Babylon Rogues

The Babylon Rogues are a group of thieves and recurring antagonists of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. They are a group of birds who are named Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, and Storm the Albatross who share a rivalry with Team Sonic.

History
They are a mysterious band of treasure-seeking thieves, who have existed since ancient times, with the mantle of the group being inherited from one generation to the next. Each member is a descendant of the ancient Babylonians, an alien race of genie-like beings that got stranded on earth in ages past. While the group initially included the whole civilization, it has over time been significantly reduced due to the Babylonians' shattering.

Sonic Riders
One night, Jet, who was observing a special cube in his airship, is suddenly interrupted by Storm who bursts into Jet's office. As Wave follows in, the three Rogues gaze upon the cube hoping to discover a hidden treasure in their ancestral home: Babylon Garden. Wave then informs Jet that a person named Dr. Eggman has arrived on their ship and would like to meet with him. Eggman appears and notices that Jet is holding the key he was looking for. Eggman whispers to Jet about the fact that he needs the seven Chaos Emeralds in order to utilize the cube to summon Babylon Garden and also mentions about Sonic the Hedgehog, a comparable speedy opponent to Jet, who might have the emeralds. Jet replies that in air with his Extreme Gear, Sonic is no match.

n Future City, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are searching for a lost Chaos Emerald. As Tails finally detects it on his radar, the Babylon Rogues suddenly crash from a glass window with the Chaos Emerald they were looking for. Tails then exclaims that the signal was coming from them. Sonic attempts to pursue them, but is outmatched on this new technology. The three mysterious characters fly away with the Chaos Emerald in town.

Later, Using the Chaos Emeralds to empower the cube, he reveals Babylon Garden, the ancient ruins of his ancestors' settlement. Eggman quickly steals the key in order to obtain the treasure for himself and flies off with the Rogues, Sonic and his friends in pursuit. Although Sonic is able to stop Eggman and settle his score with Jet, the adventure continues when the Babylon Rogues unleash an ancient spirit from Babylon Garden, the Babylon Guardian. Once the Guardian is defeated, the true treasure of Babylon is revealed, surprising everyone, especially Eggman. The Babylon Rouges and Sonic's group part ways, but not before Jet vows to return and face Sonic again.

Archie Comics
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Babylon Rogues were originally deserters from the Battle Bird Armada. At one point, Predator Hawk was among their ranks, but he left to join Mammoth Mogul. The Babylon Rogues would eventually make themselves known to the Freedom Fighters where they would attack Sonic and attempt to seize a Sol Emerald. During their search for Babylon Garden, the Rogues were forced to join the Battle Bird Armada again, but they managed to escape when Babylon Garden was destroyed.

Pre-Super Genesis Wave
In the Pre-Super Genesis Wave, the Babylon Rogues showed up near Cocoa Island in their zeppelin, apparently planning to attack the Battle Bird Armada. When Wave and Storm made note of the damage to the Armada's fortress, wondering if other rogues were responsible, Jet simply brushed it off, stating that only the rogues could touch the relics of their ancestors, and they were "going to remind their old buddies why that is". They later went of a quest to steal one of the Sol Emeralds, but failed after being defeated by Team Dark and Team Rose. Then they tried to steal a treasure from Gigan Mountains and were forced back to the Battle Bird Armada, and tried to disable the over the target city of New Mobotropolis, but were stopped by Sonic and were forced to escape while the Babylon Garden collapses to pieces.

Trivia
Unlike villains featured in several adaptations that came later—such as Shade and the Marauders and King Arthur—the Babylon Rogues were introduced into the actual continuity of the comics in their first appearance. The term "Babylon Rogue" also refers to the loose-knit group of deserters from the Armada, with Jet the Hawk's group being the most prominent of them. Under this broader definition, Bean the Dynamite, Predator Hawk, and possibly Bow Sparrow are Rogues as well.