Who voices Shadow in “Sonic The Hedgehog 3”? The backstory explained

The newly released trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 follows on from the tantalizing post-credits scene of the last film and features an intimidating new antagonist, Shadow (Keanu Reeves).

Beyond the live-action films Sonic the Hedgehog The lore is surprisingly complex; decades of games, a multitude of new gimmicks and countless comics and cartoons have created a dense narrative network that seems almost impenetrable to outsiders.

The Sonic fanbase is, for almost inexplicable reasons, passionately devoted to the blue hedgehog, despite the franchise's highly inconsistent production.

The fact that the first sound The film was supposed to use the now legendary “ugly Sonic” until the Internet forced the studio to change the design, showing how much the franchise struggled to maintain a unified vision.

When Shadow starred in his own game in 2005, he was seen as something of a joke, but now the character is voiced by the internet's most popular man, Keanu Reeves, capping off a successful film trilogy.

But who is Sonic's dark rival and where does he come from?

Who is Shadow the Hedgehog?

First introduced in 2001 Sonic Adventure 2 As a dark reflection of Sonic, Shadow the Hedgehog later starred in his own spin-off, aptly titled Shadow of the Hedgehog.

Many fans and critics viewed Shadow's game as an embarrassing, somewhat desperate attempt to make the Sonic series more edgy and presumably more appealing to teenagers.

Funnily enough, Shadow was even armed with guns and curse words during this time, reinforcing the impression that he was nothing more than “edgy Sonic.” However, the character has a tragic backstory that expands the lore of Sonic's universe.

Shadow was artificially created in a laboratory to create the “ultimate life form” and cure rare diseases.

This is the Sonic the Hedgehog In the series, the ultimate life form is a hedgehog, but Shadow is also crossed with alien DNA derived from an interstellar tyrant, Black Doom, who leads an army of aliens known as the Black Arms.

Shadow is Sonic's powerful rival and can keep up with Sonic's speed by wearing jet-propelled shoes that allow him to have a distinctive gliding motion like an ice skater.

The trailer portrays him as a fearsome opponent who can easily defeat Sonic and his friends.

Shadow also has the ability to teleport, which he has inherited from the games, but usually only under certain conditions.

Shadow was created by Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of Dr. Robotnik. Both characters are played by Jim Carrey, with the actor delivering an energetic performance that reflects the mania of his old, iconic roles, such as The mask.

Gerald Robotnik was persuaded to create Shadow because he hoped to cure a fatal disease suffered by his granddaughter Maria Robotnik. Gerald normally does not live to see Shadow unleashed, but in the film he is still alive.

Both he and Shadow had a close bond with Maria, but she was tragically killed by the military, who locked Shadow in a secure facility because they deemed him a threat to humanity.

In the games, Shadow often suffers from amnesia and is manipulated by shady characters like Doctor Eggman and Black Doom to achieve their own goals.

In the upcoming film, Shadow appears to have the same origin story as Maria and Gerald Robotnik, but his appearance seems to be the reason for an unlikely truce between Robotnik and Sonic.

Shadow is often portrayed as an antihero, a character who needs time to find himself and figure out where he stands, but usually chooses to form an alliance with Sonic and his friends when faced with greater threats.

It remains to be seen whether Shadow's alien backstory will be explored in more detail in the live-action films, but it's certainly a relief for Sonic fans to see a faithful portrayal of Shadow on the big screen.

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