Shadow the Hedgehog’s debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is an exciting addition to the film series, but his introduction needs to avoid starting a repetitive franchise trend from the games. As revealed in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 post-credits scene, Shadow will be the main focus of the next film in the franchise. Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s story is expected to center around the Ultimate Lifeform, whose awakening and expected team-up with Dr. Robotnik will result in Sonic and friends’ toughest enemy so far.

There’s plenty of potential for the new hedgehog, who will be voiced by Keanu Reeves when brought onto the big screen. The end of Knuckles also hinted at part of his story, wherein Shadow might be a mysterious bowling alley alien that appeared in Reno, Nevada in 1974. With plenty of ways Shadow’s story can develop, his presence in the movie universe will add new layers of storytelling. However, his existence must also avoid setting a repetitive franchise trend that he became part of.

Future Sonic Movies Can’t Keep Introducing New Sonic Clones After Shadow

Too Many Sonic Clones Will Be Too Monotonous

Shadow isn’t the only new hedgehog in the video games, with many of Sonic’s memorable villains being clones of him in either look or personality. His first lookalike opponent was Metal Sonic in 1993’s Sonic CD, an upgraded Badnik made by Dr. Robotnik to rival Sonic’s speed and power in every way. Since then, there have been a multitude of other characters that share Sonic’s looks who have contended with him over the years. Shadow is one of these characters, albeit one of the first and most popular of the various hedgehogs Sonic has faced.

Although a number of recognizable characters are Sonic clones, the movie universe should try to avoid introducing new ones too quickly after Shadow’s debut. While the popularity of characters like Metal Sonic mean they’re inevitably going to be in the movies, staggering their introductions can help the movies feel less repetitive every time a new rival or enemy shows up. Because the movie series has only just scratched the surface regarding Sonic the Hedgehog‘s lore, there are still plenty of interesting, Sonic-like characters that can show up in the future.

Which Other Sonic Clones Future Movies Can Introduce

Sonic Has Plenty Of Similar Friends & Enemies

Beyond Metal Sonic, there are a multitude of Sonic-like characters that can become part of the movie universe. One key possibility is Silver, a hedgehog from the future who wrongly believes Sonic is the Iblis Trigger, responsible for awakening the titular fire demon and causing the apocalypse. Iblis briefly appeared in Knuckles, making this a real possibility sometime down the road. He’s also connected to Mephiles the Dark, a being that takes the form of Shadow’s shadow and acts as a major antagonist for the Ultimate Lifeform.

Other Sonic-like characters are those who share his confidence or sense of justice. Jet the Hawk is often portrayed as having a similar headstrong personality as the Blue Blur, albeit with a more defined mean streak. Another character that could be considered a Sonic clone is Blaze the Cat. She acts as the core hero of her Sol Dimension, utilizing her realm’s Sol Emeralds in much the same way Sonic uses Chaos Emeralds. Either of them could introduce new dynamics to any upcoming projects.

Despite how much potential Sonic clones have for future stories in the movies, their appearances can’t risk repetition. While Shadow’s debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the perfect introduction to Sonic-like characters, it could start a worrying pattern that might make the movie universe stale. However, with decades of stories and types of media to pull from, the movie universe likely won’t suffer from spacing out characters that are similar to its titular hero.