Well, Scourge really is Sonic from an alternate universe, so he's bound to look like him in several ways. Look at nearly all the alternate doppelgangers of famous heroes (Batman, Superman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ect.), they all look like recolors of themselves.
Now, if Scourge wasn't an alternate version of Sonic, he'd defiantly be a recolor of Sonic. But than again, he wouldn't be the first. Rob O' the Hedge, Jules, and Uncle Chuck could count as recolors; as well as Manic and Sonia from "Sonic Underground". But since most of these characters are hedgehogs, it makes sense as to why they all look alike. It'd be like accusing human beings for being recolors of each other.
Heck, Sonic himself is a recolor of Mickey Mouse, yet you don't see anyone complaining about that.
How is Sonic a recolor of Mickey Mouse? Other than the facial design and gloves, they look nothing alike.
And no, the others don't count as recolors because they at least all have their own unique features. Scourge though is just Sonic painted with shades and a black jacket.
Anyway, here's the entry that made me dislike Scourge even more.
I'm going to analyze why Scourge is terrible... and highlight exactly how he could be better.
Step one: Design.
Scourge's design is bad. Plain and simple. He looks like he belongs in a recolour video made by an ten year old, rather than a character in a piece of official media. First off, let's get rid of the biker gear. Especially those sunglasses. Red frames and magenta lenses has never, and never will, screamed cool. For a character that supposedly reinvented himself, the rest of the Squad have those uniform things, and he;s still in his tacky biker jacket. If he wants to be taken seriously, he should stop walking around with a massive weakspot like those scars on show. Especially when you're an insufferable asshole. That's just begging for an attack.
Try a longcoat. Longcoats instantly add awesome. And the eyes? Make them brown. If his fur is supposed to be green because it's halfway between blue and yellow, then why are his eyes not halfway between green and red? This will disguise the fact that he's just Sonic with his colours flipped, because he won;t be Sonic with his colours flipped anymore. Alternatively, make his eyes red. Generic, but still intimidating. Also, give him a different quillstyle. This is to make him less of a Sonic lookalike. Add a few more scars, since he hangs around with total assholes. On top of that, give him a slightly different build. He's supposedly a brute more than anything else, so make his limbs slightly thicker, and give him wider shoulders.
Step two: Backstory.
Scourge's backstory sucks. It's a case of "BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWW MY DAD NEVER LOVED ME SO I KILLED HIM!" In the eyes of some people this makes him sympathetic. It does not. Yes, he was neglected, but his father never actually physically abused him, to our knowledge. Also, disproportionate retribution, much?
Do not give him a start of darkness. Having him kill his parents is fine, just so long as his reason is not so cliche. He is a villain. He is the version of Sonic from a world where every hero is a villainous asshole. He does not need a reason to be evil. He does as he likes, without letting anyone control him, so he killed his parents because they were controlling. Simple.
Step three: Actions
Scourge's actions in the story are always the same: Show up, fight Sonic, gloat about Fiona being evil, kick Sonic's ass for 2-5 issues, give Fiona yet another reason to betray him, lose anticlimactically, lather, rinse, repeat. It's been done too many times. New story please.
Not making suggestions here. This is what you have to decide for yourselves.
Step four: Personality.
This too has been done to death. Scourge is incredibly generic, being a straight-up 'gangsta' with an ego the size of Mobius and Moebius combined. He;s like a furry, even more annoying version of a Scrafty.
Linking in with step two, Scourge's personality is easy to work out. He's the polar opposite of Sonic. So if SOnic is resourceful, kind, and heroic, Scourge will be stubborn, cruel, and evil. Simple enough. Don't go for generic stuff, just use that as the basis. Of course he will have an ego. Of course, he will be an asshole, but don't overexaggerate it. Also, some tips:
1) If Scourge is caring about anyone other than himself, you are doing it wrong.
1b) Applies double to shipping.
2) If Sonic would do it, Scourge would not.
3) If someone fails or betrays Scourge, he will attempt to kill them.
4) The list of villains that he can play second fiddle to is very short. Also, almost all of their names begin with 'M': Finitevus, Miles, Mogul, and Mephiles. Scourge should never be portrayed as a straight=up hero. Especially not if Sonic is the hero.
Step five: You are not the Joker.
Scourge's portrayal in the comics has lead to many comparisons to the Joker. This is stupid. The Joker is smart, he knows how to get into Batman's head. He is also not a very strong physical fighter. Scourge, on the other hand, is a moron who can only trick gullible, weak-willed teenage girls, and is a strong fighter.
Just because they are insane, and have green hair, does not make them the same character.
Step six: Shipping.
Scourge loves one person and one person alone: Scourge. That is all you need to know.
Step seven: King Scourge
In the comics, Scourge styled himself as a king in Bold New Moebius. This result in a single change to his attire: A tiara-looking crown. This is very poor design.
If Scourge is a king in your series, given him a different title. Something more kickass. Also, don;t give him a tiara. If he has a crown, make it an actual crown.
Step eight: Super form
Scourge's Super form in the comic has purple fur, flames on is shoulders, pointy fingernails, over-designed purple boots, dorky sunglasses, leather, and a tiara. THis is not how you make an imposing villain. This is how you make a cliched camp stereotype villain for your parody of recolours.
Ditch all of the above. Make this Super mode work. Make it a really dark blue or something, just make it look better than this.
