First Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Footage at CinemaCon Revealed Shadow and a Down-on-His-Luck Robotnik

All seems lost for our evil friend before Agent Stone speaks up and says, "Doctor, they found him." This is the motivation Robotnik needed to get back to work.

The footage then cuts and we see Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles fighting against Shadow and see him fully for the first time. He never speaks, but he looks very much like we've seen him in the video games, though fans will have to wait a little longer to see Shadow for themselves. There is even a potential tease of Robotnik and Sonic teaming up against this new foe.

While it was exciting to see Shadow in action, we still have yet to find out who is playing the fearsome hedgehog. What we do know is that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is still on track for December 20, 2024, and it will see the additions of Krysten Ritter, Alyla Browne, James Wolk, Sofia Pernas, Cristo Fernández, and Jorma Taccone. We don't know who many of these newcomers are playing, but Browne did confirm she will be taking on the role of Maria Robotnik.

It was also big news that Jim Carrey is returning as Dr. Robotnik as he had previously talked about retiring after Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Speaking of that sequel, we said in our Sonic the Hedgehog 2 review that it "improves upon its predecessor in many ways, while falling short in a few others. It feels more attuned to the Sonic lore than ever before, and fans of the games should have a great time seeing their favorite characters so lovingly recreated on the big screen. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are a ton of fun, as is Jim Carrey’s wonderfully over-the-top reprisal of Dr. Robotnik."

While you wait for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, check out the Knuckles trailer ahead of its Paramount+ debut on April 26, 2024. For more from CinemaCon, check out the news of the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie in the works, all the big reveals from Warner Bros., and our reaction to the first action-packed footage of Gladiator 2.

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Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.