Sonic The Hedgehog 3: What is Project Shadow?

I never imagined Sonic the Hedgehog would become the star of a cinematic universe, but here we are. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is whipping out the big guns, pitting Sonic against his greatest rival in a big-budget adaptation of the storyline that forever changed the Blue Blur’s video game series.

Hot off the heels of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (and the Paramount+ meme-fest that is Knuckles), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 sees Shadow the Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves) emerge from the, well, shadows, to menace the world. As the film’s surprisingly epic trailer explains via voiceover, Shadow was born out of Project Shadow, a sinister government operation with shocking ties to Sonic’s (Ben Schwartz) archenemy, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey).

Project Shadow is a pivotal moment in the Sonic series’ deceptively expansive lore, weaving plot threads the franchise still follows today. Whether you’re a Sonic veteran looking for a refresher or a newer fan wondering what the actual heck’s happening in Sonic 3, I’ve got the answers you seek.

Project Shadow’s video game history

Introduced as the inciting incident of Sonic Adventure 2, Project Shadow is the stuff of conspiracy theorists’ wildest dreams. Started by the United Federation, Project Shadow was a research program created with the outbound goal of achieving immortality. Of course, being a top-secret study funded by multiple superpowers, Project Shadow had a secret aim: creating the ultimate lifeform.

Knowing they’d need the finest mind in the world to pull off this ambitious scientific endeavor, the United Federation sought none other than Robotnik’s grandfather, Gerald. Gerald had a personal reason to accept the U.F.’s proposal: his granddaughter, Maria, suffered from a fatal genetic condition that only something as radical as Project Shadow could hope to cure.

Gerald’s research, conducted inside an orbital medical center named Space Colony ARK, didn’t go well initially. His early experiments birthed a runty reptile known as the Biolizard, who mutated into a volatile monstrosity Gerald and his colleagues couldn’t control. With his superiors threatening to slash the program, it looked like Gerald’s efforts would come up to nothing. Then aliens happened. Really.

Somehow, Gerald came into contact with Black Doom, the leader of a violent race of extraterrestrial conquerors known as the Black Arms. Desperate to save Maria, Gerald wrote up a devilish pact with Black Doom, offering to give the interstellar warlord control of Project Shadow’s final product if he agreed to lend Gerald some of his blood so he could complete his research. Being a complete monster bent on galactic domination, Black Doom agreed, unaware (or unconcerned) that Gerald never planned to fulfill his end of the bargain.

Using Black Doom’s DNA, Gerald finally created the ultimate lifeform: Shadow the Hedgehog, who formed a deep bond with Maria. Unfortunately, the U.F. caught wind of Shadow’s sheer destructive potential and started having second thoughts on the whole “unkillable bioweapon” thing. The U.F.’s military, the Guardian Units of Nations, ended up taking matters into their own hands, launching an all-out assault on the ARK. In the ensuing chaos, a G.U.N. soldier fires a fatal shot into Maria, setting Gerald and Shadow on the path of vengeance.

Project Shadow opens up exciting opportunities for the Sonic film series

Project Shadow is one of the grimmest plot points in Sonic canon, and it looks like Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will adapt it faithfully. While Gerald will appear alive and well (physically, at least) in Sonic 3, one of the final shots confirms Maria will suffer a similar fate to her game counterpart. These developments leave a Sonic fan like me to wonder what other bits of Project Shadow lore will make it onto the big screen.

The Biolizard, Shadow’s surrogate brother, didn’t appear in Sonic 3’s trailer. However, Sonic and Shadow’s last fight against it in Sonic Adventure 2 is one of the most iconic boss battles in the series, so I’m willing to bet Sonic 3’s climax will end up using it as a template. Since Shadow gets cold feet about Gerald’s plan to (spoilers) crash the ARK into Earth, Gerald could call in his first “child” to finish the job Shadow won’t, forcing Sonic and Shadow to work together to save the world.

The Black Arms’ involvement in Shadow’s creation also goes unmentioned in the trailer, which is odd since Sonic X Shadow Generations looks like it’s picking this plot beat back up after almost two decades. However, that might be because Paramount wants to save that revelation for a later Sonic project. The Knuckles proved that a Sonic side-series can be successful, and I doubt the company will pass up the chance to give Reeves’ Shadow a spin-off where he goes up against the Black Arms, fully completing his transition from villain to hero.

I’m very interested to see what Sonic 3 does with Project Shadow once the movie hits theaters on December 20, 2024. And now maybe you are too, if you weren’t already.