With the release of the trailer for Sonic The Hedgehog 2, fans finally get to see more of Jim Carrey playing Dr. Robotnik looking more like the character we know from the game series. It's plain to see that Carrey is having a lot of fun with his role as Eggman, marking his return to more mainstream and leading roles after several years of laying low. Since 2016 Carrey has taken on only small roles since starring in Kick-Ass 2 as Colonel Stars and Stripes in 2013.
It's no secret that Carrey disowned the movie before its release. In wake of the Sandy Hook school shootings, Carrey, a vocal supporter of gun control, stated that the level of violence in the film was something he could no longer support. He refused to do any publicity for the movie and ultimately the movie flopped. With a change of director and excessive violence seemingly just for the sake of it, Kick-Ass 2 failed to recapture the feeling of the original. Following his turn in Kick-Ass 2, Carrey dropped off the radar, appearing in only 5 features between 2013 and the release of Sonic The Hedgehog in 2020.
His absence from the spotlight can't only be attributed to his experience with Kick-Ass 2, behind the scenes Carrey has had a tumultuous time as well. A long-time sufferer of depression, he also saw several relationships come and go and experienced more than his share of tragedy. Such a turbulent personal life coupled with his beliefs clashing with his career no doubt contributed to his disappearance from the spotlight.
When it was revealed that Jim Carrey would be playing Dr. Robotnik in Sonic The Hedgehog some fans were skeptical. Some were concerned that he would be playing the character seriously after his string of more serious roles. Some couldn't see him in the role purely based on appearances. The first footage put those fears to bed as Carrey seemed to be returning to his slapstick, over-the-top comedy roots. The trailer saw him contorting his face, being zapped by Sonic's speed force, and dancing in his mobile lab, echoing the early performances that made him a star. Robotnik is a larger-than-life character and Jim Carrey is living up to that in his performance.
In the world of the Sonic The Hedgehog movie, Sonic is an alien from the other side of the universe and Dr. Robotnik is employed by the government to hunt him down. From the get-go, the audience is let in on the fact that Robotnik is on the eccentric side, with government officials making it clear that they don't want to call him in. From his first screen appearance, Carrey owns the role. Stepping out of his mobile lab, dressed in all black and sporting a majestic mustache he immediately commands all the focus. He switches from pretending to be a robot to being an authoritative figure and back to being a manic presence all in the space of a minute.
As the movie goes on we see Robotnik become more and more manic and desperate to get a hold of Sonic and his power. Carrey slowly escalates his performance, becoming completely obsessed with the blue blur. The first Sonic movie is not only about establishing Sonic on planet Earth and creating a believable setting to bring the video game series to life, it's also about establishing Dr. Robotnik as the villain of the series. It's about cultivating the friction and obsession that Robotnik has with Sonic.
The world of the Sonic franchise is fast. It's bombastic and it's manic. It's all the things that audiences have grown to love Jim Carrey for. The franchise and character of Robotnik allow Carrey to be as over the top as possible. Eggman has always been a strange character within a strange franchise. The enduring popularity of a super-fast hedgehog is a little baffling to outsiders, as is Jim Carrey's popularity to some. Now with the second installment of the franchise imminent, fans get to see Carrey take the role further.
The end of the first film saw Robotnik stranded on a mushroom planet, his attire matching closer to the video game version of the character. His trip across the universe also sees him lose his hair and gain the trademark bushy mustache that Robotnik is known for. From the trailer for the sequel, it's clear that Robotnik has made it back to Earth and discovered the Chaos Emeralds in the process. He is decidedly more evil, unleashing the power of the emerald on Green Hills and bringing Knuckles with him. It's clear that Carrey is still enjoying his role, chewing the scenery and giving it his all. Sonic and Carrey are both over-the-top personalities and casting Carrey as Robotnik may just have been a perfect pairing.