Alert: the subsequent elements contain spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 3…
Sonic 3 draws heavily from Sonic Adventure 2, the 2001 Dreamcast game that solidified the Blue Blur as a 3D platforming legend while simultaneously introducing Shadow the Hedgehog into the mix.
While the live-action threequel follows the narrative beats and broad plot strokes of Sonic Adventure 2, one significant distinction lies in the character of Gerald Robotnik (Jim Carrey).
Specifically, he is still very much alive and (for better or worse) active in Sonic 3, despite being a 114-year-old man. This marks a notable departure from Sonic Adventure 2, which portrayed Gerald Robotnik through flashbacks and old recorded communications.
“The main change, honestly, was making it so that Gerald is still alive; incorporating Gerald into the present instead of just having him as a flashback antagonist who exists solely in the past, because there’s only so many flashbacks we want to include,” Sonic 3 co-writer Pat Casey shares with GamesRadar+.
“We aimed to present him as a current threat, providing us with a tangible villain, since we knew from the outset that we wanted to explore the idea of Sonic and Ivo interacting more. Therefore, the concept of them collaborating was high on our agenda, even though, of course, any such collaboration was always meant to be temporary.”
Co-writer Josh Miller notes that introducing Gerald Robotnik creates intriguing dynamics for Jim Carrey’s other Robotnik, Ivo (commonly referred to as Eggman by his foes).
“It became such a significant aspect of the Sonic movie series that Ivo is an orphan, so it was hard to ignore the notion of what could occur if he suddenly discovered he had a relative,” Miller explains. “Since the Sonic films revolve around the theme of found family.”
Casey adds, “To me, the Sonic movies are fundamentally about overwhelming solitude. I recall people making memes about this after Sonic 2, and there’s a certain truth to it— Ivo is part of that narrative. So, what would happen to him if he realized he wasn’t alone anymore?”