A new theory has some fans believing the new Sonic 3 trailer could be setting up the big-screen debut of Metal Sonic.
The first glimpse at the Blue Blur's upcoming cinematic threequel recently debuted, promising fans even more super-speed action set around the characters of Sega's iconic Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
This brief tease was mostly focused on the movie's new villain, Shadow the Hedgehog (played by Keanu Reeves) with the door open for more Sonic video game characters to pop up in the film.
Metal Sonic Potentially Teased in Sonic 3
The debut trailer for the Sonic 3 movie may have offered the first hint at yet another major Sonic villain coming to the film franchise.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) seem to believe that a moment in the trailer where Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik receives one of Sonic's quills as payment to team up, could be setting up the debut of Metal Sonic in the movie.
At the 1:58 mark of the first trailer, Sonic can be seen handing his quill to Carrey's take on the iconic video game villain, as the Blue Blur and friends aim to stop Shadow the Hedgehog's reign of terror.
Since the beginning of the Sonic movie franchise, one of the key plot points has been Dr. Robotnik's obsession with Sonic.
His drive to come into possession of one of Sonic's quills has been key in Robotnik's villainous journey, so, this revelation seen in Sonic 3 could prove to be massive for the character's future evil endeavors.
The most logical of these sinister schemes - especially with another ultra-powerful otherworldly hedgehog bursting onto the scene in Sonic 3 - could be Robotnik pursuing a Sonic clone of his own.
In the Sonic games, after having had his plans foiled by Sonic one too many times, Robotnik seeks to give the franchise's iconic snarky speedster a worthy adversary.
This comes in the form of Metal Sonic, a steel facsimile of the Blue Blur who not only looks like Sonic but can mimic his every move.
While in the games, a quill was not required to create Robotnik's Metal Sonic creation, his getting his hands on some of Sonic's DNA would make a lot of sense if he were wanting to create a perfect clone of the franchise's figurehead.
[ Gerald Robotnik Is Hiding a Dark Secret In The Sonic 3 Trailer ]
How Likely Is Metal Sonic in the Sonic 3 Movie?
Fans have been fervent in their speculation about potential character inclusion in the Sonic 3 movie.
Whether it has been Rouge the Bat, Big the Cat, to the beloved Amy Rose (read more about Amy's potential Sonic the Hedgehog 3 here), there have been plenty of characters the Sonic faithful seem to think could be coming to the franchise's big screen threequel. And - thanks to this theory - Metal Sonic has joined that list.
Now, while some of these characters have no real basis of evidence for their role in the big-screen blockbuster, the case could be made that Metal Sonic is being set up for his film franchise debut.
If he is in Sonic 3, he would likely fall into a similar role as Shadow did in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
In that movie, after Dr. Robotnik had been thwarted by Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, a post-credits scene teased Shadow's role in the next movie, showing him in a secret government facility in some form of cryosleep.
With Keanu Reeves' angsty hedgehog looking to be the primary antagonist of the third Sonic film, throwing Metal Sonic into the mix in anything other than a small cameo to hint at the next movie feels like a mistake.
Perhaps the film will see Robotnik falling back into his villainous ways after a brief time allying himself with Sonic and co., eventually seeking to develop a hedgehog akin to the Blue Blur that will follow his every order.
Seeing as Metal Sonic is known as one of Sonic's most dangerous foes, the character seems like he should warrant being the antagonistic focus of a movie all to himself.
That is why setting him up with small teases like the one seen in the trailer for Sonic 3, could be the smart choice before making him and Robotnik the primary villains of a potential Sonic 4.
Sonic 3's cast is already stacked, so Paramount would likely be looking for a big name to play the role (that is unless they want Ben Schwartz to double up and also use his iconic Sonic voice with a robot filter for the role).
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 races into theaters on December 20.
