Warning: spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are in play.
The competition surrounding the final 2024 movies on the calendar has gotten pretty intense this week. Even if you focused on the box-office battle between Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King, that dance seems to be getting a bit more intense on a daily basis.
While we know that the Disney prequel leads to one of the most heart-wrenching deaths in animated history, Sonic 3 has its fair share of supposed scrapes with mortality. One of which may not be as bad as I had thought, after seeing the film a second time.
What Happened To Commander Walters In Sonic 3, And What The Writers Had To Say
Over the weekend, I decided to check out Sonic 3’s 4DX adventure. That hype came after speaking with writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who've penned the Blue Blur’s box office bonanzas since 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog.
They were also my virtual guests during a press day for their three-quel, and that was when I'd asked we supposedly see G.U.N. Commander Walters (Tom Butler) taken out in a drone attack. Co-writer Josh Miller’s answer to that question was quite the tease, as he offered CinemaBlend this:
He could not be dead. They just sort of imply he is, but he might have been hurt really bad.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s ending left us all hanging on the hook, with the introduction of Shadow. But apparently, as Miller further clarified in his remarks, that fact meant that Tom Butler’s franchise fixture needed to return now more than ever. As good Commander was the first person to tell us about Project Shadow, and Walters' role in that organization, a bit of retconning was required.
According to further details from Josh Miller, both the present and past (James Wolk) incarnation of this military man suggested that G.U.N. had existed for some time - instead of supposedly springing up as a result of Sonic the Hedgehog. Further backing Mr. Miller's comments to CinemaBlend, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 shared this additional story note that ties it all together:
It gave us the storytelling device that allowed him to tell a version of the Shadow origin story right up top, that then we fill in more later as Shadow remembers it. [It] also gave a great opportunity for Shadow. Walters is the last thing he sees as the Tube is filling up, which prompts Shadow to lay the smack down.
While Sonic 3’s ending teases towards some other, bigger implications, Commander Walters’ status is still a bit up in the air. And after seeing the latest adventure of Team Sonic a second time, there’s some truth to Josh Miller’s potentially half-joking statement.
The Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Clues That Seem To Support Commander Walters’ Survival
The first thing I noticed when revisiting Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was in the scene where Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter) is searching for Commander Walters’ key to the Eclipse Cannon. One of the G.U.N. personnel in that same scene tells us a medivac chopper has been sent to recover Walters. That right there doesn’t seem to suggest mortality, as you don’t medivac a dead body.
As for the second piece of dialogue that leaves this death further in doubt, when Tom (James Marsden) tricks Director Rockwell in disguise. Using Walters as the form to dupe her, she is surprised to see him alive.
However, that rouse is never unmasked, and Rockwell is left to think that Walters is potentially alive. In a flick where we saw Tom take a power punch from Shadow the Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves) and live to tell the tale, that just might be the truth.
Maybe an eventual deleted scene, or shared draft of the script will tell us something different about where Sonic the Hedgehog 3 leaves Commander Walters. For now though, you can see the latest installment in theaters, before or after you catch the first two Sonic movies and the Knuckles series through your Paramount+ subscription!
