Warning: spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s ending are in play. If you haven’t seen the film yet, speed on out of here and to another corner of CinemaBlend that’s less spoiler-y.
With great speed and great power, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 dominated the field of upcoming movies that debuted last weekend. It was a pretty decisive victory too, with this super sonic sequel scoring $72 million in its domestic opening. That means a lot of people have seen Ben Schwartz’s blue blur return to theaters, and it’s time to talk about how the ending could power up the Sonic franchise’s future.
If you haven’t seen this movie just yet, no worries. You can jump out at this point, and come back once you’ve enjoyed Paramount’s big ticket follow-up. We even have our official Sonic 2 review you can read, in order to learn more without spoilers. With that warning out of the way, let’s spin charge into how Sonic and Tails saved the day, and what secrets have been uncovered in the process.
What Happened At The End Of Sonic The Hedgehog 2?
After tricking Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) into harboring a grudge against Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz), Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) got his hands on the Master Emerald. A source of unlimited power, the Emerald can bring anything a person thinks of into reality. For Robotnik, that means the powers of a demi-god allow him to cause a ton of damage, as well as creating what looks like a replica of the Death Egg Robot from Sonic 2’s video game namesake.
Teaming up with new friends Knuckles and Miles “Tails” Prower (Colleen O’Shaughnessy), the three heroes fight on the ground and in the air to try and bring down Robotnik’s killer mech. It looks like all is lost for a moment, as Sonic is eventually weakened and the Master Emerald shatters. Upon releasing the seven Chaos Emeralds forged into that former shell, a new fighting force makes its way to Earth: Super Sonic.
Powered by the emeralds, Super Sonic brings down the Death Egg Robot, before releasing the Chaos Emeralds. Knuckles reforges them into the Master Emerald, and joins Sonic and Tails as guardians of its power. Technically, it’s a happy ending; but there’s much more to discuss for the future.
How Sonic The Hedgehog Met Miles “Tails” Prower
Unlike the video games, which randomly introduced Miles “Tails” Prower into the universe without a backstory, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 actually gives us a full Tails experience. As it turns out, Sonic’s big run around the baseball diamond in Green Hills, Montana during the first Sonic movie was felt pretty far out. Through his technical prowess, Tails actually picked up on the power signature in another dimension.
As we saw at the end of 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles Prower came to Earth to look for Sonic, who he regards to be a hero. By the time he helps Sonic track down the Master Emerald, and engages in an Avengers-style team up with both his new friend and Knuckles, a friendship has been forged. Which happened at the right time, as the threat suggested in Sonic 2’s mid-credits sequence is another fan favorite.
A Future In The Shadows
As the fine folks of the Guardian Units of Nations, or G.U.N. for short, are sifting through the rubble of Dr. Robotnik’s moment of terror, Agent Stone sneaks away in disguise. As Robotnik has disappeared without a trace, the hunt is on for this nefarious villain. This happens at around the same point that G.U.N. discovers that a 50 year old secret has been uncovered.
Named “Project Shadow,” a long buried file with the top secret location of a research facility is now in the open. That facility is the home to the threat that most Sonic fans, and even Tails voice actor Colleen O’Shaughnessy herself, had a hunch was waiting on the horizon. Shadow the Hedgehog is here, he’s the key to a lot of other elements that can be plucked from the Sega games canon.
Why G.U.N. Could Be Really Important To The Sonic Future
G.U.N. ties directly into Shadow the Hedgehog’s backstory in the Sonic games. However, through Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s lore expansion, the organization is now baked into the fabric of the entire cinematic franchise from square one. Apparently, Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) refusing that Olive Garden gift card from Commander Walters (Tom Butler) was only the beginning.
As stated in Sonic 2, G.U.N. is behind “Project Shadow,” which stretches back for 50 years of clandestine history. Should the team behind the franchise take their cues from Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog, G.U.N. is going to be important in explaining the origins of Shadow and his connections to the legacy of the Robotnik family. Even worse, there may be an even greater extraterrestrial threat we might see emerging on Earth, and the Guardian Units of Nations will be vital to fighting off any potential enemies from beyond the stars.
Friendship wins at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with a new trio of heroes ready to play some ball and eat some grapes. How long those sunny and carefree days will last depends on how fast the in-development Sonic sequel and spin-off series take to get into the air. Whatever comes next, there’s 30 years of history that can be mined for more adventure and fast-paced humor for some time to come.
You can currently catch this new chapter of the Sega saga in theaters, should you have read through this spoilery rundown without having actually seen the movie. Trust us, there’s plenty more where this came from. Though if you’re looking to refresh your memory before heading out to the theater, Paramount+ has Sonic the Hedgehog streaming, at the time of this writing. It’s a history lesson that’ll definitely come in handy.
