This article is about the echidna. For the raven sorcerer, see Mathias Poe.

Mathias (died 3236) is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics. He was the father of Hawking and grandfather of Tobor, making him the oldest living Guardian by the time of Knuckles' tenure as Guardian. Mathias served with the Brotherhood of Guardians all his life, growing a strong hatred of the Dark Legion and became popular among his brethren, especially Locke. He sacrificed his life in 3237 during the Brotherhood's attack on the Grand Conservatory.

Appearance[]

Mathias was a brown echidna, making him one of the few brown echidnas in the whole brotherhood of guardians. He also bears a unique pattern on his forehead, and had facial hair. He wore a purple robe with a golden trim, and even wears golden gloves with spikes. He is the only one from the guardians that wears gold gloves, other than white (even though he has worn them). He lastly has a pendant.

History[]

Guardian[]

Little is known about Mathias' tenure as Guardian. What is known is that Mathias assisted with his son in dealing with the great threat posed by the Dingoes. When Hawking was showing his video diaries of his days as Guardian to Knuckles, one of them showed him working alongside Mathias. Mathias assisted Hawking in finding a means to prevent the destruction of Echidnaopolis, after the Dingoes threatened to destroy it with nuclear weapons.

Non-Corporeal Existence[]

As the years went by, Mathias became wise and eventually succeeded in ascending beyond his physical form, though he lost functionality of his eyes. Mathias eventually retired from his duties in Haven, and traveled to another dimension to spend the rest of his life in quiet meditation.

Mathias was at peace with his surroundings, though his time there was brought to an end when suddenly a disturbance rippled across his dimension's plane of existence. Instinctively, Mathias knew only one being who would dare breach the fabric of existence, and he observed from his dimension that the being, Dimitri, prepared his forces for offensive against the Brotherhood and Echidnaopolis.

Return and Death[]

Mathias promptly returned to Haven, and upon reuniting with his brethren, marshaled the Brotherhood for a preemptive strike against the Legion, as he sensed Dimitri would unleash his dark forces upon the innocent unless action was taken, and hoping whatever plans Dimitri was enacting would be thwarted. The Brotherhood unanimously agreed, and they teleported away.

Mathias traced the Brotherhood to their most recent stronghold, and was shocked to find the Legion based at the Grand Conservatory, though Locke knew that there was no better hiding place (as it was where the Echidnas had stored their renounced technology). The Brotherhood then launched an attack, with Spectre dealing with the sentries, and Mathias, after putting an end to a sudden burst of in-fighting and urging them to stay united, led a meld of their powers with devastating effect, destroying Legion weapon trucks and engulfing the base in flames. It was at this time that Mathias' comatose son, Hawking, finally succumbed to his condition and was led to the afterlife by Steppenwolf.

Dimitri, while on the command center of the Dark Legion Battle Cruiser, knew the Guardians were poised to interfere, was left with no choice but to unleash the Legion's ultimate weapon: the Quantum Beam Cannon, which caused the entire population of the Floating Island to be shifted into the Twilight Zone. All members of the Brotherhood, including Mathias, were caught up by the Quantum Beam's effects.

Upon the Brotherhood's return, Locke was first to notice Mathias was no longer among them, but Spectre, possessing near-omniscience, quickly learned of Mathias' fate (along with that of Hawking and Tobor, having died destroying the Quantum Beam shortly before the Brotherhood's return), and informed his comrades he had joined his descendants in "the next evolution" (the afterlife).

Trivia[]

• Mathias is the only Guardian known to be alive during Knuckles' lifetime that he has not met in person.
• It is presumed that the Guardian in the video recording is Mathias, as an "M" can be seen on his dreadlock ring. Although the letter's page of KtE #17 said it was Tobor, that same issue showed Tobor only became a Guardian after Echidnaopolis was in the pocket zone. Furthermore, writer Ken Penders has said he believed his intention was for the Guardian to be Mathias.^[2]
• The exact amount of time Mathias spent in another dimension is unknown, as the concept of time had become irrelevant to him, though it was at least years as Locke recalled it had been so long since he was last in Haven.
• Strangely, Mathias was not seen amongst the other deceased Brotherhood members who spoke at the deceased Knuckles during his funeral in Sonic the Hedgehog #121. It is possible Mathias had evolved to an even higher plane of existence like Athair, or he simply was not present at the time. In a non-canon Q&A session with writer Ian Flynn, "Harlan" stated "We are concerned that Brother Mathias was displaced by the effects of the Quantum Beam the Dark Legion used on the island. The nature of its energies and its interaction with the Chaos Force is unclear to us. Hopefully Brother Mathais is well and will find his way back to us."^[3] This may indicate writer Ian Flynn does not consider Mathias "dead" as the rest of the Brotherhood, but merely displaced. However, in Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Sonic Comic Encyclopedia, Mathias is listed as deceased.

References[]

External links[]

• Mathias at Mobius Encyclopaedia, the Archie Sonic wiki.