Popular Sonic the Hedgehog character spotted on movie sequel set

Sadly, it isn’t Coldsteel

Aren’t I cute? Trying to avoid spoilers for fans by not naming the character in the headline, despite the fact he’s literally fucking trending on social media, and will probably even end up on the posters and in future trailers. Look, I do my best to look out for y’all, at the expense of the mighty SEO overlords.

“A for effort” and all that… SAvEd u A CliCk!1

Sigh. Anyway, as filming continues on Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie, sneaky photos from the set have confirmed that the barrel-chested echidna, Knuckles, will be a part of the cinematic sequel. In frankly disquieting imagery, physical props for Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails were snapped among the rubble of a city street, standing stiff and tall with fixed grins and dead eyes. Tails has seen some shit…

The photos were taken by Twitter user @Pursuit23 before being purchased and published by showbiz website Just Jared. Other shots — which you can check out on the latter site — include images of Actual Human stars James Marsden and Tika Sumpter, who will be aiding the anthropomorphic heroes in their battle with the villainous Dr. Robotnik (a returning Jim Carrey.)

The pics represent the first confirmation that the red boy will be appearing in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, though rumors of his inclusion have been floating around for some time. Knuckles made his first appearance in the Sonic series as a boss character in 1994 Sega Genesis classic Sonic 3, before becoming playable later that same year in spin-off title Sonic & Knuckles. Knuckles has since gone on to become a popular mainstay in the franchise, appearing in games, cartoons, comics — and now, movies.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is scheduled to arrive in theaters April 8, 2022.