Last night, the world got its very first look at the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie. As a longtime Sonic fan, let me just say that I was, most certainly, well-fed after those two minutes.

I’ve had my predictions on what the movie would be about based on what happened in the first film, and after watching this trailer, it looks like I wasn’t too far off. Let’s dive into the trailer, break down potential plot threads, and highlight specific moments that speak to the game series.

Sonic is still trying to get the hang of this whole hero thing (but at least knows to find time for chili dogs)

We can see that Sonic is trying to do his due diligence in regards to being a hero who is the fastest thing alive, but he’s still got some kinks to work out. His good friend Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) reminds him that he’s still just a kid, and while it’s admirable that he wants to help, he’s a bit too reckless.

Sonic, in the games, is usually the too cool for school hero who already has a handle on how to take down his adversaries, but in the movie, he’s still trying to figure out this power he has, especially since it’s a power that led to him having to leave his original home. What’s interesting is that the power is within Sonic, versus him collecting things like the Chaos Emeralds (more emerald talk later), so he has to be more careful.

That’s not gonna stop him from eating chili dogs and jumping on top of airplanes, though.

Oh dear, looks like Robotnik’s been in space (and is armed with Badniks and the Eggmobile)

Robotnik, at the end of the first movie, ends up on a planet that’s covered in mushrooms. I initially suspected that this could be a reference to Mushroom Hill Zone, which is the first zone in Sonic & Knuckles. While we don’t get an answer to that, we do see that Robotnik has found his way back to Earth and has been in space.

This is a huge deal, as this could mean that Robotnik has his space station, The Death Egg (or could at least be building it), and would line up with how the Sonic games have moments where the heroes have to go into space to fight Robotnik. We do see that Jim Carrey has fully embraced the Robotnik look (bless) and has returned with his iconic Eggmobile and an army of Badniks (the robots he sends after Sonic).

If there is going to be a space battle, I’m wondering if we’ll get to see the likes of the Death Egg Robot, or even worse (for Sonic, it’ll be cool to me), Mecha Sonic.

Agent Stone found happiness as a barista

I don’t have much to add to this, I just thought it was a nice detail. I suppose we don’t know if he’s happy about it, but I’d like to think that he is.

He is happy about Robotnik being back, though, if that victorious yell from Lee Majdoub is any indication.

Oh no, that’s the Master Emerald

While Robotnik was setting a course to home, he, according to him, discovered the source of ultimate power. That would be the Master Emerald, which explains why Knuckles is in this movie, since he is the guardian of the emerald.

It’s interesting that we’re seeing the Master Emerald before the Chaos Emeralds. Then again, with Sonic having his own power source, that may be taking the place of what the Chaos Emeralds do in the games. If that is the case, then Robotnik having access to the Mater Emerald is bad news, as the Master Emerald is much more powerful than the Chaos Emeralds.

I’m curious, since the Master Emerald is on Angel Island, and tampering with it makes the floating island descend … is the island going to crash down onto Earth? Is that the giant tornado we see in the trailer?

Sonic and Tails don’t know each other (yet)

At the end of the first movie, Tails shows up in search of him and hopes that he’s not too late. I’m assuming the him he’s referring to is Sonic, but that hasn’t been confirmed. We don’t know who sent Tails to our world, either, but what we do know is that this is the first time he and Sonic have met.

In the trailer, it looks like Tails has arrived via his plane, the Tornado. The two share introductions and take off in what feels like a callback to Sky Chase Zone, a level in the original Sonic the Hedgehog 2 video game (and Sonic Adventure) where Sonic rides on top of Tails’ airplane as the two pursue Robotnik.

What’s interesting is that there are scenes where it’s these two going up against Robotnik (or infiltrating bars like two kids in a trenchcoat) with no sign of Tom. There’s a lot more focus on Sonic and Tails working together, which is fantastic, but I’m kinda worried about something happening to Tom and Maddie (Tika Sumpter).

Other Sonic location references I spotted

On top of the opening of the trailer reminding me of Sonic Adventure, there are two other locations that I spotted that tie back in with the games, and not just in a “Green Hills is where Tom is the sheriff” kind of way. There’s a part that clearly looks like the Mystic Ruins from Sonic Adventure, right down to us getting a glimpse of the shrine of the master emerald (a.k.a. flashback central to the game). We also get what appears to be Ice Cap Zone, Sonic snowboarding away from some Badniks.

Knuckles doesn’t need Sonic’s power (also, he’s working with Robotnik)

The trailer ends with the reveal of Knuckles and reminds us that Idris Elba is a liar. You said Knuckles wouldn’t sound sexy, sir, and you were WRONG!

Okay, all jokes aside, this Knuckles reveal is pretty badass … even if it means we had to watch him knock Sonic the hell out. While it might come as a surprise to see these two on opposite sides these days, Knuckles originally started out as an antagonist. Of course, it’s due to Robotnik lying to him, but when Knuckles first appeared in Sonic 3, he was helping Robotnik AND he was strong enough to knock Sonic out of his Super Sonic form.

So yeah, he doesn’t need Sonic’s power.

While I always suspected that the movie would have Knuckles start as an enemy, I’m curious to see how far it goes with this. In the first movie, Sonic was chased off his home planet by the Echidna tribe, so this might not be a one-sided feud between Sonic and Knuckles. Sonic has every reason to be wary of Knuckles, since he’s an echidna, which gives the two more tension than they had in the games.

Though I’m wondering … is Knuckles the last echidna like he was in the original games? Or is the Echidna tribe still around?

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What are your thoughts on the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 trailer? Are you excited to check out the film next year? What are you hoping to see happen in the film, and more importantly, what other nerdy Sonic references are in the trailer?

(Image: Paramount Pictures and Sega of America)

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Briana Lawrence

Briana (she/her - bisexual) is trying her best to cosplay as a responsible adult. Her writing tends to focus on the importance of representation, whether it’s through her multiple book series or the pieces she writes. After de-transforming from her magical girl state, she indulges in an ever-growing pile of manga, marathons too much anime, and dedicates an embarrassing amount of time to her Animal Crossing pumpkin patch (it's Halloween forever, deal with it Nook)

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