Too Many Characters, Too Little Time: Will Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Be Overloaded?

As a long-time fan of the Sonic franchise, I’ve been eagerly awaiting each instalment of the movie series. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) was a delightful introduction to Sonic’s new movie world, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) raised the stakes beautifully with the introduction of Tails and Knuckles. However, as news about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 continues to circulate, I can’t help but feel some reservations about this highly anticipated threequel. The main concern? The sheer number of characters being squeezed into a shorter runtime compared to its predecessor.

One of the biggest challenges for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 appears to be its expanding cast. While we expect the focus to remain on Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, other characters from the earlier films are confirmed to return. Tom, Maddie and Agent Stone all make a comeback, but Rachel and Randall also make a return, as well as some new additions.

Agent Stone, Dr. Robotnik’s loyal sidekick, clearly has a role in the story, as well as Maddie, the wife of Tom, giving the film a sense of family and togetherness. But characters such as Natasha Rothwell’s Rachel and Shemar Moore’s Randall seem less essential.

Rachel in particular was given an unnecessary amount of screen time in Sonic 2, even more so than Maddie, who is theoretically a more central character given her role as Tom’s wife. Not only did this focus on Rachel make Maddie feel underdeveloped, but too much emphasis was also placed on Rachel’s scenes (riding in angrily on a Golf Buggy, slow-motion explosions, a heart-to-heart with her husband which felt flat) which feels odd, given her status as a fourth-tier character (she’s essentially the sidekick of a sidekick of a sidekick – Rachel, who’s a sidekick of Maddie, who’s a sidekick of Tom, who’s a sidekick of Sonic).

By focusing on Rachel for comic relief, and whatever character development the filmakers feels she needs in this third instalment, it risks detracting from the core narrative and the more central relationships and characters, making the overall story feel disjointed. As she is returning, will she overshadow the more important cast members?

On top of that, there are other characters to consider, like Wade Whipple and Commander Walters. Will they make an appearence? While these supporting players have their moments, folding them into an already crowded cast—alongside Shadow, Professor Gerald Robotnik, Maria et al—feels excessive. Kristen Ritter has also joined the cast as Captain Rockwell, another GUN agent, adding yet another layer of complexity.

It’s getting harder to see how the filmmakers have balanced all these roles without sacrificing depth and focus in the central story.

This focus on human characters has always been a contentious issue within the Sonic fandom. The inclusion of humans in Sonic games—such as the infamous Princess Elise from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)—and TV shows, like Chris Thorndyke from Sonic X, has consistently frustrated fans, as it often feels out of place in a universe that thrives on anthropomorphic characters and fantastical settings, and tends to detract from any character development of Sonic and his friends.

While Tom, Maddie, and other human characters are necessary to bridge Sonic’s world with ours in the films, overemphasising their roles (especially that of third or fourth-tier characters like Rachel, Randall, Wade, Commander Walters and Captain Rockwell etc) risks alienating fans who are more invested in Sonic’s primary storyline and characters.

Adding to my apprehension is the fact that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is reportedly clocking in at just 1 hour and 49 minutes and presumably that includes end credits. In Sonic 2, which had a longer runtime of 2 hours and 2 minutes, each character had the opportunity to shine because the pacing allowed room for character development and action, and had fewer cast members. With less time to work with, it’s hard to imagine how Sonic 3 will manage the same level of depth and focus. Just look at what happened with Spider-Man 3 (2007).

It’s hard not to compare this situation to Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)—a game infamous for its overloaded cast. That game was overly ambitious and attempted to juggle far too many playable characters, resulting in an unpolished experience that annoyed many fans. With Shadow, Professor Gerald, Maria, GUN agents, and all the returning characters from Green Hills on top of the main trio, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 risks making the same mistake. Trying to give every character their moment in the spotlight could dilute the story’s impact and derail what should be a tightly paced film.

A successful threequel shouldn’t just add more—it should refine and elevate what came before. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has an opportunity to dive deeper into the relationships between Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, especially with Shadow entering the picture. His backstory alone has enough emotional weight to carry a significant part of the film, and giving him the spotlight would make for a compelling narrative, though I fear he is going to be shafted the way Knuckles was in his own tv series.

Furthermore, the introduction of Shadow would add weight to Sonic’s journey, with there being an opportunity to explore themes of rivalry and identity. With such a pivotal character entering the fold, it’s crucial the film allows space for Sonic’s (and Shadow’s) personal evolution rather than sidelining them to accommodate an ever-growing cast.

Despite my reservations, I remain hopeful that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will deliver a satisfying and balanced experience. The filmmakers have done a commendable job so far of translating Sonic’s world onto the big screen, and perhaps they’ll surprise us again. This crowded cast might even be part of a broader strategy to introduce spin-off TV shows in the future, but such ambitions still risk undermining the coherence of this film’s narrative.

What do you think? Are you as concerned about the character overload and the 1-hour-and-49-minute runtime as I am, or do you think the filmmakers can pull it off? Or am I asking too much from a kids film about a talking blue hedgehog?