The following contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog #50, on sale now from IDW.
Sonic the Hedgehog's IDW comics run has been building up to its landmark 50th issue recently. Most notably, this was done through a short side series, Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome (by Ian Flynn, Aaron Hammerstrom, Mauro Fonseca, Thomas Rothlisberger, Gigi Dutreix, Matt Froese, Shawn Lee, and Valentina Pinto). In that comic, Dr. Starline's ultimate plan was revealed.He planned to replace his idol, Dr. Eggman, and also planned to replace Sonic and Tails with his own creations - Surge the Tenrec and Kitsunami the Fennec.
Starline created these two anti-heroic figures to be the logical upgrade to the original duo of Sonic and Tails. Their personalities matched the dynamic those two had, although in a twisted way that had them striving for power and purpose. Their powers too were upgraded versions of Sonic and Tails. Sonic's replacement Surge, is particularly notable in that regard, as her powers are the same as Sonic's cinematic counterpart.
Sonic and Surge finally faced off in Sonic the Hedgehog #50 (by Ian Flynn, Adam Bryce Thomas, Matt Herms, Heather Breckel, Reggie Graham and Shawn Lee). Surge noted a particular parallel between the two that tied directly into their differing powers. She said that their fight was the speed of sound versus the speed of light. Surge's name most likely refers to her abilities, which give off lightning when she runs, similar to the Flash's Speed Force. Sonic, on the other hand, is simply a Blue Blur. He's known for rolling around at the speed of sound, but not for having a trail of lightning following behind him at the speed of light.
Except, that's what he is known for in the movies. The Sonic the Hedgehog movie turned the Blue Blur into a superpowered being like the Flash (and he was even a fan of the character's comics). Sonic's super-speed in the films is rather different, with that same lightning that shoots out of Surge coming from him too. This is due to his ability to harness Chaos energy in the movie to go at lightning-fast speeds, similar to how both Sonics are able to harness the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds to gain amazing abilities.
It's interesting that Surge has this power though and the original Sonic doesn't. Here, it's used to imply that she is, in fact, faster than the famous hedgehog. Considering Sonic is often called the fastest thing alive where he's from, that's a pretty big deal. However, throughout the issue, Sonic is able to run rings around his knock-off replacement and wipes the floor with her.
A greater deal of attention is naturally given to their differing personalities and goals rather than their powers. Visually, it's an interesting contrast. Although, fans can't help but think of how the movies interpreted Sonic and his speed when looking at Surge. The fact that she has Sonic's more modern abilities may even imply that she is destined to be his replacement, as Starline intended. After all, in terms of her abilities, she's the same as the current furry blue hero that has been wowing audiences on the big screen.
Another interpretation though would be the complete opposite. The fact that the original Sonic from the video games is able to so thoroughly defeat someone with his movie powers might confirm that he is the true blue hero. It could be seen as a rejection of the modern rewriting of his abilities and an embracing of the fundamentals that the character was built on. Perhaps that's fitting for a landmark issue like Sonic the Hedgehog #50.
Whatever interpretation readers find in this issue though, Surge brings the iconic hero's movie powers to the main Sonic universe of the comics and games. Although she may have met her end here, there's clearly room for her to return. Perhaps it could be revealed that Surge's powers are a lot more like the movie abilities than just looking the same. It could be a great way to bridge the lore of the games and the movies together. The perfect challenge for the Sonic comic.