Don’t Worry, The Sonic The Hedgehog Movies Already Proved They Will Nail Shadow

Summary Sonic the Hedgehog 3 faces pressure to get Shadow's character right, just like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 faced high expectations with Knuckles.

The franchise's impressive characterization of Knuckles inspires confidence that it will handle Shadow the Hedgehog's introduction with care.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 must find a way to differentiate Shadow's story from Knuckles' to keep things fresh, despite several inevitable similarities.

There's a lot of pressure for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to nail Shadow's character, but Paramount's previous movies already prove that they'll do the villain justice. Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe has seen massive success since the first movie's debut, with both films becoming the highest-grossing video game movie in North America at the time of their release. And although The Super Mario Bros. Movie has taken that title since, the Sonic movies remain solid adaptations of the beloved video games they're based on.

Even with prior films inspiring confidence ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog 3's release, longtime fans might be worried about how the upcoming sequel will handle Shadow's character. Sonic the Hedgehog 2's post-credits scene teases Shadow as the next movie's villain, and this development is both exciting and worrisome. Shadow is a fan-favorite Sonic the Hedgehog character, so nailing his characterization is crucial to the third movie's success. Keanu Reeves' Shadow casting is a step in the right direction, and previous Sonic movies also prove that the franchise can handle this challenge.

Related 8 Sonic The Hedgehog Villains We Want To See In The Sonic Cinematic Universe The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has so many incredible villains across comics, games, and extended media who need to appear in later installments.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2’s Knuckles Proves Shadow Is In Good Hands

Knuckles Is Another Fan-Favorite Character & The Movies Did Him Justice

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 isn't the only movie in the franchise to feature a beloved video game character. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 brings in Knuckles as one of its antagonists, and getting the Echidna right comes with nearly as much pressure as nailing Shadow's character. Fortunately, Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is living up to the challenge when it comes to Knuckles. Idris Elba's casting is a spark of brilliance that makes this iteration of the character great, and Knuckles' story in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is also handled incredibly well.

If Sonic the Hedgehog 3 handles Shadow with as much care as Knuckles, the sequel is sure to impress viewers with its newest addition.

If Sonic the Hedgehog 3 handles Shadow with as much care as Knuckles, the sequel is sure to impress viewers with its newest addition. The franchise is already mirroring its approach to Knuckles by casting a well-known and seasoned actor to voice Shadow. With any luck, the next movie will also give Shadow a backstory, arc, and redemption worthy of the Sonic games. However, there is one challenge the upcoming film faces that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 didn't need to worry about: it must find a way to set its Shadow story apart from Knuckles' earlier narrative.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Must Be Careful Not To Repeat Its Knuckles Story With Shadow

It Seems Inevitable Their Character Arcs Will Be Similar

Close

Shadow isn't fully a villain in the Sonic the Hedgehog games, which means he likely won't remain the antagonist in Paramount's cinematic universe. It seems inevitable that Shadow's arc will repeat Knuckles' in some ways. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will introduce him as a villain, perhaps even having him work with Dr. Robotnik for a time. However, after his clash with Sonic, he'll likely reveal that he isn't all that bad — precisely like Knuckles does in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

This series of events would work for the character, but it would feel somewhat repetitive after Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Needless to say, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will need to find some way to keep Shadow's arc fresh, even if it does wind up mirroring Knuckles'. Perhaps it can drag his storyline out longer or give him a different relationship with Sonic after their initial conflict. However it handles Shadow, I'm confident that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will satisfy viewers with his story. After all, the franchise has given us no reason to think otherwise.