Sonic 4 Is Pulling Its Metal Sonic Story From An Unlikely Source

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will be pulling its Metal Sonic story from an unlikely source, serving to make the upcoming movie all the more intriguing. Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s post-credits scene confirmed Metal Sonic will be the main villain of the next movie, as he attacks Sonic in an attempt to kill him. However, the protagonist is saved by Amy Rose.

The two new characters’ appearances indicate Sonic the Hedgehog 4‘s story will be pulled from 1993’s Sonic CD, where Amy and Metal Sonic first debuted. Although it’s unclear how many attributes of the game will appear in the movie, this opens the doorway to everything from Robotnik’s return as a planetary ruler to time travel via the Time Stone.

But there’s one outlier to the post-credits scene that isn’t part of the games: Metal Sonic has an army of gray Metal Sonics at his disposal. This doesn’t happen in the video game series, where the antagonist is a singular entity created by Dr. Eggman. But a Metal Sonic army isn’t an original movie idea — it’s already been done in a Sonic comic series.

In Sonic the Comic, a UK-based series published by Fleetway Editions from 1993 to 2002, there are multiple Metal Sonics. In the comic, he’s known as Metallix, a badnik created by Robotnik, shaped like Sonic with the same speed and agility. One story featuring this group of robotic villains hints at how the movie’s Metal Sonic army will play into the film’s story.

In Sonic the Comic, Metallix is introduced as a singular Metal Sonic, who becomes central to Robotnik’s attempt at conquering Miracle Planet, a small planet he chains to Sonic’s homeworld, Mobius. Sonic manages to defeat him by traveling back in time using the Time Stones to help his past self. But this wouldn’t be the only run-in he’d have with Metallix.

Later in the series, Sonic and his friends learn that an army of Metallix have conquered Miracle Planet, turning it into Planet Metallix. The planet acts as a base of operations for the Metallix, who sport the same classic design as Metal Sonic. All except one, Emperor Metallix, a giant, red Metal Sonic sitting atop a throne. They pose a key threat in this arc of the comics.

Sonic eventually learns that the Brotherhood used the Time Stones to travel back in time to ensure Robotnik never became an evil genius. While Sonic is able to reverse this, the future he travels back to still has Emperor Metallix in charge. It’s only working with Robotnik to defeat the army of Metallix that he’s able to stop his robotic rival once and for all.

How Sonic 4 Can Adapt Sonic The Comic’s Emperor Metallix Storyline

It’s unlikely Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is going to adapt directly from Sonic the Comic‘s Brotherhood of Metallix storyline. However, the inclusion of a Metal Sonic army signals some inspiration from the series. This isn’t the first time the movies have referenced the comic, either: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ends with Knuckles briefly believing the Master Emerald’s Chaos Energy may have made Sonic evil, a small nod to how Super Sonic behaves in the comic.

As for Metal Sonic, the army he amasses could be inspired by the Metallix. The blue Metal Sonic that was front-and-center in the post-credits scene could be the ringleader, acting like Emperor Metallix by leading an army of robots in his likeness to take over the world. It would also weave Sonic the Comic elements into 2003’s Sonic Heroes game, when Metal Sonic betrayed Eggman for his own agenda.

If Sonic the Hedgehog 4 pulls heavily from Sonic the Comic, then it may also see Sonic and Robotnik teaming up once again. Footage from the movie at CinemaCon signals Robotnik is still considering himself a savior of humanity after the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Depending on how the story goes, this could be how he and Sonic end up on the same side again.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 could feature another nod to Emperor Metallix by having Metal Sonic change forms as he grows stronger. In Sonic Heroes, for example, he morphed into Neo Metal Sonic, a spiker design, then later into the monstrous Metal Madness and Metal Overlord. Even pulling pimarily from the games, the fourth movie can still embody elements of Sonic the Comic, thus making it somewhat inspired by the Brotherhood of Metallix.

Release Date

March 18, 2027

Director

Jeff Fowler

Writers

Josh Miller, John Whittington, Patrick Casey