Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Knuckles’
The new hit Paramount+ seriesKnucklesgives everyone’s favorite echidna his own story set after the events ofSonic the Hedgehog 2. Here, Knuckles (Idris Elba) teams up with deputy Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) to go on an epic, soul-searching quest to Reno, Nevada. Along the way, they’ll have to outrun two incompetent-yet-dangerous agents and a nefarious criminal mastermind known only as “The Buyer” (Rory McCann).
Even ina six-part limited series,Knucklestakes a few detours on its journey to take some time and flesh out its central characters. In Episode 4, titled “The Flames of Disaster,” where Wade has a bona fidemusical dream sequence in an attempt to boost his confidence up a notch. It’s an entertaining ride, and it’s also one that featuresa bizarre and hilarious deep-cut referenceto one of the worstSonic the Hedgehoggames ever made,Sonic the Hedgehog2006.
Knuckles the Echidna teaches deputy Wade Whipple the techniques of the Echidna warrior.
What Happens in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ 2006?
Fans of theSonic the Hedgehoggames are well aware that there have been some less-than-stellar entries in the franchise over the years, butthe 2006 game simply titledSonic the Hedgehogrepresents one of the darker periodsin the long-running Sega saga’s history.More commonly referred to on the internet asSonic ‘06, the game was Sega’s attempt to dramatically reinvent theSonic the Hedgehogseries for a new generation of consoles, since the Xbox 360 was released just a year prior to the game’s release. The result was a sometimes funny, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes baffling gaming experience that has a reserved spot in the video game hall of infamy.
Sonic ‘06doesn’t make too many changes to the established characters of theSonicuniverse, but it does take place in a dramatically different and frankly out-of-place world. The photorealistic environments and ultra-serious cutscenes, which admittedly look pretty good for a game from 2006,feel wholly out of place in aSonicgame. It honestly looks more like an entry in theFinal Fantasyfranchise instead of a new game following Sonic the Hedgehog. In addition to the tonally inconsistent world,Sonic ‘06boasts a nonsensical story, a needlessly long runtime, and isborderline unplayable due to a near-endless list of bugs and glitches.
As for said story,Sonic ‘06follows three separate campaigns. The first predictably follows Sonic the Hedgehog (Jason Griffith), as the blue blur seeks to protect and save Princess Elise (Lacey Chabert) of the kingdom of Soleanna. Then, the antagonist of the upcomingSonic the Hedgehog 3, Shadow the Hedgehog(Jason Griffith), is tracking down a mysterious entity linked to a cataclysmic conspiracy. Finally, an all-new character is introduced to the franchise with Silver the Hedgehog (Pete Capella) — a hedgehog from the far-off future that has been plunged into a post-apocalyptic hellscape.
Who Is Iblis in ‘Sonic ‘06’?
With three different campaigns and three different protagonists,Sonic ‘06also boasts three different villains. For Sonic’s campaign, he, of course, is battling his old rival,Dr. Ivo ‘Eggman’ Robotnik(Mike Pollock), with the mad scientist seeking to use the Chaos Emeralds to take over Soleanna. For Shadow’s campaign, he’s tracking down a mysterious figure called Mephiles the Dark (Dan Green), who seems to have dark aspirations for the world. Finally, for Silver’s campaign, the time-traveling hedgehog seeks to prevent the end of the world and the arrival ofIblis — the seemingly demonic entity that has engulfed the future world of Soleanna in flameand the figure that is most relevant to today’s conversation.
Okay, where to begin with this ridiculous character’s ridiculous origin story? So, apparently,Iblis is one half of a Soleanna sun godcalled Solaris, who was created through a secretive experiment that sought to unlock the secrets of time travel. Also, the “soul” of Iblis is inside Princess Elise, and his escape is what causes the world to end in Silver’s timeline…okay. If there’s one franchise that did not need sun gods, time travel, and demon-possessed princesses, I’m gonna probably say thatSonic the Hedgehogis that one.
Despite being the game’s main antagonist in a franchise that constantly brings back characters, Iblis has typically shared the same fate as the game he stars in — being forgotten by society. Apart from a few references here and there and a brief cameo appearance inSonic Rivals 2,Iblis has largely faded into complete and total obscurity. That is…until now.
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How and Why Does Iblis Appear in ‘Knuckles’?
It’s fitting that a surreal character would make his first and probably only live-action appearance in the most surreal episode ofKnuckles. In Episode 4 of Paramount+’s miniseries, Wade is abducted by bounty hunter and former best friend Jack Sinclair (Julian Barratt). Sinclair hopes to take on the reward that’s been placed upon Wade, and Knuckles feels like this is Wade’s time to help himself for a change rather than be saved by others.
While stuck in Sinclair’s cage, Wade is awoken into a dream sequence set in his favorite bowling alley. There, he has a meeting with Knuckles’ ghost chief, Pachacamac (Christopher Lloyd), who tries to teach Wade how to stand up for himself.He does this by introducing Wade to a full-blown musical number, where he dresses up as Knuckles and a dream version of Jack serenades him while dressed up as a giant owl. When Jack musically instructs Wade to do battle with a deadly demon, it’s at this point wherewe get to see Iblis in the flesh(sort of).
When the demon puppet enters with it’s three horns and multiple arms, it’s abundantly clear that this is supposed to be Iblis fromSonic ‘06. The dangerous puppeteered foe seems intimidating at first, but once Wade is imbued with the angelic voice ofMichael Bolton, he’s able to slay the beast and defeat Jack in the real world. Is this an MCU-esque tease that Iblis will become the shadowy big bad of theSonic the Hedgehogfranchise? Absolutely not, butit is poking fun at a very unusual period in Sonic’s long historyin gaming.
