While Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was one of the biggest movies of 2024, the sequel is already well into production, and while no official story information has come out of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, the third installment left plenty of plot threads hanging that will almost certainly be picked up by the next movie. One of the biggest aspects of the franchise that Sonic 4 will have to contend with is the role of Shadow, as he was the biggest new addition to the film series in the previous movie, and was revealed to have survived Sonic 3‘s ending.

While seeing Keanu Reeves reprise his role as Shadow will be exciting no matter what happens to the character, the series is now in an interesting spot, with Shadow’s role in future movies, especially as the rest of Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s cast seem to be very solid in their positions in the universe. Shadow is undoubtedly going to be one of the biggest characters in the franchise going forward, as most of Sonic 3‘s reviews point to his inclusion as the best part of the movie, but what he will actually end up doing is still very up in the air.

Shadow Won’t Work As Part Of Team Sonic In Sonic The Hedgehog 4

Shadow Immediately Joining The Team Would Feel Weird

Team Sonic finally got their true introduction in Sonic 3, as in Sonic 2, Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic only teamed up at the end, and didn’t get too much time to riff off each other throughout the film. Seeing the central trio together for the whole movie was a treat, and Sonic 4 is guaranteed to expand the team with the introduction of Amy Rose in Sonic 3‘s post-credits scene. However, Shadow is another question entirely, as he likely wouldn’t work as just another addition to the team.

While Knuckles was a villain-turned-hero in Sonic 2, and he earned a spot on the team, Shadow is a very different character, as he was actively committing evil acts, as opposed to Knuckles, who was just tricked by Robotnik. On top of that, personality-wise, Shadow probably wouldn’t fit in super well with the rest of the team, as he is a much more brooding and edgy character. While that clash will undoubtedly make for some fun banter between the characters in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and future movies, logically, it wouldn’t make too much sense that he would want to fully join the team.

Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Cannot Just Ignore Shadow After Sonic 3

Shadow Does Need To Be A Significant Part Of Sonic 4

One thing that Sonic 4 simply cannot afford to do is ignore Shadow and give him a reduced role when compared to the rest of the cast. Keanu Reeves’ performance and Shadow’s character arc in Sonic 3 were the best aspects of that film, and the team behind Sonic 4 definitely knows that Shadow is going to need to continue to have a significant impact on the franchise, or else the character will feel vastly underserved when compared to his excellent introduction.

On top of how great the character is for the franchise, Keanu Reeves was an amazing choice for the character, not just because of his performance, but because of how much starpower he brought to Sonic 3. Ben Schwartz is a well-known actor, Colleen O’Shaughnessy was beloved for her video game Tails performances, and Idris Elba has always been very famous, but the biggest name in the franchise has always been Jim Carrey. Now, Keanu Reeves has arrived in the series as another name that could interest non-Sonic fans, and the studio is going to want to capitalize on that.

What Shadow’s Role In Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Should Really Be

He Should Show Up To Help Out When He Is Needed

If Shadow can’t really be a main member of Team Sonic, but he is definitely going to play a big role in the next movie, then his character would probably be best served as someone who has his own stories going on that eventually intersect with Team Sonic, in order to get the best of both worlds. Shadow gets to feel like an independent character who has enough going on to carry his own stories in the Sonic franchise, but we also get to see the character interactions that have sustained the franchise thus far.

This approach naturally leads to the question of whether Shadow should get his Sonic own spinoff series, a debate that has been going on since the release of Sonic 3. A series would give the character his time to shine, while not needing to worry about spending too much time on where he is at the start of Sonic 4. However, it could also fall into the Knuckles trap, where the series felt like it couldn’t do anything too significant, or risk alienating Sonic the Hedgehog 3 viewers who didn’t see it.