Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a massive expansion of the previous film, introducing a host of new characters and concepts from the original games onto the big screen. But while many aspects of those original games show up in clever ways in the film, there’s one long-standing thing that’s severely changed. The Master Emerald of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has more in common with the Infinity Gauntlet from the Marvel Cinematic Universe than the object from the games, setting up a reality-warping power upgrade for future installments in the franchise.
In the original Sonic the Hedgehog video games, the Master Emerald serves as a means of nullifying the energies of the seven Chaos Emeralds. Housed on Angel Island, it’s an impressive power source by itself, keeping the landmass elevated in the middle of the sky. Typically, the gem is protected by an Echidna, and the modern inheritor of that legacy is Knuckles. The Master Emerald first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as Doctor Robotnik’s ultimate target, pitting Knuckles against Sonic and Tails while he attempted to make off with it. The object would go on to play a major role in other games, such as in Sonic Adventure, where the spirits of Tikal the Echidna and Chaos were revealed to be within the artifact.
A similar plot thread plays out across the cinematic Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with the Master Emerald being tweaked in terms of purpose. While it’s still an extraordinary source of power, it now has more in common with the MCU’s Infinity Stones and Infinity Gauntlet. Instead of being capable of neutralizing the Chaos Emeralds, the Master Emerald is reimagined as the result of the seven Chaos Emeralds being fused into a single item. Combined together by the Echidnas and imbued with the powers of all seven emeralds, the gem effectively gives those who harness it an extraordinary amount of power, bordering on reality-warping. While Robotnik claims the Master Emerald to effectively rewrite the world around him and teleport around with ease, the more straightforward Sonic is amplified by the energies to become Super Sonic, gaining flight and enhanced strength due to the power.
At the end of the film, the new trio of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles elect to remain a team and protect the Master Emerald, keeping it out of the hands of enemies from across the galaxy. This moves Knuckles into a role he traditionally holds in the games for future entries in the franchise but changes the importance of the gem. Similar to the Infinity Stones imbuing the user with power, the Chaos Emeralds can now unlock a near-unstoppable amount of power for its user.
This sets up possible future entries in the series to embrace the exploration for missing Emeralds, much like the MCU’s search for the Infinity Stones across the galaxy. But while on one hand, it’s good to see the typically muddled specifics surrounding the Chaos Emeralds explained in a straightforward manner, giving the power source a clear use, it also reinvents a landmark aspect of the series in a way that might even seem basic to audiences now. Let’s just hope the series finds more unique ways to play with the Chaos Emeralds themselves instead of just rehashing the basic structure of one of cinema’s biggest recent storylines.
To see Sonic’s own take on the Infinity Gauntlet, check out Sonic the Hedgehog 2, now playing in theaters.
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