Sonic x Shadow Generations’ new trailer may have confirmed a major fan theory

Sonic X Shadow Generations‘ latest trailer shed light on the Sonic Generations remaster’s Shadow-centric storyline. Hidden amongst glimpses of a biblically accurate Black Doom and Shadow’s groundbreaking new “Doom” powers were hints that the game will confirm a theory that the Sonic fandom has been kicking around for years.

Sonic Generations’ Time Eater is a mystery Sonic fans are desperate to solve

For those who haven’t played Sonic Generations since its initial release, the game’s time-twisting story is kicked into motion by the Time Eater, the latest in a long line of ancient, eldritch horrors co-opted by Sonic’s perennial arch-enemy, Dr. Eggman. Unlike Sonic Adventure’s Chaos or Sonic Unleashed’s Dark Gaia, the Time Eater doesn’t have any apocalyptic prophecy or ancient mythology associated with it: its lore starts and ends with Eggman finding it in space and using it to strand Sonic and his friends across time and space.

The Time Eater’s utter lack of a backstory has been a bee in the Sonic fandom’s collective bonnet for years. As is often the case with “official series canon gaps,” many fan theories have formed around the Time-Eater and its nebulous origins. One of the most popular theories argues Sonic Generations isn’t even the Time-Eater’s debut, that its existence is a lingering relic of Sonic’s most infamous adventure.

The Time Eater might be another name for Sonic’s darkest enemy

Sonic fans hate almost everything about 2006’s Sonic the Hedgehog, more commonly known as Sonic ‘06. Everything except for Mephilles the Dark, the game’s main villain. One of two entities born from the splintered form of the sun god Solaris (yeah, this will be a bumpy ride), Mephilles embodies the fallen divinity’s calculating mind. Thanks to some time travel shenanigans, Mephilles assumed the visage of a crystalline clone of Shadow and dedicated every second of his existence to reclaiming his original form.

Mephilles is widely regarded as one of Sonic ‘06’s only highlights. His design is memorable, his line delivery is delightfully Shakespearian, and he even has a surprisingly unsettling leitmotif that underscores most of his scenes. Unfortunately, the game’s story ends with a paradox that wipes him out of existence, and he’s only made minor cameo appearances since. Unless you believe the “Time-Eater is Mephillies theory,” that is.

This theory has no official name, but the one I use sums it up pretty succinctly. It suggests that the remnants of Mephiles/Solaris somehow re-entered the timeline after Sonic ’06 removed itself from the continuity, decaying and mutating into the Time-Eater. Typically, this is where I’d say this is “just a theory,” but one of modern Sonic’s chief architects has noted that, as far as he’s concerned, that’s the truth.

Ian Flynn, the lead writer of Archie and IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog comics and screenwriter of Sonic Frontiers, said in a 2012 blog post that he thinks Mephlllies is, in fact, the Time Eater. In the post, Flynn outlines the critical evidence backing this theory, highlighting the similarities between their time-manipulating powers and their shared affinity for black and violet. He even pointed out that the area leading up to the Time Eater’s boss fight in Sonic Generations is littered with flaming torches, a potential nod to Mephilles’ status as a fallen sun god.

Ian Flynn’s in the perfect position to make the Time Eater Mephilles theory reality

Most Sonic fans have been endorsing Flynn’s theory on the Time Eater for years, but the new Sonic X Shadow Generations trailer has given them even more reason to wonder. Not only did it confirm that Mephilles is returning as a boss in Shadow’s storyline, but it also ended with an ominous shot of the Time Eater laughing sinisterly as the black hedgehog discovers a still-alive Maria and Gerald Robotnik in White Space.

Knowing how much Sonic writers love to dredge up Shadow’s trauma, his reunion with Marai and Gerald probably will not end well for the parties involved. While Eggman commands the Time Eater, he cares about Gerald and Maria, so I doubt he’d pull his grandfather and cousin through time to mess with Shadow. Mephillies‌ is another story.

Shadow holds more responsibility for Mephilles’ defeat than any other character in Sonic ‘06, and unlike Eggman, there’s no depth he won’t sink to get what he wants. If he wants to hurt Shadow, I can’t think of a better way to do it than by forcing him to see the two people he cares about most meet their tragic fates all over again. It’s possible, if not likely, that Mephilles/Time Eater also brought Black Doom back, setting the stage for one of the gnarliest father-son reunions in video game history.

Ian Flynn is the head writer for Shadow Generations, and one of his chief talents as a writer is revisiting and revitalizing unresolved plot threads within the Sonic mythos. With that in mind, I think one of the wildest Sonic fan theories is about to become canon lore.