Shadow the Hedgehog is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series produced by Paramount Pictures. He is an anthropomorphic alien hedgehog who fell to Earth in a meteor and became part of a secret government experiment called Project Shadow led by Professor Gerald Robotnik. Upon his arrival, Shadow befriended Gerald's granddaughter, Maria. However, the Guardian Units of Nations, believing Shadow to be a threat, invaded Gerald's laboratory, causing an explosion that killed Maria while Shadow was placed in a state of suspended animation. Fifty years later, Shadow was awakened from his suspended animation on Prison Island by Gerald to carry out his revenge plot against humanity for Maria's death with the help of Gerald's grandson, Doctor Ivo Robotnik, coming into conflict with Team Sonic. By managing to infiltrate the G.U.N. HQ, Shadow and Team Robotnik managed to deploy the Eclipse Cannon with the intention of destroying Earth. In his decisive duel against his newfound arch-rival, Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow was able to come to terms with his past and decided to help Sonic and his friends save the planet to honor Maria. Using the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic and Shadow worked together to stop the cannon, with Shadow and Ivo sacrificing themselves to destroy the weapon. However, Shadow survived and returned to Earth.