Shadow the Hedgehog takes all three of them down with ease. This leads Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to work with Ivo Robotnik, the primary villain from the first two Sonic films.

Ivo eventually betrays Team Sonic to forces with his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik. Gerald Robotnik is an important figure in Shadow's origin in both the movie and the video games. By the post-credits scene in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 reveals that Shadow is actually still alive.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Confirms Shadow Is An Alien - Just Like Sonic

Shadow Crash-Landed On Earth 50 Years Before Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 reveals that Shadow crash-landed on Earth in an asteroid 50 years ago. This means that he arrived on Earth in the mid-1970s. This confirms that Shadow is an alien in the Sonic movies, just like the titular hedgehog. However, Shadow and Sonic arrive on Earth in drastically different ways. Whereas Longclaw transported Sonic to Earth using a golden ring, Shadow plummeted to Earth's surface in an asteroid. Why Shadow crash-landed on Earth and what planet he came from is not revealed in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

After crash-landing on Earth, Shadow was held in a GUN base so that experiments could be performed on him. The GUN scientists, led by Gerald Robotnik, believed Shadow's powers could allow humanity to flourish. While at the GUN base, Shadow formed a special bond with Maria, Gerald's granddaughter. One night when they were trying to escape, a GUN agent set off an explosion that led to the death of Maria. Shadow was captured once again and put into the test tube, which he was trapped in for 50 years. Upon waking up, he vowed to get revenge for Maria's death.

Shadow Is A Creation Of Gerald Robotnik's In The Video Games

Gerald Created Shadow To Save Maria's Life In The Sonic Video Games

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 changes Shadow's origin from the video games, but characters like Maria and Gerald Robotnik are still central to his origin. Instead of crash-landing on Earth, Shadow was created by Gerald Robotnik in the video games. This means that Shadow is technically not an alien in the games, and is instead a man-made creation. In the games, Shadow grew up on the Space Colony ARK and spent all his time with Maria there, instead of in the GUN base on Earth.

Gerald Robotnik created Shadow in order to save his granddaughter.

Another major difference is that Maria suffered from a rare terminal disease in the video games. Therefore, Gerald Robotnik created Shadow in order to save his granddaughter. Shadow was designed to be the ultimate life form. He was created as part of the secretive Project Shadow, the goal of which was to achieve immortality. However, GUN eventually decided to cover up Project Shadow and infiltrated the ARK, leading to the death of Maria and the arrest and execution of Gerald. Shadow, meanwhile, was put into statis on Prison Island, just like he was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Still Keeps Shadow's Origin Story Similar Despite The Change

Shadow Is Still Connected To Maria And Gerald In Sonic The Hedgehog 3

The main story beats of Shadow's origin are the same in both Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the video games. Shadow is still an extremely powerful being with a close connection to both Maria and Gerald. However, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 changes specific details of Shadow's origin. Making Shadow an alien means he's more similar to Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. However, it is still unclear exactly what Shadow's home planet is. This is something that could be explored in future movies.

Besides making him an alien, not giving Maria a terminal illness was the other major change Sonic 3 made to Shadow's origin. Maria was completely healthy in the movie, and could have had a long, happy life. This gives Shadow a reason to be even more upset at GUN for causing her death in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. While none of his villainous actions are justified in the movie, it is understandable why Shadow wants revenge against GUN in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Shadow is already so far away from his home, and GUN took away the only person that he truly cared about.

What Shadow's New Origin Means For His Future In The Sonic Movie Franchise

Shadow Will Likely Return In A Future Sonic Movie

Even though it seemed like he died on the space station at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the movie's second post-credits scene revealed that the ultra-powerful hedgehog survived the events of the film. The post-credits scene shows Shadow's feet as he bends down to pick up the ring that he lost earlier in the movie. The ring will return Shadow to his previous power level. After this scene, it is a certainty that Shadow will return in either Sonic the Hedgehog 4, another future Sonic movie, or possibly a spinoff project focused on the character.

Shadow the Hedgehog is commonly viewed as the arch-rival of Sonic, but the movies could turn him into a hero.

Future Sonic movies could show Shadow continuing to come to with the death of Maria, and set him on a path to become a hero, rather than the villain that he was for most of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Shadow could even team up with characters like Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose, who appeared in Sonic 3's first post-credits scene. Knuckles is now part of the team after being a villain in the second movie, so it would not be surprising if Shadow becomes a hero after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.