Sonic the Hedgehog has been a much bigger success than many expected, with the family film dominating the weekend box two weeks in a row. On top of being a financial success, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie has even earned a decent critical reaction and has been well-received by fans of the franchise. However, some fans expressed disappointment that some of their favorite characters didn't make the cut, like Knuckles the Echidna.
Knuckles isn't in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, but the film still has a connection to him. Speaking to ComicBook, Sonic the Hedgehog movie director Jeff Fowler confirmed what many had expected, that the villains at the beginning of the movie were echidnas. "We needed basically some bad guys that weren't going to have a big role in the movie, but we wanted it to feel like canon," he explained. The villains wore masks that hid most of their facial features, which is why some fans weren't completely positive that they were the same species as Knuckles.
It's unclear if Knuckles will appear in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie sequel, but this plot line definitely leaves the door open. It's possible that Knuckles will be introduced as an antagonist tricked by Dr. Robotnik, which was the storyline of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It's also possible that the film franchise will go in a completely different direction when it comes to introducing characters like Knuckles, but fans will just have to stay tuned to find out.
Please note that the rest of this article will have spoilers for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
When explaining why Knuckles wasn't in Sonic the Hedgehog, Fowler noted that the filmmakers wanted to focus on the story of the original game and establishing both Sonic and Robotnik with the audience. It's possible then that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will focus on the Sega Genesis game of the same name, meaning that it would involve Sonic and Tails teaming up to stop Dr. Robotnik and his "Death Egg" space station.
Tails was in the Sonic the Hedgehog after-credits scene, so it's a safe bet that he will be in the new movie, at the very least. It's also possible that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will feature other franchise elements that were left out of the original, like Super Sonic and the Chaos Emeralds, but that remains to be seen.
Sonic the Hedgehog is still enjoying box office success and the sequel film is likely years away. It will be interesting to see what direction the filmmakers go with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and if it will introduce Knuckles or hold off on introducing him until a possible third film.
Sonic the Hedgehog is in theaters now.
Source: ComicBook