Sonic the Hedgehog's ending sets up an even faster future
Sonic the Hedgehog is a much weirder movie than you might expect. Here's how the ending changes what we know about the character.
One of the most surprising things about Paramount Pictures' Sonic the Hedgehog is that it's already one of the best superhero movies of 2020, but equally as surprising is how the ending will leave Sonic fans new and old eager for what might happen next in this exciting new cinematic universe.
Sonic the Hedgehog follows a humanoid blue alien hedgehog with superspeed who winds up on Earth via some magical teleportation rings after a devastating event occurs on his home planet. He spends years hiding out in the woods surrounding the small town of Green Hills before he's drawn into conflict with Dr. Ivo Robotnik, who wants to harness Sonic's energy to power an army of drones and other robots.
Can Sonic harness the power of friendship and superspeed to win the day?
Spoilers follow for Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sonic spends years stalking Tom before the two ever meet.
With the help of a good-natured local cop named Tom and his veterinarian wife Maddie, Sonic's able to defeat Robotnik, even after the mad scientist uses one of Sonic's supercharged quills to power a small fighter jet with lasers for an explosive final battle.
Sonic began the movie as something of an urban legend in Green Hills, labeled the "Blue Devil" by a townie that nobody believes anyway. But through this conflict, Sonic is thrust into the spotlight in a way that you can't really walk back from. He spends most of the movie on a road trip with Tom heading to San Francisco so he can recover his lost teleportation rings, coming up against Dr. Robotnik and the U.S. government several times over.
Not only is the U.S. government aware of Sonic's existence by the end of the film, but an explosive globe-trotting final fight sequence against Dr. Robotnik means that the whole knows that Sonic exists. San Francisco, Paris, Egypt — all of these places saw a lot of damage thanks to Robotnik, and Sonic emerged the hero. Even the local residents of Green Hills got a personal look directly at Sonic rather than a blue blur.
After Sonic uses a ring to banish Robotnik to an alien world, he takes up residence in Tom and Maddie's attic loft, where the many toys and pieces of furniture from his private cave have been moved. Almost like how Transformers learned to live alongside human, Sonic becomes an alien companion that lives with his new human friends indefinitely.
If a Sonic the Hedgehog sequel happens, then this strange new nuclear family will have to be at the focus of it, especially because the post-credits sequence features a familiar character from the Sonic games in a way that can open up this whole universe. Tom and Maddie will have to return to help Sonic out on a new adventure as we learn more about his origins. And inevitably, Dr. Robotnik will also come back to seek his own revenge.
We know Sonic can run really fast, but just how fast can Paramount Pictures develop the sequel?
Sonic the Hedgehog is now in theaters.
