How Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Sets Up the Sequel

Those who watched Sonic the Hedgehog 2 this weekend or plan to do so soon and can't wait for more Sonic are in luck: Paramount already announced that it's working on Sonic the Hedgehog 3. And just as we saw after the first Sonic the Hedgehog, this latest movie has a pretty clear setup for what's coming next as far as new characters and alliances are concerned, though there are still some lingering questions that might not be answered until Sonic 3 is out.

Spoiler Warning: The rest of this discussion contains heavy spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Sonic's big moment in the new Sonic the Hedgehog 2 film came from his final fight against Dr. Robotnik. Able to harness the power of the Master Emerald, Sonic went Super Sonic and finished the fight with ease. He didn't retain that power afterwards, however, so it looks like Sonic may not have that power easily accessible to him in the next movie. It'd make sense of course to hang onto it in case of any future threats, but that would trivialize most encounters, so as far as the storyline is concerned, it makes more sense that he can't go Super Sonic whenever he wants.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails form an alliance at the end of the movie to protect the Emerald and Earth, so we can only imagine we'll see their relationship go stronger by the time the next movie comes out. All the human characters are accounted for, too, so that covers the good guys, but what about the villains?

The post-credits scene from the first Sonic movie set up another appearance from the Sonic universe via the introduction of Tails, but the post-credits scene in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 carries much more weight in terms of setting up the next movie overall. It shows Shadow the Hedgehog waking up in a lab, and even if you don't know anything about Shadow, the black and red color scheme and the way the shot's put together is a dead giveaway that he'll be a villain in Sonic 3.

So, where does that leave Jim Carrey's Robotnik? He was never located at the end of the new movie which, in movie logic, means he's definitely still alive after the fight. That'd normally mean that he's going to return in the next film, but some recent developments may have complicated that theory after Carrey said he may be done acting. Adding to that, those in charge of the Sonic movies said they wouldn't think of recasting Carrey, so no more Carrey means no more Robotnik.

Shadow is connected to the Robotnik family as far as the lore is concerned, so in that sense, Shadow would need Robotnik in some capacity to make his inclusion work. Assuming Carrey is indeed in the next film as Robotnik once more, Shadow isn't really the "team-up" kind of character, and it seems unlikely the movie would take that route again after the Robotnik-Knuckles combo, so some questions still remain.

No release date has been announced yet for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but the second one came out around two years after the first, so that's all we have to go off of until Paramount starts up its announcements and teasers again for the next film.