Sonic the Hedgehog 4is one of the most hotly anticipated franchise films coming up in the next few years, and while no specifics have been revealed about the movie since its initial announcement, one of the major points of discussion surrounding the project is how it is going to handle the growing roster ofSoniccharacters being introduced.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s mid-credits scenegave a good look into the next film’s new additions, showing off Metal Sonic as the new villain andAmy Rose as another hero who will undoubtedly join up with Team Sonic to stop this threat. There are also whatever future villains arise as the franchise continues after.
However, while Amy and Metal will certainly be themain event ofSonic 4, the film shouldn’t ignore the rest of the cast, particularly Shadow, as, even though he was essentially one of the co-leads ofSonic 3,his reintroduction needs to happen sooner rather than later.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Teased Shadow’s Return As A Hero
The Character Is Definitely Going To Return Somewhere Down The Line
While Shadow spent most of the movie as the villain,Sonic 3’s incredible endingshowed his return to good, fighting alongside Sonic in one of the best scenes in the entire franchise. However, this led to himsacrificing himself to stop Gerald Robotnik and the Eclipse Cannon.
However, that clearly wasn’t the end forShadow, asSonic 3’s final post-creditsscene gave a small tease to the character’s return. It showed him picking up one of the Limiter Rings he was wearing, which he had removed during the film’s climax to allow himself to utilize his full power.
In the video games, Shadow’s death inSonic Adventure 2was meant to be permanent, but he was brought back forSonic Heroesafter fan reactions to the character were so positive.
Whilethere was no hint as to what the character was going to be doing in his next appearance, he became a hero duringSonic 3, which will undoubtedly be carried over into his next appearance. His return could follow the video game story, which involved Shadow losing his memory for a time, but he would still end up as a hero.
Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Needs To Show What Shadow Looks Like As A Good Guy
His New Role In The Franchise Needs To Be Established Quickly
Shadow’s heroic side was shown off a little bit, but that was only duringSonic 3’s explosive climax, and for most of the movie, he was the dark, brooding villain that most would expect from the character. There were moments of levity during the flashbacks with Maria, but otherwise, he was villainous through and through.
Sonic 4will have a difficult time balancing all the characters that we already have with the new faces like Amy and Metal, and Shadow would further complicate the issue…
Now that he has made the choice to become a hero,the series needs to show what his role is going to be going forward. Even if Shadow doesn’t fully join Team Sonic, he is going to need to have some kind of interaction with the main characters to show how these very different personalities are going to mesh.
Not only would this be important for the story, seeing all of these characters interact in a less antagonistic way is also going to be very fun to see. Knuckles and Tails presumably don’t like Shadow all that much, considering they only personally knew him as a villain, andseeing them overcome their differences and work together is a perfect set-up for some great scenes.
It is worth noting thatSonic 4will have a difficult time balancing all the charactersthat we already have with the new faces like Amy and Metal, and Shadow would further complicate the issue, but the character was such an important addition to the franchise that his return should absolutely be prioritized.
Shadow’s Return Can’t Wait Until Sonic 5
He Is One Of The Franchise’s Most Iconic Characters
While theSonicmovieshave been coming out pretty consistently since 2020, on around a two-to-two-and-a-half-year basis, if Shadow doesn’t return untilSonic 5, thenit could potentially be a five-year wait to see the character return to the big screen again.
Shadow was the biggest success ofSonic 3, and became one of the best charactersin the entire franchise. Having to wait so long to see his return would not only be disappointing as a fan, but it would likely work against the studio, as Shadow’s return to the big screen would certainly bring a lot of people to theaters once again.
Shadow could have a spin-off series, which has been discussed a lot. However, no matter how good that series could be, it wouldn’t be nearly as impactful as seeing the character reintroduced in a full, theatrically released movie alongside the rest of the cast, makingSonic the Hedgehog 4the perfect place to bring him back.
