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Sonic Characters Will Become DC Superheroes in New Sega Partnership

Sonic as the Flash, and Shadow as Batman?

Headshot of Gael Cooper
Headshot of Gael Cooper
Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, and generational studies Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Gael Cooper
The animated character Shadow is shown in a Batman costume.

Are you ready for Shadow Batman?

 Sega/DC/Screenshot by CNET

Sega's famed characters from Sonic the Hedgehog will become superheroes thanks to a new partnership with DC Comics. It's Batman's 85th birthday this year, and on Sept. 21, Sega hinted at the mash-up by sharing a short video where the bat-signal pulls in not the regular Caped Crusader, but Shadow the Hedgehog from the Sonic universe.

Further information was shared at Sonic Central, a virtual fan event that aired Tuesday: The Sonic characters will make comic-book appearances in 2025, with Sonic as the Flash, Shadow as Batman, Amy Rose as Wonder Woman and Tails as Cyborg.

The collaboration launches with a five-issue DC Comics series coming in 2025, and will be followed by related merchandise, including clothing and toys.

There's more coming for Sonic. Sonic x Shadow Generations, arriving in October, is the second Sonic game to feature Shadow the Hedgehog as its main character. It'll be bundled with a remaster of Sonic Generations and will be available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.

Mobile party game Sonic Rumble is also new. Roblox fans will be able to face off against a new version of Neo Metal Sonic in Sonic Speed Simulator on Roblox. A new animated web series, Chao Tales, will showcase the popular childlike Chao characters. New Lego sets featuring Sonic characters are on the way. And Topgolf locations will allow players to use Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose as on-screen golf balls.