Does Sonic The Hedgehog 3 have a post-credits scene?

The third Sonic the Hedgehog film opened to rave reviews from critics, with a fan-favorite character ready to take center stage and take on Team Sonic in a thrilling adventure like no other before.

When Shadow the Hedgehog is awakened from a 50-year stasis by an unknown force, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles must discover who is behind the plan to end a terrible fate.

The first two Sonic films revealed the major plots of the next installment in the credits. If you're wondering if Sonic the Hedgehog 3 follows the same trend, look no further. I've seen the movie and can confirm how long you have to stick around.

I have also included a detailed analysis of that ending and what it means for the future of the live-action Sonic universe, with enough warning for readers.

You can also read Tech Advisor's official Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review here.

Paramount Pictures

Does Sonic the Hedgehog 3 have a post-credits scene?

Don't think you have to rush out of the theater just yet, because Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has two post-credits scenes.

One of them occurs halfway through, after the animated part of the credits. However, once that's done, don't leave – you'll have to stick around for the final teaser which will play after all the credits have finished.

Both are set for the next film, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, which is now confirmed to be aiming for a 2027 release according to Variety. They could also indicate another spinoff series on Paramount+, like the standalone Knuckles show.

If you don't want to be spoiled for the ending of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, read no further.

What happens in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 credits scene?

Paramount Pictures

The scene picks up after Sonic finishes his run with (the now real) Tails and Knuckles. In typical fast fashion, the hedgehog went way too far and ended up across the country in upstate New York.

Suddenly, Sonic is ambushed by a robot that looks rather familiar – which the hero laughs at. Fans will know this character as the villainous Metal Sonic, who has appeared in several Sonic games, comic books, and the 1996 animated OVA film.

But it's not just one metal, as many glowing red eyes appear in the darkness. Sonic is surrounded by several copies, who close in to fight him.

As Sonic prepares for a battle, a hammer appears out of nowhere and crashes into the Metal Sonics. A hooded figure jumps into the air, grabs the weapon, and lands.

Sonic asks who they are and they remove the hood to reveal Amy Rose, one of the few main characters from the games who has not yet been adapted for the Jeff Fowler-directed films.

Metal Sonic and Amy Rose were introduced in the Sonic CD game, with Sonic saving Amy from the evil robot. The story deals with time travel, with the player having to complete the game to avoid a fate where the world ends up being ruled by Robotnik.

SEGA

What happens in the final post-credits scene of Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

We see a crater in the ground, and inside is one of Shadow's inhibitor rings – something the ultimate life form took off to unleash his ultimate power to save Earth when he and Robotnik sacrificed themselves .

Naturally, it will take a bit more to kill Shadow the Hedgehog. We see his signature jet shoes enter the shot before the film cuts to black.

Gaming fans won't be surprised by this. Shadow also seemingly died at the end of Sonic Adventure 2, the game that inspired this film. However, the character managed to return in Sonic Heroes – but with many questions about his background and history.

Paramount Pictures

Considering that the first post-credits scene gave us two new characters and a new setting with New York, this seems to be the focal point of Sonic 4.

Metal Sonic will almost certainly be the main villain. This robot can imitate Sonic's movements and speed, but is also more capable and intelligent than regular badniks. He constantly challenges Sonic to defeat him, sometimes even going against his creator – Doctor Eggman – to achieve his goal.

In later games such as Sonic Heroes, he gained more power from the Chaos Emeralds and transformed into monstrous forms such as Neo Metal Sonic and Metal Overlord, allowing him to use Chaos Control.

Amy's introduction is a subversion of her origin in the games – she started out as a damsel in distress and Sonic's self-proclaimed biggest fan/girlfriend, often much to his chagrin. When the games entered the 3D era, she became a heroine in her own right, benefiting from a more adult makeover (like what she has in these post-credits, but without the mysterious cape).

Over the years, her obsessive nature for Sonic grew into a strong friendship, while her romantic feelings softened into a more secret crush – and even sometimes hinted that they might be reciprocated during things such as Sonic Boom and the Sonic Takeovers on Twitter.

Her introduction in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 indicates that we might get more of the independent Amy Rose we see now in the modern era. However, it remains to be seen if she and Sonic will have that strong bond in the films like they do in other media.

Metal Sonic and Amy Rose both play important roles in Sonic CD and Sonic Heroes, so it's likely that they will serve as the basis for the plot of Sonic 4. Amy also plays an important role in Sonic Adventure and strikes up an unlikely friendship with a robot. (not Metal), which causes friction between her and Sonic. She has also been shown to have sympathy for metal in other animated shorts like the one below:

Shadow's fate shows that he will return in some capacity. It's unclear what role he will play in the fourth film, but Knuckles producer Toby Ascher has mentioned making more Sonic spinoff series, so his story can be explored more in a TV show like this. .

In the games, Shadow eventually becomes an agent of GUN. Considering that the series introduces Krysten Ritter as one of the new big bosses of this organization in the form of Director Rockwell, she could be a good antagonist (or even an ally) for a story of this nature.

Of course, the question remains: if Metal Sonic is the villain, who created him? In the games, it's Eggman – but his fate seemed pretty definitive in Sonic the Hedgehog 3…

…or did he?

Paramount Pictures

Is Doctor Eggman really dead in Sonic the Hedgehog 3?

While burning up in a space explosion seems like something no one could survive, the final post-credits scene confirmed that at least Shadow did it.

It's possible that the hedgehog teleported and saved Robotnik at the last moment. Alternatively, there was a throwaway line from the Doctor about “cloning” Agent Stone, so maybe there's another version of the villain out there somewhere – one without the empathy needed to save the world.

The final way Eggman could return is through time travel. After all, the original Amy and Metal game is Sonic CD, in which Robotnik uses the Time Stones to create his robotic utopia. The only way to truly defeat him is to collect these Time Stones, thus preventing this future from happening.

All three characters could be from the future, or even an alternate timeline, if the creators want to take a slightly different route.

In addition to this, Jim Carrey gave the following quote to Screen Rant upon his return for a fourth film:

I don't want to say for sure, but it always depends on what's happening at the moment. And the guys, Toby Asher and Jeff Fowler, call me and say, “We have this idea. What do you think? Where we can take Robotnik. So it really comes down to that. I'm not against it, that's for sure.

Jim Carrey is a huge crowd pleaser, and he really seems to enjoy making movies, so we wouldn't be surprised to see him return.

Related articles