Idris Elba is Knuckles in Sonic 2

Something I haven’t really made clear through the Mad Monster channels is how much of a fan I am of Sonic The Hedgehog. All I’ll say is that I saw the high grossing 2019 movie at least 4 times despite me thinking Junkie XL failed when it came to the music. I totally edited my own cut of the movie to include music from the games. It’s otherwise a piece of media that such a passionate fan base has been deserving for a long time. 

On the day I write this, I screamed at my phone when Bloodsport himself tweeted an exclusive poster of Knuckles confirming that he’s going to be voicing the character in Sonic 2. I had my bets placed on John Cena for a while but I’m happy to be wrong and that the echidna’s voice would come from The Suicide Squad after all. Apart from liking his performance in the recent movie, I didn’t internalize why Idris Elba was perfect until I noticed a few things that had me think, “of course Knuckles is black.” Even though none of his prior voice actors really reflected this, Knuckles color scheme/design absolutely comes off Rastafarian inspired. It’s also worth noting that his most recognized theme songs throughout the history of the franchise are Unknown From M. E. by Marlon Saunders and Pumpkin Hill by Hunnid-P. 

To catch you up to speed, that makes Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all confirmed to be teaming up to fight Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik in the sequel. At least that’s the expectation between how the first ended and what we know now. For anyone who isn’t a Sonic fan, it’s a big deal to be given something as good as the last movie that is officially in partnership with SEGA. The teamup with Paramount Pictures thus far has been incredible and I can’t wait to not shut the fuck up about this sequel expected to drop April 2022.