Sonic the Hedgehog 3 ending explained: Does Shadow die? 

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 pits Sonic against Shadow in a fight to save (or destroy) humanity – but there’s an unlikely redemption by the end, and a big hint for what’s to come. 

Sonic 2 ended with the blue blur using the power of the Chaos Emeralds to go Super Saiyan and defeat Dr Robotnik, seemingly once and for all. But its post-credits scene had a tantalizing tease: “Project Shadow” had been uncovered, and this hedgehog looked angry. 

The threequel delivers its predecessor’s promise, revolving around Sonic and co.’s efforts to stop Shadow, who’s hellbent on avenging Maria, Gerald Robotnik’s granddaughter, who G.U.N. killed under mysterious circumstances. They try and enlist Dr. Robotnik’s help, but when Gerald (his long-lost grandpa) finds him, they join forces, putting the entire planet at risk. 

If you’re a Shadow fan (and especially if you played Sonic Adventure 2), the final act of Sonic 3 will melt your brain with nostalgia – and there’s a lot to keep up with, so here’s everything you should know. 

Is Shadow alive? 

Paramount Pictures

Yes! Shadow is still alive, as confirmed by Sonic 3’s final post-credits scene, so make sure you stay in your seat until the very end. 

Sonic had a plan: Maddie and Tom would sneak into G.U.N. HQ in London and prevent the Robotniks from gaining control of the Eclipse Cannon, a spacefaring super-weapon (a bit like the Death Star) that could turn Earth into a cluster of rocks. Their plan doesn’t work, but Shadow’s allegiances start to waver when he nearly kills Tom; for a brief moment, he sees his grief over Maria mirrored back to him with Sonic. 

He buries his compassion and shoots off into space with Ivo and Gerald. There, Gerald reveals his ultimate plan: he wants to annihilate the planet and kill themselves in the process. “Humanity is a failed experiment,” he says, but this horrifies Dr Robotnik, and he fights his grandpa to prevent him from destroying the planet. 

Gerald gets the better of him, but just as Dr Robotnik appears to fall through a hole into the vacuum of space, he’s saved by Tails and Knuckles. They flick Gerald into the Chaos Energy powering the Eclipse Cannon and he evaporates instantly, like a tiny moth in a massive flame. 

Meanwhile, Sonic nabs the Master Emerald from Wade Wipple, shatters it, and goes Super Saiyan again. He flies to the Eclipse Cannon and tackles Shadow back to Earth, and in the melee, they both collide into the Chaos Emeralds and assume their Super forms. They tussle across the world, punching each other from continent to continent before Shadow uppercuts Sonic to the Moon. 

After a chat with Sonic, Shadow realizes the error of his ways, and – as ‘Live and Learn’ plays – they team up to destroy the Eclipse Cannon. They absorb its blast, but Sonic can’t withstand it like Shadow, and he falls to Earth. Tails and Knuckles save him and crash down, safe and sound. 

As for Robotnik, he manages to steer the beam away from Earth (and slices off a chunk of the Moon by accident). However, the Eclipse Cannon starts to drift towards Earth, so Shadow and Robotnik decide to destroy it together… sacrificing themselves in the process. “If I can’t rule the world, I might as well save it,” he says, before it explodes. 

In the final post-credits scene, we see a crater in a field on Earth with a set of titanium handcuffs. While we don’t see his face, Shadow’s shoes walk into frame and he picks up the cuffs, revealing that he survived the destruction of the Eclipse Cannon. 

Is Dr Robotnik dead?

Paramount Pictures

It certainly appears that Dr Robotnik died on the Eclipse Cannon – but as any Sonic fan should know, much like life, Eggman always finds a way. 

On paper, it’s hard to see how he could have possibly survived. Unlike Shadow, who was blasted back to Earth, he stood aboard the Eclipse Canon as it blew up and was presumably devoured by flames and then finished off by the punishing conditions of space. There’s a tiny possibility he got out on an escape pod, or perhaps Agent Stone will create a clone in the fourth film, but that remains to be seen. 

In an interview with Dexerto, director Jeff Fowler teased the possibility of Carrey returning as Robotnik.

“Jim loves playing this character, I love working with Jim. It’s far too soon to speculate… any opportunity to [keep working with him] would be welcomed,” he said.

What happened to Maria? 

Paramount Pictures

Maria’s fate (and Shadow’s origins) are a little different compared to the games. In the movie, she’s killed after G.U.N. agents inadvertently cause a huge explosion. Shadow and Gerald survive, but they find Maria’s body in the fallout. 

In the games, Maria lives on the Space Colony ARK due to a terminal illness (apparently, the lower gravity keeps her in remission while Gerald works on a cure). There, she meets Shadow, who was created by Gerald as part of his pursuit of the Ultimate Life Form. However, G.U.N. soon believed the ARK was a threat, so they raided the spacecraft, captured Shadow and Gerald, and shot Maria (yes, really). With her last breath, she asked Shadow to “bring hope to humanity.”

In Sonic 3, according to Commander Walters, Shadow arrived on Earth in a meteor, and Gerald wanted to use his extraordinary power to change the world. He was kept in a secret government facility on Earth, and that’s where he befriended Maria. 

Similarly to the games, G.U.N. grew concerned about Shadow and tried to take him. Gerald found Shadow and Maria and tried to flee, but as a G.U.N. agent shot at them, another soldier pushed his gun away, and the bullet hit a gas canister, causing a massive explosion. 

If you want to read more about Metal Sonic and Amy Rose, check out our Sonic 3 post-credits scene explainer. You can also check out our list of the best video game movies and the best movies of 2024.