An image shared on Instagram claimed that Sonic the Hedgehog is “expected to be transgender in his upcoming movie in order to be ‘appropriate’ for a 2019 audience.”

Verdict: False

Sonic will not be transgender in the 2019 movie. The claim was first shared by a Twitter account known for parody.

Fact Check:

“HES A F***ING HEDGEHOG…” the image proclaims above a tweet from the Twitter account “TBCnews.”

Although TBCnews may appear to be a news outlet – it uses the logo of a local ABC affiliate on Twitter – it actually describes itself as a parody account. In the same tweet thread, it claims that another video game character, Knuckles, “will also be on Ecstasy the entire film.”

Since the tweet was shared to Instagram as a screenshot, this information is not evident to users, some of whom believed the news to be real.

There has been no public announcement by the production company about Sonic being transgender in the film. The character is voiced by actor Ben Schwartz, and promotional materials have referred to Sonic using masculine pronouns.

“He’s a whole new speed of hero,” the tagline for the trailer on YouTube reads.

The Sonic movie faced backlash after a trailer for the film featured Sonic looking different than he did in the original video games. The director announced the character would be redesigned as a result of fan feedback before hitting theaters.

“Sonic the Hedgehog” is set to be released in the U.S. in November.

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