When actor and comedy legend Jim Carrey announced his retirement on April 1, 2022, it was no April Fool's joke. He tweeted his plans to retire just days before Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hit theaters, leaving fans with questions about the future of Doctor Robotnik in the Sonic Cinematic Universe. Eggman has been Sonic's archnemesis since the very first game and has held that role consistently across the franchise, so his departure leaves some big shoes to fill.
Nothing has been confirmed as far as details about Sonic the Hedgehog 3, so there is no official word on whether or not Carrey will be returning for the third installment. Producers Neal H. Moritz and Toby Ascher said they would not recast Robotnik, and the door would always be open to Carrey should he choose to return. While Carrey's performance and the loss of the franchise's most iconic villain would be a bitter pill to swallow, it could lay the groundwork for someone new to step up to the plate.
Surprisingly, there aren't many suitable candidates from the source material to take Robotnik's place. Metal Sonic is iconic, but he's a Robotnik creation, and he's not much of a mastermind. Chaos is an ancient and powerful threat but doesn't really have any characterization and couldn't carry a movie. It's always possible the movies could borrow a villain from the huge catalog of Sonic comics, but the Sonic movies already have the perfect man for the job.
Robotnik's right-hand man Agent Stone could become the next great villain in the Sonic franchise. His character has already been well-established, and his devotion to Robotnik could set him up to take the doctor's place. In fact, that's exactly what he did in Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Pre-Quill, a tie-in comic that takes place between the events of the first and second Sonic movies.
The Pre-Quill comic is divided into sections following the adventures of Sonic, Agent Stone, Knuckles, Tails and Robotnik just before Sonic 2. In Agent Stone's section it's revealed that despite Robotnik's lack of regard for humanity (including Stone most of the time), he left behind a manifesto and entrusted it to him. The manifesto serves as a contingency plan if Robotnik ever goes missing, as he did when he was stranded on the mushroom planet at the end of the first film. Following the instructions Robotnik left him, Stone shows that he was Robotbik's right-hand man for a reason. Stone is ruthless, clever and completely dedicated to the doctor.
Throughout the comic, Stone hires thieves to steal back some of Eggman's confiscated tech and works his way up the ranks of the local coffee shop. One by one, he gets rid of all of the employees in his way until he assumes ownership of the coffee shop, covertly creating a base of operations to await the doctor's return. He even goes so far as framing the owner for money laundering, then calls her once she's behind bars to subtly tell her that he was behind the conspiracy just to rub it in her face. The story shows that Stone is a skilled manipulator and holds plenty of contempt for other people, demonstrating that he isn't following Robotnik because he's misguided or blinded by love -- he genuinely believes in the doctor's ideology, contempt for humanity and all.
While Jim Carrey's Eggman would be missed, his retirement could present a golden opportunity to tell the story of a henchman rising to power and coming into his own. Crafting Stone into the main antagonist could be a compelling storyline, something new that's never been seen in the games. The Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon (aka Sonic SatAM) was setting up a similar storyline with Snively Robotnik in the infamous cliffhanger ending of Season 2 but was unfortunately never given a third season.
Agent Stone could be the spiritual successor of this unrealized potential, carried by Lee Majdoub's charismatic performance that has already established his character as a fan favorite. Stone could even play a role in the upcoming Knuckles TV show, which could explore this development between films and leave Sonic 3's script with plenty of room for Shadow the Hedgehog's storyline. This time, Stone would be doing more than taking over coffee shops, and his motivation would be obvious: avenge Doctor Robotnik.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is now available to stream on Paramount+.