Eclipse the Darkling

Eclipse the Darkling is a villainous character from Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog series. Appearing in the spin-off series Sonic Universe, Eclipse is a living weapon created by the Black Arms as their answer to Shadow the Hedgehog. His purpose was to destroy Shadow as revenge for thwarting the Black Arms' first invasion of Mobius.

Creation
After the first Black Arms invasion failed, Black Death became the new hive-mind of the species and made plans for a new invasion. In order to counter the threat of Shadow the Hedgehog (who was responsible for killing Black Doom), Black Death worked toward creating a perfect antithesis for Shadow, a creature that represented what Shadow could have been had he been a pure Black Arm rather than a hybrid. Thus, Eclipse the Darkling was born.

Separate from the Black Arms hive-mind, Eclipse was capable of formulating his own strategies and tactics. At his suggestion, the Black Arms delayed their return to Sonic's world when they harvested several Wisps for experimentation, leading to the creation of the Dark Arms.

Shadow Fall
When the New Black Comet arrived in Mobius' orbit, the Black Arms found the planet in a shattered state. Even with the planet in such chaos, the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.) were prepared to counter the threat of the Black Arms should they ever return. They sent their Spider Troupe and Team Dark (Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat and E-123 Omega) to infiltrate the Black Comet and plant a nuclear device in its centre in order to destroy it. As Shadow fought against the Black Arms, Eclipse introduced himself to the hedgehog. Rather than immediately attack Shadow, Eclipse instead appealed to him and tried to convince him to abandon G.U.N. and aid the Black Arms in conquering the planet. Shadow ignored Eclipse and rushed to aid his comrades when Black Death released a paralysing toxin into the area of the comet they had entered. Before he could rejoin his friends, however, Eclipse and Black Death launched a unified psychic attack against Shadow, seizing control of him and manipulating him into attacking the G.U.N. forces.

When Shadow attacked Rouge and Omega, they were able to call out to him and urge him to resist the Black Arms' control. Shadow snapped out of the mental control and went to confront Black Death. Eclipse attempted to stop Shadow, but was commanded by Black Death to escape the Black Comet along with the Dark Arms. Reluctantly, Eclipse boarded an escape craft while Black Death fought Shadow. Aboard the escape craft, Eclipse sensed Black Death's demise and the deaths of the rest of the Black Arms as the New Black Comet was destroyed by G.U.N.'s nuclear weapon. Enraged, Eclipse swore revenge against Shadow.

Total Eclipse
Eclipse's ship would crash-land in the Red Mountain Zone on Angel Island. Most of the Dark Arms did not survive the crash much to Eclipse's dismay, but a handful of the creatures did survive and Eclipse spent several days taking care of them by feeding them alien fruits that he grew in Red Mountain's fertile soil. While this was enough for the Dark Arms to survive on, they did not become any stronger. Eclipse could sense the presence of a powerful energy source nearby and left the downed shuttle to scout the island. As he explored, he spotted Knuckles the Echidna, who was accompanied by Rouge the Bat and E-123 Omega of Team Dark. Listening in on the trio, Eclipse learned that Shadow was also on the island and was currently guarding the Master Emerald, the energy source Eclipse had been sensing.

Eclipse made his way to the Emerald Shrine where he found Shadow along with Relic the Pika and the robot Fixit standing around the Master Emerald. Determined to take the Master Emerald to empower the Dark Arms, Eclipse launched a mental attack against Shadow, causing him to hallucinate. With Shadow disoriented, Eclipse struck and the two enemies fought. In the midst of fighting, Eclipse attempted to "reason" with Shadow, claiming that the hybrid hedgehog was the only creature left that he could regard as "family" and tried once more to persuade Shadow to join him in harvesting life on Mobius. Shadow refused and the two continued fighting, with Eclipse transforming into a bulky monster form. Though Eclipse attempted to nullify Shadow's Chaos Control ability, Shadow was able to overcome this by touching the Master Emerald and tapping directly into its power. This allowed him to warp time and stop Eclipse in his tracks, striking him with a spin attack that tore through the second skin of his monster form and knocked him clear of it.

Trounced by Shadow once more, Eclipse retreated to the shuttle where he had left the Dark Arms. The Dark Arms sensed Eclipse's anguish and offered their assistance to him Though Eclipse was concerned about putting the young creatures in harm's way, he was impressed by their display of strength and determination, and so they joined him as he returned to the Emerald Shrine. The Dark Arms merged with Eclipse one by one, granting him deadly new abilities. He used these new powers to threaten Relic, Rouge and Omega before stealing the Master Emerald from the shrine and taking it across the island towards Dr. Eggman's abandoned Launch Base.

After arriving at the Launch Base Zone, Eclipse planned on taking the G.U.N. aircraft that Team Dark had used to get to the island. However, he was stopped by Knuckles and Shadow and was forced to contend with them. With the Dark Arms empowering him, Eclipse seemed to have the upper hand, but using their powers was taking its toll. The fighting was brought to an abrupt halt when Knuckles, in an act of desperation, shattered the Master Emerald into pieces and sent them scattering across the fractured planet to keep them out of Eclipse's grasp. Fortunately, Angel Island remained floating due to the gravimetric fields that kept the planet's fragments in proximity to one another. With the Master Emerald gone and his strength exhausted, Eclipse took the Dark Arms and escaped aboard the G.U.N. air shuttle, fleeing to parts unknown.

Appearance
Eclipse was designed to be the ultimate Black Arms soldier, created from their purest genetic material. His appearance is believed to represent what Shadow would have looked like had he been created as a pure Black Arm. He has purplish-grey skin with blood-red stripes and highlights across his head, arms and legs, a white muzzle, no visible nose, and a mouth filled with sharp yellow teeth. His eyes are black with glowing yellow irises and distorted pupils.

Eclipse has three large spines adorning his head, a red crest covering his shoulders and chest, three clawed digits on each hand and two on each foot. He also has a long, devilish tail ending in a pointed tip.

Eclipse can also alter his form, becoming larger and more muscular. This monster form acts like a second skin, his standard body contained within its torso. His form also changes depending on which Dark Arm he merges with.

Personality
Unlike other Black Arms, Eclipse possesses his own identity and personality. While independent from the hive-mind, he is still fiercely loyal to his species and will do whatever he feels is necessary to ensure their survival, even if it means questioning or outright challenging orders from his creator, Black Death. Although he was created to destroy Shadow, Eclipse regards him in a familial sense and even refers to him as "brother" on occasion. He is also genuinely caring towards the Dark Arms, willing to protect them as though they are his own children (which they are, in a sense).

In stark contrast to how he views his own species, however, Eclipse views all other forms of life as inferior, seeing Mobians and humans as either enemies or simply food, and is more than happy to wipe them out for the sake of preserving his own race.

Powers and abilities

 * Telepathy - Eclipse is capable of communicating telepathically with any Black Arms. Since Shadow is a Black Arms hybrid, Eclipse can also use this ability to attack Shadow's mind, causing him to hallucinate. Eclipse can even use telepathy in conjunction with Black Death's in order to take mental control of Shadow.
 * Chaos Control - Like Shadow, Eclipse can also use Chaos Control to warp time and space over a localised area. He is also capable of blocking Shadow's ability to tap into this power, unless a source of Chaos energy is in close proximity such as a Chaos Emerald.
 * Monster Form - Eclipse can transform into a larger, more muscular form. In this state, he possesses ten times his normal strength and can endure multiple attacks with ease.

Dark Arm Powers
Eclipse can merge with the Dark Arms in a similar fashion to how Sonic can merge with Wisps. He gains a new form and power depending on which Dark Arm he joins with.
 * Armour - By joining with Blurk, Eclipse's body becomes completely impenetrable and immovable to outside forces. In this form, Eclipse is strong enough to punch through most solid objects.
 * Wing - When joining with Cregal, Eclipse's arms turn into wings and he gains the power of flight.
 * Laser - By merging with Cyzer, Eclipse gains the ability to fire powerful laser beams from his palms.
 * Sonic Cannon - Eclipse gains this power by merging with Rhygenta. With it, he can fire powerful soundwaves that can shatter materials and knock opponents off their feet.