Summary
To say that Shadow fromSonic the Hedgehogis popular, would be underselling him. He has widely considered to be the second most popularSoniccharacter, only silver medal to The Blue Blur himself. Everything from his color palette to his demeanor immediately communicates that unlike the rest of the core Sonic characters, he’s serious, brooding, andedgy enough to sport a realistic firearmin his own game. Considering that trailers have hinted thatSonic the Hedgehog 3is going to followat least some beats of his tragic backstory, it looks like audiences are in for a much grimmer entry than the previous two family-friendly outings.
With that in mind, a more comedic post-credits scene could key audiences in thatSonic, while capable of getting a little darker from time to time, isn’t going to stay that way. This could also be an especially funny button if theSonicfilms decide to take a break for a whileto plan the next direction for the franchise. Whatever characters chosen would have to be unexpected, but still recognizable to fans and known comic relief characters.
Team Chaotix Would Be Fun to See in a Post-Credit Scene
Team Chaotix, consisting of Charmy Bee, Espio the Chameleon, and Vector the Crocodile, made their debut, along with now defunct member Mighty the Armadillo, in the 1995 platformerKnuckles' Chaotix. Even many dedicatedSonicfans haven’t played it, and for good reason. It never ported off the Sega 32X and isone of the more experimentalSonicgames. It also isn’t a stellar game with controls and level layout leaving much to be desired. After a long hiatus, the trio would next appear inSonic Heroesas one of the playable teams. Charmy arrives with a walkie talkie with a mysterious person on the other end, offering to pay for their detective services. Hard up for cash, they accept and end up combining with the other teams to take down Metal Sonic. As for their team dynamics, Espio is a ninja with a serious demeanor, Charmy is kind of the excitable little brother of the group that’s fond of parroting what others say, and Vector is the brash leader. Together, they are a trio of goons, but they get the job done and don’t take kindly to getting stiffed. Since then, Team Chaotix have appeared in quite a few modernSonicgames, includingShadow the Hedgehog,Sonic Forces, andSonic Generations. They also made appearances inSonic Xand have continued to appear throughout in variousSoniccomics, includingSonic the Comic, Archie Comics, and in IDW comics.
There’s a Rumor That There’s a Team Chaotix Spin Off
As it turns out,Team Choatix appeared in the story “Always Bet On Red"from the IDW comicSonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill. Although only Vector and Espio appear in a single cameo, it implies that the detective trio do in fact exist within the world of the Sonic film franchise. Various rumors have also been flying about claiming Chaotix was meant to appear inSonic the Hedgehog 2as well as theKnucklesspin-off show, but ended up being cut. TheKnucklesshow seemed the most likely, since Chaotix have always had ties to the echidna since their inception. Another rumor even claims that Chaotix will star in their own spin-off, which could potentially provide an avenue for a crossover between the two series and fill in the blanks betweenSonic the Hedgehog 3and the next installment, whenever that might be.
While it’s unlikely that Paramount would take a gamble on three lesser known characters beforeintroducing Amy Roseor Metal Sonic, the fact that these rumors have been circulating implies that there is an appetite for audiences to see their film universe counterparts. Actually, the fact that they’re not as big of fan favorites could be a fun little tease at the end, as if the audience was expecting something different. This would be a great contrast to the Tails cameo at the end ofSonic the Hedgehogand the Shadow cameo at the end ofSonic the Hedgehog 2.
Comic relief characters often get a bad reputation. With so much hype over darker storylines, it can be difficult to go back and forth between brooding and silliness. Even a franchise likeSonic the Hedgehoghas had to navigate both tones over the course of its history. WhereShadow represents the upcoming potential for darkness, characters like Team Chaotix represent the potential for silliness. Seeing them could provide a fun joke at the end of a more serious entry in the franchise and let audiences know that there will still be fun to look forward to. Whether or not Paramount will implement Team Chaotix as a joke for the post-credit scene obviously is yet to be determined, but it’s fun to dream.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog is a prolific game franchise that started life on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Covering both 2D and 3D iterations through the generations, Sonic is known for speedy movements and interesting platforming mechanics.
Paramount
Paramount is a fairly recent (2019 founding) mass media company that used to operate under the name ViacomCBS. They have grow into their own production company and are also producing original content via a streaming service called Paramount Plus.
