Games

Best Characters In The Sonic Movies

Published

1 day ago

January 6, 2025

Christoph Rediske

Summary

Table of Contents

Sonic movies are gaining popularity, with a rich mythos and beloved characters leading the way.
Agent Stone becomes a breakout character, adding depth and humor to the Sonic films.
Maddie Wachowski, an underrated gem, delivers emotion and humor, enhancing all three Sonic movies.

There have now been three Sonic the Hedgehog movies, and they seem to be getting more popular and beloved with each new entry, a rare case in Hollywood but an even rarer one in the history of video games being adapted into films. With a rich mythos behind him, Sonic has been able to lead all three movies and dish out his wacky brand of beloved adventure without complaint or fault.

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Sonic, of course, isn’t alone. He and his films are both helped by the huge number of characters gathered and turned into beloved icons by the games, TV shows and comics which came before the franchise moved into big-budget, live-action territory. These characters are still being added to as the franchise looks to a bright future, but the current roster has already created some real fan favorites.

8

Agent Stone

Robotnik’s Surprisingly Hilarious Companion

Played By: Lee Majdoub
Appears In: Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 & Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Although he isn’t a well-known character from previous Sonic media, Agent Stone is one of the breakout characters of the live-action films. Lee Majdoub was originally playing a slightly dull henchman to Jim Carrey’s Dr Eggman, but the development of this character over time felt like it had really come full circle by the third entry.

The slow process of Eggman realizing that he cares for Agent Stone is surprisingly enjoyable to watch amid everything else happening in the Sonic films. Though Agent Stone may not appear again following the third entry, his presence has brightened and enhanced the quality of all three Sonic movies thus far, and if he gives way, it will be for a plethora of other great characters.

7

Maddie Wachowski

An Underrated Gem Of A Character

Played By Tika Sumpter
Appears In: Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 & Sonic The Hedgehog 3

There are a variety of human characters in the Sonic movies, but Maddie Wachowski is a constantly underrated figure that consistently delivers emotion, level-headedness and a dry brand of humor that has helped elevate all three entries.

A veterinarian who helped Sonic and her husband Tom when they were on the run from Robotnik in the first film, Maddie’s role has only expanded in the later entries when many similar characters would have shrunken back as more Sonic game-related characters showed up. Tika Sumpter has played Maddie perfectly, bringing humor with her family drama in the second film and emotion when Tom is hurt in the third entry, all the while growing into more of a comical character that fits the increasingly bizarre universe around her.

6

Tails

The Beloved Best Friend & Tinkerer

Played By: Colleen O’Shaughnessey
Appears In: Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 & Sonic The Hedgehog 3

The first of Sonic’s friends to appear in the films, Tails arrives in the post-credits scene of the first film. Unlike the other characters, Colleen O’Shaughnessey is reprising the role of Tails after playing him in many recent Sonic games over the past decade.

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Tails is an integral part of Team Sonic as both his best friend, his biggest fan and the innovative gadgeteer of the team. Tails was a big part of the second Sonic film and appeared again in the third as a big part of the new Team Sonic, proving to consistently be the heart of the team and saving Sonic more than once, though fans are hoping for Sonic to make a new crossover friend in the next entry.

5

Tom Wachowski

The Human Heart Of The Films

James Marsden as Tom Wachowski in Sonic the Hedgehog

Played By: James Marsden
Appears In: Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 & Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Tom Wachowski is the face of the human front in the Sonic franchise, particularly since Jim Carrey is more cartoonish than the actual CGI characters. Tom started out as one of the main characters in the first film, meeting and helping Sonic on a buddy road trip-style film, but he has managed to remain important in different ways throughout the movies.

Team Sonic doesn’t have much of a human face or friend in most of the games, but Tom has become a great one, helping them in different ways on missions and providing the fuel for Sonic to seek vengeance against Shadow in the third film when Shadow accidentally puts Tom on life support. This character is a core piece in this beloved franchise, all down to James Marsden’s great acting.

4

Shadow

The Terrifying New Opponent

Played By: Keanu Reeves
Appears In: Sonic The Hedgehog 2 & Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Although he appeared in the post-credits scene for Sonic 2, Keanu Reeves didn’t make his entrance as Shadow until the latest entry, when an old experiment of Robotnik’s grandfather reappears and escapes captivity, with vengeance on his mind.

Shadow is a great character from the Sonic mythos, and Keanu Reeves gave a wonderful and fitting performance as the black-and-red hedgehog. The entire story of the third Sonic film is built around Shadow, and it was beautiful and taught a great lesson about vengeance, while also including some of the best fight scenes and the most emotional tear-jerking scenes from the franchise to date. Fortunately, it looks like Shadow will return in future entries, meaning fans have more of Keanu’s great character to look forward to seeing.

3

Sonic The Hedgehog

The Consistently Fantastic Blue Blur

Played By: Ben Schwartz
Appears In: Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 & Sonic The Hedgehog 3

There are few animated characters as recognizable as Sonic the Hedgehog. While there have been many different versions of the character over the years, Ben Schwartz manages to pull ideas and traits from many of them to create what can be considered a near-definitive take on the character.

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This version, changed drastically after initial fan reactions to what has come to be known as “ugly Sonic”, has been at the center of turning a video game adaption into a big-budget franchise. Sonic has experienced loneliness, recklessness, vengeance and most of all love from those around him and has managed to gel perfectly in this form with Tom and Maddie, Team Sonic and even his rivals like Eggman and Shadow.

2

Knuckles

The Hilarious Echidna Warrior

Played By: Idris Elba
Appears In: Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Knuckles & Sonic The Hedgehog 3

It is difficult to outshine a personality as large as that of Sonic, but Knuckles has somewhat managed it. From being a great rival to Sonic in the second movie to gaining so much popularity that Idris Elba’s character received a spin-off series on Paramount Plus, Knuckles has truly come into his own under Elba’s excellent version.

Perhaps it is the differences in each project that have helped Knuckles to date. He’s been able to move from an intimidating villainous presence to a leading role in his own show and has come back to the films as a major part of Team Sonic and arguably the comic relief, which has allowed him to shine consistently so far in different ways. Likely to remain a major part of the franchise going forward, Knuckles is a character whose popularity hasn’t stopped soaring.

1

Dr Ivo Robotnik

The Most Comical Part Of The Franchise

Played By: Jim Carrey
Appears In: Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 & Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Jim Carrey is known for bringing characters to life that shouldn’t work in live-action. His roles in The Grinch and The Mask prepared him for crafting an incredibly cartoony version of Dr. Eggman which will live in video game adaption infamy.

Ivo Robotnik started out as a foil for Sonic, was banished to a Mushroom Planet and returned ever more dangerous, but by the third film he is closer to an anti-hero and Jim Carrey gives it his all, even taking on the role of Robotnik’s grandfather to boot. A legendary actor who shines brighter than anyone else, bringing a beloved villain to life and making him easy to love and hate all at once, Carrey may not return in any more of the series, but he is undoubtedly the best part of it to date.