Summary

• Black Doom could be an epic villain for the Sonic franchise, with god-like powers to challenge the heroes in an Avengers-style event movie.
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 could set up the introduction of Black Doom, tying in with Shadow's origins and establishing a cinematic universe.
• Expanding the Sonic movie franchise with big team-up events will require compelling villains like Black Doom to create high-stakes storylines.

Plans for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise suggest they'll be moving toward Avengers-level event movies, meaning one villain from the video games needs to be introduced. The first Sonic movie in 2020 was an excellent introduction to the franchise, while Sonic the Hedgehog 2 added new heroes in Tails and Knuckles. There are still great Sonic video game stories to be adapted, including introducing Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which will be released in December 2024.

CinemaCon 2024 has provided some first-look footage of the upcoming film, and press surrounding the upcoming Knuckles spin-off series has resulted in some exciting news for the franchise. Speaking with Paste Magazine, Sonic producer Toby Ascher discussed expanding the Sonic franchise into a cinematic universe. He explained that, eventually, the plan is for the Sonic franchise to have Avengers-level events, referring to big team-up movies. Having a compelling and powerful villain is crucial to fulfilling such a promise.

Black Doom Is Sonic's Best Villain For An Avengers-Level Event Movie

Black Doom Is An Extremely Powerful Villain In The Sonic Universe

With over thirty years of Sonic the Hedgehog games to draw from, there are plenty of fantastic villains to utilize. With Dr. Eggman being the villain of the first two movies, the franchise has barely scratched the surface of a well of iconic characters. One villain that could make for a perfect Avengers-level threat is Black Doom, who was introduced in the Shadow the Hedgehog game in 2005. He'll also be the antagonist of the upcoming game, Sonic X Shadow Generations, which could be perfect timing to prepare for the film saga.

Black Doom is a rather dark-looking villain for the Sonic franchise, and he's vastly different in tone from Jim Carrey's Robotnik. However, he's one of the few characters with the threat level to oppose a big Sonic team-up. Black Doom leads a massive force called the Black Arms and has some god-like powers that make him a serious threat. He could be an incredible final boss for the Sonic movie franchise.

How Black Doom Could Be Set Up In Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Black Doom Has Ties To Shadow's Origins, Which Can Be Explored In Sonic 3

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the perfect film to set up Black Doom, given the villain's ties to Shadow the Hedgehog. Jim Carrey came out of his brief retirement for the film, though it's unclear whether he'll be involved in the future. Shadow makes for a solid anti-hero who could become the Sonic franchise's equivalent of Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he doesn't make sense as a long-standing supervillain. With that in mind, using Sonic 3 as a chance to loosely lay out the threads for future films makes a ton of sense.

In the games, Shadow is made in a lab by Dr. Gerald Robotnik, Dr. Eggman's grandfather. He creates Shadow as a weapon by making a deal with Black Doom for some of his blood, which establishes a genetic connection between the characters. Since the character Maria has been announced for Sonic 3, the film will likely be exploring Shadow's origins, offering the perfect moment to establish Black Doom and the future of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

Sources: Paste Magazine