Sonic the Hedgehog 2's credit scene offers up a treat for long-time fans with the tease of an iconic character we can expect to see in the third movie.
The sequel sees Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) team up to stop Dr Robotnik's (Jim Carrey) latest diabolical plan, this time carried out with the help of Knuckles (Idris Elba), who bears a grudge against Sonic.
Much like the first movie's credit scenes teased the arrival of Tails, the credit scene for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 reveals that there is an even bigger challenge ahead for our favourite speedy hedgehog.
Director Jeff Fowler won't be drawn on many details, but did share his excitement with ComicBook.com, saying: "I'm hesitant to go into too much detail, only because it's obviously still very early. I will say that we are teasing a character that I'm incredibly excited about. It's very personal to me as a fan."
But if you're not clear what that tease meant and how it sets up Sonic the Hedgehog 3, we're here to help. Needless to say, there are spoilers ahead, so look away now if you haven't seen the sequel yet.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 credit scene explained
The credit scene picks up at an unspecified time after Sonic, Tails and Knuckles teamed up to take down Robotnik and his Death Egg Robot. It's caused a bit of destruction, so we catch up with GUN (Guardian Units of Nations) cleaning up the scene.
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Commander Walters (Tom Butler) is told that there has been no sign of Dr Robotnik since the battle. However, we see Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub) sneaking about undercover as a GUN agent, so we're pretty sure that he's helped his BFF escape the scene.
The most exciting bit of the scene though is when the Commander is told that when they were wiping Robotnik off the GUN database (since it's their fault he's causing trouble), they came across coordinates from 50 years ago that lead to a secret black-site research facility.
There, something called "Project Shadow" is contained, and we cut to Prison Island and see none other than Shadow the Hedgehog opening his eyes before the scene ends.
Sonic fans will be well aware of who Shadow is, but a quick recap if it's needed. Shadow made his series debut in Sonic Adventure 2 and, in the games, is an artificially created lifeform who's essentially the mirror of Sonic.
Shadow was created by the grandfather of Dr Robotnik, Gerald Robotnik, as part of Project Shadow, which was an attempt to create cures for incurable diseases (immortality, basically).
However, the project was deemed too dangerous and shut down by GUN, leading to the deaths of Gerald and his granddaughter (and Dr Robotnik's cousin) Maria, who Shadow had grown close to.
In Sonic Adventure 2, Dr Robotnik freed Shadow from the GUN base on Prison Island after his 50-year captivity. Shadow agrees to help him take over the world, but Shadow ends up protecting the world as it was what Maria would have wanted.
Throughout his appearances in the games, including his own game Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow uncovers more of his dark past. As an antihero, he's generally on the side of Sonic, but his methods have sometimes brought him into conflict with Sonic.
Shadow's appearance in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 credit scene means that the movie series is skipping ahead in the Sonic timeline to introduce him. However, we imagine that the third movie would stay fairly loyal to Shadow's introduction in the games and have him work with Dr Robotnik, initially at least.
Of course, that's if Jim Carrey returns as Dr Robotnik in the third movie as he's been talking about retiring following the release of the sequel. Hopefully he'll be back though and we're worrying about nothing.
It could risk becoming a bit too similar to Knuckles in the sequel who also starts against Sonic, but then teams up with him. So we imagine there might be some adjustment to that plot to avoid it feeling too similar.
There's certainly plenty to explore when it comes to Shadow and his backstory which we doubt can fit all into the third movie. Perhaps like Knuckles, Shadow will end up getting his own spin-off series that sees him delve into his history, much like he does in the games.
Whatever happens, it's clear the Sonic the Hedgehog universe is only going to get bigger.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is out now in cinemas.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
