Sonic The Hedgehog 2: What Is G.U.N.? (2024)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 introduced a ton of new and fascinating details from the massive source material into the growing film universe, with varied results. While fans were thrilled to see Tails and Knuckles finally hit the big screen, some of the other reveals were a little more niche.

The second film in what is quickly shaping up to be a powerful new cinematic universe has thrilled longtime fans and newcomers alike. Throughout the film, the Blue Blur faces off against his classic nemesis Dr. Eggman and his new rival Knuckles the Echidna. But a new threat emerges from the darkness in the latter half of the film. Some spoilers follow for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, proceed with caution.

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Sonic the Hedgehog tells the story of the beloved hedgehog embedding himself in human society and trying to escape the clutches of Dr. Robotnik. Robotnik is a government-funded mad scientist in the first film, but his selfish ambitions cause him to go rogue. The dynamic battles with Sonic immediately defy the hedgehog's intention to fly under the radar. With a massive event like the battle in Green Hills, mankind had to respond in a big way. After an alien being and a mad scientist clashed on Earth, nearly destroying a small town and crossing the globe in the process, the Earth responded by forming a new organization. The Guardian Units of Nations organized to handle the extradimensional affairs of Sonic and friends, and the grim work of Dr. Eggman.

G.U.N. was first introduced in 2001's Sonic Adventure 2, as an all-purpose enemy force. They quarrel with the good guys and the bad guys with seemingly equal gusto. All that's really known about them in their first appearance is that they're a global military organization tasked with containing the damage of the newly introduced Shadow the Hedgehog. G.U.N. confuses Sonic and Shadow, leading them to hunt both hedgehogs with weaponry and armed robots.

Interestingly, the name exists only as a logo on the group's weaponry and gear. The characters only refer to them as "the government" or "the military", which leads to a ton of humorous lines. Since they're the general antagonist for both parts of the narrative, they often do inexplicable things for the purpose of gameplay. A G.U.N. agent can be seen holding a turtle at gunpoint for reasons no one has been able to determine, even to this day.

Later games further explored G.U.N. as an anti-extraterrestrial force. 2005's Shadow the Hedgehog featured the agency as the good side of the conflict. Shadow can ally himself with Sonic and friends, on the side of the government against hostile alien invaders. The group is heavily linked to Shadow, as the organization almost always exists to prevent his threat against Earth. The moral alignment of G.U.N. is questionable for a number of reasons, but they seem to do good on purpose and bad on accident. Their role in the films seems to be much more narratively fulfilled than their role in the games.

G.U.N. only appeared in a handful of Sonic games, and rarely as a significant portion of the plot. Like the human military's role in a lot of genre fiction, they only serve to inconvenience the larger trends and forces of the plot. The film introduces them much like the games did, as a government force that exists to contain the threat of the hedgehogs from alternate dimensions. They seem to have done some intense surveillance on Sonic's human caretakers, and their extended family. The group's master plan to grab Sonic leads them to arrange a fake marriage for Sonic's adoptive mom's sister. Sonic's adoptive parents attend and Sonic eventually makes his way there. G.U.N. captures Sonic and Tails as soon as they appear, weirdly certain that they would show at an event they had no intention of attending.

G.U.N.'s intentions with Sonic and Tails after capturing them are not clear. What is clear is that they seem to play an all-purpose peacekeeping role. Once they are convinced of Dr. Robotnik's survival and return to Earth, they change their goals to hunting down the mad scientist. They also appear to have a ton of resources in the pursuit of this goal. They drive several massive tanks and armored vehicles, wielding something akin to plasma rifles as they prepare to attack Eggman. With futuristic technology, seemingly endless money, and a level of superhuman planning and prediction skills, they could be a considerable threat in the future.

G.U.N.'s role in the story will likely not be antagonistic in future projects. By the end of the film's conflict, the organization seems to view Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as allies. With Eggman possibly still at large, and a new threat on the horizon, G.U.N. could be on the side of good in future films. Anything could happen in the upcoming movies, but G.U.N. has probably not made its last appearance.

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