Warning: This article contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 3.One of the biggest movies of 2024, even though the year has been filled with major hits, is Sonic 3's amazing cast, with another standout performance by Jim Carrey, this time playing dual roles as Gerald and Ivo Robotnik.

Gerald Robotnik is a character from Shadow the Hedgehog's origin story. However, in Sonic Adventure 2, Gerald is long dead by the time the events of the game occur, which is a very different approach to the one that Sonic 3 took. In the movie, Gerald is somehow still alive and well at 110 years old, leaving the question as to how he managed such a feat unanswered.

Shadow's Quill Seemingly Helped Gerald Robotnik Live For So Long

Gerald Was Able To Keep Hold Of The Ultimate Lifeform's Quill

One of the theories surrounding Gerald's extended lifespan is that Shadow's (Keanu Reeves) quill, which he was able to keep hold of even as he was arrested, is the thing that helped him survive. While this is never explicitly stated, the film makes a point of showing Gerald gripping the quill after Maria's (Alyla Browne) death 50 years before Sonic the Hedgehog 3. As Shadow himself is used as the energy source for the Eclipse Cannon, it is likely that the quill's main use was extending Gerald's life.

Why Shadow's Quill Could Have Helped Gerald Robotnik Stay Alive

Shadow's Quill Contains An Unlimited Amount Of Energy

While keeping someone alive isn't shown to be any kind of power that Sonic (Ben Schwartz) or Shadow's quills have, there are many ways in which having access to one of these quills would allow Gerald to live long enough to see his Sonic the Hedgehog 3 plan through. The first and most obvious explanation would be that, since the first Sonic the Hedgehog explains that the quills have essentially unlimited power, Gerald used the quill, in combination with his incredible intellect, to create some device that helped to sustain his life.

In Sonic Adventure 2, the main goal of Gerald's research was to find a way to make people immortal to save Maria from a fatal illness, which Sonic the Hedgehog 3 twists by giving Gerald this extended lifespan.

Seeing as Gerald was given the chance to bargain with the classic Sonic organization G.U.N for his freedom, he may not have even had to wait until he was released from prison to create a machine to increase his natural lifespan. G.U.N would have a vested interest in his survival, and allowing him to create something to keep himself healthy would be in their best interests as well, even if Sonic the Hedgehog 3 eventually proves that it was a mistake to deal with him in the first place.