Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Sonic the Hedgehog 3!Sonic the Hedgehog 3 changes the origin of Shadow from the video games. The story of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 begins with Shadow, who wakes up for the first time in 50 years on Prison Island, in Tokyo Bay, Japan. After Shadow's escape, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are recruited by the Guardian Nations Units (GUN) to help fight it. it. Team Sonic heads to Tokyo, but Shadow the Hedgehog defeats the three with ease. This leads Sonic, Tails and Knuckles to work with Ivo Robotnik, the main villain of the first two Sonic films.
Ivo eventually betrays Team Sonic to join forces with his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik. Gerald Robotnik is an important figure in Shadow's origin both in the film and in the video games. At the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 3Gerald appears as the main villain of the film, as he is determined to destroy the Earth. Both Shadow and Ivo sacrifice their lives to stop Gerald from killing all of humanity. While Shadow apparently dies on the space station at the end of the film, the second post-credits scene in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 reveals that Shadow is still alive.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 confirms that Shadow is an alien – just like Sonic
Shadow Crash landed on Earth 50 years before Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 reveals that Shadow crash-landed on Earth on an asteroid 50 years ago. This means that he arrived on Earth in the mid-1970s. This confirms that Shadow is an alien in Sonic filmsjust like the titular hedgehog. However, Shadow and Sonic arrive on Earth in drastically different ways. While Longclaw transported Sonic to Earth using a gold ring, Shadow plummeted to Earth's surface on an asteroid. Why Shadow crash-landed on Earth and what planet he came from is not revealed in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
After crash-landing on Earth, Shadow was kept in a GUN base so experiments could be performed on him. GUN scientists, led by Gerald Robotnik, believed that Shadow's powers could allow humanity to flourish. While at the GUN base, Shadow formed a special bond with Maria, Gerald's granddaughter. One night, as they tried to escape, a GUN agent triggered an explosion that led to Maria's death. Shadow was captured once again and placed in the test tube, where he was trapped for 50 years. When he woke up, he swore revenge for Maria's death.
Shadow is a creation of Gerald Robotnik in the video games
Gerald created Shadow to save Maria's life in the Sonic video games
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 changes Shadow's origin from the video games, but characters like Maria and Gerald Robotnik are still central to his origin. Instead of crash-landing on Earth, Shadow was created by Gerald Robotnik in the video games. This means that Shadow is not technically an alien in the games, but rather a man-made creation. In the games, Shadow grew up on the ARK Space Colony and spent all his time with Maria there instead of at the GUN base on Earth.
Gerald Robotnik created Shadow to save his granddaughter.
Another big difference is that Maria suffered from a rare terminal illness in video games. Therefore, Gerald Robotnik created Shadow to save his granddaughter. Shadow was designed to be the ultimate life form. He was created as part of the secretive Project Shadow, whose goal was to achieve immortality. However, GUN ultimately decided to cover up Project Shadow and infiltrated ARK, leading to Maria's death and Gerald's arrest and execution. Meanwhile, Shadow was placed in prison island status, just as he was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 still keeps Shadow's origin story similar despite the change
Shadow is still connected to Maria and Gerald in Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Shadow's main origin story beats are the same in both Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and video games. Shadow is still an extremely powerful being, with a close connection to Maria and Gerald. However, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 changes specific details of Shadow's origin. Making Shadow an alien means he's more like Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. However, It's still unclear exactly what Shadow's home planet is.. This is something that could be explored in future films.
In addition to making him an alien, not causing Maria a terminal illness was the other big change Sonic 3 made for Shadow's origin. Maria was completely healthy in the film and could have lived a long and happy life. This gives Shadow a reason to be even more upset with GUN for causing his death in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. While none of his villainous actions are justified in the film, it's understandable why Shadow wants revenge on GUN in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Shadow is already so far from his home, and GUN took away the only person he truly cared about.
What Shadow's New Origin Means for His Future in the Sonic Film Franchise
Shadow will likely return in a future Sonic movie
Even though it looked like he died on the space station at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 3the film's second post-credits scene revealed that the ultra-powerful hedgehog survived the events of the film. The post-credits scene shows Shadow's feet as he bends down to pick up the ring he lost at the beginning of the film. The ring will return Shadow to his previous power level. After this scene, It's a certainty that Shadow will return at any time. Sonic the Hedgehog 4another future Sonic film, or possibly a spinoff project focused on the character.
Future Sonic movies could show Shadow continuing to accept Maria's deathand set him on the path to becoming a hero instead of the villain he was for most of that time. Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Shadow could even join characters like Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose, who appeared in Sonic 3 first post-credits scene. Knuckles is now part of the team after being a villain in the second film, so it wouldn't be surprising if Shadow became a hero after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.