Sonic 3 may have revealed Sonic 4’s villain with big Robotnik tease

The trailer for Sonic The Hedgehog 3 finally showcases Shadow, but does it also set up iconic villain Metal Sonic to appear in Sonic 4?

After months of anticipation and plenty of irritated fans, the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer finally raced onto the internet. The short trailer cuts to the chase, showcasing Shadow, a returning Dr. Robotnik, and even teasing a tragic death.

But that trailer may have also set the stage for a seemingly inevitable Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and one of Sonic’s most terrifying villains: Metal Sonic.

That’s because the trailer finally sees Dr. Robotnik get his hands on one of Sonic’s supercharged quills, something he’s been after since the very first movie. We’ve seen Robotnik using those quills to charge his machines in the past, meaning it could lead to Metal Sonic.

Metal Sonic first debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as a creation of Robotnik, who serves as the game’s penultimate boss. He would appear in multiple other games, including the all-time classic Sonic Adventure, and is often positioned as a cold reflection of Sonic.

While there’s no confirmation that Metal Sonic will be the villain (or, for that matter, that a Sonic 4 is even coming), we are quickly approaching a point where the franchise is running low on marquee villains.

While other foes have shown up in the decades of Sonic games and comics at this point, there just aren’t that many that are as iconic as the ones we’ve gotten. Robotnik has remained the atypical Sonic villain since the beginning, and he’s traditionally the final fight of every Sonic game.

With Robotnik getting his hands on an ultimate power and Sonic quickly making allies of even his darkest foes, it only makes sense that Sonic 4 features a villain who he can’t turn into his best friend.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits cinemas on December 21, 2024. In the meantime, check out our ranking of the best video game movies of all time, and other new movies you can watch this month.