While Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is, by all accounts, a really great film, with plenty of memorable characters and moments, there are still a few parts of the picture that left something to be desired. One aspect that could’ve been improved was the inclusion of one of the new characters of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, who unfortunately didn’t manage to have much of an impact on the story, leaving me wondering why exactly they were included in the first place.

Sonic 3‘s reviews were centrally focused on how great the different character dynamics were, with Shadow’s (Keanu Reeves) introduction serving as an excellent way to up the stakes for the third installment. However, another antagonistic force in the movie is the Guardian Units of Nations, also known as G.U.N. in the Sonic universe, who are led by Director Rockwell, played by Krysten Ritter. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as important to the story as she could have been and ultimately felt like a wasted inclusion to a movie that was pretty solid otherwise.

Krysten Ritter’s Director Rockwell Didn’t End Up Being Very Important In Sonic The Hedgehog 3

She Didn’t Feel Like A Necessary Inclusion At All

Before Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released, Ritter’s casting was announced in a pretty big way, leading many to believe that she would play a much more crucial role in the final product than she actually did. Rockwell acts as an antagonist for the first parts of the film, as she blames Team Sonic for Commander Walters’ (Tom Butler) death, believing that they were trying to activate the Eclipse Cannon themselves, while also working against the Robotniks’ (Jim Carrey) evil plan. However, once Shadow and Gerald activate the Eclipse cannon in Sonic 3‘s ending, she completely disappears from the movie.

Even during Rockwell’s limited screen time, she doesn’t come off as all that interesting of a character, mostly serving as nothing more than a simple plot device. Krysten Ritter is a great actress, but unfortunately, the role boils down to being a hurdle that the main characters have to overcome in order to get to the actual meat of the film in Shadow and Sonic’s rivalry. Ritter was included in a lot of the press tour for the movie and even named on a number of the film’s posters, making her very minor role all the more confusing.

Rockwell Could Have A Bigger Role In Upcoming Sonic Projects

Rockwell Could Just Be Setting Up A Future Movie/TV Show

The most obvious explanation for Ritter’s role in Sonic 3 is that it was a classic case of Hollywood stunt casting, where a big name is attached to a project just because it will potentially bring more attention to the movie. She isn’t a huge movie star or anything, but Ritter has been in a lot of well-loved projects. She essentially just replaces Commander Walters as the de facto leader of G.U.N, so it is possible that the studio wanted someone younger and more marketable as the face of that organization in this universe.

However, another possibility is that Rockwell’s introduction in this movie was simply to get audiences used to the character and that she will have a bigger role somewhere further down the line, perhaps in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Additionally, if a Shadow the Hedgehog series does end up happening, G.U.N. would likely be a big part of that, hopefully giving Rockwell still more to do. Regardless, her character in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is definitely underwhelming, and a strange inclusion in an otherwise great film.