Sonic 3’s ending explained: How the new film highlights some of the games’ darkest aspects
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Sonic 3’s ending explained: How the new film highlights some of the games’ darkest aspects

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

Let’s make it simple. You want to know if there are any post-credits or mid-credits scenes in the new film Sonic movie. We’ll tell you right here: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has both, so be sure to stick around!

Full spoilers follow from here!

Sonic fans have been eagerly awaiting the third installment in the blockbuster franchise ever since it was announced, and now the massive film is here with a slew of new additions to the cast as well as some wild and deep Sonic stories. Following the blue blur as he faces Shadow (Keanu Reeves) and two Doctor Robotniks (Jim Carrey), Sonic 3 (review) is a delightful family film full of action, heart and, frankly, a surprising number of references to Sonic Adventure 2.

Now you’ve (hopefully) seen the film – and got it Sonic popcorn buckets, of course – We’re here to explain that absolutely wild ending, the significance of this tragic character, what those post-credits scenes mean, and where the film takes us in the recently announced phase Sonic 4.

Sonic 3 ending explained

After the unexpected Eggman squad that emerges in the first act, we end the film with the revelation that Gerald Robotnik, Dr. Robotnik and Maria (Alyla Browne), not just the world he wants to rule grandson: he wants to destroy it. This leads us to the famous Eggman toy weapon, the Eclipse Cannon, where Reeves’ Shadow uses his speed to charge the cannon with his chaos energy to destroy humanity and kill his best friend Maria. Sonic (Ben Schwartz) manages to get through to Shadow by making him understand the importance of making the right choice and remembering Maria in the right way. This leads to one of the greatest moments in the film, where both Sonic and Shadow use the Chaos Emeralds to assume their super forms and team up to fly through the sky. And in a very cool nod to Sonic Adventures 2, that game’s main theme, “Live and Learn” by Crush 40, begins playing as they hover overhead.

In his super form, Shadow helps along with Dr. Robotnik the Younger to save the Earth, both sacrificing themselves.

In his super form, Shadow helps save the Earth by working alongside Dr. Robotnik the Younger remains on the Eclipse Cannon. They both sacrifice themselves for the good of humanity, although they do happen to cut through the moon in the process, which feels like it’s likely to have consequences. After the deaths of Robotniks and seemingly Shadow, Sonic, Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba) engage in a fun family race to complete the challenge from the film’s opening and celebrate saving the world.

Who is Maria in Sonic 3?

Well, isn’t that the big question? If you’re a casual Sonic fan, you may not know about the incredibly dark story of Maria and Shadow, which we’re reimagining here in abridged form. In the video games, Maria is Gerald Robotnik’s terminally ill granddaughter. He takes her to the Space Colony ARK space station in hopes of saving or extending her life, and there she meets Shadow. But while the two share a sweet, childlike friendship in the film, their story becomes much darker in the games, as Shadow feels great guilt over his inability to help Maria find a cure for her illness. Unlike in the film, where Shadow is discovered by the US government as a young alien, in the games’ canon he was actually created by Gerald Robotnik to cure Maria using secret alien DNA. The fact that he was never able to help Maria weighs heavily on Shadow and causes him to have a protective nature towards her.

Shadow’s origins have long been legendary among video game fans because – just like in the film – Maria dies. But in the games, she is intentionally killed by GUN while freeing Shadow from ARK and his pursuers. The murder of a child by a government soldier sounds a lot more like The Last of Us than Sonic the Hedgehog, which is why it’s still one of the most controversial and iconic moments in the series. A very important impact of all this is the way it changes Shadow, who vows to destroy all of humanity alongside Gerald Robotnik. And this story is now echoed in the third Sonic the Hedgehog film.

Does Sonic 3 have a post-credits scene?

Sonic fans rejoice: the answer here, as noted at the top of this page, is a resounding yes. In fact, there are both mid-credits and post-credits scenes in the sequel, and of course we’ll break them down for you here.

Realizing he’s overtaken his family during their celebratory race, Sonic stops in a New York state park and quickly senses he’s not alone. There’s an army of Metal Sonics hiding among the trees, ready to finish off the blue blurs while he’s alone. This is a big moment for Sonic fans, as Metal Sonic is easily one of his most iconic enemies – he’s appeared in 11 Sonic games to date – and it got a huge reaction from the audience at this author’s screening. But that was far from the biggest surprise we got in the mid-credits scene, because as Sonic faced off against the numerous metal threats, he was saved by a hooded figure with a giant hammer, who turned out to be none other than Amy Rose pointed out. Sonic’s long-time ally and biggest fan.

And that’s not all. If you wait for the credits to end, you’ll see that Shadow is still alive when his feet appear and he grabs his gold bracelet from the dusty ground, promising that he’s still alive to take part in another Day to fight, probably alongside Team Sonic in the next film.

How Sonic 3 sets up Sonic 4

While the main film wraps things up fairly neatly, the post-credits scenes set up some serious conflict for the next film, which hits theaters in 2027. We’ll probably follow Amy Rose and Sonic as they figure out where the Metal Sonic Bots came from. The games are evolved versions of Robotnik’s Badnik bots. But since both Gerald and Ivo Robotnik seemingly died at the end of this film, perhaps we’ll get a different version of Robotnik in the future.

When it comes to Shadow, it’s most likely we’ll see him return, probably to help Team Sonic find their fearless leader after he and Amy Rose meet on their mission. We could also see a version of a future Robotnik and a future timeline that the Metal Sonics come from. But that’s all hypothetical until the next Sonic movie hits theaters in two years.

What do you think of the movie Sonic the Hedgehog 3? Let’s discuss in the comments!