This exists primarily or exclusively within the Pre-Super Genesis Wave continuity. Information in this article may not be canonical to the storyline of the games or any other Sonic continuity.

For the version of this subject after the Super Genesis Wave, see Genesis Wave.

The Genesis Wave is a subject that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics. It is a phenomenon created using the energies of a Chaos Emerald to rewrite reality to better fit the user's benefits. The technology was developed by Dr. Eggman, and has been used by him both alone and in alliance with Dr. Wily to alter Mobius on two occasions and Mega Man's World once. A supercharged variation made possible with the power of all seven Emeralds is called the Super Genesis Wave.

Description[]

Functions[]

The Genesis Wave has the ability to rearrange the space and time of a dimension, allowing the user to create a new timeline, reshape the physical universe, and rewrite memories. Additionally, the Genesis Wave can rewrite dimensions adjacent to the affected one in question, like soap bubbles; in other words, if another dimension lies close to the one rewritten, the adjacent dimension will be rewritten as well, such as in the case of the Twilight Cage and the Sol Zone.

The time-space altering effects of the Genesis Wave will linger for a short while, creating disturbances that can be detected throughout the new reality's timeline, like when Silver registered the effects in the present from the future.

Among other capabilities of the Genesis Wave are negation of Resistances, which allows Dr. Eggman to remove the immunity to Roboticization placed on all Mobians by the Bem, as well as negating forms of Acausality of certain individuals, being able to rewrite history and memories of Silver the Hedgehog, whom is unaffected by lesser forms of timeline changes.

Limitations[]

The Genesis Wave's capabilities are limited by how many Chaos Emeralds are used. With just one, the Genesis Wave can only tweak the timeline and bend the occasional rules of the world. It is also incapable of outright erasing individuals from existence. With all seven Chaos Emeralds, however, the user can release a supercharged version of the wave, known as a "Super Genesis Wave." This wave has no limitations to it and can completely reshape the world however the user deems fitting, including erasing others completely and turn beings into deities.^[1][2]

The Genesis Wave also cannot completely erase old memories. A regular Genesis Wave often leaves the affected inhabitants with amnesia or senses of deja vu. Space-time disruptions from Chaos Control can also partially restore a person's old memories.

Side-effects[]

Despite its power, usage of the Genesis Wave has its dangers: overuse of it can greatly strain the fabric of reality, to the point of literally "breaking" a universe. The Super Genesis Wave presents an even greater risk, capable of destroying an entire multiverse if used incorrectly, or if it is improperly reversed. In addition, unlike the effects of a normal Genesis Wave, the Super Genesis Wave's effects are irreversible: once the affected world is changed, it presumably stays that way forever.^[2][3][4]

There is at least one known object that is capable of offering partial immunity against the Super Genesis Wave: the Jeweled Scepter, a mystical artifact from the Sol Zone, protected its native Zone from being destroyed when the multiverse collapsed, instead allowing it to merely be altered like the Prime Zone, but to a much lesser extent.^[5] In fact, the scepter's protection caused a peculiar anomaly to the Zone: its inhabitants, such as Blaze the Cat, retained clouded memories of what had taken place in the past, especially in relation to her prior interactions to the Prime Zone. Even certain objects that could have only existed in the old version of the Zone were prevented from being erased, the most notable being Captain Metal, a salvaged and rebuilt version of Metal Sonic v3.3, a version of the robot created in the old version of the Prime Zone.^[6][7][8][9]

History[]

Development[]

The Genesis Wave was conceived by Dr. Eggman during his recovery from insanity. Theorizing that Sonic was apparently the embodiment of chaos, thereby making him an unpredictable element that would spoil any of his plans, the doctor came up with the Genesis Wave to neutralize that factor.^[10][11] After escaping New Mobotropolis' prison, Eggman and Snively began developing the Genesis Wave.^[12]

First Wave: Clean Sweep[]

After completing and launching the Death Egg Mark 2 with the blue Chaos Emerald, he unleashed the wave as part of Operation: Clean Sweep.^[13][14]

The resulting reality was different in a number of ways from how it had previously been. This included a timeline where Eggman and Snively could easily take over Mobius, and where Sonic, the Knothole Freedom Fighters-minus Bunnie-and Eggman had not met until the "new" present.^[15] However, the changes the Genesis Wave had caused threatened to destroy the entire dimension. As Eggman failed to cement his grip on the new reality with his World Roboticizer, Super Sonic used Chaos Control to restore reality to its previous state.^[11] However, the effects of the Genesis Wave awoke the merged spirits inside Ixis Naugus, left half of Mobius' population vulnerable to roboticization once more, and sent the blue Chaos Emerald to another dimension.^[16][17][18]

Second Wave: Worlds Collide[]

When Dr. Wily came into contact with Eggman after finding the blue Chaos Emerald, the two bonded and decided to work together to conquer their worlds, with the Genesis Wave being essential to their plan. Meeting up inside the Skull Egg Zone, the doctors constructed the Wily Egg with its own Genesis Wave machine. Within the zone, thereby allowing them to retain their memories of their original realities, the doctors launched the second Genesis Wave, which affected their respective worlds in different ways; while Mobius' timeline was completely reset (into a different state than last time), the timeline of Mega Man's World flashed into the future with only slight alterations.^[18] This also established a bridge between the worlds for the doctors to use.^[19]

Third Wave: Super Genesis Wave[]

With the second Genesis Wave successfully launched across both realities, Dr. Eggman and Wily gathered the seven Chaos Emeralds to super-charge the Genesis Wave for a "Super Genesis Wave" to alter the realities further, this time to completely reshape their worlds to their exact vision with no limitations and turn themselves into deities, despite the risk of heavily damaging the fabric of space and time in the process. Sonic and Mega Man were unable to prevent the Super Genesis Wave from being unleashed and rewrite both their universes, but they were still able to infiltrate the wave while in their super forms, in which they attempted to reverse with Chaos Control. Super Armor Mega Man was able to successfully restore his world, with everybody native to his world returning to their proper place. Super Sonic's attempt at restoring Mobius, on the other hand, was met with interference by Eggman, thus distorting the Prime Zone's restoration.^[1][2] In addition, it caused Sonic's entire multiverse to collapse and reboot.^[20]

Trivia[]

• Because Ken Penders sued to assert legality over his characters and succeeded, Archie Comics used the Genesis Wave as a method to wipe out in one swoop the affected characters and start new with Sonic.
• Given that universes can be restored from the Genesis Wave by inducing Chaos Control, it would suggest that the Genesis Wave is simply a refined version of Chaos Control.
• The Genesis Wave's name is likely a reference to the Sega Genesis game system (Sega Mega Drive in Europe and Japan), on which the Sonic the Hedgehog games debuted; indeed, its first usage altered Mobius's reality to make it more like the earliest Sonic games, while the effects of the second and Super Genesis Waves resulted in a world based even more on the games.
  • The Genesis Wave is also synonymous with the infamous Genesis Device from the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The Genesis Device unleashed a terraforming wave that would alter a planet to be hospitable, similar to how the Genesis Wave would alter a reality to take a different form.
  • The extension "Super Genesis Wave", when powered by 7 Chaos Emeralds is a reference on Super States of characters.
• Since its effects created the Genesis Portals, the Super Genesis Wave not only ended Worlds Collide, but indirectly led to the events of Worlds Unite as well.

References[]

External links[]

• Genesis Wave/Pre-SGW at Mobius Encyclopaedia, the Archie Sonic wiki.