Due to Jim Carrey, who portrayed evil Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, potentially retiring soon, the theory that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 may involve Metal Sonic has become more important. Given the popularity of the Sonic live-action movie franchise, Sonic 2 has already set up Sonic 3. However, the future of the franchise was complicated when Carrey announced that he planned to retire from acting. Fortunately, Sonic 2 foreshadowed the rise of two new villains in Sonic 3: Shadow the Hedgehog and Metal Sonic.
While Shadow is the more obvious villain, due to appearing in Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s mid-credits scene, the Sonic series has also been subtly hinting that Metal Sonic may appear in Sonic 3. Created by Dr. Robotnik, Metal Sonic was an evil robot modeled after the hero he was built to destroy. Given Dr. Robotnik’s desire to harness Sonic’s power for his own use, it makes sense that he would want to build a robot that could copy Sonic. In addition, the Sonic films have mainly been taking inspiration from three video games, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic & Knuckles. If Sonic the Hedgehog 3 continues to pull from this era, the only video game left is Sonic CD, which included Metal Sonic’s debut.
However, that game also featured female hedgehog Amy Rose for the first time. Given that there have already been rumors about Amy Rose joining the Sonic movies, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 could easily introduce her and Metal Sonic at the same time. Without Carrey to portray Sonic’s arch-nemesis Eggman, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will need another villain that is just as, if not more, dangerous. While Shadow could potentially fill this role, it seems likely that Sonic 3 will include a second antagonist as well. Based on earlier events and clues in the Sonic franchise, Metal Sonic would be the ideal villain, allowing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to explore Dr. Robotnik’s legacy and feature a powerful enemy.
Although Dr. Robotnik may not appear in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the threequel could deal with the consequences of his actions to maintain the story arc of the trilogy. The Sonic the Hedgehog 2 mid-credits scene already set this up, explaining that G.U.N. agents discovered the coordinates to a secret lab containing Shadow in a database about Dr. Robotnik. In addition, the scene revealed that Dr. Robotnik’s loyal assistant, Agent Stone, had survived Sonic 2’s final battle and disguised himself as a G.U.N. agent. Since Metal Sonic was one of Dr. Robotnik’s greatest creations, it would make sense for Agent Stone to use Sonic’s quill to empower Metal Sonic and take revenge against the hedgehog. In this way, Metal Sonic would not only be a part of Dr. Robotnik’s legacy, but also symbolically realize his ambition of claiming Sonic’s power for himself.
Additionally, if Sonic the Hedgehog 3 cannot include Dr. Robotnik, it will need another dangerous, interesting villain to replace him. As a complex character and one of Sonic’s greatest rivals, Shadow the Hedgehog seems like the clear choice and will likely drive much of the conflict in Sonic 3. However, Shadow often turns good and joins Sonic at the end of video games, suggesting he will do the same in Sonic 3. In contrast, Metal Sonic’s only goal is to prove his superiority to Sonic by eliminating him. Due to this, it has taken entire teams of heroes to defeat him before, making him one of Sonic’s most challenging enemies. If Shadow does ultimately become good, he could join the heroes to fight against Metal Sonic in a perfect Sonic the Hedgehog 3 twist.