A new trailer for Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has been released teasing a rivalry between the titular hedgehog and Knuckles similar to the one between heroes in Batman v Superman, but with the opportunity to do it better. The rivalry between Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) and Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Idris Elba) has already been set up in the marketing. However, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has the opportunity to have a better story than the DC film, which was needlessly complex and convoluted thanks to its villain plot and overstuffed narrative.
In the new trailer for Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Sonic is still as enthusiastic and hyper as ever while trying to make the world a better place. However, his friend Tom (James Marsden) encourages him to be careful as Sonic has become been reckless while "pretending to be Batman," reminding him that he's still just a kid. As a result, it seems as though Sonic is in for a rude awakening when he comes across new threats which rival his power and speed. Not only has Jim Carrey's Doctor Robotnik, a.k.a. Eggman returned, but he's discovered a new source of power in the form of the Master Emerald, a valuable MacGuffin from the Sonic games and comics that has long been protected by a clan of echidnas. such as Knuckles.
Assuming that Knuckles is the current guardian of the Master Emerald as he is in the pre-existing canon, it would make sense that he'd be against Doctor Robotnik who no doubt wants the power for himself. However, Knuckles has a history of being tricked by Eggman from time to time, being manipulated into seeing Sonic as a threat instead of an ally. Seeing as how Robotnik introduces Knuckles to Sonic after the hedgehog took a major hit from the incredibly strong echidna, it looks as though Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will be following a similar arc, setting up a story like Batman v Superman. There's an existing vigilante character on Earth who wants to be Batman (Sonic), a strong rival from another world like Superman (Knuckles), and a master manipulator to orchestrate their brawl like Lex Luthor (Eggman). Still, Sonic 2 can succeed where Batman v Superman failed, seeing as how the overall plot and Luthor's master plan were incredibly complex but also illogical at times. Furthermore, Batman v Superman was too focused on the Dawn of Justice part of the title, creating the larger DCEU when it should have focused on just Batman and Superman's fight and later team-up. It's something that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 can improve upon in its own enemies-turned-allies arc.
Being more family-friendly fare than Batman v Superman, Sonic 2 can provide an easy-to-grasp plot as well as a scheme from Doctor Eggman that won't be hard for audiences to understand. While Lex Luthor's DCEU plan wasn't done any favors by the cuts director Zack Snyder was forced to make for the theatrical release of Batman v Superman, its needlessly convoluted layers resulted in the relatively simple goal of making Batman and Superman rivals (especially considering Bruce Wayne already saw Superman as a threat before Luthor even did anything). In contrast, Robotnik can convince Knuckles that Sonic is the true threat in a much simpler fashion.
While it helps that there likely won't be any kind of large expectation for an equally complex plot, Sonic 2 has the opportunity to be better as many will no doubt compare it to Batman v Superman all the same. Case in point, Japan has even retitled the film Sonic vs Knuckles. A simpler villain scheme and keeping the focus on the rivalry at hand can allow more time for the heroes to fight and later shine as allies when Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hits theaters.
