Edward

**Edward** is a male steam dinosaur. He was the second monster to be encountered on the Island of Sodor and has remained a frequent inhabitant since 1945. From a meta standpoint, Edward (along with Thomas) is a quintessential icon for *Sodor Monsterverse* as a whole.

## Overview

### **Bronze era**

#### **1-1. *Sodor's First Monsters***

Edward initially appeared as a force that emerged from the sea nearby Brendam Docks in 1945. While not intentionally wrathful or malevolent in nature, he was still deemed a major threat as he destroyed certain portions of buildings within his range. The Sodor Island Council took notice of this, deciding to take any measure necessary to try and get rid of the beast. The Sudrian Military were sent in advance to follow Edward's path, only for them to soon lose track and catch mere glimpses of him despite that his size seemed to suggest that "a monster cannot be stealthy".

Edward was later introduced to Sir Topham Hatt, in which the man was at first intimidated but able to interact with him subtly until he could touch his muzzle. With that, the monster spots the small hatchling, Thomas. Topham eventually decides to send away Thomas to Edward, in hopes that the young dinosaur would grow up safer and happier under the older monster's wing. Edward protects the cub in his arms whilst wanting to head towards an area more solitary to avoid further conflict with the military - whom at this point had to take a pause on their mission to stop the monster for now (although not aborting it altogether), lest he may potentially come back and cause more destruction in the future.

Edward and Thomas are later seen stargazing together. As the night was particularly quite peaceful, the two soon doze to sleep.

#### **1-2. *Three Beasts & a Saddletank***

Edward and Thomas have resided on the island for roughly 3 years now. It was revealed that workmen at Ffarquhar have been looking out for the egg of a small green saddletank dinosaur named Percy, whom Edward was eager to take another hatchling under his wing, and made sure both him and Thomas were safe and comfortable in the sheds.

Upon hearing an explosive noise at Wellsworth, Edward advised his sons to stay put and out of trouble, then went off quickly toward the city and encountered a similar-sized yet younger black dinosaur, James. Edward was at first merely curious about James' destructive spree and meant no harm, but was provoked when the latter saw him as an enemy. Edward resisted against a few blows and even fiercely threw James over the shoulder, but then got briefly distracted by the sight of a wandering Percy. His hesitation in the battle lead him to getting pinned onto the road below. When Edward was on the verge of defeat, Percy growled and lunged towards James, practically "saving" his father, and leaving him in surprise somewhat.

Edward wasn't surprised to find that Thomas had taken off as well, this time at the city of Knapford. Thomas appeared to be barking incessantly and thinking he could put up a fight against the much stronger Gordon, who belittles him and essentially wanted nothing to do with him. Edward quickly pulls his son away, visibly upset and embarrassed in front of Gordon. Thomas and Percy are promptly sent back to Ffarquhar, as the day was slowly setting towards evening.

In his introduction to Henry, Edward quickly found a friendship with him, considering the fact that Henry wasn't openly hostile or scornful. During a winter night, Edward providing a warning to Henry about how icy the conditions on Sodor are during wintertime. When Henry doesn't heed the warning and injures himself in a nasty accident at Brendam docks, Edward came over to his rescue as soon as possible and pulled him to safety. Henry was due for a stimulated healing process at the Steamworks situated in Crovan. After several weeks of hibernation, Edward reunited with Henry in a new, stronger shape. He also offered to teach Henry how to swim efficiently, in which the latter accepts this opportunity.

#### **2-1. *Diesels Raid Again***

Edward encounters 'devious' Diesel in which they both fight, creating a chaotic disturbance among Wellsworth.

### **Gold era**

#### **3-1. *Lost***

When temperatures begin to gradually drop during the winter season on Sodor, Edward plans to go out hunting and gathering plenty of food for both himself and the three younger dinosaurs, who are eager and wanting to hunt as the older monsters were doing, but are advised to stay at Tidmouth's yard area until Edward comes back. He soon meets up with BoCo at Brendam Docks, and the two hear the likes of no other than Bill and Ben, who were both play-fighting until BoCo called them over by name. The green diesel also makes note that the twins would end up getting lost on occasion. Edward became further skeptical of the young trio's absence from the sheds, upon overhearing a conversation from Sir Topham Hatt and a workman in his office. He then spotted what appeared to be thick amounts of steam and smoke rising from a dark area in the distance. With that, Edward takes Henry and Gordon with him on a rush to rescue the three, and eventually return home as soon as possible.

### **Platinum Era**

#### **10-1**

Edward and Thomas battle against an onslaught of familiar monsters that have been controlled by an alien race, whom have come to Earth in an attempt to infiltrate the Island of Sodor.

## General information

### **Design**

Edward is a medium-sized monster of moderate shape with arctic blue scales. His arms are proportioned in a manner that makes them roughly as long as his legs. He possesses many avian characteristics, most notably feathers that cover his chest and limbs. Silver fin-like spines run from his upper back down to his tail, in which fades from blue to a white hue. His tail is powerful and of long length to support a majority of his overall body weight. At its base is a pair of dark blue fins, which provide ballast for swimming. Near the tip is a curved, silvery whistle appendage. Edward's mane is slicked back with a teal hue, whereas his eyes are a similar beautiful shade. His face usually possesses defined cheeks, an elongated muzzle, and a pointed nose (sometimes reinterpreted as a horn). In many reference sheets, Edward is often shown standing at around the same height as James, taller than Thomas and Percy, as well as a head shorter than Henry and Gordon. His signature accessory is a necktie with a diamond-shaped shell, and labeled with the number 2.

Edward's Showa iteration was short in stature, yet noticeably somewhat thicker than most of the succeeding designs made after (bar Heisei). Still, his torso remains thinner than all of the other male monsters. His plumage was thick and only covered his chest area. His tail also had a rounded tip. His height measured at almost 50 feet tall.

Edward became drastically larger in the Heisei era, standing at roughly 70 feet. His torso had become thicker and more pronounced than it was in the Showa era, and his feathers were slightly whiter. His spines had a more pillow-like appearance, but are doubled in length. His tail also almost exceeded his total body length. Edward's face was pudgier with defined cheeks. His teeth had more blunt form and were spaced out, as opposed to the flatter look from the Showa design. The impact from a lightning strike in 1996 inflicted a seemingly permanent scar with an uncannily close resemblance to a *Lichtenberg* figure, running along Edward's entire left side down to his knee.

As the Silver era took place between Gold and Bronze, Edward in the 1960s-70s maintained certain elements of the previous design. He was slightly taller at roughly 60 feet, yet his body proportions have become greatly exaggerated - whilst his arms and legs have gotten significantly more thick, his torso had gotten simultaneously much slimmer, making the Silver Edward easily the thinnest iteration among all of his designs. Additionally his tail was longer yet it tapered to a point somewhat, the base was thinner, and the fins were much larger to enable the ability to glide. Because his limbs appeared noticeably very dense and his overall body was so slim, it generally allowed for an advantage in close-range melee combat and greater mobility respectively, though it also greatly hindered his defensive ability.

In the Millennium era, Edward's scales have been updated to appear more defined and diamond-like. His feathers are darkened slightly and appear much more abundant. His facial features are also partially modified to be even more expressive, with his eyes and snout changed to strongly resemble those of a predatory bird, hence he is usually seen with a much more serious face than before. Millennium Edward stands even taller than he was in the Heisei era, reaching towards a 80 feet high in the year 2000. To reinforce his new towering stature, Edward retains some the slimness of his Silver design (even keeping the horns), however it is no longer exaggerated as most of his anatomy is heavily readjusted. His spines and claws are longer and sharper as opposed to blunt and pillow-like. His tail regains its former thickness as well, whilst measuring even longer than Heisei Edward's tail with a tapered tip instead of rounded. From this era onwards, Edward reveals a pair of long retractable fangs jutting from his upper jaw. From 2001 - 2002, Edward gained a temporary teal tint on his scales. His face appeared somewhat more aggressive and his spines were comically large due to overgrowth. His claws were also black instead of silvery. Aside from this, Edward's appearance had remained relatively consistent up until around early-2020. His lightning scar is still present, but its color appears more faded and dull, indicating that it is subtly healing.

### **Roar**

Edward's roar was created via sliding a plastic rod vertically over the strings of a ukelele. The roar was intended to sound somewhat intimidating and exotic for an endearing creature.

### **Abilities**

#### **Physical capabilities**

Edward is able to run at impressive speeds despite what his age may suggest, as well as leap at great heights & distances. Given that his build allows for swiftness and versatility, he can also demonstrate the ability to perform acrobatic maneuvers. As a water dinosaur, he is a natural swimmer and is implied to be excellent at hunting prey to go with it. His tail fins may vary in size, but generally serve as a ballast to provide him stability.

His natural armor allows him to resist many forms of conventional human weaponry. Edward is also exceptionally strong and was able to throw the younger yet stronger James over the shoulder. At one point, he was able to duel head on with Henry for a certain stretch of time without having to resort to using his breath weapon. His tail, although not prehensile enough to grab things, is useful for parrying and countering against attacks, sometimes even knocking out his foes from behind before they reach the upper hand. At other times, he would merely use his tail for comedic purposes. His claws are used for close-range combat. They are sharp and retractable, useful for blocking and deflecting obstacles of varying size and speed.

##### Intelligence

Edward's intelligence and cunning are thought to remain unrivaled among many of the monsters. To an extent, he is able to acknowledge how crude machinery works, as well as exploit the weaknesses of his opponents (most notably the more violent ones, such as Diesel and Diesel 10). In addition, Edward is one of the few monsters who visibly expressed a sense of creativity, such as drawing a picture in sand with his tail.

#### **Energy capabilities**

##### **Blue flame**

Edward's signature breath weapon is a long-ranged stream with a bright, vivid blue fire-like appearance, hence the name it is frequently given. The 'flame' is able to deal serious structural damage. He seems capable of controlling its intensity and temperature; ranging from freezing cold, to hot enough to melt concrete. In addition, this 'fire' can potentially stun other monsters, knock them out, or brutally damage them even. In the Heisei era, his breath weapon was temporarily dubbed an "ice beam". From the Platinum era-onward, it was given the nickname "frost fire". The highest temperature of his blue 'fire' is noted to be around 3500°C, which is hot enough to melt tungsten.

##### **Electricity absorption & manipulation**

Edward also seems to be drawn towards areas where thunderstorms occur. In 1996, Edward was struck violently on the lower left of his body, leaving a painful bolt-shaped scar. In the 2000's however, he seems rather more capable of having control over strong voltages of electricity, even to where it drastically boosts his firepower, rendering it as a powerful weapon for him.

Rarely, Edward is able to draw in particularly extreme levels of energy to where his body can light itself almost entirely ablaze - this effect is temporary, only proven to be active during nighttime and wearing off the very next morning. His 'flame' becomes more concentrated and laser-like in form. It is able to slice buildings apart, rather than usually crumbling them. When fired at opponents, it can inflict severe damage and burns, despite not exactly bearing the same strong kinetic force the normal 'fire' has.

Edward can also gain and store sufficient electrical energy through his tail, in which it charges up and fires a beam pulse out from the whistle. Like the "burning body" effect, it happens rarely and takes a lot of energy to use once.

### **Weaknesses**

Much like Thomas, Edward's abilities and statistics are not exceptional. His thinner body mass makes him lightweight in comparison to other middleweight monsters. He is susceptible to being toppled easily by massive structures such as skyscrapers, and is also a common target of being launched by those who simply outclass him greatly in the strength field. His fins (as aforementioned) are designed for him to keep afloat safely when swimming, so losing one or both of these could result in him having difficulty maneuvering in the water.

Setting his own body alight proved potent enough to dent, melt or destroy most durable objects within close range - including his own spines, releasing heavy amounts of steam and sparks as a side-effect of expending so much energy. In short, Edward is capable of using a pyrokinetic-esque ability similar to the likes of James, but cannot maintain it as freely or effectively as the latter.

Edward also particularly seems to have a critical vulnerably against certain chemicals such as chloroform. A specific weapon was designed with it in mind to induce a potentially deadly anesthetic effect on his body. In *Sudrian Cataclysm*, said weapon's effects were very noticeable when he ends up becoming a direct target; the chemicals released overall resulted in his body momentarily freezing up from the outside (as well as perhaps inside). This by far has proven to be the most effective way to defeat Edward, though seemingly not enough to kill him.

### **Personality**

Edward is generally shown to be a gentle, sweet, and benevolent beast, sometimes further portrayed as classy and sophisticated somewhat. Unlike many traditional monsters in media, Edward typically does not display an intent to wreck havoc upon human cities, although the instances where he does cause destruction anyway are usually out of pure accident as opposed to deliberate wrath or malice. His overall temperament tends to vary along the lines of being either good or neutral, but never evil. Another reason as to why he does not destroy regularly as other monsters would is because of the fact that he simply prefers to sleep long, undisturbed hours during the day - a natural personality trait amongst older monsters in particular. Edward has also exhibited territorial behavior as well, holding an especially stern guardian-like stance when walking around Wellsworth and Brendam for instance. His relationship towards humans is considered rather ambiguous, although a prominent exception is Sir Topham Hatt, whom Edward shows affection and holds loyalty towards at virtually all costs. He also trusts the man to where he allows him (as well as the rest of the Hatt family) to ride upon his back.

Edward in the Bronze era started as rather confident and even seemed very inclined on protecting the island, whilst having the responsibility of providing for both Thomas and Percy, given that they were very young cubs at the time. Edward's role in being a parental figure had taken subtle changes throughout each era, yet in general he normally proves to be an empathetic and caring father who wants to ensure strongly that his sons can fend for themselves, as well as solve conflict rationally than aggressively. His role deemed "by default" is being a second-in-command figure of the steam team monsters. From the Silver era onwards, Edward's parenting skills were affected somewhat heavily - it also did not help that his traumatic experiences with Diesel and Charlie in the late-1970's had only contributed to such. When it became evident that Edward seemed to become a tad irresponsible than usual for a while, Thomas eventually came to him, with Edward noticing that he himself needed sympathetic advice and support. After receiving much-needed help from Victor, Edward started leaning more toward dealing with matters with other monsters as opposed to staying reserved somewhat and pleasing humans. At the start of Millennium era, Edward had noticeably became more serious and less lenient, which carried on to his parenting in the form of demonstrating how things are more directly and concisely from that point on.

## Trivia

### General

* Edward's first design was much stockier in build, and stood around 7 feet tall.
* Bronze era Edward is the only design that has not been directly inspired from any external sources used as a reference, and is instead completely freelance. It is however possible that it may be based upon William Middleton's illustrations of Edward in the first book of *The Railway Series*, given its overall simplicity in comparison to other designs.
* The Gold Edward design is based upon the "Classic era" Edward in *Thomas & Friends* - using his mask designs from the first five seasons as inspiration for the monster's facial detail.
* Silver Edward is based upon the CGI-rendered Edward in the Nitrogen Studios seasons (13-16) of *Thomas & Friends*. Him lacking proportional unity was to indirectly show that he was "going to have some growing insecurities".
* As of June 2021, Steam confirmed on a Twitter post that Edward is either bi or pan-sexual.