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This Article Contains Spoilers -
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all. |
| “ | You're a colorful bunch. | „ |
| ~ Shadow to Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, calling them a "colorful bunch"; also his most famous quote. |
| “ | I spent 50 years reliving what they did to her. This is who I am inside! | „ |
| ~ Shadow embracing his path of revenge |
| “ | The last time I sat beneath stars like this… I was with her. I've felt this pain for so long. It's all I know. | „ |
| ~ Shadow describing the pain he feels inside him since Maria's death, the very source of his bitterness and despair |
Shadow the Hedgehog is the secondary antagonist of the 2024 film Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the third main installment of the Sonic Cinematic Universe.
He is a vengeful and extraordinarily powerful anthropomorphic hedgehog that was related to a secret government experiment called Project Shadow run by G.U.N. from over 50 years prior. During his time as an experiment, he befriended a young human girl named Maria Robotnik, the granddaughter of Professor Gerald Robotnik, who was in charge of the project.
However, when G.U.N. issued an arrest warrant for Gerald, the professor tried to escape with Shadow and Maria, but the latter being killed in an explosion caused by a soldier firing at a tank filled with Shadow's chaotic energy. Following the incident, he was placed in stasis for a long time until he was awakened by Gerald, who sought to use Shadow in order to extract his revenge for his granddaughter's death, which also brought Shadow into conflict with Team Sonic.
He is voiced by Keanu Reeves, who also played Evil Ted in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Don John in the 1993 Much Ado About Nothing film, Donnie Barksdale in The Gift, Donaka Mark in Man of Tai Chi, and David Griffin in The Watcher.
Appearance[]
Shadow's appearance is mostly similar to that of his video game counterpart, being an anthropomorphic extraterrestrial hedgehog with an appearance quite similar to that of Sonic while standing nearly a meter tall. Although physically resembling Sonic, Shadow differs in his black colouring, upward-facing quills colored with red markings, red eyes, a white fur collar on his thorax, and a more severe phacial build. Shadow also wears advanced red and white air shoes with inhibitor rings on his ankles, as well as white gloves with a black and red lower part equipped with another pair of inhibitor rings.
In his Super Shadow form, his black fur turns completely golden in a light shade, surrounded by an aura of chaos energy emanating from his body.
Personality[]
Shadow is a complex individual who struggled to find the free will of doing what he believed was right. Bitter and resentful to the extreme, Shadow blames the entire world for Maria's death, stating that the pain he has experienced since then is what defines him. He has an immense hatred for the G.U.N due to their involvement in Maria's death as well as his imprisonment for 50 years. Shadow is severely traumatized by his experience of reliving Maria's death over and over again during his decades in stasis. He is not completely blinded by his rage and hatred, not being convinced that destroying humanity would have been what Maria would have wanted.
Despite his inner darkness, Shadow is not as monstrous and heartless as he appears, much less so than Gerald. While he is capable of causing pain to those he holds responsible for his misfortunes, Shadow has shown to have reservations, as he was confused to see that he had seriously injured Tom and not Commander Walters and seeing a horrified Sonic at his bedside made Shadow revisit Maria's death in comparison because of how the black hedgehog acted. He remained convinced, however, that he had done what he had to do in the name of revenge for Maria.
Ultimately, Shadow was shown to be a very ambiguous character. Seeing Sonic succumb to anger like he had before him, Shadow began to see the blue hedgehog differently, initially stating that they had become the same. Shadow would later openly criticize Sonic's choice to leave his family behind in the name of his desire for revenge, denouncing him as not being a hero since he had not cared for them, showing in a way that Shadow has a deep regard for family ties, even if he had no qualms about using them against Sonic.
Deep down, Shadow has no regard for his own life, not since he lost Maria. While he worked hard to help Gerald avenge Maria's death, Shadow lacked the motivation to go further, accepting both his defeat at the hands of Sonic and that he had to pay for what he had done to Tom, even encouraging Sonic to end his life. However, when Sonic chose to spare him despite his anger towards him, Shadow could not understand how Sonic could resist his own darkness like Shadow could not. Once Sonic shared with him his own experience of the pain of losing a loved one while stating that Maria's love for him was disruptive, Shadow finally realized how wrong he had been all along, how much he had let his bitterness cloud his judgment, and how much he had tainted Maria's memory, allowing him to finally heal from his trauma and darkness. Eager to make amends for his mistakes, Shadow turned on Gerald and helped Sonic stop the Eclipse Cannon, eventually also convincing Dr. Eggman to help him save Earth before Shadow risked his life to protect humanity.
Biography[]
Past[]
50 years ago, Shadow arrived on Earth in a meteor. He was discovered and used for various experiments by Professor Gerald Robotnik's as part of his top secret experiment, "Project Shadow", at a G.U.N. base. Shadow befriended Maria Robotnik, Gerald's granddaughter, and she became his only friend. Gerald Robotnik saw great potential within him and planned to use him for the greater good.
However his experiments were deemed shady, so GUN soldiers broke into the base to arrest anyone involved in the Shadow project, Gerald, Maria, and Shadow tried to flee, being chased down by G.U.N. soldiers. While trying to escape Maria was killed by an explosion set off by a G.U.N. agent. Shadow was overtaken with grief allowing G.U.N. agents to capture him and place him into stasis. This caused Shadow to lose all faith in humanity and seek revenge.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2[]
Shortly after Dr. Robotnik, Gerald's grandson, is defeated by Super Sonic, Commander Walters is informed of the resurfacing of a secret government file; Project Shadow. At the same time, in his stasis pod, Shadow opens his eyes.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3[]
After the events in the second film, Shadow has awakened from his slumber in Prison Island after being freed by several of Eggman's Badniks. He immediately destroys his stasis pod and savagely attacks every G.U.N agent in the room, before forcing a passage out of the building. Shadow then moves towards Tokyo, crossing the distance that separates him from the city by skating on the water thanks to his Air Shoes.
Walking through the rainy streets, barely being noticed by the Japaneses, Shadow sees through a giant screen that it is 2024 and that he has been kept in prison for 50 years, much to his anger. The G.U.N. task force, who are working with Japanese authorities, surrounds the black hedgehog again, which exasperated Shadow who could no longer bear them being on his tail, charging his chaos energy for a counterattack and presumably killing or injuring the authorities. When Sonic, Tails and Knuckles arrive to confront Shadow, who had been recruited by G.U.N. to stop him, he easily overpowers them and escapes. Sonic decides to go after him with Shadow riding a stolen motorcycle previously owned by G.U.N. However, Shadow defeats Sonic once more after reaching the top of Tokyo Tower.
Following Commander Walters' death by several Badniks, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles reluctantly turn over to Dr. Eggman for help and they trace to an abandoned G.U.N. factory, where Shadow captures Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. It eventually turns out that Gerald was the one who programmed the Badniks to free Shadow and murder Walters as a way of luring Dr. Eggman to him, and that Shadow is in cahoots with Gerald in the latter's plot to destroy humanity in revenge for Maria's death. As part of the plan, Shadow manages to nab the two keycards that can activate the Eclipse Cannon, a powerful space station that can fire an orbital laser. During the mission of nabbing the second keycard, Shadow gravely wounds Tom Wachowski, mistaking him for Walters who was in disguise, who happens to be Sonic's adoptive father. Shadow felt briefly guilty at first, but then ignores it to continue the mission.
As Shadow heads off to the Earth's atmosphere with the Robotniks in the Eclipse Cannon, Shadow starts to question over Gerald's plot to destroy the Earth, only for Gerald to manipulate him by reminding about the pain they felt over losing Maria. Obliging to Gerald's orders, Shadows uses his Chaos Energy to power up the Eclipse Cannon's energy core. Eventually, he gets confronted by Sonic, as he foolishly abandoned his friends and then recklessly uses the powers of the Seven Chaos Emeralds to fight back to avenge Tom. Even when Shadow absorbs some of the Chaos Emeralds' power to fight back, Sonic overpowers Shadow, intending to make him pay for what he did to Tom. Showing no resistance, Shadow eggs Sonic to destroy him, knowing now that Sonic understands his anger. Realizing this, Sonic decides to spare Shadow and instead talks with him about pain.
Sympathizing with Shadow's tragic loss of Maria, Sonic admits that he lost his adoptive guardian Longclaw before he went to Earth, and that the feeling of love for the people they care about is better than revenge, and it's what motivated him more to live on. Understanding the point, Shadow becomes remorseful for his actions, finally realizing that Gerald is using him; even Dr. Eggman himself gets betrayed by Gerald, who revealed that he never really cared about either Dr. Eggman or Shadow, as he was just using them as puppets to complete his evil plan. Convinced to stop Gerald in his plot, Shadow aids Sonic in absorbing the Chaos Emeralds' power in taking down the G.U.N. Hunters sent by Gerald; even Dr. Eggman himself (with the help from Tails and Knuckles) kills Gerald by pushing him into the Chaos Energy field. Sonic and Shadow then proceed to help Tails, Knuckles, and Dr. Eggman in redirecting the Eclipse Cannon's laser from the Earth, though this causes the core to enter into a meltdown, which would expel high levels of radiation that would render Earth uninhabitable upon self-destruction. Allowing Sonic, Tails and Knuckles to escape to safety, Shadow convinces Ivo to help him redirect the Eclipse Cannon away from the Earth's atmosphere. Together, Ivo and Shadow sacrificed themselves in the Eclipse Cannon's explosion, thus saving the Earth.
In the post-credits scene, it is shown that Shadow (and presumably Dr. Eggman) has survived the explosion and has stumbled back into Earth. He picked up one of his inhibitor rings.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Superhuman Strength: Shadow possesses colossal superhuman strength, enough to easily knock down humans, damage various structures, and throw armored vehicles into the air. He also broke the wrist of Knuckles, an echidna with high physical resilience, and seriously injured Tom with a blow to the abdomen, leaving him in critical condition.
- Superhuman Speed: Shadow is very fast, although most of his movement speed comes from his air shoes, which he can further amplify with his chaos energy. He also has fast reflexes.
- Superhuman Agility: Shadow is very agile, easily capable of unhindered acrobatics.
- Superhuman Breathing Capacity: Shadow is able to breathe without oxygen, as he did when he landed on the moon.
- Chaos Energy Empowerment: As an innate power within him, Shadow is able to harness a form of bio-electromagnetic energy that amplifies all of his physical abilities. He can infuse his Chaos Energy into vehicles, such as the motorcycle he used in Tokyo, making it capable of going at speeds rivaling Sonic's.
- Teleportation: Through Chaos Energy, Shadow is able to teleport short to medium distances both on the ground and in the air.
Super Shadow[]
- Nigh-Omnipotence: Due to being infused with the Seven Chaos Emeralds' power Super Shadow possesses immeasurable god-like power which makes him one of the most powerful beings in the universe, alongside Super Sonic.
- Flight: Super Shadow is able to fly freely, at prodigious speeds.
- Immense Superhuman Strength: Super Shadow's strength is virtually limitless.
- Immense Superhuman Durability: Super Shadow is virtually invulnerable, though he can still feel pain when struck by equal power.
- Immense Superhuman Speed: Just like in his normal form, Super Shadow can move really fast.
Abilities[]
- Combat Skills: Shadow is incredibly skilled in combat, easily able to overwhelm Team Sonic. His style combines acrobatics with his ability to teleport.
- Motorcycling: Shadow is very proficient at using a motorcycle, even combining it with his Chaos Powers of super speed and teleportation, as seen when he steals one in the Tokyo chase.
Equipment[]
- Air Shoes: Shadow wears a pair of shoes that allow him to skate across the ground and glide across water. He can also use them to hover in the air, and they seem to enhance his already great speed to allow him to catch up with Sonic.
- Inhibitor Rings: Shadow wears bracelets on each of his wrists that help regulate his power. Removing them can allow him to increase it further.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- Maria Robotnik (best friend) †
- Professor Gerald Robotnik (formerly) †
- Team Sonic
- Sonic the Hedgehog (arch-rival)
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Knuckles the Echidna
Neutral[]
- Tom Wachowski (accidental attempted victim)
- Maddie Wachowski
- Dr. Ivo Robotnik
- Agent Stone
Enemies[]
- Professor Gerald Robotnik † (arch-nemesis)
- Team Sonic (all formerly)
- Sonic the Hedgehog (arch-rival)
- Knuckles the Echidna
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Guardians Units of Nations
- Commander Walters †
- Director Rockwell
- G.U.N. Agents
Quotes[]
| “ | Shadow: The light shines... even though the star’s gone... Maria Robotnik: Yeah. It does. I wonder which one you came from, Shadow. Shadow: I don’t know. I don’t know anything about my home. Maria Robotnik: This is your home, Shadow. Earth. Shadow: Maria… Do you think I’m… dangerous? Maria Robotnik: What are you talking about? Shadow: The way the scientists looked at me. I can tell they’re afraid. Like I’m the horrible thing from that movie we watched. I don’t know... what I am. Maria Robotnik: You’re my friend, and you can do or be anything you want. Not because of your powers, but because of who you are... in here. Shadow: I don't know what I'd do without you. |
„ |
| ~ Shadow to Maria |
| “ | 2024? I've been trapped for 50 years? | „ |
| ~ Shadow finding out what year it was after escaping Prison Island, also his first words |
| “ | Why won’t you leave me ALONE!? | „ |
| ~ Shadow to the G.U.N. soldiers |
| “ | I don’t look like you. You look like me. Why do you look like me? | „ |
| ~ Shadow to Sonic |
| “ | You jumped out of a G.U.N. helicopter. There's nothing to talk about. | „ |
| ~ Shadow after Sonic tries to reason with him |
| “ | The more you talk, the harder I want to hit you! | „ |
| ~ Shadow to Sonic |
| “ | Shadow: Professor? Gerald Robotnik: It's good to see you, Shadow. Shadow: I can't get her out of my head. The pain, it's too much. Gerald Robotnik: And that is why we have to punish them. |
„ |
| ~ Shadow reunites with Professor Gerald Robotnik after 50 years. |
| “ | I’m tired of giving you warnings! | „ |
| ~ Shadow attacks Sonic in the abandoned G.U.N. base |
| “ | You must be the long-lost grandson. | „ |
| ~ Shadow meets Dr. Eggman |
| “ | Gabriella should kill them both. She is not a prize to be won. | „ |
| ~ Shadow watching a telenovela, saying Gabriella should kill Pablo and Juan |
| “ | When we're done, there won't be anything left to rule. | „ |
| ~ Shadow revealing the Eclipse Cannon's true purpose to Agent Stone |
| “ | Sonic: (infuriated) What did you do!? Shadow: ... What I had to. |
„ |
| ~ Shadow after gravely injuring Tom |
| “ | Shadow: Professor, is this really what Maria would've wanted? Gerald: The question isn't what Maria would have wanted. It's what do they deserve. Remember what she meant to us… remember what they took from us. |
„ |
| ~ Shadow to Gerald |
| “ | Sonic: You hurt my family! This ends now. Shadow: Now you know my anger. The pain I've felt for 50 years! And you've made the same choice I did. Sonic: I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU! Shadow: We'll see. |
„ |
| ~ Shadow comparing Sonic to himself |
| “ | You're right about one thing: this ends now. | „ |
| ~ Shadow gaining his super form as he prepares to fight Sonic |
| “ | Shadow: Why are you alone? Where are your friends? They tried to stop you, didn't they? But you came anyway. Your anger was too much. What kind of hero abandons his friends to pursue revenge? Abandons his family? Sonic: Don't you dare talk about my family. Shadow: And here I thought you cared for them. Especially the one… what's his name? Tom? |
„ |
| ~ Shadow confronting Sonic, taunting him for abandoning his friends to take revenge |
| “ | Go ahead, finish it! What are you waiting for? Do it! I’m right here. | „ |
| ~ Shadow encouraging Sonic to finish him off |
| “ | What are you doing? You won. Take your revenge. | „ |
| ~ Shadow confused as to why Sonic spared him |
| “ | Shadow: The last time I sat beneath stars like this… I was with her. I've felt this pain for so long. It's all I know. Sonic: When I lost Longclaw, I felt the same way. Shadow: Did your pain eventually go away? Sonic: No. But in time, I learned there's something even more powerful than pain. The love we felt for each other. That's what you need to hold onto, Shadow. Maria might be gone, but your love will always remain. Shadow: The light shines even though the star's gone. This whole mess is my fault. I've been so blinded by rage, I thought… I had no choice. Sonic: You always have a choice. And making the right one is never easy. One more thing I learned, is that when you really screw something up, you can’t fix it on your own. |
„ |
| ~ Shadow realizing his mistakes, that the fruit of his foolish and evil actions was driven only by anger and revenge, not by his love for Maria |
| “ | Don't tell me you got a catchphrase. | „ |
| ~ Shadow amused by Sonic saying "Gotta go fast!" |
| “ | This is our last chance… to do the right thing. | „ |
| ~ Shadow convincing Dr. Eggman to help him destroy the Eclipse Cannon and save the Earth in honor for Maria |
Trivia[]
- Shadow's origins vastly differ to his original counterpart, who was created by his version of Professor Gerald Robotnik using DNA from the evil alien overlord, Black Doom. In the film, it’s seen that Shadow was found in a black and red meteorite similar to that of the Black Comet. This heavily implies that like his original counterpart, he hails from the Black Arms, and ties to it in a future release.
- Shadow is the first of all his incarnations to be depicted as an alien life form, Shadow's usual origin being as Gerald Robotnik's creation.
- Shadow has no memory of his life before crashing to Earth in 1974, similar to his original counterpart who lost his memory after falling back to Earth when he exhausted all of his energy from his Super Shadow form to prevent the Ark from crashing to Earth.
- After the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Keanu Reeves was highly rumored to be voicing Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It wasn't until April 2024 that it was finally confirmed that Reeves had been cast as Shadow.
- As mentioned multiple times, Shadow's entire story is a dark parallel of Sonic's:
- Both of them left their homeworld and felt like they didn't belong on Earth, due to deeming powers dangerous.
- Both of them lost a close person in their lives. Sonic lost his first adoptive mother, Longclaw, while Shadow lost his best friend, Maria.
- Both were encouraged to follow their hearts and make the right choices by someone close to them. For Sonic, it was Tom. For Shadow, it was Maria.
- Both of them became consumed by vengeance. Shadow sought to destroy the world after Maria's death, while Sonic tried to kill Shadow after he greatly injured Tom.
- Overall, if Sonic became consumed by vengeance after Longclaw's demise or Tom's near-death experience, he would've ended up like Shadow.
- To design Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the filmmakers had Super Sonic's model recolored as time constraints meant they couldn't make another model of his own for Shadow, plus it wouldn't make sense to make a new model for a character who would appear just a few seconds.
- Interestingly, in the first Sonic the Hedgehog film, Sonic and the Wachowskis watch Speed, which was one of Keanu Reeves' earliest films.
- Another interesting fact would be the 2001 film, Sugar & Spice, which featured James Marsden, who plays Tom Wachowski, had the 1991 film, Point Break, another of Keanu's earliest films, inspiring a group of cheerleaders to commit armed robbery.
- Keanu Reeves and Ben Schwartz previously worked together in the 2022 DC animated film, DC League of Super-Pets. Ben voiced Mark, and Keanu voiced Batman.
- Jeff Fowler, the director of the Sonic the Hedgehog live-action films, previously directed Shadow the Hedgehog's mainstream incarnation in the CGI cutscenes of the controversial 2005 spin-off video game, Shadow the Hedgehog.
- Unlike his counterpart in the games, Shadow has an extra quill on the back of his head, making him seven quills instead of six.
- In the games, Shadow has spent his life on the space colony ARK since his creation, unlike in the film where Shadow has practically lived on Earth since he crash-landed there, with no memory of having a life before that or knowing where he came from. Additionally, Shadow was an experiment to unlock the secrets of immortality in the games, unlike the movie which portrays Shadow as a lab rat whose powers were pushed to the extreme to develop energy sources. Also, the relationship between Shadow and Maria is explored more in the film compared to the games, somewhat similarly reflecting the relationship between Sonic and his adopted human family.
- In many ways, Shadow's personality is somewhat of a departure from his original counterpart.
- He is not as arrogant, never gloating over the title of Ultimate Lifeform, nor does he ever proclaim his superiority, though he remains disdainful of his opponents.
- His hatred is mostly directed towards the G.U.N instead of humanity.
- He is not completely blinded by anger, having at no point sought revenge for Maria's death after his awakening until he met Gerald again.
- He does not believe himself to be invincible due to being the Ultimate Lifeform, being much more affable.
- Although serious, he is a bit more open-minded compared to his game counterpart who has always been very closed, making personal remarks and comments on most things, such as when he gives his opinion on a telenovela.
- He is not as ruthless, becoming confused when he seriously injured Tom whom he mistook for Walters and seeing Sonic being horrified by it.
- He is not as stubborn and determined to go all the way, only seeking to make humanity pay because Gerald was manipulating him, though Shadow was not convinced that was what Maria would have wanted. He was also able to accept both defeat and death, as he even encouraged Sonic to finish him off.
- Finally, Shadow has been shown to be much more sensitive, as shown in his personality before Maria's death and after he realized his wrongdoing, as he was notably amused that Sonic had a catchphrase. He also openly admitted that he was suffering internally, something his counterpart would never have admitted. Most notably, he openly criticized Sonic's choice to abandon his friends after comparing him to himself, showing that Shadow is not completely indifferent.
- Shadow seems to enjoy the song "End of the Line" by the band Traveling Wilburys, the first song Maria played for him and also the first song he heard when he woke up when he went to the abandoned G.U.N. base.
External Links[]
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Heroes Wiki
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Sonic Cinematic Universe Wiki
- Shadow the Hedgehog on the Sonic Wiki
[]
 Cinematic Universe Villains
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Robotnik's Forces Extraterrestrials Other See Also | ||