Officer Murphy

Officer Murphy was a police officer in the Streets of Rage series of Sonic the Comic. Acting somewhat as a "fifth ranger" to the vigilante crew of Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding, Max Hatchet and Skates (being the latter's stepdad), Murphy was one of very few good cops in a corrupt precinct and helped his friends from the inside. The officer was happily married to Maria, mother of Skates, and even though the pair lived in poverty, Murphy refused to leave his job in dedication to his family.

While working as an officer in The City, Murphy received orders to protect Axel after being attacked by corrupt officers one night. Watching over him in City Hospital, Murphy consoled Blaze over Axel's state and the capture of Max by Hawk, but angered her when he refused to quit the force and join her. Keeping his cool, Murphy handed over a police tracer that, when pressed, would allow Murphy to locate Blaze and come "all guns blazing" with support and weaponry. Not long later, Murphy was confronted by ninjas sent to decapitate Axel. Murphy attempted to defend his friend but was quickly knocked out. He later recovered after Axel had presumably already escaped (or went with him to the foundry later). It would be Max that finds the tracer and activates it and Murphy's team arrives at the warehouse in minutes. Before Murphy can be told that Max is still inside, he orders the dropping of an incendiary bomb to flush Hawk out. After all three of his friends are safe, Blaze tears into him again once he states that he can't join them, siding with Captain Wyndam (who had just been punched in the face by Axel). Despite this, Max insisted that Murphy was a good guy and would help them should they ever need it.

Some time later, Murphy compiled a disk that contained the names and crimes of many corrupt policemen. Fearing that this disk could oust him as a criminal, Mr X ordered the death of Murphy. One night, Murphy was supposed to meet with Axel in a bar but Axel failed to show (actually appearing late due to a gang battle). Maria, Murphy's wife, expressed distrust over Murphy's whistle-blowing and told him to concentrate on the imminent release of Skates from prison. Murphy stated that he didn't have a son, calling him a "disgrace". During a visit to the shop, Murphy was cornered by three corrupt police officers under the employ of Mr X and was gunned down before he could do anything. Honest police were called to the scene but Murphy was pronounced dead upon arrival. Skates later showed little remorse for the passing of his stepfather, stating that he hated all cops.

Murphy's role as support from inside the service would later be replaced by Feroccio, Blaze's old police partner.

Appearances[]

• Issue 9 to Issue 12 - Streets of Rage
• Issue 25 to Issue 26 - Skates' Story