The Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise has made quite a few changes to the original source material, but most fans seem happy with the adaptation. As they continue to add fan-favorite concepts from the games into the evolving cinematic universe, they may have to make more changes to keep the new continuity cohesive.
Fans of the beloved Sonic franchise have a long list of characters, locations, concepts, and events that they can't wait to see on the big screen. Luckily, one of the most popular requests was confirmed by the mid-credits scene of the second film, leaving most fans on the edges of their seats for the two-year gap between films.
Shadow the Hedgehog will be joining the Sonic the Hedgehog movie franchise with the third film when it drops in December 2024. One of Sonic's most powerful enemies and allies, Shadow is a huge addition to the franchise that will really shake up the canon. The first film had no trouble selling itself as the first big-screen adaptation of one of the most beloved game franchises of all time. The sequel was an explosive event with its grand reveals of Tails and Knuckles. The conclusion of the trilogy had a lot to top, but, with its mid-credit reveal, it pulled one of the biggest cards the franchise still has to play. But, there's still a lot to ask about how the film franchise could handle this character that has had so many different iterations over the years.
Shadow the Hedgehog was introduced in 2001 in Sonic Adventure 2. His first appearance was also his gameplay debut, as that game was split into heroic and villainous chapters. Shadow was originally intended to appear only in that game, but the overwhelming fan response to the edgy black hedgehog ensured that he would be popping up often. By 2005, he got to lead his own self-titled spin-off game. He's the best of both worlds, exactly the kind of early-2000s "cool" that kept 12-year-olds of the era enraptured while also providing those who enjoy the series ironically something to have fun with. Shadow is a powerful antagonist, a rival to Sonic, and a dark anti-hero who was instantly beloved, but his backstory is a bit of a mess.
Around fifty years before the events of the game that introduced Shadow, a gifted genetic scientist called Professor Gerald Robotnik set to work creating new life. He set out to build the Ultimate Life Form, a being who would be immortal and invulnerable, more powerful than any being known to the universe. Thanks to the blood of a godlike alien being called Black Doom, Gerald succeeded and called his creation Shadow. The franchise includes no explanation as to why the fated deific being would take the form of a spiny mammal, but, for whatever reason, that's what Gerald made. Professor Robotnik's goal in creating Shadow was to use his immortal DNA as a basis for the cure for all diseases, specifically to sort the terminal case of his ailing granddaughter Maria. Shadow grew close with Maria, but, when G.U.N. forces discovered Shadow, they attempted to put him down. Maria was shot and killed defending him, while Shadow was captured and placed into permanent stasis. Gerald's grandson Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik found Shadow sometime later and set him to work taking over the world.
So that's Shadow's original background. He's a lab-grown organism with evil alien DNA as a backbone, turned away from his originally noble goal by the cruelty of mankind. Mad science has been fairly simple to the film franchise, but it's fair to assume that the Black Doom angle won't be necessary. Movie-universe Shadow can still be a science experiment, he can even still be built with a noble goal, but Maria's role in his story might not make the transition. Those who've seen the cutscenes of Shadow the Hedgehog saw a small blonde girl shot dead with a real gun. It's a bit out of place for a franchise otherwise about woodland creatures running fast and occasionally jumping at each other. Hollywood is pretty averse to child death, even in the more adult-oriented genres, suggesting that a kid-friendly franchise like Sonic might not have the guts.
The Sonic movies have all the pieces to put Shadow's backstory into the film unaltered, but it still may make some changes. The one scene of the character so far revealed only that Shadow is connected to Robotnik and that he's still referred to as Project Shadow. The films have done an interesting job of adapting bits and pieces of the games while still telling their own stories. It's fair to assume that the broad strokes of Shadow's creation story will be preserved with some fine details changed to fit the new tale. The source material has been well-handled so far, but it remains to be seen whether Sonic and Shadow will be taking on a giant alien brontosaurus on the big screen. Or whether kids will have to see a G.U.N. agent gun down a 9-year-old.