The Flames of Disaster is both a move by the character Knuckles of the Sonic the Hedgehog universe and a line by Wade Whipple in the TV series.
As played by Adam Pally, the human character delivers the line in such an over-enthusiastic and comical manner that it became a meme soon after the episode in which it appears aired.
It started in April 2024, but a discussion on Twitter about the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film reignited the gag the following August.
Who is Wade Whipple in the Sonic universe?
Wade Whipple is an important recurring character in the Sonic films as well as the human sidekick in the 2024 TV miniseries Knuckles. He’s an officer with the Green Hills Sheriff’s Department and often helps the protagonists in their struggles against villains like Dr. Robotnik.
In Knuckles, a spinoff to the Sonic movies, the title character meets Whipple and agrees to train him as a protégé in the ways of the echidna warrior so that he might triumph in a bowling championship. This concludes in an epic battle between the pair and the antagonist, The Buyer.
What is the ‘Flames of Disaster’ from?
The Flames of Disaster appears in the final episode of Knuckles during the climactic battle with The Buyer. It’s the name of a special technique that Knuckles steals from the Fire Demon of the Sonic films and lights the character’s fists in flame, boosting their power.
In the episode titled “What Happens in Reno, Stays in Reno,” Knuckles engages this power during his comeback in the final fight. After his fists light on fire, Whipple exclaims, “The Flames of Disaster!”
Entries in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise are known for being more than a little over-dramatic and corny at times, and this line by Whipple is a prime example. The brevity of the line paired with the goofy, delighted expression made by Pally makes it perfect meme material.
Flames of Disaster meme origins
The episode that birthed the meme aired on April 26, 2024. Plenty of fans joked about the line in the months following the conclusion of the mini-series, with a clip of the scene coming to YouTube on April 27.
It didn’t achieve true meme status until August, however, after the line concluded a funny Twitter exchange. It started on August 27 when @MelohRush speculated on potential character deaths in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and another user replied with disbelief that anyone would be killed off in a Sonic movie.
This kicked off a series of replies in which people named dead characters from the franchise and others conceded that some people do indeed die in these films in spite of the young target audience. Near the end of the thread, someone posted a clip of the end of the final battle in Knuckles that quite clearly ends in the death of The Buyer.
User @Jackeroni216 then replied to this with “THE FLAMES OF DISASTER!!”
Meme spread
This reminder about the “Flames of Disaster” line, combined with the comedy value of the entire thread, inspired people to insert Whipple into clips from other popular media franchises involving fire.
Once user @ContendoYT made a blue screen version of the Knuckles moment, the trend truly took off.
Meme examples
Everything is the Flames of Disaster now.
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- Is Knuckles the Echidna about to die of old age? This meme demands an answer
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