Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Credits Scene Explained: The Sonic Universe Grows

It's been approximately 28 years since the internet went absolutely insane over the design of one blue hedgehog, but somehow we've made it to the release of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." 

Following the unlikely success of the first film, the sequel goes bigger, bolder, and also overlong and exhausting. It wants to be a superhero movie, not one of the fun and colorful ones, but something like "Batman v Superman." And yet, it also has the level of cartoonish hijinks of "Alvin and the Chipmunks," with Knuckles and Tails serving as Simon and Theodore (but kind of edgier).

Of course, given the film is so inspired by superhero movies, there is a credits scene teasing what may come next, and it is a doozy.

"Sonic the Hedgehog 2" ends in a perfect superheroes-initially-fight-but-then-team-up-to-fight-the-real-bad-guy fashion. Naturally, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles teaming up to defeat Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey in what may be his last role), who controls a giant mech fueled by the power of his imagination. After the fight, the three alien beings all move in with the Wachowskis to be one happy, strange family.

After the credits, we go back to the wreckage of the fight, as the newly established Guardian Units of Nations (GUN) searches for Robotnik's body. Though they do not find him, one of the agents reveals that they have uncovered a hidden decades-old file named "Project Shadow." Then, we cut away to an unknown lab, where a stasis capsule contains a black-and-red hedgehog.

This, of course, is Shadow the Hedgehog, who was first introduced as the "Ultimate Life Form" in the 2001 game "Sonic Adventure 2" as Sonic's adversary, since then becoming a hugely popular part of the Sonic franchise, even getting his own video game in 2005.

The most likely scenario for the eventual "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" would be to adapt the plot of "Sonic Adventure 2," at least where it refers to Shadow. You see, we learn that he was created by Doctor Robotnik's grandfather in order to save his sickly granddaughter, but things go wrong and a space station holding shadow and the girl is destroyed, with the hedgehog being then locked away for 50 years (which fits how we meet him in the movie). 

The plot of the game involves Shadow wanting to use the magic emeralds to make a super weapon, a cannon that can help its user take over the world, and is demonstrated by destroying half of the moon.

Given that this movie is kind of the angsty teenager to the first "Sonic the Hedgehog's" more wide-eyed kid, it's possible the next one will treat Sonic, Knuckles and Tails as college freshman, which would rule.

After that, the future of the Hedgehog franchise is clear: an epic "The Avengers" level crossover where Mario shows up and invites Sonic to be in the Olympics.

"Sonic the Hedgehog 2" is now in theaters.