Sonic fans are worried that Shadow's backstory will be toned down in the next movie, rewriting or completely omitting the most traumatic moment of his life. This comes as the film's writers say that the sequel will be "fun and wild" for fans of the other movies, leading some to believe that this version of Shadow won't be very loyal to the games.
While the writers' comments don't confirm or deny any specific details, many struggle to see how the video game storyline - which involves the murder of a terminally ill ten-year-old - will be "fun and wild". Still, fans are holding out hope that Shadow's backstory will be as dark as it is in the source material, state-mandated executions and all.
As reported by ScreenRant, Sonic 3 writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller promise that the movie "will be a fun, wild time for fans of the films." In the replies, fans joke about what that "fun" will entail.
For the blissfully unaware, there is, in fact, a reason why Shadow is so gloomy. He was created by Gerald Robotnik (Eggman's uncle) in the hopes of curing Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome (NIDS), a condition that leaves its victims incredibly frail, and is always terminal. Maria, Gerald's ten-year-old granddaughter, has NIDS, making the search for a cure even more important.
Project Shadow was greenlit in the hopes of creating immortality for the ill, and a weapon for the military. While successful, the military later believed that the research was too dangerous, and had all of the researchers killed. Maria, who was close friends with Shadow, was shot while the two tried to escape. Gerald was later executed after he programmed Shadow to seek revenge for the death of his granddaughter.
With all of that said, it's pretty unlikely that every detail will make it into Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It would make for a huge tonal shift in the series, and given that the first two films were immensely successful, the studio will likely want to keep everything on the same track. It also wouldn't be pretty "fun and wild", unfortunately.