Antoine D'Coolette
From Sonic Blur
Antoine D'Coolette is a male, anthropomorphic coyote with profound blond hair, sometimes depicted with a small moustache. He is usually depicted as slightly older than the rest of the main characters; his age is usually placed around 19, whereas the other characters are around 16. He has a thick French accent that is expressed prominently in the text of the comic as well as by the voice of his animated character, Rob Paulsen. He debuted in issue #0 of the comic's introductory series, and in episode 1 of the cartoon. In both media he is commonly referred to as "Ant". Though the term was originally used as an insult, it has become a friendly nickname.
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History
Origins
In the comics, it is revealed that Antoine's homeland is "Mercia", the equivalent of an amalgamation of France and England on the fictional planet Mobius. Antoine's life ambition is to be a great warrior like his father, the late General Armand D'Coolette. His father disappeared early in Antoine's life, and Antoine took to wearing his father's uniform in remembrance of him. Unbeknownst to him at the time, his father had been captured by Dr. Robotnik. He became one of the Freedom Fighters under Princess Sally, though his timid and fastidious nature seemed rather unsuited to the role of a rebel.
Freedom Fighter
Years of fighting against various villains toughened Antoine up, and he soon became a valuable member of the Freedom Fighters. He participated in countless operations against Dr. Robotnik and later Dr. Eggman, the latter of whom was a counterpart of Robotnik from another dimension. Antoine's exploits included saving his Roboticized father. He also defeated Evil Sonic following the criminal's escape from the No Zone, thinking that it was actually Sonic in disguise helping him to impress his father.
Antoine's case of mistaken identity came back to haunt him when Evil Sonic kidnapped him and switched him for his Anti-Mobius counterpart Patch. Forced to wear the mask of his Prime counterpart, Patch worked behind the scenes to secure the throne of Acorn, even poisoning Antoine's father. Antoine was forced to play the role of his Anti-Mobius self until Sonic finally discovered the switch and rescued him, sending Patch back to Anti-Mobius. Afterwards, he joined the Freedom Fighters in battle against Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus, and the Destructix; he also participated in the sting operation that resulted in the capture of the two wizards, Nack the Weasel, Bark the Polar Bear, and Bean the Dynamite.
Possible Future
As is the case with many of the main characters, Antoine has been depicted as having counterparts in possible futures. He did not appear in either version of Mobius: 25 Years Later, but a rather distinguished looking, mustachioed Antoine appeared in the future in which NICOLE originated.
Personality
Antoine was portrayed as arrogant and vain, but many fans argue that he is simply proud and has no particular skills with which to compete with Sonic, who was and is often guilty of the same traits. Many fans think that both characters are maturing, though. In the original TV series and the early comic issues, he is considerably lacking in bravado and machismo; his personality became stronger in the later issues of the Archie comic -- enough so that he was prepared, if necessary, to take on a squad of ComBots armed only with his wit.
When frightened or surprised he often exclaims "Mon dieu!" implying that he may be religious. He has a strong sense of duty and honor, instilled in him by his late father. Although he can be quite amorous, chivalry will not permit him to live with an unmarried female.
Romance
Antoine is known to have had a crush on Princess Sally, but she largely rebuffed his advances, taking offense at his demeanor (it can be argued that Antoine never really loved Sally but pursued her so intently because his father was a big proponent for their marriage). This led to a very early rivalry with Sonic. Although it got very testy at times (for example, Antoine had Sonic tried for treason after the latter was roboticized and restored to normal), it rarely interfered with their resistance to Robotnik or any other threat.
He later became the boyfriend of Bunnie Rabbot, and the two had a steady relationship until he was replaced by Anti-Antoine. This version of Antoine masqueraded as him for a year, not only breaking up with Bunnie, but also attempting to usurp the throne of Knothole. Sonic later discovered the switch and brought Antoine back, sending Patch back to Anti-Mobius and allowing Antoine and Bunnie to start up again. Having lost none of their feelings for each other, the two were as close as ever, to the point of Bunnie coming with him at the time of his father's death. Recently he asked her to be his wife, to which she readily agreed, and he then requested that Sonic act as his best man. Although he became a little nervous, the wedding went off without a hitch, and he and Bunnie were finally wed.
Abilities
Antoine, despite his somewhat cowardly nature, is a skilled swordsman, his preferred weapon being a rapier. He is known to use logic in battle (he fought only to disarm his opponent when battling Sonic on Anti-Mobius, believing that if 'Evil' Sonic died he would be trapped there) and will back down if he thinks victory is impossible. He was formerly the pilot for the Freedom Fighters, but lately that role seems to have passed on to Tails. He is also bilingual; as a result of this, a running gag involved Antoine using incorrect English words and phrases.
Alternate forms
As is the case with many characters in the comics, Antoine has several couterparts from alternate dimensions. The most prominent is Anti-Antoine/Patch, Antoine's Anti-Mobius self, so named because he wears an eye patch. They battled on their first meeting where Patch seems far more aggressive (getting angry when Antoine dodges an attack instead of striking back), but they later switched places courtesy of Scourge the Hedgehog, who at the time was known as Evil Sonic. Patch proceeded to wreak havoc in the guise of Antoine, but the problem was rectified and the two returned to their normal places.
Twan-Du, a variant from the "Freedom Fighters Of The Galaxy" storyline, where that zone's Antoine had the appearance and abilities of Yondu, a character from the Guardians of the Galaxy comics.
