As Sonic himself points out, the mechanical assailant looks a lot like him—which is exactly the point. Metal Sonic debuted in 1993’s Sonic CD, an appropriately sci-fi villain to match the futuristic feel of playing a game on disc instead of a cartridge. Like most villains in the world of Sonic, Metal Sonic is a creation of Robotnik, who decides that the only way to defeat Sonic is to match him. Thus Metal Sonic has the same speed and skills as the hero, along with some extra bells and whistles.
However, Metal Sonic’s greatest asset is his logical mind. Unlike his flesh and blood counterpart, Metal Sonic has no weaknesses for chili dogs, tiny captive animals, or his human pals. As a robot designed to improve upon the original in every way, Metal Sonic puts his mission before everything else, even turning against his maker from time to time after Robotnik keeps testing him in order to prove he’s the One True Sonic the Hedgehog.
Amy Rose
Amy’s sudden appearance during the post-credit scene isn’t an accident. Like Metal Sonic, Amy also joined the fictional world with Sonic CD, although she’s been a bit more prominent in other media.
As a pink hedgehog with a dress, Amy does fall into the standard trope of giving a male character a girl counterpart in the most superficial way possible. The giant mallet she wields, officially known as the Piko-Piko Hammer, does offset her some from her masculine counterpart, but too many Amy stories limited her roles to “having a crush on Sonic” and “nagging when Sonic did something she didn’t like.” Even in Sonic CD, Amy was little more than a damsel in distress.
However, Amy has begun to come into her own, especially in the past 10 years. In the pages of the Sonic the Hedgehog comics that fan-favorites Ian Flynn and Evan Stanley have been writing for IDW Publishing, Amy’s become something of a fortune teller, which adds depth to her positive attitude. Last year’s Amy’s 30th Anniversary Special, written by Flynn and penciled by Aaron Hammerstrom, serves as a perfect example, as Amy’s divination allows her to stop Metal Sonic and free her friends.
Amy doesn’t speak in the teaser, but we’ll likely see a big name get cast in the role, someone on the level of Elba and Reeves. Could Anya Taylor-Joy make a jump from Nintendo to play another video game heroine?