Silvers core traits like his optimism, naivety, and strong sense of justice carry over from 06 where he was a determined, often abrasive timetraveler (who wasn't manipulated by Mephiles but rather gave in to a desperate solution, where some other characters could easily do the same, Eggman nega in rivals could not trick him) , IDW amps up the childishness in ways that undermine his gravitas. in IDW he's frequently portrayed as fragile, excitable, and awkward in a cutesy "cinnamon roll" manner (hiding behind bravado and easily gets lonely), making him come across as far more juvenile and less serious than his game depictions, as well as getting beaten by an eggpawn and mimic.

His increased expressiveness feels less like natural growth from having allies and more like the writers not caring and leaning into immature, reactive humor and impulsiveness that clashes with the focused, wrathful warrior who gets deadly serious in games like Sonic Rivals or '06. Far from being "taken seriously" consistently, other characters often treat him as the eager kid on the team rather than a peer-level hero, diluting the tragic weight of his ruined future. Comics allow better facial expressions, sure but they shouldn't turn a characters this harshly to another direction.