Shadow Fans Welcome

Sonic sounds like an asshole? Make him an actual asshole. His preachy douche attitude about "freedom and principles" only superficially resembles 2000s Sonic.

Eggman has his potential underutilized in games like Forces? Make him a bumbling instigator who suddenly loses brain cells midway through the Metal Virus arc.

Tails was an asshole who disagreed with Sonic in Lost World and was a cowering helpless coward in Forces (and Unleashed too)? Make him a yes man to Sonic's preachy douche shit. And in the Metal Virus arc, make him a cowering helpless coward.

Amy does nothing? (TBF having played even SA1 and SA2 I've never been satisfied with her roles in the games personally) "Mature" her by making her Pink Sally with generic leader stress and no optimism cuz optimism is apparently our Wangst Bait kid Cream's job now.

Knuckles is a bad leader? Don't try to redeem him, just make him even more unlikable. Now he apparently "abandoned the Resistance on a whim" and only cares about the Master Emerald. But at least he's guarding the Master Emerald again and it's making Amy artificially and effortlessly elevated above him, right? (It's a disservice to both characters.)

Shadow is allegedly an OOC asshole in Forces? (He's fucking not.) Make him a cocky idiot who gives himself the Metal Virus. Then expose us to his lengthy internal monologue (which is internal because waaaah Sega told us not to make him constantly run his mouth).

Cream hasn't been appearing much? Make her into, as you've described her yourself, convenient Wangst Bait. And also that scene where she becomes a T_T mess with two random skunks breaking into her house just so Vanilla can go generic mama bear on them.

Silver is arguably annoying? Make him some uwu loser.

...Oh, that's right. Flynn bias.

People will try to tell you that Flynn's handling on the IDWverse is "better than Pontaff", but I don't see Sonic treating his enemies worse than some of his own friends in the 2010's games, nor do I see Eggman being dumbed down (especially not in Forces).

Believe it or not, a better-written version of the Metal Virus arc does exist... we just call it "Dead Rising 3"

Sonic's friends were even more helpless and Sonic was actually an asshole and not just someone who arguably sounded like one.

The way they try to build up Tails as having the cure for the Metal Virus being made only to pull the rug on that for a cheap tear from the readers.

If Pontaff had written that arc (and it happened to be the exact same, which of course it wouldn't because Sonic wouldn't be a preachy douche) it would actually get a lot more of the hate it deserves.

Wasn't the arc (forgot the name) that had "Master Overlord" in it also "Sonic Heroes but worse," too?

Sonic sounds like an asshole? Make him an actual asshole. His preachy douche attitude about "freedom and principles" only superficially resembles 2000s Sonic.

Eggman has his potential underutilized in games like Forces? Make him a bumbling instigator who suddenly loses brain cells midway through the Metal Virus arc.

Tails was an asshole who disagreed with Sonic in Lost World and was a cowering helpless coward in Forces (and Unleashed too)? Make him a yes man to Sonic's preachy douche shit. And in the Metal Virus arc, make him a cowering helpless coward.

Amy does nothing? (TBF having played even SA1 and SA2 I've never been satisfied with her roles in the games personally) "Mature" her by making her Pink Sally with generic leader stress and no optimism cuz optimism is apparently our Wangst Bait kid Cream's job now.

Knuckles is a bad leader? Don't try to redeem him, just make him even more unlikable. Now he apparently "abandoned the Resistance on a whim" and only cares about the Master Emerald. But at least he's guarding the Master Emerald again and it's making Amy artificially and effortlessly elevated above him, right? (It's a disservice to both characters.)

Shadow is allegedly an OOC asshole in Forces? (He's fucking not.) Make him a cocky idiot who gives himself the Metal Virus. Then expose us to his lengthy internal monologue (which is internal because waaaah Sega told us not to make him constantly run his mouth).

Cream hasn't been appearing much? Make her into, as you've described her yourself, convenient Wangst Bait. And also that scene where she becomes a T_T mess with two random skunks breaking into her house just so Vanilla can go generic mama bear on them.

Silver is arguably annoying? Make him some uwu loser.

...Oh, that's right. Flynn bias.

People will try to tell you that Flynn's handling on the IDWverse is "better than Pontaff", but I don't see Sonic treating his enemies worse than some of his own friends in the 2010's games, nor do I see Eggman being dumbed down (especially not in Forces).

Believe it or not, a better-written version of the Metal Virus arc does exist... we just call it "Dead Rising 3"

Sonic's friends were even more helpless and Sonic was actually an asshole and not just someone who arguably sounded like one.

The way they try to build up Tails as having the cure for the Metal Virus being made only to pull the rug on that for a cheap tear from the readers.

If Pontaff had written that arc (and it happened to be the exact same, which of course it wouldn't because Sonic wouldn't be a preachy douche) it would actually get a lot more of the hate it deserves.

Wasn't the arc (forgot the name) that had "Master Overlord" in it also "Sonic Heroes but worse," too?

There's reason to think maybe he doesn't.

If Maria of all people cannot recall ever seeing Shadow eating even once, then that could suggest that Shadow just wasn't eating because he doesn't need to eat.

The games seem to imply Shadow did view Gerald as a father figure. It's just that the evidence for it is a lot more subtle than the inverse, Gerald calling Shadow "son."

Conversely, I don't think Shadow really ever considered Black Doom anything other than a would-be tyrant. Even in the Darker paths, he doesn't give Black Doom the same respect he reserves for Gerald. ---

1.) The lyrics to Chosen One contain the line "You made me, and I loved you, but I can't change the things I've done."

2.) One of Shadow's lines during the Finalhazard fight is "I must destroy all the evil the Professor has created."

This would imply that, even though he knows Gerald is the cause of his suffering, he still separates the Professor from his evil deeds. Which carries all sorts of interesting implications. Maybe he's doing it as a way of distancing himself from his own deeds, or to atone for them (is he included in "the evil"?); maybe he recognizes that the Professor is not the same Professor he once knew; or maybe he trying to avoid thinking about it (because he gets a lot more grim about his status as a weapon in Battle).

3.) It's also interesting how, in Battle, the one thing that calms him down is discovering that Gerald gave him and Emerl "souls." Until then, he was convinced he was nothing more than a weapon of war that must be destroyed if mankind wants peace.

4.) We must consider as well that when Shadow confesses to Maria in SA2 that he doesn't know what his purpose is, he tells her something the Professor once said about his own purpose. It's framed as though Shadow would like to model his journey for purpose after Gerald's.

5.) The neutral mission of Lost Impact involves booking it straight for the Professor during an emergency on the ARK. Because this is a direct memory not influenced by Black Doom, there is no Dark mission. Your choices are to check on the Professor, or do what Maria asks of you and neutralize the Artificial Chaos. This would imply that Shadow views these two objectives to be of equal importance, even though one is a lot more laborious than the other.

6.) Gerald seems oddly absent in most Dark paths, except on the path where it is implied Shadow's mental reprogramming has kicked back in right before GUN Fortress.

7.) Might be fudging, but I think Shadow listening to the Professor talk in White Space could count here as well.

I think when we put all of this together, it suggests Shadow might have found Gerald wise, or a grounding force in his life. He might have even looked to Gerald for guidance.

...Ow my heart.

--- “Gerald's humility prevents him from finding another reason to live because his identity was so wrapped up in saving Maria.” Also, very ironic that Gerald tells Shadow to not just live for ONLY Maria when Gerald ended up ONLY living for Maria

---

Gerald crossed several of his personal ethical boundaries in order to save Maria. The deal with Black Doom is the biggest one, but there are others. IIRC, Rouge's report says he didn't agree with the government's scientific pursuit for immortality until Maria's illness forced him to reconsider. He also handed Gizoid over to the government for more time on Project Shadow, despite the lengths he went to ensure it could not be used as a weapon of mass destruction.

---

(Like at some point, Gerald should’ve just given Maria back to her parents like they requested.) Maybe, but that would have likely meant she would have passed soon after, and he probably wasn't ready to let Maria go. She really was his reason to live.

You have to remember that Gerald was not in his right mind when he designed the colony drop program. That's why Eggman considers the disturbing possibility that he had meant to destroy everyone, including his own remaining family. With SxS Gens implying estrangement, as Gerald had not talked to either of his sons in a long time, it's reasonable to assume he thought they'd disown him as a disgrace.

There was a brief detainment period before he discovered Maria had died; being left alone in custody would have caused his mind to run amok with worry. Coupled with the fact that the military framed him and destroyed his life's work, it's a perfect cocktail storm of stress.

Even then, Gerald didn't "snap" right away, as Eggman might have. It took time for the madness to settle in, which is probably more terrifying tbh, because there was some part of him that was lucid enough to be "scared" at what the "insane" part of him was doing. Eventually, the latter took over the former.

No joke, Shadow seems to FEAR Gerald MORE than Space Satan & anyone else from the Series (We've never seen Shadow scared of ANYONE, I think.). But, I guess, betrayal from someone you once very loved HURTS MORE & would cause MORE FEAR than anything else.

Sonic sounds like an asshole? Make him an actual asshole. His preachy douche attitude about "freedom and principles" only superficially resembles 2000s Sonic.

Eggman has his potential underutilized in games like Forces? Make him a bumbling instigator who suddenly loses brain cells midway through the Metal Virus arc.

Tails was an asshole who disagreed with Sonic in Lost World and was a cowering helpless coward in Forces (and Unleashed too)? Make him a yes man to Sonic's preachy douche shit. And in the Metal Virus arc, make him a cowering helpless coward.

Amy does nothing? (TBF having played even SA1 and SA2 I've never been satisfied with her roles in the games personally) "Mature" her by making her Pink Sally with generic leader stress and no optimism cuz optimism is apparently our Wangst Bait kid Cream's job now.

Knuckles is a bad leader? Don't try to redeem him, just make him even more unlikable. Now he apparently "abandoned the Resistance on a whim" and only cares about the Master Emerald. But at least he's guarding the Master Emerald again and it's making Amy artificially and effortlessly elevated above him, right? (It's a disservice to both characters.)

Shadow is allegedly an OOC asshole in Forces? (He's fucking not.) Make him a cocky idiot who gives himself the Metal Virus. Then expose us to his lengthy internal monologue (which is internal because waaaah Sega told us not to make him constantly run his mouth).

Cream hasn't been appearing much? Make her into, as you've described her yourself, convenient Wangst Bait. And also that scene where she becomes a T_T mess with two random skunks breaking into her house just so Vanilla can go generic mama bear on them.

Silver is arguably annoying? Make him some uwu loser.

...Oh, that's right. Flynn bias.

People will try to tell you that Flynn's handling on the IDWverse is "better than Pontaff", but I don't see Sonic treating his enemies worse than some of his own friends in the 2010's games, nor do I see Eggman being dumbed down (especially not in Forces).

Believe it or not, a better-written version of the Metal Virus arc does exist... we just call it "Dead Rising 3"

Sonic's friends were even more helpless and Sonic was actually an asshole and not just someone who arguably sounded like one.

The way they try to build up Tails as having the cure for the Metal Virus being made only to pull the rug on that for a cheap tear from the readers.

If Pontaff had written that arc (and it happened to be the exact same, which of course it wouldn't because Sonic wouldn't be a preachy douche) it would actually get a lot more of the hate it deserves.

Wasn't the arc (forgot the name) that had "Master Overlord" in it also "Sonic Heroes but worse," too?

Go for gold in the Grand Prix, challenge racers online in World Match, compete for the best time in Time Trial, and change up the rules and teams in Race Park!

Face down the competition in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, coming September 25th!

Start your engines for the free Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Open Network Test coming at 12:01am ET on August 29th on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Epic!

Again, like that McDonald’s Ad, I don’t count ANYTHING that takes place OUTSIDE the Movies & Streaming Shows as CANON.😅

Like how are the Sonic Movies & the Knuckles Streaming Show actual Movies & an actual Streaming Show that exist “In-Universe” (Tom & Maddie)?! And why doesn’t anyone but Knuckles like their own Content that features them? ....Though, Except, for Shadow, ‘cause, well, he probably doesn’t want to keep being reminded of Maria’s death……💔

Hi Guys!❤️✨

I’ve got some more Sonic 3 (2024)—related trivia for you all to enjoy! This comes from a recent interview that ScreenRant did with Jeff Fowler. I’ll post the subtitles and link the article for you to read when you’ve got some downtime:

1). Casting Maria In Sonic 3 Was Easy Because Of The Mad Max Franchise. Aylya Browne was an easy choice due to liking her performance in the Mad Max series and how she engages with fans in the fandom.

2). Early Versions Of Sonic 3 Included More Ozzie Subtitles. There were a few lines that Ozzie was meant to say at the B-earth-Day Party that were scrapped.

3). Keanu Reeves Pitched The First Interaction Between Sonic & Shadow. Reeves pitched the interaction between Shadow and Sonic being confused with one another’s appearance due to the humor of the situation.

4). Shadow Didn't Want To Start A Fight With Team Sonic At The Beginning Of Sonic 3. Fowler revealed that Shadow never wanted to fight Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles due to wanting to be alone. If Knuckles hadn’t started the fight, then Shadow wouldn’t have left them alone.

5). Fowler Wanted SCU!Shadow’s Origin Story to be Simple. He wanted to keep the concept simpler to introduce Black Doom in the future due to Shadow being made with Black Arms DNA in the games. The “creation” is still there with Shadow and Gerald in terms of harnessing chaos power and unlocking abilities.

6). Sonic 3 Was About Sonic Learning To Be A Leader. This was a conversation with Fowler and Schwartz on discussing where Sonic’s arc in the story would be. Ben felt that learning to be a team leader was the best due to dong things on his own for so long, as well as learning that he can have people to approach when needing help.

7). Jim Carrey's Hair At The Beginning Of Sonic 3 Is Real (but I think that many of us knew that😂)

8). Jim Carrey's Ivo & Gerald Robotnik Scenes Had To Be Filmed On Separate Days. This was due to make-up and costume changes taking up most of the day for Dr. Robotnik and Professor Gerald.

9). Jim Carrey Pitched The Nanotechnology Idea For Ivo & Gerald Robotnik's Final Fight. This was an idea that Jim had due to physical comedy appearances, as well as the belief that the two would invent their own nanotechnology to see which one was better.

10). Jeff Fowler Teased Shadow's Role In Future Sonic Movies. We can expect more of Shadow to appear in potential spinoffs and Sonic 4. He is a loner and not an individual to join a team, but Fowler feels that he would come and assist when needed.

It sure would be nice if Alyla Browne ever got to talk about her role as Maria & why Maria cares about Shadow so much & vice versa. It would also be very nice if Keanu & Alyla got to be interviewed TOGETHER while also talking about their characters & their relationship with one another (I'm more interested in Shadow & Maria's Relationship than Shadow & Sonic's Relationship.).

That was such A MISSED OPPORTUNITY throughout this ENTIRE PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN as well as "everyone" seeming to kinda MISS A 'HUGE PART' OF SHADOW'S CHARACTER & WHY HE DOES WHAT HE DOES & WHY HE IS HOW HE IS.