Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Needs Life Or Death Stakes For Its Characters

The third Sonic the Hedgehog movie will hit theater screens before the end of the year, but for the sequel to really land all of its punches, it needs to seriously consider raising the stakes.

Sonic the Hedgehog has become a successful screen franchise for Paramount Pictures with two feature films claiming success at the box office and a dedicated spin-off show, Knuckles, drawing eyeballs on its streaming service Paramount+. While not a direct adaptation of any single Sonic game, the movies re-imagine what would happen if Sonic was transported to Earth and found a family with James Marsden’s police officer, Tom Wachowski. The second movie expanded the roster of Sonic characters, introducing the hedgehog’s companions Tails and Knuckles. The third movie will continue this trend, introducing another new character from Sonic lore that fans are very excited about.

Shadow’s Introduction Is Serious

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will introduce Shadow the Hedgehog for the first time on the big screen. The character has been featured in multiple Sonic games and is known for being an antihero, driven by vengeance and with an edgy personality. Keanu Reeves will lend his voice to the character, adding to a stacked cast that already includes Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, and Idris Elba. Shadow is defined in the video games by his connection to Maria Robotnik, a young girl who becomes his best friend and later dies, causing him to vow revenge. It’s unclear how exactly Shadow’s backstory will play out in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but trailers have made it clear that the character is a threat unlike any the others have faced before.

Everything in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer seems to suggest that the third movie is where the franchise could finally dip into some more mature territory. Shadow is set up as a real threat to Sonic and the family, with one character saying during the trailer “Project Shadow is far beyond anything we’ve encountered.” The Sonic the Hedgehog films have always sat firmly in the family genre, but there’s still room for the video game adaptation to introduce some darker themes without treading too far into adult territory.

Sonic The Hedgehog Needs To Commit to Its Darkness

The introduction of Shadow as a threat greater than any Sonic has seen before needs to follow through on that promise and one way to do that would be to kill off characters in the movie. Sonic the Hedgehog is a family franchise, yes, but plenty of films aimed at younger audiences have showcased death on screen before, and this is one way to guarantee that Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s story will hit harder than any before it.

A core component of the Sonic the Hedgehog films has been Sonic’s quest to find a home and family that accepts him. After being sent away from his home planet for his own safety, Sonic had to learn to adapt to life on Earth, living in solitude for a long time until he eventually made friends with Tom and his wife Maddie, who essentially adopted him as their son. In the second movie, Sonic found kinship with fellow anthropomorphic mammals, Knuckles, and Tails, providing the character with his first true friends. Now that Sonic has all of this, one way to raise the stakes in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 would be to jeopardize his new family.

A Death in Sonic 3 Would Raise the Stakes

While it’s unlikely that the movie would kill off any of the beloved game characters like Knuckles and Tails, the human characters are fair game in Sonic 3. Shadow is positioned in Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s trailers as a character rooted in pain and loss, which is something Sonic has avoided thanks to the love of his family. If Shadow is to be a true antagonist to Sonic, one way to punish his nemesis would be to take away Sonic’s family, potentially killing off Tom or Maddie. While it would be an incredibly tragic loss for Sonic to experience, this could be the thing that motivates him to turn to Dr. Robotnik, his old arch-nemesis, for help.

A death in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 would also allow the film to explore some of these darker themes in a way that is accessible to its family audience. If Sonic the Hedgehog 3 fails to raise the stakes in the third film, it runs the risk of diminishing Shadow’s introduction, a character who is known for doing whatever it takes to achieve his goals.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 releases in theaters on December 20.

Directed by Jeff Fowler, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 sets up a new threat for Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails by introducing Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow presents such a big danger to planet Earth, that the heroes have to team up with Dr. Robotnik.

Release Date

December 20, 2024

Director

Jeff Fowler

Cast

Jim Carrey , Ben Schwartz , James Marsden , Tika Sumpter , Idris Elba , Colleen O’Shaughnessey , Natasha Rothwell , Keanu Reeves

Writers

Pat Casey , Josh Miller , John Whittington

Production Company

Sega Sammy Group, Original Film, Marza Animation Planet, Blur Studio

prequel(s)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Based On

Sonic the Hedgehog Games

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