Warning: this article contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 3Sonic 3's ending was one of the big reasons that the film was so well received, as it completed multiple excellent character arcs that had been building up for a long time.
With the huge box office success of the most recent project, a post-credits scene of Sonic 3 shows that the next project will focus on Amy Rose and Metal Sonic as the two main new additions. However, while Sonic 3's ending was excellent, it now presents a pretty significant problem that the next projects in the franchise, specifically Sonic 4, will have to work hard to overcome.
Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Needs A New Villain Just As Good As Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik
Someone Else Has To Take Robotnik's Place As The Main Villain
Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik has been one of the best parts of the franchise since its beginning with Sonic the Hedgehog in 2020. While that film wasn't anything spectacular, it was saved in part by how great Carrey was in the role, which allowed the series to build up to what it is now. He was easily the best part of Sonic 3's cast for his dual roles in the film, and that was only possible because of his character development over the course of the three films.
Sonic 4 is going to have to introduce a similar villain in order to live up to what came before.
With Robotnik's death, there is now no overarching villain for the franchise, which presents a big problem for the films. Having Eggman consistently show up throughout the first three movies was a big part of what made them so great, and Sonic 4 is going to have to introduce a similar villain to live up to what came before. If the movie doesn't have someone like that, then the series could very well feel like it is just treading water with no real end goal in sight.
Even If Robotnik Returns, Sonic 4 Will Have To Find A New Angle For Him
The Character Can't Simply Revert Back To Who He Was In Sonic 1 & 2
While the film's climax implies that Robotnik is definitely dead, as the Eclipse Cannon exploded with him on it, Robotnik could've survived to make it to Sonic 4, similarly to how he managed to escape from the destroyed Eggman robot in Sonic 2. Even if he didn't, there could be a clone, or perhaps an Eggman from the future that could allow Jim Carrey to return. However, having him return would potentially be just as difficult as coming up with someone to take his place, as, if done wrong, it could spell disaster for future films.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Cut A Scene That Explains How Robotnik Survived Sonic 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has a deleted scene that explains how Dr. Ivo Robotnik survived his fall in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, answering a major mystery.
The Sonic the Hedgehog video games will often do this, simply throwing the same villains at the wall over and over again without much fanfare, as the gameplay tends to take center stage. However, if they try and simply reintroduce Eggman as essentially the same character as the first two movies, it will just feel cheap, and like everything he went through in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was pointless. That being said, the team behind the Sonic movies has proven their ability, so there's a good chance they could do this plot justice.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
- Release Date
- December 20, 2024
- Runtime
- 110 minutes
- Director
- Jeff Fowler
Cast
Sonic (voice)
Dr. Robotnik / Gerald Robotnik
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Josh Miller, Patrick Casey, John Whittington
- Producers
- Neal H. Moritz, Tim Miller, Toru Nakahara, Tommy Gormley, Toby Ascher, Haruki Satomi, Hitoshi Okuno, Yukio Sugino
- Prequel(s)
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Franchise(s)
- Sonic the Hedgehog
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