Summary
- Shadow is a popular Sonic character, hinting at a darker tone in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
- Team Chaotix may appear in a post-credit scene as a comedic relief element.
- Rumors suggest a potential Team Chaotix spin-off, bridging the gap between Sonic films.
To say that Shadow from Sonic the Hedgehog is popular, would be underselling him. He has widely considered to be the second most popular Sonic character, only silver medal to The Blue Blur himself. Everything from his color palette to his demeanor immediately communicates that unlike the rest of the core Sonic characters, he's serious, brooding, and edgy enough to sport a realistic firearm in his own game. Considering that trailers have hinted that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is going to follow at least some beats of his tragic backstory, it looks like audiences are in for a much grimmer entry than the previous two family-friendly outings.
With that in mind, a more comedic post-credits scene could key audiences in that Sonic, while capable of getting a little darker from time to time, isn't going to stay that way. This could also be an especially funny button if the Sonic films decide to take a break for a while to plan the next direction for the franchise. Whatever characters chosen would have to be unexpected, but still recognizable to fans and known comic relief characters.
The Strongest Sonic The Hedgehog Villains, Ranked
Eggman may be the first to spring to mind, but there are plenty of other great villains in Sonic the Hedgehog. These are the strongest ones so far.
Team Chaotix Would Be Fun to See in a Post-Credit Scene
Team Chaotix, consisting of Charmy Bee, Espio the Chameleon, and Vector the Crocodile, made their debut, along with now defunct member Mighty the Armadillo, in the 1995 platformer Knuckles' Chaotix. Even many dedicated Sonic fans haven't played it, and for good reason. It never ported off the Sega 32X and is one of the more experimental Sonic games. It also isn't a stellar game with controls and level layout leaving much to be desired. After a long hiatus, the trio would next appear in Sonic Heroes as one of the playable teams. Charmy arrives with a walkie talkie with a mysterious person on the other end, offering to pay for their detective services. Hard up for cash, they accept and end up combining with the other teams to take down Metal Sonic. As for their team dynamics, Espio is a ninja with a serious demeanor, Charmy is kind of the excitable little brother of the group that's fond of parroting what others say, and Vector is the brash leader. Together, they are a trio of goons, but they get the job done and don't take kindly to getting stiffed. Since then, Team Chaotix have appeared in quite a few modern Sonic games, including Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Forces, and Sonic Generations. They also made appearances in Sonic X and have continued to appear throughout in various Sonic comics, including Sonic the Comic, Archie Comics, and in IDW comics.
There's a Rumor That There's a Team Chaotix Spin Off
As it turns out, Team Choatix appeared in the story "Always Bet On Red" from the IDW comic Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill. Although only Vector and Espio appear in a single cameo, it implies that the detective trio do in fact exist within the world of the Sonic film franchise. Various rumors have also been flying about claiming Chaotix was meant to appear in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as well as the Knuckles spin-off show, but ended up being cut. The Knuckles show seemed the most likely, since Chaotix have always had ties to the echidna since their inception. Another rumor even claims that Chaotix will star in their own spin-off, which could potentially provide an avenue for a crossover between the two series and fill in the blanks between Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the next installment, whenever that might be.
While it's unlikely that Paramount would take a gamble on three lesser known characters before introducing Amy Rose or Metal Sonic, the fact that these rumors have been circulating implies that there is an appetite for audiences to see their film universe counterparts. Actually, the fact that they're not as big of fan favorites could be a fun little tease at the end, as if the audience was expecting something different. This would be a great contrast to the Tails cameo at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog and the Shadow cameo at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Comic relief characters often get a bad reputation. With so much hype over darker storylines, it can be difficult to go back and forth between brooding and silliness. Even a franchise like Sonic the Hedgehog has had to navigate both tones over the course of its history. Where Shadow represents the upcoming potential for darkness, characters like Team Chaotix represent the potential for silliness. Seeing them could provide a fun joke at the end of a more serious entry in the franchise and let audiences know that there will still be fun to look forward to. Whether or not Paramount will implement Team Chaotix as a joke for the post-credit scene obviously is yet to be determined, but it's fun to dream.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a prolific game franchise that started life on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Covering both 2D and 3D iterations through the generations, Sonic is known for speedy movements and interesting platforming mechanics.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info
Paramount is a fairly recent (2019 founding) mass media company that used to operate under the name ViacomCBS. They have grow into their own production company and are also producing original content via a streaming service called Paramount Plus.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info