The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is showing no signs of slowing down, asSonic the Hedgehog 3continues to break box office recordsandSonic the Hedgehog 4has alreadylanded a 2027 release date. Details on the Blue Blur’s fourth big-screen adventure remain scarce, but it’s more than likely thatBen Schwartzwill return to voice Sonic whileJeff Fowlerreturns to the director’s chair. It will also probably feature Sonic’s self-proclaimed “girlfriend"Amy Roseand the mechanical menace ofMetal Sonic, as both of those characters showed up inSonic the Hedgehog 3’s post-credits scene. But there’s another character that could show up inSonic the Hedgehog 4:Rouge the Bat.
Rouge the Bat Has a Complicated Relationship With Sonic
Rouge makes her first appearance inSonic Adventure 2, and immediately runs afoul of Knuckles the Echidna since she was trying to steal the Master Emerald out from under his nose. During their scuffle, Knuckles ends up shattering the Master Emerald,leading him and Rouge to hunt for the shards. Eventually, Rouge joins up with Doctor Robotnik and Shadow the Hedgehog, but it turns out that she is secretly working for G.U.N., the government organization that plays a prominent role in the Sonic the Hedgehog films. While Rouge’s alliances tend to waver (especially where priceless artifacts are concerned), she’s best known for her complicated relationship with Knuckles and forforming Team Dark: an alliance that consists of herself, Shadow, and E-123 Omega, one of Robotnik’s robots who swore vengeance upon the not-so-good doctor.
The 10 Best Quotes in the Sonic the Hedgehog Movies, Ranked
“Where am I? What year is it? Is the Rock president?”
In the same vein as other Sonic characters, Rougemade the jump from games to other media. She plays a prominent role in theSonic Xanime, which adapts theSonic Adventuregames; her relationship with G.U.N. is still intact, though the anime also dials up her romantic tension with Knuckles. Rogue also recently appeared in theSonic Primeseries on Netflix, which features wildly different versions of her and Sonic’s other allies due to Sonic shattering a reality-changing crystal. But it turns out that she could have appeared in one of the Sonic the Hedgehog films!
‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ Was Subject To Multiple Rumors About Rouge
In the lead-up toSonic the Hedgehog 3,fans were convinced that Rouge would show up in some capacity. There were even rumors thatKrysten Ritterwould voice the infamous thief when she joinedSonic 3’s cast - a rumor that was debunked when set photos revealed her to be a high-ranking G.U.N. Agent. Even weirder were the rumors thatSarah Paulsonwould play Rouge, and while Paulson wasquick to debunk the rumors, she also didn’t turn the idea down, saying that she was “down to” bring Rouge to life. ButPat CaseyandJosh Miller, who penned all three Sonic movies,revealed to IGNthatthey had tried to include Rouge in the screenplays for all three Sonic films. It’s probably understandable why she didn’t make the cut, as the Sonic the Hedgehog sequels put focus on Tails, Knuckles and Shadow. ButSonic the Hedgehog 4could change that.
The Sonic the Hedgehog Movies Would Have a Completely Different Dynamic With Rouge
Casey and Miller have hinted that, in addition to touching uponmore of the Sonic games' lore, they’d love to takeSonic the Hedgehog 4out into space, and that would be the perfect way for Rouge to enter the story. Sonic and his friends are confirmed to be aliens, as is Shadow, so it only makes sense that the trend would continue for other species in the Sonic universe. Having Rouge around could also provide an entirely new dynamic; she could help form Team Dark, which would lead to a return for Shadow, and her dynamic with Knuckles is also ripe for exploration (especially as the echidna led his own standalone series for Paramount+).
Whatever shapeSonic the Hedgehog 4takes,it’s clear that the stage has been set for Rouge the Bat to enter the franchise.Not only would it continue the Sonic movies' penchant for balancing an increasingly entertaining film franchise with a surprisingly well-crafted video game adaptation, but it would allow Casey and Miller to finally check a big item off their Sonic screenwriting list. The only question is if someone at Paramount has Sarah Paulson’s number.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the sequel to the 2022 comedy-adventure movie that featured the Blue Blur and his companions on an adventure to stop Dr. Robotnik from taking over the world. The new film sees the new antagonist Shadow the Hedgehog, arriving to cause trouble for the newly formed trio of heroes, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, as they adjust to their earthly lives.
