Since the post-credits scene of Shadow at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, I’ve been impatiently waiting for any news on Sonic the Hedgehog 3. But days turned into weeks, the weeks turned into months, and the months turned into years as I began to grow weary of waiting. We got the Knuckles series to provide entertainment, but it was no Shadow. Now, after so very long, we finally have the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and our first look at the edgiest hedgehog around! This trailer has got me all kinds of hyped, and I just need to talk about it right now!
This trailer gives us our first look at the story of the film. It shows Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all still chilling in Green Hills, having as normal a life as they can. But that will all change when GUN needs their help with a new threat, Shadow the Hedgehog (voiced by Keanu Reeves). The trailer shows him breaking out of the tube he was in at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and his subsequent beat-down on the group of GUN agents in the room. He even makes attacks that look similar to the intro cutscene for Shadow the Hedgehog (God, I’m hoping they reference this game so much). We then see Team Sonic's (Sonic Heroes reference, baby) first encounter with Shadow, and it looks like it’ll go how everyone suspects, with Shadow knocking them all into next week. We also get to see snippets of Shadow’s past, including his time with Maria (I can’t wait to see her death on the big screen and see how many people are surprised by the murder).
Following that, there were some montages of Shadow being cool and Sonic and friends being depressed (classic Sonic). Then, there’s the reveal that Dr Eggman is alive and well, if not slightly more egg-shaped than the last time we saw him. It looks like the two enemies will be teaming up to take down Shadow (because that will surely end well). Another montage happens (with some Chao making an appearance), and the trailer ends with Eggman meeting Gerald Robotnik, his Pop Pop (in the games, he’s Eggman’s grandfather, but it looks like they might be making him his dad in the film. Just have to wait and see). And that’s where the trailer ends, and now I can’t stop thinking about all the possible ways this film can go.
With all the story elements teased in this trailer, I’ve already been concocting some theories on what will happen in this film and beyond. The most obvious one is that by the end of the film, Eggman will have created Metal Sonic, who will be in the final fight at the end of the story (think Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs Kong). This is because we see Sonic giving Eggman one of his quills as part of their deal to work together. I think Eggman will use this quill alongside all the data he’s collected about Sonic, his friends, and Shadow to create Metal Sonic (similar to how Metal Sonic copied character data in Sonic Heroes). He’ll most likely get bodied by the eventual Sonic and Shadow team-up, which has to involve their super forms (and Live and Learn), but I can see Metal Sonic taking on a more prominent role in future films, maybe even becoming Metal Overlord to cause more havoc.
My other big theory/hope is that Black Doom will make an appearance in some way. For those of you who are not caught up on your Sonic lore, Black Doom plays a crucial part in Shadow’s creation, giving Shadow his blood so that he can use Chaos abilities (Chaos control, etc.). I don’t think he’ll be the big bad in this film, but going forward, I think he’ll replace Eggman as the primary antagonist. This would mean Jim Carrey can finally retire if he wants to, and the franchise has a Thanos-level villain who can pull the strings for several films.
You could have him save Metal Sonic and put him on the path to becoming Metal Overlord. You can make him the cause of the destruction of the world in the future, leading to Silver the Hedgehog being introduced. You can even have a full-on war with all the Sonic characters fighting him and his Black Arms Legion. And, with being able to see some of the mad scribbles on the wall at the end of the trailer (most likely written by Gerald, who worked with Black Doom to create Shadow), I don’t think this theory is too far-fetched (or I’m just hoping really hard).
In 2024, who could’ve guessed that the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog franchise would be doing this well? It’s crazy that out of all the big films releasing, Sonic is the one we can all agree will most likely be great. We’ve definitely come a long way since that first trailer dropped, and we got the first look at an abomination of a Sonic design. Everyone hated it so much the studio was forced to delay the film and completely redesign Sonic, and it was definitely for the better. And now we have two successful films with the third almost guaranteed to be a slam-dunk, a pretty good Knuckles TV show, and being able to see all our favourite Sonic characters on the big screen. Hell, the fact that I can theorise that Black Doom, of all characters, will show up in a big-budget Sonic film is something I never thought possible. And that’s not even touching on the chance other Sonic characters show up, like Amy, Cream, Rouge, Omega, or even Big the Cat! I’m so happy that things have turned out this way, and I am excited to see this series continue to reach for the stars.
I’m so hyped for Sonic the Hedgehog 3! This trailer has given me all I need to get me excited and theorising for the next few months before it releases, even though the US get it on the 20th of December, and us Aussies have to wait until the 26th. But regardless, I am going to be there for the first showing possible. I just got to see the scene where Shadow jumps off his motorcycle, pulls out a gun, and says where's that damn fourth Chaos Emerald. So keep it locked to Couch Soup for all the Sonic the Hedgehog content to feed your hungry nerd soul.
Have you seen the trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3? What did you think? Are you excited for the film? Let us know in the comments where we can talk about how Black Doom is totally gonna be the next big bad.
