Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Sonic the Hedgehog 3!

The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise promised that it would be delivering a universe on the same scale as The Avengers one year ago, and with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, it is clear how the franchise will get there. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the latest entry in Sega’s live-action movie universe, with it following up on the first two movies as well as the Paramount+ Knuckles spinoff show. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has made the series of video game adaptations bigger than ever, with it truly setting up a Sonic the Hedgehog future as big as the MCU.

Back in April 2024, ahead of the release of Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, series producer Toby Ascher discussed the future of the franchise in an interview. Ascher talked about how they planned on expanding the series with future movies and TV shows, teasing what was to come. One comment gained a lot of traction, with him saying that the Sonic the Hedgehog movies will be “Avengers-level events.” Luckily, that promise is finally paying off, with it only becoming more true in the lead-up to Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

We got really excited about the idea of expanding our characters in our world into television, specifically, because it gives us a platform to really do character studies. We knew that, with Shadow coming into Sonic 3 and some of the bigger things that we want to do, the Sonic franchise on the movie side is going to be these Avengers-level events. They’re going to be these big, exciting stories that have a lot of different characters. And so what television did for us is it gave us time to go into some of the more supporting characters in depth and really build them out in cool ways.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Is The Closest The Franchise Has Come To An Avengers Movie

It Has The Biggest Scale Yet

Out of all of the projects made as part of the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog series, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is easily the closest that the franchise has come to being a movie on the same level as The Avengers. 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog and the Knuckles TV show were fairly small-scale, with them mainly focusing on one character. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was bigger with the addition of Knuckles and Tails, but it still doesn’t compare to Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which is even bigger.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 features a much bigger ensemble cast than its predecessors, with it giving a spotlight to Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Tom, Maddie, Shadow, Agent Stone, and Gerald and Ivo Robotnik. These are the main characters in the film, with Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s cast also featuring all kinds of supporting characters. Each of these main characters have arcs that are continued from multiple other films, a trick that only movies like The Avengers is able to pull off. On top of that, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 heavily focuses on Team Sonic, with this team-up element having direct parallels with the team-up aspect from The Avengers.

The threat level in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is absolutely mᴀssive, with the film featuring three villains. The combined efforts of Ivo, Gerald, and Shadow the Hedgehog make for a much bigger movie than previous Sonic the Hedgehog films, with a supervillain team being something that even The Avengers series hasn’t done. On top of that, Team Sonic literally has to stop the destruction of the world in the movie, something that the Avengers are frequently having to face. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 raises the stakes in almost every way, putting the series on the same level as The Avengers.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Sets Up The Franchise For A Bigger Future

With Amy, Metal Sonic, & Time Travel

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 may be the biggest that the series has been yet, but it sets up the franchise for an even bigger future. Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s post-credits scene introduces what will most likely be the threat in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: an army of Metal Sonics. This scene also introduces Amy Rose, another major character from the video games. On top of that, the second post-credits scene also teases the return of Shadow the Hedgehog, meaning that the ensemble cast is only continuing to grow in Sonic the Hedgehog 4.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s post-credits scene teases that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will adapt Sonic CD, and if this is the case, than Sonic the Hedgehog 4‘s story will feature time travel. Having a time travel story with alternate futures seems incredibly similar to what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is doing right now, with the Multiverse Saga centering on alternate timelines. This means that alternate versions of Sonic the Hedgehog‘s heroes and villains could be featured in the fourth film, setting up a terrifying future for Sonic.

Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Could Be The Avengers: Age of Ultron Of Sonic Movies (But Better)

Thanks To The Army Of Metal Sonics

Interestingly, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has actually set up its sequel to have a lot of parallels with Avengers: Age of Ultron. The threat of an army of Metal Sonics is incredibly similar to the army of Ultrons that serves as the main antagonists in the second The Avengers movie. However, Avengers: Age of Ultron wasn’t received as well as its predecessor or its successors. This means that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has the opportunity to improve on The Avengers series, with it taking this story’s framework and making it even better.

A Shadow Solo Movie Could Help Set Up Sonic’s True Avengers-Level Crossover

If It Introduces Black Doom

After the introduction of Keanu Reeves’ Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, many fans of the franchise have wondered when he will be returning. While the post-credits scene teases that he will be appearing again in the future, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 may not be his next appearance. Many fans have been speculating that Shadow the Hedgehog could get his own spin-off movie, something that has the potential to set up a Sonic crossover movie on the level of The Avengers.

Of all the Sonic the Hedgehog villains, Black Doom is the one that would act as the best Avengers-level threat. Since Black Doom is a Shadow the Hedgehog villain, he could get introduced in Shadow’s spinoff, setting him up as the villain for Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Then, Team Sonic and all of the supporting characters could take on the incredibly powerful villain, truly taking the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise into the league of The Avengers.