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This character exists primarily or exclusively within the Sonic the Hedgehog (film series) continuity.
Information in this article may not be canonical to the storyline of the games or any other Sonic continuity.
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When we're done, there won't be anything left.


— Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (film)

Shadow the Hedgehog is a character that is set to appear in the upcoming film Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He is an anthropomorphic hedgehog related to a secret government experiment called Project Shadow over fifty years prior to Dr. Ivo Robotnik's return from the Mushroom Planet.

Appearance[]

SM3Trailer ShadowAwakens

Shadow's eyes, from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (film).

Shadow is a black-furred anthropomorphic hedgehog. He has red eyes, a patch of white fur on his chest, a black nose, a tan muzzle, and small, triangular ears with tan canals. He has seven quills on the back of his head, four curving upwards and three downwards, and a short, pointy tail. Red stripes adorn the tops of each quill, the edges of his eyes, and extend down the sides of all four limbs from the elbows and knees.

For attire, Shadow wears white gloves with black cuffs and red tongues; red, white, and black shoes, which, like his gloves, have black cuffs and red tongues; and gold rings, one on each of his wrists and ankles.

History[]

Past[]

Sonic 2 movie - Shadow capsule

Shadow's pod being reactivated, from the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (film).

Over fifty years ago, Shadow was related to a secret experiment dubbed Project Shadow. He was eventually put into stasis and hidden away in a black site research facility.

Not much else is currently known about Shadow's origin and backstory, but Commander Walters has compared it to Sonic's own upbringing. He describes it as the exact opposite to Sonic's, explaining that Shadow found loss and pain in contrast to Sonic finding friends and family while on Earth.

Film series[]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2[]

50 years later, under unknown circumstances, Shadow's pod was reactivated in his facility, allowing the hedgehog to awaken from his stasis.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3[]

Shadow is shown fighting Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.

Game appearances[]

Shadow Generations[]

ShadowGenerationsParamountShadowSkin

Shadow the Hedgehog, from Shadow Generations.

In Shadow Generations, Shadow is set to appear as a downloadable skin for his game counterpart, as part of the "Sonic Movie 3 Level Pack", on December 12 to promote the upcoming film Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Upon selecting the skin, he is voiced by Keanu Reeves instead of Kirk Thornton.

The Level Pack is going to be part of the story, with Shadow getting to the movie universe by a Giant Ring, waking up in the body of his movie counterpart, in the time when he originally encountered Team Sonic, but with the consciousness of his game counterpart.

Powers and abilities[]

SM3Trailer Shadow skate on water

Shadow utilizing his Air Shoes to skate, from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (film).

Shadow is capable of harnessing Chaos energy, enabling him to generate and control golden-orange electrical energy, as evidenced by his eyes flashing with bright lightning.

As revealed in the August trailer, Shadow has the ability to teleport and is shown to be much stronger than Sonic by breaking Knuckles' wrist with ease.

Equipment[]

Shadow can achieve flight and skate across water by utilizing his Air Shoes. Shadow is also seen riding on a GUN motorcycle.

Relationships[]

Friends/allies[]

Enemies[]

Trivia[]

Paramountshadow
SM2 SuperBurns

Comparison between Shadow the Hedgehog's remodel and the original Super Sonic model.

  • Shadow's model in the second movie was actually the model for Super Sonic with the colors changed. This was used because there wasn't time to make an actual model for Shadow.[6]
  • Just like Knuckles, Italian is the only language where Shadow shares his voice actor with his video game counterpart.
  • Much like Tails in the previous film, Shadow's appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is in a mid-credits' stinger, foreshadowing his role in the next movie.
  • In the final episode of Knuckles, Shadow is possibly alluded to by Dylan, as he states a mysterious extraterrestrial visited a bowling championship in 1974, who is not a red one. If the events of the show are assumed to take place in 2024, the year of its release, then 1974 would be exactly 50 years prior.[7]
    • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 would later be confirmed to take place in 2024, as in the scene where Shadow is fighting Team Sonic in Tokyo, if one looks closely, there is a sign that says "2024."
  • Jeff Fowler, the director of the Sonic the Hedgehog film series, previously had experience with Shadow's mainstream counterpart as he directed the CGI cutscenes of the 2005 game.
    • He would also later post a post on Twitter on 27 August 2024 (the same day as the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 official trailer), about that he had experience animating Shadow the Hedgehog, and that it's an honor bringing him to the big screen.[8]
  • Despite not having his design for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 fully revealed at the time, multiple toys and figures for the film showcasing Shadow were released prior to his official reveal.[9]
  • He is the first Sonic the Hedgehog character who appeared in the film series to have his voice actor (Keanu Reeves) in his game appearance.

See also[]

References[]

  1. Couch, Aaron (15 April 2024). Keanu Reeves Joins 'Sonic 3' as Shadow. Retrieved on 15 April 2024.
  2. paramountpicturesitalia on Instagram (Italian) (17 September 2024).
  3. Stolarz, Kuba (27 August 2024). „Sonic 3: Szybki jak błyskawica”: Keanu Reeves jako Shadow na pierwszym zwiastunie (Polish). CD-Action. Retrieved on 28 August 2024.
  4. Bellido, Ayax (27 August 2024). Estos son los actores que darán voz a los personajes en el doblaje latino de Sonic 3 La Película (Spanish). 3DJuegos LATAM. Retrieved on 28 August 2024.
  5. Danesi, Victor (27 August 2024). O Shadow! Novo trailer de Sonic 3 apresenta aguardado personagem da franquia (Portuguese). Observatório de Games. Retrieved on 28 August 2024.
  6. Games Cage (8 April 2022). SONIC MOVIE 2 - FULL SPOILER REVIEW.. YouTube. Retrieved on 5 February 2024.
  7. Ulatowski, Rachel (4 May 2024). Shadow's Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Movie Introduction Scene Hyped By Ben Schwartz. ScreenRant. Retrieved on 7 June 2024.
  8. Jeff Fowler (@fowltown) on X. X (27 August 2024). Retrieved on 2 September 2024. "One of my first jobs in the VFX industry was animating this amazing character for his first #SEGA standalone video game. Twenty years later, I could not feel more HONORED to bring SHADOW to the big screen in #SonicMovie3 ❤️🙏🖤"
  9. Sonic 3 Movie - 5in Figure - Walmart.com. Retrieved on 24 August 2024.
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