Sonic the Hedgehog 3was a critical and commercial success. The outstanding sequel exceeded its already high expectations, becoming the first Sonic movie to scorea Certified Fresh rating by critics at Rotten Tomatoes. It’s alsothe highest-grossing filmin the franchise to date, making$491 million at the worldwide box office. All accolades aside, the best might be yet to come with the already announcedSonic the Hedgehog 4.The mid-credits scene ofSonic 3had fans roaring in theaters and raring to go forSonic 4. The scene features the introduction of Amy Rose, a lady hedgehog who saves Sonic (Ben Schwartz) from a group of evil foes: Metal Sonic! However, that potentially creates a major problem forSonic 4, andit’s time to unpack a possible issue for the upcoming sequel.

An obvious problem here is that, despite introducing Metal Sonic, the mid-credits scene already shows that he is easily beaten. Amy Rose quickly rescues Sonic from a whole army of Metal Sonics. She takes out a large group with one heavy attack from her high-tech mallet, and then she scrubs off one more with a second hit. Sonic looks like he could have dealt with the first one who attacked him. If the plan is for Metal Sonic to be the villain in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, the mid-credits scene already exposes him as an easily dispatched threat.
It will be difficult for Metal Sonic to be a very compelling villain on his own now. Not to mention, the Robotniks are likely out of the picture after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Gerald Robotnik (Jim Carrey) disintegrated near the end of the movie, and it appears that Dr. Ivo Robotnik (also Carrey) perished with the destruction of the Eclipse Laser. That means Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will likely need another villain or mastermind to round things out, considering how Metal Sonic was already measured and defeated in the mid-credits sequence.
How ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’ Opens the Door to an Iconic Villain From the Games

One way to deal with the potential issue with Metal Sonic is to use an even more advanced, nefarious version of the character in Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Sonic 4 needs a bigger and badder villain to make up for Metal Sonic’s quick defeat at the hands of Sonic and Amy, namely, the upgraded version of Metal Sonic. We’re talking about Neo Metal Sonic, a far more formidable and powerful version of Metal Sonic, and he appears as the villain in the Sonic Heroes video game. Think Ultron from The Avengers or The Borg from Star Trek, but the Sonic the Hedgehog version.

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Sonic the Hedgehog 4 should use Neo Metal Sonic as the film’s villain. They can take some cues from the likes of Ultron and the Borg, where every time a version of Metal Sonic is defeated, the Metal Sonic computer program collects more data and learns from the defeat. That would make the villain an ultimate match for Team Sonic. Imagine if such a villain could tap into the power of the Master Emerald and become a Super Neo Metal Sonic, similar to Sonic and Shadow (Keanu Reeves), both of whom were able to go into Super Mode in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. That would make an already dangerous villain even more powerful. Neo Metal Sonic tapping into the power of the Master Emerald is also something that occurs in IDW Publishing’s Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, so it’s not an unprecedented idea.
Who Will be the Main Villain in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’?

Image via Paramount Pictures

A villain such as Neo Metal Sonic would be a great move for the franchise. It would provide a refreshing change of pace, utilize a popular villain from the game series, and offer an intense new challenge for Sonic and his allies. Even if this is not the end of Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the character could use a bit of a break right now, especially after how things ended for him in the last movie. Neo Metal Sonic is one of the few standalone villains the franchise could use from the games. However, part of Neo Metal Sonic’s backstory still has a Robotnik connection, so the character could still appear to some degree. That said, the plans for the villain in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 remain to be seen.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Release Date

December 20, 2024

Runtime

110 minutes

Director

Jeff Fowler

Writers

Josh Miller, Patrick Casey, John Whittington

Producers

Neal H. Moritz, Tim Miller, Toru Nakahara, Tommy Gormley, Toby Ascher, Haruki Satomi, Hitoshi Okuno, Yukio Sugino