Warning: This post contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 2!
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is full of references to the Sonic video games, comics, and shows, as well as other popular films and memes. Much like Sonic the Hedgehog, the sequel keeps the plot fairly simple. Sonic and his new friend Tails race Dr. Robotnik and his new ally Knuckles to retrieve the legendary Master Emerald.
Those familiar with the games will recognize the new characters, as well as the Master Emerald storyline, from the games. Though Sonic the Hedgehog 2 tweaked it a bit, the basic story is still intact. The sequel also sets up the storyline for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, even though it may not feature Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik. The story is a fun one despite its simplicity.
While the storyline isn’t groundbreaking it does give room for the film to cram in several Easter eggs and explore Sonic the Hedgehog’s powers more. Sonic 2 does a fantastic job of creating a fun family-friendly adventure while also acknowledging Sonic’s history. Here’s every Easter egg and reference in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 starts off on the Mushroom Planet, which Dr. Robotnik has been stranded on since the events of the first film. The planet, described by Robotnik as a “portabello purgatory,” is inspired by Mushroom Hill Zone, a reoccurring video game location that first appeared in Sonic & Knuckles on the Sega Genesis.
Robotnik’s sanity has slipped away during his time on the Mushroom Planet, and that is reflected in his more wild look from Sonic. He is sporting a shaved head and a huge, horizontal mustache in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. His new appearance is one of the film’s most obvious references to the video game series, with Carrey’s character proudly proclaiming that “Papa’s got a brand new ‘stache” later in the film. Although Robotnik is slimmer than his video game counterpart, a round-bellied version of him is briefly seen later in the film when Agent Stone flicks through new looks for his master.
Having been in isolation on the Mushroom Planet for so long, Robotnik is craving human attention. Sonic 2‘s opening scene draws clear parallels with Cast Away and goes as far as giving Robotnik his own Wilson. In Cast Away, Chuck (played by Tom Hanks) draws a face on a volleyball that soon becomes his closest companion named Wilson. Similarly, Robotnik paints a face onto a big rock which he names “Agent Stone,” in reference to his human assistant.
In the movie, Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik also references The Day The Earth Stood Still. As he switches on his quill-powered distress beacon, Robotnik yells “klaatu barada nikto” which was first used in the 1951 film. The phrase has since become a movie trope, with protagonists in Army of Darkness and Galaxy Quest shouting the phrase.
A ring portal opens soon after Robotnik’s signal is turned on. As Robotnik runs towards the portal, Knuckles steps through and stops him. Making his live-action debut and voiced by Idris Elba, the big red echidna quickly teams up with Robotnik after discovering their shared hatred for Sonic. Robotnik tells Knuckles that he would be “happy to show you the way” to Earth to find Sonic, in reference to the popular Ugandan Knuckles meme.
Sonic’s home in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is Green Hills, a fictional town in Montana where his human guardians, Tom and Maddie Wachowski, live. The name of the town is in reference to the Green Hill Zone, the most famous location in the Sonic video game series. Later in the movie, the platform’s music from the games features as Tom’s ringtone.
Still buzzing from his victory over Dr. Robotnik in the first film, Sonic attempts to stop a van stuffed with stolen bank money. Multiple Batman references are dropped in the scene with Sonic getting in the way of police, claiming that he is the hero the city both needs and deserves, and calling himself “Blue Justice.” After playing superhero for long enough, Tom, Sonic the Hedgehog’s father figure, demands that he stops “pretending to be Batman.“
In another superhero reference, Sonic shouts “we’re all gonna die” when he drives the bomb-filled, brakeless van that he repossessed from the bank robbers. The line was used by Ned, Peter Parker’s best friend, in Avengers: Infinity War and has since become a commonly used reaction meme. But even older movies have used some iteration of that sentiment, and it’s become a trope bit of dialogue.
Tom discovered that the Blue Blur had been sneaking off at night to be a vigilante when he found a homemade replica of Sonic in bed, where the real Sonic should have been. Sonic had also pre-recorded a short message that played when anyone entered the room, but it quickly malfunctioned. This is in reference to the same trick Ferris Bueller pulled in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, where the school-skipping Ferris records a message that is played when his principal rings his doorbell.
While fishing with Tom, Sonic is having a nap when he falls into the lake. The panicked hedgehog splashes around while shouting for help as he reveals he cannot swim. This is a reference to one of Sonic’s biggest fears in the video games, water. He does eventually conquer the fear in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to save a friend, and he even inhales an oxygen bubble to hold his breath for longer, as he does in the games.
After promising to calm down on the hero antics, Sonic sends Tom and Maddie through a portal to attend Maddie’s sister’s wedding in Hawaii. The moment they leave, he slides through the hallway in a moment reminiscent of Tom Cruise’s underpants dance in Risky Business. From then on Sonic briefly lives his best life, partying at home with his canine friend, Ozzy.
After dancing around, Sonic and Ozzy snuggle up to watch a film. Sonic is open to watching anything other than Snow Dogs which he describes as “the wo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-rst,” the catchphrase of Jean-Ralphio from Parks and Recreation, another character played by Sonic voice actor Ben Schwartz.
Whilst Sonic and Ozzy are enjoying themselves, Tails makes his full Sonic the Hedgehog 2 live-action debut to warn the blue hedgehog about Knuckles. He briefly appeared in Sonic‘s post-credit scene, and that same scene is used to introduce him in Sonic 2. Tails is voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey, an experienced voice actor who has played the character in the Sonic video games since 2014.
Before Sonic gets to meet Tails in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, he is ambushed by Dr. Robotnik and Knuckles. Quickly a fight between the two animated characters breaks out, with Knuckles getting the upper hand. He reveals that he has been hunting Sonic down because he thinks that the blue hedgehog knows the location of the Master Emerald, the universe’s source of ultimate power that can turn thoughts into reality, and an important item in several of the Sonic games.
The human version of Agent Stone first appears in Sonic 2 as a coffee barista, working there now that his boss, Dr. Robotnik, was trapped in another realm. The name of Stone’s café, The Mean Bean Coffee Company, is a nod to Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Sega’s Tetris-style video game. It’s a quick but clever nod.
The Mean Bean Coffee Company turns out to be a ruse and soon Stone transforms the café into a high-tech, evil lair. With the touch of a button, Stone sends a bunch of egg-shaped flying robots to Dr. Robotnik, including a pod that Robotnik travels in from then on in. The pod is another reference to Robotnik’s classic video game look, where he is almost always seen piloting his weapon-filled Egg Mobile.
Wade, Green Hills’ de facto sheriff, compares the power of the Master Emerald to the power of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is the embodiment of the apocalyptic god Gozer in Ghostbusters. Later in the film when the Master Emerald’s powers are used by Robotnik, Wade’s reference is validated and he remarks about how he knew the powers were just like the Ghostbusters Marshmallow Man.
During the chase for the Master Emerald in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic and Tails head to Siberia. The location is a nod to the IceCap Zone in the games, which players will recognize. Later, Sonic even gets to snowboard down a mountain as he does in the Sonic Adventure 3 game.
During their trip to Siberia, Sonic and Tails stumble into a hostile bar. Tails uses a translation device to order food, but the homemade gadget doesn’t work as planned and he offends the staff. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 does a fantastic job of showcasing Tails’ inventions, including his anti-gravity device and boomerang weapon. His inventiveness mirrors his intelligence in the Sonic games and comics, where he creates new weapons and machines to defeat his enemies.
After offending the Siberian locals, Sonic and Knuckles are forced to dance for their lives. The pair initially struggle to find their groove and Sonic remarks that “Channing Tatum makes it look so easy.” The quip is in reference to Channing Tatum’s impressive movie dancing résumé, with lead roles in the Step Up and Magic Mike franchises.
A trio of Marvel references are made in quick succession midway through Sonic the Hedgehog 2. First, the quick-witted hedgehog compared Robotnik’s new look to a cross between Professor X, the leader of the X-Men, and the Monopoly Man. Not long after Sonic is being chased down a mountain by Robotnik’s flying egg robots. The robots all point their aiming lasers at Sonic, so, in a moment inspired by Quicksilver’s slow-motion scene in X-Men: Days of Future Past, Sonic uses his super-speed to crush all of the machines. With the robots out the way, Knuckles makes his presence on the slopes known. A surprised Sonic quips that Knuckles is like the Winter Soldier, a.k.a. Bucky Barnes, given how unstoppable the red warrior seemingly is.
When Knuckles catches up to Sonic on the icy mountain in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, he uses his giant fist to knock the hero off of his feet. As Sonic goes flying, so do the rings that he uses to teleport. Longtime Sonic game players will know this is a reference to the video games where Sonic drops his rings when an enemy hits him.
Back in Hawaii, Rachel’s husband-to-be, Randle, is about to place the ring on her when Tom realizes that the ring is actually one of Sonic’s portals. He desperately needs to use the portal to save Sonic and Tails from Robotnik and Knuckles. As Tom tries to wrestle the ring from Randall, Rachel demands that Randall hurry up and “put a ring on it” in reference to Beyoncé’s 2008 hit song “Single Ladies.”
Sonic gatecrashes the wedding through the ring portal, at which point Randall and his groomsman reveal they are all undercover agents working for the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.) on a mission to capture extra-terrestrial threats like Sonic. G.U.N. has appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow The Hedgehog video games. They are a military group tasked with saving the world from alien invasions and other threats.
After escaping the clutches of G.U.N., Sonic sets his sights back on the Master Emerald. In order to get there before Robotnik and Knuckles claim the shiny stone for themselves, he has to run over the sea. Still nervous about water, Sonic pumps himself up with his catchphrase “Gotta go fast” before speeding across the waves. The catchphrase can be traced back to the theme tune of the 2008 show Sonic X.
In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the Master Emerald is found on an island riddled with traps and mazes. The location is another one in the movie inspired by the Labyrinth Zone from the Sonic games. The island features game-accurate traps including floor spikes, flames, and watery slopes.
The traps aren’t to Dr. Robotnik’s liking at all. After narrowly avoiding being hit by arrows, spikes, and a giant spiky ball, Robotnik quips that dying that way would be “derivative” in a dig aimed at the Indiana Jones movies. Once through the traps, Robotnik is set to betray Knuckles going as far as to say that he is “as useful to me now as a backstage pass to Limp Bizkit” in reference to lead singer Fred Durst’s dislike for some of his fans.
Sonic and Knuckles fight in the labyrinth as they both look to claim the Master Emerald. Both characters get attacks in, but midway through the fight, Knuckles starts wildly swinging punches. In a moment inspired by Muhammad Ali dodging the punches of Michael Dokes, Sonic manages to use his speed to avoid hundreds of punches.
Not only did Robotnik get his Egg Mobile, but Tails gets to pilot his iconic red biplane in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The plane first appears in the film flying a sign reading “Rachel + Randall 4EVA” over the Hawaii wedding, but later Tails drives it into battle. The plane is almost identical to Tornado, Tails’ biplane that he frequently pilots during his adventures in the Sonic games and comics.
Dr. Robotnik, powered by the Master Emerald, uses his new abilities to build Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s Death Egg Robot from military vehicles and other materials in Green Hills. The giant robot, which bears his image, first appeared in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 game and is used as Robotnik’s final weapon to try and defeat Sonic. The film also references the manual from the Sega Genesis game, as Agent Stone tries to figure out how to fire missiles at Tails’ biplane.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles work effectively as a team to take back the Master Emerald, but Robotnik uses his Death Egg Robot to stomp on a battle-weary Sonic. Suddenly, a glow comes from the robot’s foot, and a golden-yellow Sonic flies up and destroys Robotnik. The stronger version of the hedgehog is known as Super Sonic, a frequently used power-up in the games that is unlocked by collecting the Chaos Emeralds. In a subtle reference to Sonic ’06, Super Sonic gently taps the Death Egg Robot, causing it to fall and potentially killing off Dr. Robotnik.
After defeating Robotnik, Sonic and his friends play baseball. This is a heart-warming callback to the first Sonic movie where the lonely blue blur plays ball all by himself. The Sonic the Hedgehog 2 scene shows just how much Sonic has grown as a character and in life.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 makes references to Sonic’s and Knuckles’ favorite food from the video games. Sonic treats himself to chili dogs throughout the film, including manifesting one while in Super Sonic form. Meanwhile, Knuckles asks if ice cream is made from grapes.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2‘s final, and arguably most exciting, reference to the video games is the reveal of Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 mid-credits scene. In the film, Shadow is discovered after the military cleared through Dr. Robotnik’s file. This is in reference to his video game origin in Sonic Adventure 2 where he was created as the ultimate life form by Dr. Robotnik’s grandfather.