Commander (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Do-Gooder
Full Name	Abraham Tower
Alias(es)	Commander Abraham Tower, The Commander, GUN Commander
Origin	Shadow the Hedgehog (game)
Occupation	Leader of GUN
Powers / Skills	Expert leadership skills, Skilled in the use of weapons, Expert mech pilot
Hobby	Commander
Goals	Protect the people of the danger, Revenge of Shadow for the death of Maria and his family (formely)
Family	Unnamed child, Unnamed Grandchild, Maria Robotnik (adoptive sister)
Friends / Allies	Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, The President, Maria Robotnik
Enemies	Black Arms, Black Doom, Shadow the Hedgehog (formely)
Type of Hero	Military, Leader, Elderly Heroe

“	I will avenge those whose blood has spilled!	„
	~ Commander, Shadow the Hedgehog

The Commander, real name Abraham Tower, is a fictional character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series who first debuted in Shadow the Hedgehog (game). He is a human military leader and the G.U.N. federation's currently highest-ranking commander, as well one of the most respected. During his childhood, his family was aboard the Space Colony ARK, he befriended Maria Robotnik and witnessed the creation of Shadow the Hedgehog. After the ARK was invaded by G.U.N., the Commander blamed Shadow for his family's death and carried a grudge against him for fifty years until he discovered the truth about Shadow and Gerald Robotnik, the latter of which he had considered insane. He now leads G.U.N. in homage to Professor Gerald and even tried to make amends with Shadow.

History

Early life

The Commander grew up with his family on the Space Colony ARK, and was a good friend of Maria Robotnik. One day while playing with her, the Commander saw Shadow being created by Black Doom and Gerald Robotnik. He was terrified at the sight of Shadow. His family and Maria were later killed in the G.U.N. military's attack.

Shadow the Hedgehog

During Shadow the Hedgehog (game) in one of the cutscenes that appears in every story, the Commander follows the events of the Black Arms attack on Earth from GUN Fortress. After being informed of how bad Westopolis has been attacked and that rumors say Shadow is involved, he will order his troops to be deployed and hunt down the Black Arms and Shadow, informing the messenger that Shadow is designated as the enemy and shall be captured, dead or alive.

Possible Events

There are various events that happen in Shadow the Hedgehog due to the story going whichever way the player chooses. Almost all the Commander's scenes seem to link together when put in the right order.

If the player chooses to go to Death Ruins, a cutscene will appear beforehand of the Commander being informed of Shadow and the Black Arms being forced into the forest in the level. He will authorize use of all tactical weapons in Sector B once he learns of Shadow and the Black Arms all being in the one place, saying that he wants both dead and failure is not an option. He then says to himself that the hedgehog will be exposed for the evil he is.

Should the player then complete the level The ARK whether by the normal or dark mission, they will go against Blue Falcon and the Commander will be heard responding to the pilot and ordering him to take Shadow out. After Blue Falcon is defeated, the Commander will hear the rants of Black Doom declaring humans pathetic and say the line "Damn you!" from his station.

Should the player choose to play the Air Fleet level, the Commander will arrive at the White House to escort the President to his ship. While the President sees himself as a failure for not protecting his nation, the Commander tries to motivate him, saying they will continue to fight the aliens, rally to restore themselves and that the President must keep his people united. While thinking on the Commander's words, the President looks at a photograph of Sonic and Shadow. The Commander urges him to go to his transport with the G.U.N soldiers, and when he leaves, the Commander looks at the picture and declares, "The black creatures will feel their own bloody hell!" before following him.

If the player goes to GUN Fortress, the Commander will support the President and put him in his own chair, asking if he's alright. The President will ask about what happened to the residents of Central City and the Commander will inform him everyone has been evacuated to the safe zone due to orders being issued yesterday. The alarm then goes off and a G.U,N captain that serves as the Commander's messenger will then come in and inform him that over a thousand aliens are heading for the base after breaking their outer perimeter, and that Shadow had been spotted with the Black Arms. Enraged, the Commander takes control of the situation and orders everyone to prepare for battle and mobilize Diablon, despite the captain's protests that it was incomplete. The Commander then grabs his pistol and says that after fifty years, justice will finally be served. He and Sonic will then go against Shadow if the dark mission on GUN Fortress is taken, declaring Shadow the one who destroyed the ARK and killed everyone on it. Despite his best efforts, the Commander will be defeated.

Should the player go to the level Cosmic Fall, as Shadow thinks over all he has learned in the game, the Commander approaches him with a pistol, declaring him the one responsible for killing his family and Maria. He explains that Maria was like a sister to him and the only family he knew, and that Shadow was responsible for her death. He goes on further to explain that he witnessed Gerald and Black Doom create Shadow, dubbing the Ultimate Life-form a horrifying evil creature. Due to Shadow's amnesia, he doesn't remember any of this, and the Commander believes it to be a trick. He says that because of Shadow, everyone he knew and loved was killed when the ARK was destroyed. He declares justice to be served and fires on Shadow. Shadow uses his speed to avoid the bullet and tells the commander if what he says is true, he will accept his fate. At this point the commander believes that Shadow has truly lost his memory and lets him go, falling to his knees in guilt as the hedgehog leaves the room.

If the player completes the dark mission of Black Comet, they will face off against Sonic and Diablon, the Commander declaring Shadow the one who destroyed the ARK and killed everyone on it. He will inevitably be defeated.

If the player completes the dark mission of Final Haunt, the Commander will fight alongside Sonic using Diablon, but will say nothing during the opening cutscene. He will inevitably be defeated.

True Ending

In the final story, Shadow confronts Black Doom on the Black Comet and after learning part of the truth about himself thinks back upon all he'd learned, the Commander's vows of vengeance echoing in his head among other things.

Then the Commander and the President see a message of Professor Gerald to Shadow being broadcast to G.U.N. and the Black Comet by Team Chaotix on the ARK. The message was recorded before G.U.N.'s raid and Gerald explained how everything was his fault for making contact with the comet. Gerald revealed Shadow's past and that he and the Eclipse Cannon were made to put a stop to the Black Arms attempts to destroy the planet by decimating the Black Comet. After Shadow defeats Devil Doom and destroys the Black Comet, the President states how ironic it was that people treated Gerald like he was evil, and he ended up saving them all in the end. The Commander and the President realize they were wrong about Gerald's intentions and that he was truly a good hearted person. The President declared they would pay homage to Gerald by working for a brighter future, and the Commander thought it an excellent idea.

In the Expert Mode of Space Gadget, it is revealed that the Commander had become a grandfather one week earlier and invited Shadow over as part of his apology to the hedgehog. It is assumed that this was when Shadow became an agent of G.U.N.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

The Commander made another appearance in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood with a new design. He has a short role and only briefly appears in the first two chapters. After G.U.N. had spent much time tracking the Marauders and their exploits, Rouge provided the means for Tails to meet with the Commander in Central City under her escort and Tails brought along Sonic and Amy Rose, though while the Commander was glad to see Sonic, he did not pay much attention to Amy, telling her to have a glass of milk and sit down while she was in the middle of speaking.

Assuming they were already briefed, the Commander got straight to it. He informed them though they didn't know why the Marauders wanted the Chaos Emeralds and that now they had all seven they were likely to go after the Master Emerald next. With G.U.N. troops guarding Angel Island, Tails' mission was to take his friends to find the person with the greatest intel in the Marauders: Knuckles the Echidna. With the information he knew, they could very well stop the Marauders. The Commander then got them started on where to start searching by providing them with the locations of four of Dr. Eggman's old hideouts in Green Hill Zone and Central City found by Team Chaotix and G.U.N.'s own satellites. These bases were currently being occupied by the Marauders and were likely where Knuckles was being held, so the Commander ordered the trio and Rouge (as their G.U.N. contact) to investigate the four hideouts and find Knuckles. The Commander wished them good luck and ordered them to go.

Personality

The Commander is described as having a "heart of stone", an unshakable resolve, complete confidence and an iron will. This is something of a misnomer, as he is in fact passionate, though it has mainly been shown through his want for vengeance at those he cared for being killed. During Shadow the Hedgehog he is determined and willing to sacrifice anything to stop Shadow and the Black Arms, but mainly the former.

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, the Commander shows another side of personality, presumably due to the different situation. Here, he shows himself as a basic military leader, stoic, wanting to get straight to the mission, dealing only with facts and ordering civilians around like soldiers. He does seem to show appreciation for those who do good work and confidence in those with a good reputation.

Relationships

Friends/Allies

• Shadow the Hedgehog
• GUN
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Miles "Tails" Prower
• Maria Robotnik (surrogate sister figure)
• Rouge the Bat
• The President
• Amy Rose

Enemies

• Black Arms
  • Black Doom
• Empire Eggman Empire
  • Dr. Eggman

• Shadow the Hedgehog (formely)

Quotes

• "YOU! You're the one who destroyed the ARK and killed everyone on it! It's time to settle this once and for all!!" - The Commander teaming up with Sonic the Hedgehog to defeat Shadow once and for all.
• "Shadow? Deploy the troops, NOW! And if you find Shadow with the black aliens...then kill them all!" - When giving an order to the GUN Captain after being told Shadow is in Westopolis.
• "I know you...Shadow the Hedgehog! You killed everyone I loved: my family; Maria. I've been waiting all my life for this day!!" - The Commander confronting Shadow in the ARK.
• "Maria was like a sister to me, she was the only family I knew...and because of you she was killed! Witnessing it all, the plan to create that horrifying evil creature... That Black Creature and that insane professor who unleashed it all!" - When talking with Shadow for the first time.
• "I gave you an order soldier! He's evil and he's the enemy!" - The Commander convincing his Captain that Shadow is evil.
• "Alert all field commanders in sector B. I'm authorizing full use of all tactical weapons. I want both Black Aliens and Shadow stopped and buried. Failure is not an option." - When given an order to his soldiers to finish what they started.
• "You can't fool me, Shadow! This time, you're MINE!" - When he found out that Shadow was in Westopolis.
• "[chuckles] It's over, Shadow. You'll finally be exposed and eradicated for the evil that you are!" - Cutscene before Death Ruins and after Circus Park.
• "The Black Creatures will feel their own bloody Hell!" - The Commander before leaving with the president in the escape pod.
• "No need to worry, sir. Orders were issued yesterday and everyone has been evacuated to the safe zone." - The Commander ensuring the President that the people of Central City were safe.
• "You Don't fool me! It's not just about Maria. Thanks to you, everyone I knew and loved was killed when the ARK was destroyed! Worst of all, MY family! Finally, JUSTICE IS SERVED!!" - The Commander to Shadow when he attempted to kill him.
• "So he's finally decided to show himself. Attention all command units! Mobilize all Mech battle sections! Prepare all weapons to strike incoming vessels! Mobilize Diablon!" - The Commander after hearing what's going on and ordering his order to all command units.
• "You mean to tell me that you REALLY don't remember a thing!?" - The Commander when Shadow admits that he knows nothing about what happened to Maria.
• "This is for my family and for Maria! I'll settle this once and for all with my bare hands!" - The Commander before the Diablon fight at the GUN Fortress.
• "I don't care! We have no other option! We must protect the president and the Chaos Emeralds at all cost!" - The Commander ordering his soldiers to defend their objectives
• "I've waited years for this! Now let's finish this!" - The Commander before the Diablon fight at the Black Comet.
• "Shadow, do you read me? First... I want to apologize, for the other day. Actually, I just became a grandfather last week, and I was thinking of maybe having you over. I know that training is tough, but try and do your best." - The Commander during Shadow's training in Space Gadget.