Since the Sonic franchise has always been about its great characters, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is going to need to find some new avenues to explore its heroes. Even though the sequel will likely focus primarily on the new additions of Amy Rose and Metal Sonic, there are plenty of characters already established in the universe that deserve some spotlight as well.
Robotnik’s death at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 means that the next movie will need to fill his villainous shoes, but it will also leave the franchise’s best human character, Agent Stone, without a boss to idolize. However, this could actually be a good thing for the character, and make his addition to Sonic 4 much more impactful.
Agent Stone Can Get A New Character Arc In Sonic 4 Without Robotnik
Throughout the previous Sonic movies, Stone has been one of the most endearing characters, despite technically being a villain for most of the series. Robotnik’s descent into madness was perfectly juxtaposed by Stone’s nearly constant serenity, so the two made for a great duo in every film.
Now that Robotnik is gone, Stone is potentially going to be left with very little to do in the next set of movies in the series. He was previously defined entirely by his relationship with Robotni. Now that he’s gone, it would be easy to write the character out and focus on whatever new threat Team Sonic and their allies are facing.
Agent Stone is portrayed by Lee Majdoub, and was initially meant to have a very minor part in the first film, before being given a larger role in the franchise due to fan reception.
However, the fact that Stone is now alone could also be a great opportunity to give the character something more to do in the franchise going forward. What Agent Stone looks like without Robotnik is a question that the movies haven’t asked yet, and putting Stone in that situation would be a great opportunity for some drama.
We saw Stone’s initial plans without Robotnik after Sonic 2, where, after believing that his boss was gone, he opened up a café in Green Hills. However, after going through so much in Sonic 2 and 3, it would stand to reason that Stone would have become more of a Team Sonic ally now.
This kind of relationship could initially start out as him trying to help Sonic and his friends the same way he helped Robotnik, before he realizes that they simply don’t need someone to do that for them. Eventually, this could give way to Stone becoming some kind of G.U.N. agent, considering the skills he showcased during the beginning of Sonic 3.
Whatever they decide to do with that character, it would be a mᴀssive shame to simply abandon him. Allowing him to grow as a person would make him an even better addition to Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and the franchise as a whole.