Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) has finally raced into theaters, so it's time to unpack the entire movie and talk about that ending!
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Picking up where the Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) left off, we find Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey) alive on Mushroom Planet (as named by on-screen text), which instantly looks like a level out of one of the many Sonic games.
Not only is it clear that Robotnik has made many attempts to escape, but he also appears to have used the environment to survive, as he's even trying to make himself a cup of coffee using mushroom juice (sounds lovely).
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However, a portal opens and Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) emerges, a long-time fan-favorite character. Knuckles is looking for Sonic (Ben Schwartz), so Robotnik offers to help him find the hedgehog if he takes him back to Earth.
On Earth, Sonic has become a vigilante (he calls himself "Blue Justice"), although his efforts, it seems, almost always end in disaster. Tom Wachowski (James Marsden), later tells him that he's too young to use his powers.
Tom and his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter) leave through one of Sonic's portals for her sister's wedding in Hawaii, so Sonic is left home alone for the weekend. But he's soon discovered by Robotnik and Knuckles, who beats him to a pulp.
Knuckles' tribe has long been at war with Sonic's, and now he's looking for the legendary Master Emerald (also lifted right from the games). However, the mere mention of the object greatly interests the power-hungry Robotnik.
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We then cut back to the original movie's secret ending, which finds the alien fox Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) arriving in Green Hill to help Sonic. Using a police car, he saves Sonic from Robotnik and Knuckles, and the two go on the run.
They soon decide that they need to find the Master Emerald before Robotnik and Knuckles do. Meanwhile, Robotnik is reuinted with Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub), who has been working as a barista in his master's absence.
As they search for the Master Emerald using an ancient map given to them by Longclaw (Donna Jay Fulks), Sonic and Tails wind up in Siberia, and are ultimately led to a temple, where Knuckles appears.
The Echidna tells Sonic that he is the only survivor of his tribe, and that he's now getting his revenge. As Knuckles and Sonic begin to find some commonality - that they're both orphans - Robotnik appears.
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Sonic and Tails outrun an avalanche caused by Robotnik, and use one of the rings to create a portal to the wedding Tom is attending in Hawaii, so that he can help them.
When they crash the wedding, it transpires that the groom and several guests are actually secret agents who work for GUN (Guardian Unites of Nations), and have been looking to capture Sonic for some time.
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Tom, Maddie, and her sister Rachel, the bride (Natasha Rothwell) decide to help Sonic and Tails, and join them in fighting off GUN. Meanwhile, off the coast of Honolulu, Robotnik and Knuckles discover a temple under the ocean.
Inside, they find the Master Emerald. The stone comes to life, and the water surrounding the temple is suddenly held back by magic, exposing the temple in its entirety.
Sonic decides to speed across the ocean towards the temple, however, Tails, who has been injured by GUN, is unable to help him. Inside, Sonic and Knuckles fight, but Robotnik manages to acquire the power of the Master Emerald.
Sonic and Tails team up with Knuckles and return to Green Hill, where Robotnik reveals that he has become all powerful, and is now able to use his new telekinetic abilities to build machines using pieces of surrounding objects.
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Using the Master Emerald powers, he quickly constructs a giant robot version of himself (which has been taken from the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 2) and begins to attack the town, aiming for Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.
In trying to acquire the Master Emerald from the robot, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles accidentally destroy it, but inside are the Chaos Emeralds (Sonic fans will be very familiar - they're the Infinity Stones of the Sonic universe).
Just as Robotnik is about to kill Tom and Maddie on the ground below, Sonic uses the Chaos Emeralds to become Super Sonic (a yellow, glowing version of his former self), and ultimately defeats Robotnik and his robot.
Sonic gives the Chaos Emeralds to Knuckles, with which he is able to rebuild the Master Emeralds. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles then decide to protect Earth and the universe from anyone trying to seek the power of the emeralds.
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In a mid-credits scene, GUN are at the scene of Robotnik's giant robot - although Robotnik himself is missing - when they discover an old program which they refer to as "Project Shadow".
In another location, a black-and-red hedgehog emerges from a capsule in the ground, who is revealed to be Shadow the Hedgehog who first appeared in the game Sonic Adventure 2.
In the game series, Shadow the Hedgehog was created by Gerald Robotnik - Robotnik's father - several decades before, initially as an experiment to cure diseases and to save Gerald's granddaughter, Maria, from a life-threatening illness.
Consequently, Shadow possesses the power of immortality and also wields the power of the Chaos Emeralds. Whether or not Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (TBA) - which has already been confirmed - will go down this route remains to be seen.
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But one thing's for sure - Shadow the Hedgehog will be the new secondary antagonist.