233)
Sacrifice[]
Metal Sonic self-destructs while battling Antoine.
After his recent deposition, ex-king Elias decided to leave New Mobotropolis and return to his old home in Feral Forest with his family. Wary of an attack, Antoine and other Freedom Fighters escorted him for the first part of the trip. En-route, they were attacked by Mecha Sally along with a new Metal Sonic and a force of Egg Swats, who were sent to kill Elias. With Bunnie no longer super-powered, and Mecha Sally working against them, they were at a severe disadvantage during the battle. Antoine tried to save his king when Metal Sonic latched onto the Mobo-Cruiser, and pulled it off the vehicle to defend his king and country even though he was clearly no match for the machine. As Antoine grappled with the robot, Eggman gave the order for Metal Sonic to self-destruct and the commander was caught in the explosion and critically injured, ending the attack. Bunnie and the others were in hysterics and at first believed him to be dead, but Sonic realized Antoine was still breathing and rushed him off to Dr. Quack. (StH: #234)
After emergency procedures at Tommy Turtle Memorial Hospital, Antonie was left in a coma. He was put on support with a machine using Power Rings which, helped his condition, but less effective than on those like Sonic. While the device that healed King Max with a Chaos Emerald had been considered, Bunnie decided against it out of concern of causing mental decline. Due to her husband's state, Bunnie became overcome with guilt, and told him to wait for her while she left to do what she needed to protect her loved ones. Silver arrived soon after from his own time, accusing Antoine of being the traitor who destroyed the Freedom Fighters, only for Sonic to drag him into the hospital room and show him how that was impossible before forcing Silver to get out. Geoffrey arrived at that moment, and despite being unwelcome, paid his respects to the commander for his performance in court and never giving up his suspicions against him. Whether or not Antoine could hear anything, Sonic finally admitted in front of him, that with all the recent events, Silver was actually right about the Freedom Fighters being done. (StH: #235)
Despite Antoine's incapacitation, his comrades managed to continue their fight against the Eggman Empire, although they were unable to truly oppose Naugus. Some weeks later, another new Metal Sonic broke into the hospital to finish off the still-comatose Antoine. Luckily, Shard, the original Metal Sonic, arrived and challenged the enemy robot to a fight. Metal Sonic accepted and flew off with Shard just before Rotor and Big the Cat arrived, thus sparing Antoine further harm. Soon after, the Prime Zone was hit by the second Genesis Wave, and the subsequent Super Genesis Wave, completely altering Mobius' timeline. (StH: #236, #247, #251, SU: #50)
Appearance[]
Antoine's original design
Antoine is depicted as a brown-furred coyote with tan facial fur and blond hair, his eyes usually colored blue. Early on, he had no visible tail, although he would later be depicted as having a short tail just barely visible from out under the back of his attire.
As a youngster prior to the war, he was seen wearing a blue smock and a red ascot with red boots. His most common attire is his father Armand's old Royal Army uniform: a blue jacket with red trim, gold pads on the shoulders. He kept the red boots of his childhood, but sometimes was depicted with blue boots. At his wedding he wore a gray dress uniform with gold trim. For his honeymoon, he donned a red shirt, blue shorts, and green flip flops, the first occasion on which he has been seen in casual clothing.
Early on, Antoine would wear a blonde wig due to having lost his real hair as a result of his childhood "antics" with Sonic. However, his real hair has since grown back. (OSM: #0) [1]
Personality[]
Described in the beginning as "Knothole's number one blowheart" who could let out enough hot air to practically lift a hot air balloon, and a sap in the eyes of others in his late teens, Antoine was originally portrayed as arrogant, vain, and unwilling to face dangers head-on. He was also not the most insightful person either, as he nearly brought down the Knothole Freedom Fighters when he lead Pseudo-Sonic right into Freedom HQ while obliviously thinking it was the real Sonic. He would similarly often let himself get fooled by Sonic's wise-guy antics. Despite it all, he claimed himself to be a warrior of high caliber. (OSM: #0, #2, StH: #9, #10)
Starting out as a zero who wanted to be a hero, much of Antoine's deceptive bravado came from his efforts to hide his insecurities, though it only earned him Sonic's ire early on. Originally the first to always report trouble of any kind and then run from it, he was a complete coward, making him easily spooked and faint of heart despite his insistence that he was the bravest of the Freedom Fighters. He could also be rather stubborn, though mostly out of pride. (OSM: #2, StH: #1, #10, SA: #2)
For all his rough edges, Antoine's heart has always been in the right place. Furthermore, he gradually made more and more attempts at overcoming his fears, especially when those important to him were in danger. For a long time he felt that his cowardice had shamed him in his father's eyes, though as his father lay dying, he told his son that he had matured well and that he could not be more proud. Bunnie also helped him maintain his confidence, though he occasionally looks back on his old behavior with shame.
With Antoine now married to Bunnie Rabbot, both he and Sonic have buried the hatchet and are no longer feuding - though they sometimes poke fun at each other, Sonic bringing up Antoine's past arrogance and cowardice while Antoine makes sly remarks about Sonic's lack of maturity. He also has a strong sense of duty and honor, instilled in him by his late father. This would prompt him to fearlessly come to the aid of Princess Sally early on in spite of his cowardice during the last year of the First Robotnik War. (OSM: #1)
Although Antoine can be quite amorous, he is still proper; for example, when his home was trashed by Patch, Bunnie offered to let him move in with her, but he refused as they were not yet married. Later, when Bunnie reminded him that he would once have been the first to look for a way out of a fight, he replied that she had given him the courage to face any challenge. He has at times had difficulty speaking English properly, using the wrong words or speaking in French instead, especially when under great stress.
Due to having been taught both his native language from Mercia and the local language of Northamer during the chaos of the Great War, Antoine has a tendency to flub both languages. Antoine also has an intense dislike of margarine and has very strong opinions about how food should properly be prepared. (StH: #1, CSE)
Abilities[]
Originally Antoine was a clumsy, unskilled Freedom Fighter, useful to the team in battle only for some tactical ability and skills as a pilot. However, as time went on and his confidence in his abilities grew, he developed superior physical skills.
Antoine is shown to excel in swordsmanship, a skill that only improved as his confidence grew; early on, he even boasted to be the champion fencer of Mobius. Though the sword would be his preferred weapon, he has become a skilled hand-to-hand fighter thanks to Bunnie's teachings and can also utilize other weapons when needed. His abilities as a tactician have improved as well, earning him the rank of commander in the Royal Army despite having originally been just a civilian wearing his father's old uniform. (StH: #5)
Late in the First Robotnik War, Antoine proved himself to be an expert pickpocket by swiping a weapon from Dr. Ivo Robotnik's cape, albeit with some assistance. (OSM: #1)
Romance[]
Bunnie Rabbot[]
Antoine and Bunnie.
Antoine's feelings for Bunnie were slow to develop, given that at the time they first met he was intent on pursuing Princess Sally. However, he did take an obvious interest in her during their first encounter, and later thanked her with a kiss for coming to his aid several times during an ill-advised solo foray he made into Robotropolis. The two continued to bond through many difficult circumstances, from imprisonment in Downunda to battles against numerous foes, and the two grew into having a steady relationship.
Their relationship was put on hold during Sonic's time in space, but only because Antoine had been transported to Moebius and replaced with his counterpart Patch who broke up with Bunnie. Upon being rescued by Sonic, Antoine returned to his relationship with Bunnie, gladly reuniting with her despite some attempts she had made to make his alternate self jealous while under the impression that Patch was the real Antoine. He refused her offer to move in with her, however not long afterward, proposed marriage. The two were then married, their relationship growing even stronger as a result, to the point of Bunnie coming with him at the time of his father's death. Later, when Bunnie reminded him that he would once have been the first to look for a way out of a fight, he replied that she had given him the courage to face any challenge.
Antoine's love for Bunnie was fully expressed when he asked her to be his wife, to which she readily agreed. Although he became a little nervous, the wedding went off without a hitch, and he and Bunnie were finally wed.
When Bunnie had been de-roboticized by Ixis Naugus, she had worried about her usefulness. Antoine would comfort Bunnie and reassure her that "it was not the metal that made (her) strong", and that she will still be a great fighter. This would be their last intimate interaction; Two issues later, Antoine would be critically injured and rendered comatose by a self-detonating Metal Sonic, causing Bunnie to blame herself.
Tatiana[]
Tatiana.
When Antoine was a child growing up in Knothole, he fell in love with a young girl named Tatiana. She soon found out that all of the heroic deeds “ Antoine claimed to have done were actually performed by Sonic, and Antoine had lied to her in order to win over her affection. After discovering the truth, she told Antoine she no longer cared for him and walked off hand-in-hand with Sonic, leaving Antoine alone and broken hearted.
Antoine did not see or hear from her, until many years later, when she wrote a letter to him asking to meet. However, Antoine publicly refused Tatiana's advances and acknowledged his preference for Bunnie's affection. However, due to the reveal that it was Patch having the flashback, it's unknown if Antoine from the Prime Universe even knew Tatiana or if any of the flashback applies to him.
Sally Acorn[]
Throughout 3235, Antoine made every attempt to win over Princess Sally's affection as he believed it was his duty from being brought up to be a member of the royal court. However, his pompous attitude at the time, coupled with Sally's own disinterest in the relationship, made the pairing more than a little unlikely. Furthermore, despite his persistence, Sally always turned him down in favor of Sonic, whose more irresponsible and easy-going nature appealed to her and continued to make Antoine a regular victim of Sonic's joking. (StH: #1)
As his attraction to her was identified as loyalty gone too far, their relationship soon returned to normal limits as he found his affections redirected towards, and accepted by, Bunnie Rabbot.
Background Information[]
- Early issues of the comic revealed Antoine's hair was in fact a wig, although this was dropped as the tone of the comic shifted into a more serious story, resulting in actual hair growing further down the back of his head.
- In the Sonic the Hedgehog TV series in the episode "Fed Up with Antoine", Antoine's full name was revealed to be Antoine Depardieu, not D'Coolette. Many consider this name non-canon, and an example of the dissonance between the Archie and Sonic the Hedgehog TV series versions of the story. However, he did have the "Depardieu" surname in the reality that existed during Operation: Clean Sweep.
- Antoine's age is taken from the letters page of Sonic the Hedgehog #46, where it states his current age was 18. Furthermore, the letters page of Sonic the Hedgehog #90 stated Antoine's age was 19, when the year was 3236. Since the year is now 3237, Antoine's age would be 20.
- Early Sonic-Grams described Antoine's species as a fox, though it is likely that this was before it was decided that he was a Coyote.
- Antoine's hatred of margarine comes from an episode of Sonic the Hedgehog TV series', in which Snively "tortured" Antoine by improperly preparing French cuisine in front of him. Antoine was outraged when, in preparing escargot, Snively announced his intention to use margarine instead of butter.
- According to Lost Hedgehog Tales, Antoine was originally planned to have died in Sonic the Hedgehog #234. However, fan reaction to Sally's roboticization and Antoine's sacrifice caused Ian to nix the plan.
- Ian Flynn has said that, even if Antoine had died, he would have been ‘recovered,’ though it is not clear what this means; he has only released one chapter of Lost Hedgehog Tales thus far.
- Ian Flynn has gone on to say that, in Bumblekast #97, Antoine would have gotten "back up on his feet."
External links[]
- Antoine D'Coolette (Pre-Super Genesis Wave) at Sonic Wiki Zone, the Sonic wiki.
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