Sonic 3 Ending Explained: How the new movie delves into some of the darkest aspects of the games

On By Littum

Let’s make this simple. You want to know if there are any post-credit or mid-credit scenes in the new one Sonic movie. We’re telling you right here: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has both, so make sure you stick around!

Full spoilers follow from this point!

Sonic fans have been eagerly awaiting the third installment of the blockbuster franchise since it was announced, and now the massive film is here with a host of new additions to the cast, as well as some wild and deep Sonic lore. After the blue blur as he faces down Shadow (Keanu Reeves) and two Doctor Robotniks (Jim Carrey), Sonic 3 (Review) is a delightful family film that’s also packed with action, heart, and a frankly surprising amount of Sonic Adventure 2 references.

So now that you’ve (hopefully) seen the movie – and got yours Sonic popcorn bucket, of course — we’re here to explain the absolutely wild ending, the importance behind the tragic character, what these post-credits scenes mean, and where the film leaves us heading into the newly announced Sonic 4.

Sonic 3 ending explained

After the unexpected Eggman team-up that the first act sets up, we end the film with the revelation that Gerald Robotnik, grandfather to both Dr. Robotnik and Maria (Alyla Browne), don’t just want to rule the world like his. grandson: He will destroy it. It takes us to the famous Eggman game weapon Eclipse Cannon, where Reeves’ Shadow uses his speed to supercharge the cannon with his Chaos Energy to destroy humanity for the death of his best friend Maria. Sonic (Ben Schwartz) manages to get through to Shadow by connecting with him over the importance of making the right choice and remembering Maria in the right way. This leads to one of the biggest moments in the movie as 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, the main theme from that game, “Live and Learn” by Crush 40, starts playing as they soar above.

While in his super form, Shadow helps save Earth with Dr. Robotnik the Younger, where both sacrifice themselves.

While in his super form, Shadow helps save Earth by staying on the Eclipse Cannon with Dr. Robotnik the Younger, where both sacrifice themselves for the good of humanity, though they happen to cut through the moon while doing so, which feels like it’s likely to have consequences. After the death of both Robotnik and apparently Shadow as well, Sonic, Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba) have a fun family race to solve their challenge from the opening of the movie and celebrate saving the world.

Who is Maria in Sonic 3?

Well, that’s not the big question. If you’re a casual Sonic fan, you might not be familiar with the incredibly bleak tale of Maria and Shadow, which we get an abbreviated recreation of here. In the video games, Maria is the terminally ill granddaughter of Gerald Robotnik. He brings her to the space station Space Colony ARK, hoping to save or prolong her life, and that’s where she meets Shadow. But while the pair have a sweet childlike friendship in the film, their story in the games becomes much darker as Shadow feels a great deal of guilt over not being able to help Maria find a cure for her illness. Unlike the film, where Shadow is discovered as a young alien by the US government, in the games’ canon he was actually created by Gerald Robotnik to heal Maria thanks to the use of secret alien DNA. The fact that he was never able to help Maria weighs heavily on Shadow and leads to his protective nature around her.

Shadow’s origin has long been legendary among video game fans, because – just like in the movie – Maria dies. However, in the games, she is intentionally killed by GUN as she frees Shadow from ARK and his pursuers. The murder of a child by a government soldier sounds far more like something out of The Last of Us than Sonic the Hedgehog, and it remains one of the franchise’s most controversial and iconic moments because of it. A very important effect of all this is the way it changes Shadow, who vows to destroy all of humanity along with Gerald Robotnik. And that history has now been repeated in the third Sonic the Hedgehog movie.

Does Sonic 3 have a Post-Credits scene?

Sonic fans rejoice: the answer here, as mentioned at the top of this page, is a resounding yes. The sequel actually has both mid-credits and post-credits scenes, and of course we’re going to break them down for you here.