Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is now in cinemas in North America. That means two things. One, more and more people are learning just how good it is, which appears to be the general consensus as it has a very high audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Two, spoilers will become harder to avoid for those of you who haven't yet seen the sequel. Anyone who has come here for a deep dive on Sonic 2's credits scene shouldn't need to be told this, but the rest of this article will feature some very heavy spoilers. If you don't want to know what happens in the movie, stop reading now, go to the cinema, and come back in 122 minutes.
Superhero movies, particularly Marvel, have led to a trend of movie-goers refusing to leave the cinema until the lights are up and the credits have rolled. As frustrating as it can be, especially if you stick around for an extra ten minutes only to be rewarded with nothing at all, it's also a pretty clever way to make people stick around and appreciate the hundreds of people who helped piece the movie together. While not a Marvel movie, Sonic 2 does indeed have a mid-credits scene, which you'll have to wait for the initial credit splash, but not the entire roll.
As was the case with the first movie, the credits begin with an homage to some of the original Sonic games. Replaying the key moments from the movie as if they were a sidescroller from the early '90s. Between that and the regular credits in the first movie, fans were introduced to the movie version of Tails for the first time. In Sonic 2, that moment was reserved for Shadow. The evil hedgehog was shown suspended in liquid in a secret lab somewhere, and it could mean the next Sonic movie will take a very dark turn.
Right before Shadow is shown for the first time, government agents are shown searching through the rubble of the giant Eggman mech Sonic has taken down. The aim is to determine whether Dr. Robotnik is dead or alive following his pretty substantial fall. As they attempt to decide whether Robotnik could have possibly survived, there's mention of a secret government project dating back 50 years. The agents can still be heard speaking in hushed tones as the screen shows the lab, panning up to reveal Shadow suspended in liquid, finishing on a shot of his eyes glowing gold before cutting to black.
While not quite as instantly recognizable as Tails and Knuckles, Shadow was definitely the next most logical character from the Sonic universe to introduce. The dark hedgehog's first appearance in a Sonic game was Sonic Adventure 2, but it wasn't until he got a game of his own a few years later that his tragic backstory was fully realized. Shadow was created in a lab by Dr. Robotnik's grandfather, Gerald. Since Shadow's big screen reveal was also in a lab, and one that has been around for half a century, it seems likely the movies will be borrowing from game Shadow's origin story pretty heavily.
Shadow was created by Grandad Robotnik to save his granddaughter, and Dr. Eggman's cousin, Maria. Gerald quickly realizes Shadow is more of a danger than a help and instead decides to lock him away in his lab, protecting humanity in the process. Maria, who forms a bond with Shadow, attempts to help the hedgehog escape but is killed in the process. Shadow sees his best friend die and turns even darker than he was already. He loses his memories during all of this and eventually sides with Robotnik to help take down Sonic and take over the world.
There are a lot of directions Paramount could go from here. Since Shadow is still in a lab, it may mean the whole 'watching his best friend die' element of his backstory may be left on the cutting room floor. While a key part of Shadow becoming Shadow, it's certainly an understandable decision when you consider the movies' target audience. On the other hand, all of that may have already happened and Shadow was simply captured and returned to the lab, only to be released by Robotnik who has presumably survived and is on his way to the lab to do just that.
Here's where things may get a little confusing. There are conflicting reports regarding whether Jim Carrey will return to the role of Robotnik for Sonic 3. Recasting him would be one option, but probably not a popular one – especially since the producers have said they won't consider it. Since Shadow has already been confirmed for the Sonic Cinematic Universe's future (we can call it that now, a producer said so) then he can take the place of Robotnik as its primary antagonist. It won't follow how he is introduced in the games, but hey, there isn't a police officer Sonic affectionately nicknames Donut Lord in the first Sonic game either, so I'm sure it'll be okay.
There is a lot of story to be told when it comes to Shadow's introduction. Even if Paramount decides to cherry-pick certain elements of it, the addition of an anti-Sonic could raise the game of the movies and its spinoff shows yet again. Jeff Fowler, who directed the first two movies and will presumably be working on Sonic 3, worked on the cinematics for the Shadow game in 2005, so if anyone is going to do the brooding black hedgehog justice here, it's him.
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