The Sonic the Hedgehog movie turned out to be a surprise smash hit of 2020, though with good reason, considering most of its competitors were pushed back a year. A sequel was announced, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with a release date of April 8th, 2022. Tika Sumpter is reprising her role as Maddie Wachowski, and Jeff Fowler is returning to the director’s seat. Although casting and story information are in the wind, we can at least piece together potential plot elements for the sequel. Here are six things we would like to see in the sequel.
Groundbreaking. Thought provoking. Extremely obvious. Presenting the official title of the #SonicMovie sequel: Sonic the Hedgehog 2! Catch #SonicMovie2 in theatres in 2022. pic.twitter.com/SlVk7fakp3
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@SonicMovie) February 10, 2021
01. Tails
In a mid-credits scene in the first film, Miles “Tails” Prower, our favourite two-tailed fox, arrived in our world in search of Sonic for unknown reasons. Tails’ appearance was met with much joy and excitement from fans. Sonic, having lived on Earth for ten years, has not seen another Mobian for a decade. How will he react if Tails appears on Tom Wachowski’s doorstep? Would the duo already know each other, or would it be an origin story for their friendship?
Sweet-natured, loyal, and intelligent, Tails could serve as foil for Sonic’s more gung-ho and reckless personality. Tails’ knack for gadgets and planes allow him to go toe-to-toe with Robotnik, and serving as Sonic’s literal wingman. Tails already is shown to possess knowledge of the rings used to traverse worlds, and can match Sonic in speed. Dr. Robotnik could find a new rival in Tails, both having similar IQs and a talent for engineering and robotics. Being a narcissist, Robotnik could view the prodigal fox as a threat to his own superiority, an obstacle to be removed.
02. Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna is the most anticipated character to appear in the sequel, after Tails. In the first film, a tribe of echidnas tried to capture Sonic, in order to acquire his speedy powers for an unknown purpose. In the games, all of the echidnas, save Knuckles, are dead, leaving him as the guardian of Angel Island and the Master Emerald. A common theory is that either Knuckles will be sent to Earth to capture Sonic, or will appear if the story moves over to Sonic’s world. A stubborn, short-tempered, gullible, but dutiful character, Knuckles could be duped by Dr. Robotnik into working for him. The presence of the echidnas would be a perfect opportunity to flesh out the lost civilization. Echidnas were a prominent cast in the Archie Comics run, the films able to introduce new characters and further explore Sonic’s world.
03. Dr. Robotnik’s History
Jim Carrey was unquestionably the best part of the 2020 film, making Robotnik his own. There are endless possibilities to explore in Robotnik’s character. Amongst these are his backstory, which was hinted at in his mile-a-minute dialogue. In the games and comics, Robotnik’s backstory and family were explored extensively. His grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik, was introduced in Sonic Adventure 02. The Einstein of his generation, Gerald built the space colony ARK, and created Shadow the Hedgehog. Unfortunately, the murder of Gerald’s grandfather Maria by the military led to a slip in sanity, plotting revenge on mankind.
It is mentioned at the end of the first film that Robotnik’s name was blacklisted by the US Government. Imagine what Robotnik’s reaction would be if and when he learns the truth. He mentions he was an orphan, but what if this was because his own family name had a bad reputation within the government, related to the events on the ARK. It would further explore Robotnik’s psyche and history, discovering his ancestry has been denied and hidden.
04. Crush 40
Perhaps the one musical peculiarity of the film, other than the use of “Gangster’s Paradise” in the first trailer, was the absence of Crush 40. Long-time collaborators on numerous Sonic games, Jun Senoue and Johnny Gioeli have performed many songs associated with the franchise, from “Live and Learn” to “Open Your Heart”. Recently returning to the franchise in Team Sonic Racing, Crush 40 are a beloved part of the Sonic community, and should participate for a potential sequel’s soundtrack. Senoue himself is a game composer, working with Team Sonic since Sonic 3, and on other Sega games.
05. A Trip Through the Warp Rings
A couple of curious plot points of note in the film are the repeated mention of numerous worlds and the power of Sonic’s rings. Sonic explains to Tom Wachowski that higher civilizations use the rings to jump between worlds all the time. This means that the universe in Sonic the Hedgehog is a pretty big place. This is further evidenced on Sonic’s map, given to him by his guardian Longclaw the Owl, which contains pictures of numerous worlds. Most of the symbols are easter eggs, including the Master Emerald, and a Sega Saturn logo, but there may be more meaning behind them.
Travelling to Sonic’s world and beyond is an absolute must. Whether it be called Mobius or something else, visiting Sonic’s home would be a riveting experience. Visiting recognisable locations from the games beyond Green Hill Zone would be the perfect set up for the sequel. But, what other worlds lie beyond Earth, Mobius, and the mushroom world? And who could possibly be living in these realms?
06. Part of A Bigger Universe
Cinematic universes are all the rage these days, but no one has tried one based on video games. What if Paramount purchased film rights to Sega’s entire game catalogue with plans to create a shared movie universe out of them? Most of Sega’s properties aren’t household names like Sonic, but the same could be said for Marvel’s prior to Iron Man launching the MCU to success. Films like Golden Axe, Ecco the Dolphin, Altered Beast, and Streets of Rage really aren’t that hard to imagine.
Sega has expressed interest in getting their games transformed into movies, perhaps even hinting at it with that MCU-style title screen at the beginning of the movie. Whatever the case, a Sega cinematic universe would be more than welcome!
What would you like to see if Sonic the Hedgehog gets a sequel? Would you want to see more movies, or films based on other Sega properties? Are chili dogs their own food group? Leave a comment below, or on our Twitter feed.
