Sonic 4 Needs To Explain A 5-Year-Old Chaos Emerald Movie Mystery

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is poised to have the biggest story in the movie franchise, but it also needs to explain a five-year-old Chaos Emerald mystery from a previous film. The story of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will focus on Amy and Metal Sonic's arrival, the former being a new ally for Sonic and his friends, and the latter being a core antagonist of the movie.

The title reveal trailer not only confirmed Jim Carrey's return as Dr. Robotnik, but also confirmed the Chaos Emeralds are going to play a major role in the story. The mystical gems were last seen at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, when Sonic and Shadow used them to go Super. Since then, they've seemingly vanished alongside the Master Emerald, neither brought up again for the remainder of the movie.

While Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will be addressing their disappearance, another Chaos Emerald mystery has yet to be fully explained too. In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic and Tails journey to Siberia in search of the Master Emerald, discovering a temple with an owl statue and strange markings. Not only does this connect Sonic's world and Earth in an unexplained way, but it also hints at other characters from the games yet to arrive.

The symbols found on the owl statue in Siberia are Babylonian, a language first introduced in the 2006 racing game Sonic Riders. This game also introduced the Babylon Rogues: Jet the Hawk, Storm the Albatross, and Wave the Swallow. Somehow, the Chaos Emeralds are connected to the Babylonians, a link Sonic the Hedgehog 4 can make even stronger.

Why The Babylon Rogues Should Show Up In Sonic 4

In the Sonic games, the Babylon Rogues are the last descendants of the Babylonians, an ancient civilization from thousands of years before the events of the main games. The trio are best known for being a group of thieves, as well as professional racers who ride hoverboards called Extreme Gear. They primarily show up in the Sonic Riders trilogy of games.

However, the Sonic movies have positioned the trio as having an important connection to the Chaos Emeralds. The Babylonian written on the owl statue in the second film acts as a fun nod to the avian trio. In terms of the larger lore, though, it ties them closely to the Emeralds' history. This is something future movies can explore, acting as the perfect gateway to introduce them to the cinematic universe.

But Sonic the Hedgehog 3's post-credits already laid out a massive story for the fourth installment. It wouldn't make sense for the Babylonians to be introduced, bloating the movie in the process. Instead, it would make more sense for them to get a post-credits scene of their own, one that lays the groundwork for a potential Sonic Riders adaptation as the next big movie.

Why Sonic Riders Is The Perfect Follow-Up To Sonic The Hedgehog 4

Having Sonic Riders follow up on Sonic the Hedgehog 4 would make for a much lighter story than what's about to come. The fourth installment is promising a major threat from Metal Sonic, alongside possible elements of time travel and even more ties to the games than ever before. A Sonic Riders movie after this would be much less apocalyptic by comparison.

But it would also help strengthen the series' worldbuilding, too, introducing the Babylon Rogues as a group intrinsically tied to the Chaos Emeralds. This would help solve Sonic the Hedgehog 2's mystery about why Babylonian is written on the owl statue in Siberia, while offering a proper, game-accurate introduction for the trio.

The film could also be used to better tie Sonic's world and Earth together, too, explaining how the owl statue ended up in Siberia in the first place. The Babylonians have a rich lore in the games that involve traveling to other worlds, something that could be brought to the forefront of a future installment while adding the Chaos Emeralds into the mix.

If Sonic the Hedgehog 4 does have a post-credits scene up its sleeve, then the Babylonians would be the most fitting group to be part of the movie series' future. Jet, Storm, and Wave can answer budding questions from the second movie while providing a fun game adaptation that allows for plenty of fun character interactions and racing sequences in the process.