Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Isn't Even Really A Movie About Sonic

Sonic the Hedgehog 3proves that the series isn’t even really about Sonic anymore. The titular hedgehog will undoubtedly always play an important role inSonicmovies, butSonic 3seems to be much more interested in exploring a new character. The story ofSonic the Hedgehog 3follows Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, who are sent by the Guardian Unit of Nations (GUN) to take down Shadow the Hedgehog, who escaped imprisonment. Shadow ends up besting all three of them, and eventually teams up with two other villains, Ivo and Gerald Robotnik, who areboth played by Jim Carrey.

Over time, theSonicmovies have been introducing more and more characters from the video games. Both Tails and Knuckles are fan-favorite characters, but Shadow is by far the most popular character that has been introduced so far. By theend ofSonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic does complete an arc of his own, learning that hatred and the desire for revenge are not good things, but the movie does still focus significantly more on Shadow. Therefore,Sonic the Hedgehog 3is centered a lot more on Shadow than it is on Sonic.

Jim Carrey as Ivo and Gerald Robotnik walking next to each other in Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Is More About Shadow Than It Is Focused On Sonic

Shadow’s Story Takes Priority Over Sonic’s In Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Sonic the Hedgehog 3begins by showing glimpses ofShadow’s origin, and reveals that he is trapped on Prison Island in Tokyo Bay, Japan. It is established very early on thatShadow crash-landed on Earth 50 years before the events ofSonic the Hedgehog 3. Scientists performed experiments on Shadow at a hidden GUN base as he formed a close friendship with Gerald Robotnik’s granddaughter, Maria. However, after a GUN agent set off an explosion that killed Maria, Shadow was put into a test tube, which he was held in for 50 years.

Shadow was actually created by Gerald Robotnik in the video games, whereas it is established that he fell from space inSonic the Hedgehog 3.

Sonic and Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Shadow wakes up at the beginning ofSonic the Hedgehog 3and successfully escapes from Prison Island.Sonic 3had to establish Shadow very early into the movie, since most of the film is focused on him. Meanwhile,Sonic is not introduced until after the opening scene because the movie’s success doesn’t necessarily rely on his character arc. Furthermore, the first scene with Sonic features a race between him, Tails, and Knuckles. The racing scene is a lot of fun and establishes how close Team Sonic is now, but it is not necessarily important for the plot of the movie.

Sonic 3’s Story Was Crafted To Create More Parallels Between Sonic & Shadow

Sonic And Shadow Go On Similar Arcs In Sonic The Hedgehog 3

The differences between Shadow’s introductory scene and Sonic’s first scene inSonic the Hedgehog 3prove that the movie was designed to be centered around the former. InSonic the Hedgehog 3,Shadow learns that hatred and revenge are not worthwhile pursuits. However, he doesn’t go on this arc because of Sonic. In fact, it is actually the other way around. Since Shadow is so central to the movie, there had to be parallels between him and Sonic so that it would still work as aSonicmovie.

Humanity May Be Doomed After What Happened In Sonic The Hedgehog 3’s Ending

Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s ending includes a reference to the video games that would easily end up destroying humanity, at least in the real world.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3follows Shadow as he seeks revenge for the death of Maria. To create a parallel between the two characters,Shadow injured Tom halfway through the movie. Tom is the human that Sonic feels the closest connection to. Therefore, Sonic is driven by anger and hatred, just like Shadow, for the second half of the movie. Their similar motivations allow for Sonic and Shadow to learn and grow together at the end of the film. The two of them go on very similar arcs inSonic 3, but Shadow’s story is overall much more interesting.

The Sonic Franchise Should’ve Made A Shadow Movie Before Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Shadow The Hedgehog Is Deserving Of His Own Movie

After the release ofSonic the Hedgehog 3, it is clear that Shadow needs his own movie. However,it actually would have been best to make a standalone Shadow the Hedgehog movie beforeSonic 3. Shadow’s origin is very interesting and emotional, and has enough material to be a movie of its own. It is too late now, as the beginning of Shadow’s life on Earth was told inSonic 3, but a potential Shadow the Hedgehog origin movie could have expanded on his relationship with Maria and Gerald.

A Shadow movie could have answered questions that went unanswered inSonic the Hedgehog 3, such as where in space Shadow came from.

If Shadow received a standalone movie before he faced off against Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, then a lot less time could have been spent developing his character inSonic the Hedgehog 3. WhileSonic 3succeeded at making Shadow an intriguing character, there is enough source material to delve even deeper into his origin. Furthermore, a Shadow movie could have answered questions that went unanswered inSonic the Hedgehog 3, such as where in space Shadow came from. Overall,Sonic 3would have benefited greatly if Shadow had already been introduced to audiences.

Why The Sonic The Hedgehog Movies Are Becoming Less About Sonic

So Many New Characters Are Being Added To The Sonic The Hedgehog Movies

Shadow having his own movie before the events of the third film also would have allowedSonic 3to focus more on Sonic. Audiences got to spend a lot of time with the Blue Blur in the firstSonicfilm, butmore and more characters are now being introduced that take the attention away from Sonic. With each newSonicmovie, the ensemble cast continues to get bigger. Future movies will have to focus on Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, therecently introduced Amy Roseand Metal Sonic, in addition to providing subplots for human characters like Tom and Maddie.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Post-Credits Scenes Explained: Who The New Characters Are & How They Setup Sonic 4

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 continues the franchise tradition of including important post-credits scenes, as they introduce new characters and setup Sonic 4.

Future movies in the series will likely spend a significant amount of time focusing on the team, the villain, or another new character. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as there are a lot of great characters from theSonicvideo games, but all these new additions take away from Sonic’s development as a singular character. After the events ofSonic the Hedgehog 3, it seems like Sonic is potentially becoming a less interesting character, which is a shame since he is such a joy to watch.