Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is in theaters now and while we definitely recommend it to any and all Sonic fans out there, we also understand that not everyone is totally cool with heading back to theaters just yet--even if it means getting to see your favorite hedgehog and his pals on the big screen. So, for all of you wanting to know exactly what happens with Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails, but who are trying to stay home--we're going to break it all down for you right here, right now.

　　That said, this is obviously full of spoilers for the ending of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, so if you're not someone who wants that, turn back now.

　　Following Robotnik's theft of the Master Emerald, and subsequent creation of a giant (very familiar looking) Robotnik mech to destroy Sonic (and most of Green Hills), Sonic enlisted the help of Tails and Knuckles to help bring the mad scientist down. This involved Sonic nearly sacrificing himself, but, ultimately, managing to wrestle the Master Emerald out of Robotnik and into himself, which just so happened to trigger his transformation into a golden version of himself fans will instantly recognize as Super Sonic.

　　As Super Sonic, Sonic is easily able to dispatch Robotnik's mech and save the day--in fact, it's not made clear as to whether Robotnik survives the destruction of his robot in the end, though it's probably best not to count him out because no body is recovered from the wreckage And, for a moment following the battle, it's also not clear as to whether Sonic's new god-like powers have completely erased his old personality or not, but soon enough he uses his new abilities to manifest himself a chili dog and then immediately removes the Master Emerald (now shattered back into the Chaos Emeralds) from his body, reverting himself back to normal.

　　With the promise to watch over the Chaos Emeralds with the help of Knuckles and Tails here on Earth, the trio returns to their (relatively) quiet life in Green Hills, leaving the wreckage of Robotnik's mech to be cleaned up by the newly revealed G.U.N organization, or the Guardian Units of Nations, a task force formed to deal with Sonic's extraterrestrial threat after the events of the first movie (and a reference to the organization of the same name in the games.) Of course, Robotnik's ever-loyal lackey, Stone, has infiltrated G.U.N's efforts, presumably to try and rescue his boss from yet another mess. Whether or not he's successful, or if there's even anything to rescue however, remains a mystery.

　　But that's not all--of course we get a post-credits teaser to set up a future Sonic movie. We're given a quick look at a secret lab, run by G.U.N, where some illicit experiments have been taking place. Apparently the events of the first movie inspired the government to try their hand at cloning and bioengineering and the result is an alien hedgehog of their very own, codenamed Shadow. We see him in his stasis tube before the camera zooms in on his suddenly open eye, crackling with energy.

　　Shadow the Hedgehog is, of course, a major part of the Sonic franchise and has been a fan favorite character and anti-hero since his introduction in the games back in Sonic Adventure 2. There are some obvious differences in the movie already, however, given that the game version of Shadow was a project shepherded by the Robotnik family and in the movie, it would appear that Robotnik not only doesn't have a family (unless you count Stone), but they weren't involved at all. Also, his status as a sort of labrat to test potential cures for a deadly disease is likely being shelved for the movie as well--instead it would seem he was created by G.U.N to be a perfect weapon to use against any perceived alien threats.

　　However, given how little of Shadow we actually see, it's difficult to speculate on just where or how Shadow will fit into this arm of the franchise in the future, so it's probably best to not count anything out just yet.

　　In the meantime, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are all safe on Earth, living with Tom and Maddie, enjoying all the baseball they can play and chili dogs they can eat.

　　Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is in theaters now.