"Peak Knuckles design": Twitter reacts to Knuckles' first look in Sonic The Hedgehog

Knuckles the Echidna is officially set to join Sonic the Hedgehog in the fight against Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, and fans can't keep calm.

After the riveting adventures of the first film, fans will undoubtedly be pleased to know that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will have not one but two fan-favorites joining the hero in his inter-galactic quest: Miles "Tails" Prower and Knuckles the Echidna.

In a brand new set of photos recently released online, Knuckles and Tails can be seen gearing up alongside Sonic for a gorgeous money-shot, in which the lead trio of the popular Sonic franchise assemble.

Also spotted on set were the lead couple, Tom and Maddie Wachowski, played by James Marsden and Tika Sumpter, respectively.

While the film's makers are yet to finalize upon which actors will ultimately lend their voices to Knuckles and Tails, their recent on-set appearance has sparked an outcry of delight among fans online.

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Sonic and Knuckles: Twitter goes gaga over Knuckles' appearance in new Sonic the Hedgehog 2 set photos

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) ended with the titular character emerging victorious in his battle against Dr. Robotnik, who was sent to the mushroom planet.

However, the end of the film pretty much confirmed the latter's return, this time with a more sinister plot in mind to get the better of his supersonic nemesis.

The first film also teased the arrival of Tails in the city of Green Hills as an adequate reinforcement to Sonic.

However, the surprise addition of Knuckles has added further firepower to an exciting new trio that looks extremely promising if the exclusive set photos are anything to go by.

In the video game and comic series, Knuckles is depicted as a red anthropomorphic short-beaked echidna, who is not only an extremely skilled martial artist with spiked fists but also a lithe warrior who possesses the power to effortlessly glide and climb up walls.

Moreover, with Aquaman star Jason Momoa heavily rumored to lend his voice to Knuckles, excitement seems to be at an all-time high, as evidenced by recent fan reactions on Twitter:

As the internet celebrates the reunion of Team Sonic, director Jeff Fowler and the rest of the Sonic the Hedgehog team will certainly be relieved to see a positive response from fans post the debacle that was the initial Sonic design.

Sonic the Hedgehog is slated to zoom into theaters on April 8th, 2022.